When the 450 first came out, I thought Yamaha was going to disenfranchise a lot of people who owned the previous style Wolverine because of the many differences, such as added weight, automatic trans, etc. but it seems like the feedback from most 450 owners has been overwhelmingly positive.

So for those who have owned both versions, how do they compare to one another? Is the new 450 as nimble and maneuverable as the old one was or does the added girth make it handle too much like a ute model? Is it true that the Wolverine 450 is actually just a rebadged straight axle Kodiak 450 (the one that they discontinued awhile back) or is it indeed it's own platform? Does it get stuck easily compared to other 4x4's due to the sport oriented tires? Is it less fun to ride since there's no shifting on the part of the rider?

Keep in mind that for comparative purposes I'm talking about the old auto-clutch 350 Wolverine that they made from 1995 through 2005 and not the 2wd Wolverine 350 that they are selling now. I'd love to hear some feedback from people who have ridden both. Thanks!

 

Cant say for the 450,But I owned(my wifes) Trail Boss 330(auto two wheel drive),I have a 03 Wolverine 350 4x4..I have to say the Wolverine is a far better and funner machine to ride,I am an old dirt bike rider so I love the manual shifting..In the sport quad world,imo it has to be manual shifting or its like a Corvette with a automatic transmission..I love my 350 and keep in two wheel drive most of the time with the Warn 424,but having that four wheel drive in the mud and on hill climbs is nice..Now if they could fit the 450 engine in the 350 package with manual shifting,I'd trade in my 350 in a sec...A little more top end on the 350 would be nice..

 

The 450 is great. Even with auto I can still ride it like a sport quad, wheelies, jumps, and I can kick out the rear effortlessly. I would love it to be lighter so I could do stoppies. It is great in the mud even with the stock tires. I have not gotten stuck yet.

I like not having to shift uphill to keep it in the power band and down hill to keep from overrunning myself. I have been riding since 87 and I like to shift my motorcycles and my quads but the new wolvy as an auto is very nice, never have to worry about what gear I am in. I wish it did have about another 50 cc though

 

yeah i definitely cant complain with the wolvey. i dont mind it being auto, but i would love to see it be a manual. its definitely not the fastest quad out there but its got great power for its size and is pretty sporty for a 4x4. what i would love to see is a wolverine with the 500 H.O engine from the sportsman and scrambler 500 and have two different models with manual shifting or automatic. throw in some better shocks and that would be the greatest sport-utility ever made. i think many people would agree with me on that one

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: 07Wolvey450

yeah i definitely cant complain with the wolvey. i dont mind it being auto, but i would love to see it be a manual. its definitely not the fastest quad out there but its got great power for its size and is pretty sporty for a 4x4. what i would love to see is a wolverine with the 500 H.O engine from the sportsman and scrambler 500 and have two different models with manual shifting or automatic. throw in some better shocks and that would be the greatest sport-utility ever made. i think many people would agree with me on that one</end quote></div>

yep I'd buy that..Manual of coarse [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I learned on and rode for years using a full manual, with clutch. The CVT style automatic has it's advantages and disadvantages. One major advantage is hill climbing. You will never bog or stall the CVT on a hill. For anybody that has stalled a manual quad or bike on a 200ft high, rutted, 60 degree incline ... well, we can all agree that is hell. For wide open, fast trails I would perfer a true manual. However, that is only a small fraction of what I ride and it is still fun even with the CVT.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: jarmoore

I learned on and rode for years using a full manual, with clutch. The CVT style automatic has it's advantages and disadvantages. One major advantage is hill climbing. You will never bog or stall the CVT on a hill. For anybody that has stalled a manual quad or bike on a 200ft high, rutted, 60 degree incline ... well, we can all agree that is hell. For wide open, fast trails I would perfer a true manual. However, that is only a small fraction of what I ride and it is still fun even with the CVT.</end quote></div>

gahh I have done it..It blows..Lean forward..press right foot as hard as you can on break pedal..Grab front break like your life depends on it(well it does lol)down-shift to neutral..Hope quad restarts..put in first ease throttle(let off front brake)throttle up,let foot of rear brake and prey you go up...If not jump off the side..watch your baby roll down hill.. and then swear a lot..Straighten handle bars..go back to camp and call it a day lol..

 

or pop it and neutral and ease it down backwards. thats what you gotta do when you get stuck on any hill, lol. its still not all that fun though, lol

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: 07Wolvey450

or pop it and neutral and ease it down backwards. thats what you gotta do when you get stuck on any hill, lol. its still not all that fun though, lol</end quote></div>
I've been on some hills where you could not stop or even ease down. If you gave too much rear brake you would go over backwards ... if you gave too much front brake you would just start sliding. The only option is to get it going again and make it up the hill. Otherwise you would be doing 35+ backwards by the time you got to the bottom. It's definitely not a situation I ever want to be in again.

 

haha i'v had the same thing happen when on a manual, but i'd rather try to get going and if i cant, try to back down then let my baby roll down the hill. sometimes you just lose traction on some steep hills and start spinning the tires, and theres no way to get going again