I'm thinking of a new quad. I'm looking for excellent ride quality, good power(as I pull a trailer) and reliable. What about the belt and clutch system? I run a lot of muskeg. Do they get wet and will I be stranded? Yamaha has a good name, but the belt makes me leary. I'd appreciate input. Thanks.

 

i bought a 2000 yamaha kodiak 4x4 last march i traded a big bear...the best thing i ever did the belt is fine dont worry unless you are in water up to the racks and also i snow plow with it... to me its the best atv out there including the rubicon

 

Everything you describe is the Kodiak. IMO you can't buy a better machine. I bought mine in late Oct & have not had any problems, except for a little incident that was operator induced. I love this machine, it's my first.

 

i bought my kodiak last august and i absolutely love it. a co-worker of mine who purchased the grizzly said he wished he would have bought the kodiak instead. i have been in a couple of atv shops and they don't have many kodiaks on display because they can't keep them long enough. it didn't win atv of the year in 2000 for nothing. it is a great machine. you will love it.

2000 kodiak4x4
warn snow plow
yamaha speedo kit
2000 beartracker(wife's quad)

 

I bought my kodiak in january, and i love it!! The more i ride it the better it gets. I have 508 miles on as of this morning and have no complaints at all. It has great power,excellant ride and is very fun in 2 or 4 wheel drive. You cant go wrong with the kodiak!!

 

I have a 2000 Kodiak, its great. Plenty of power and still a smooth ride and easy to handle. Yeah so the grizzly is faster top speed but the low end and low gear range can't be beat on a Kodiak. I pull a plow with mine as well as run in the swamp water and mud. No problem. Also, the turning radius is very sharp. The push button 4x4 is easy and its always in the right gear for whatever terrain. Hope you go with the Yamaha.

 

I bought the KODIAK Y2K last Sept, Been though every test you can imagine , would buy this machine again. Here in Maine we have all the riding you would want , mud , snow , water etc... I call it Maine tough tested , I tried all the atv's out there and this i figured was the best all around, then again you can buy some that are right up there with the jeep CJ7 , but i liked the feel , weight, size of the KODIAK . Take one for a test drive you'll be back...

 

Bought mine new in September. Problems with mine have been 1. Rear factory brakes are a joke-buy the EBC brake bads. 2. Water pump had to be replaced because it was leaking like everyone else's - just about. 3. Poor air box design the way the filter just fits in there instead of a clamp on design. 4. Get in water over the racks and the belt will slip. Other than that I love my bike. It will go into any mud hole with other bikes, just not in very deep water. If I had to do it all over again, I would buy another one!!!!!!

 

Thanks for all your comments and input on the Kodiak. It definitely deserves serious consideration for my next quad.

 

My riding budd just bought a 01 Kodiak last Friday and installed 26" Bear Claws on it with some other goodies. We went for a day trip last monday (see photos on my site) and at the end of the trip, I tried it out. I was very impressed with the stability and smooth power. It was the first auto tranny I've ever tried and I liked it. I did like the optional 2wd adnd 4wd system. Moe, tried my Wolverine and liked the responsive snap when giving it gas. He really liked the sound of my bike and was surprised by the snappiness of the machine.

One thing that the gang noticed was that it burned double the gas that all the other machines did. One reason was because its new. It should get better with time but Polaris are the same. Its the Auto tranny that makes it hard on gas.

Overall, there both good machines. Way to go Yamaha!