hi all as a sport rider since forever i have dreamed of a decent sport 4x4 it would be just awesome to have a truely do it all machine. the woodland creature seems to be a good platform? i don't dig the auto or floorboards. but i'll over look it. do you think a 4 valve head swap from another 450 could be possible? really anything you to say on this machine will be most helpful.
thanks

 

I never had experience driving a hand clutch quad or bike and I just bought a 07 Wolverine 450 three years ago. It's my first machine I've ever owned but I've driven the older Wolverine with the semi-auto trans and a Grizzly. For me the Wolvy is perfect also because my 8 year old daughter who has been on a 50cc will be moving up to a 90cc and I didn't feel like having to shift constantly while teaching and showing her how to ride. Now my 2 year old will be getting the 50cc to start riding. Also, I love riding it aggressively like a sport quad but give me a mud hole and I'll go straight for it and throw it in 4x4.

If you used to riding a sport quad your may not like the Wolvy. You already stated you don't like the floorboards and the automatic. So you've kinda given it 2 strikes against it and I can't blame you! I wish it were a semi-auto at the least. The stock top speed is probably about 47 mph. I've put a jet kit in, HMF slip on and Twin Air air filter just those three things made it come alive more and I've had it up to 57 mph now. I haven't done the EPI Clutch Kit yet but plan on doing it. You can also get the clutch sheave machined threw Hauck Power Sports. There isn't a whole lot of stuff to do to the Wolvy but with some research and extra $$ you can do some stuff to it.

For more research head over to WolverineCentral.com Forums - Powered by vBulletin I'm on there under snowdog. There is a guy on there under bassbuggie who has removed the floor boards and put on nerf bars.

Drop me a line if you have more questions.
Dan

 

Welcome to the forums.
I've rode my buddy's all stock 450 Wolverine (I think it's a 07 or 08).
I ride a 250R with aftermarket suspension so when he offered to let me ride it, I expected little.
I was totally impressed with the power of the machine and even more impressed with the suspension.
I personally have learned to love the CVT machines and the floorboards are great IMO.
If you want to shift and get muddy, get a sport machine.

As for the 1st reply...Your username is offensive but I don't expect better from anyone putting a 2 year old on a 50.

 

I want one simply due to the 4 wheel drive option, coupled with a sportier stance. I don't really care if a 4X4 has an auto or Manual Tranny. But I'm a sport rider and have been on (not driven) several of the Wolverines and Really like the feel of them.

 

The Can-Am Renegade 500 or 800 (both are twin cylinder rotax) is unmatched as far as 4x4 "sport quads" go- but ain't cheap.
The wolvy is more affordable, but a renegade it is not


and yes- I know the op didn't ask about the renegade- but he is interested in 4x4 sport atv's so.... there ya go.

 

I guess "snowdog2" just wasn't as easy to think of as "goddamnusernames"

 

i was wondering how many posts it would take before somebody brought up the 500r. obviously it IS a super quad. but i know a dealer selling for under 5k the 09 wolverine that is. i could stick less than 2 grand in aftermarket goodies in it easily making it a beast!. a custom beast...which is simpler and lighter. so why buy the 500r? its 65lbs heavier...

if i had the cash i'd probably get a can am but the wolverine i can upgrade over time.

how trust worthy is the driveline on a wolverine? i always slammed polaris largely for its belt drive in the old days. and yamaha has its own snowmobile trans on quads now. tell me about any mechanical issues? give me your pro's and cons...i am looking to soak up some owner experience here. thanks Paul

 

haha- still wouldn't be close to the performance and versitility of a renegade. You really can't compare a wolvy to a rene- even after dumping $2k into it- the only two common parts the two share is a belt and 4 tires. What makes you think it'll weigh less after dumping $2k of "goodies" into it? That would net you tires and a pipe- far from being a "monster" able to compete with a rene- The rene has almost twice the hp-

 

I use snowdog on a few other sites and at the time I wanted to setup a login which was probably two years ago and I remember it was late at night and I'm sure I put a few brews down and I was probably tired, frustrated and feeling pretty good.

The Wolvy could never compete with the Renegade beergut is right. The rumor mill is that this is the last year for the Wolvy anyways but we'll just wait and see about that, rumors are just that rumors.

I have not had any issues with belt slippage or drivetrain issues. The maintenance is straight forward but the oil filter is set back just a little and by the time you get the filter off its leaked oil all over the side even after draining the oil the best you can. I bought one of these Form-A-FunnelŽ Flexible Draining Tool works really well to get into hard to reach places and I'm getting a lot of other uses out of it on my riding lawn mower and snowblower so its been worth it. Other maintenance is a breeze like the air filter, spark plug and diff fluids.

I put on the full GYTR skid plates and really like them alot! Here in PA you need really good skid plates and I didn't want to get something cheap and have to constantly beat them back in shape or keep replacing them.

I just ordered Odi hand grips and Powermadd hand guards, like I said before I still want to do the EPI clutch kit but I'll need tires by the end of this riding year and I'm not sure if I'll go up to 25" tires or not. The slip on, jet kit and K&N air filter will open it up immediately and you'll notice much quicker throttle response than over the stock parts.

There isn't a whole lot in the add ons such as racks and bumpers or nerf bars. GYTR makes a six pack rack and there is one company that makes a rack for it although I feel its ugly. I think DG claims to have a bumper but have never seen one with it on or even a picture of it. The guy bassbugie on the other wolverine site custom fit his nerf bars so it can be done. Check out the other site there is a lot of info on there that can be helpful.

The Wolverine isn't a beast, not so sure you can even make it into one but it is fun, its fast its faster and has quicker throttle response with the upgrades, you get the best of sport riding with 4x4 on demand, its heavy when you think of it as a sport quad but handles jumps pretty well. It handles 10-12" of snow really well and takes on mud pretty easily.

Do a little research, ride the competition if you can or at least go sit on them and check them out and if in a few weeks you find yourself going back to the Wolverine then you'll have your answer.

Dan

 

I bought a new wolverine last year for my first 4x4. I too have always ridden sport atvs, from my first 250x all the way up to my current 06 450r. I went with the wolverine for the same reasons...something sporty, yet a little more "capable". Ive barely ridden my honda at all since I got my wolvy. I find the wolvy to be more fun. It's really slow, tops out around 50-55 and I've even been beaten by raptor 250s in a drag race, but it is very nimble in tight trails. I've never ridden a better handling woods machine. It runs away from anyone i ride with in tight spots. It hill climbs great, is very comfortable and is just a blast to ride all around. I wanted to go with the renegade 800, but the wolvy was well under 6k out the door, so it was hard to justify the extra cost. The floor boards are weird at first but i've gotten used to them and the cvt is also a little weird. mine's still completey stock, might do tires, but its just fun to jump on and go. Plus, when I do dig out the Honda it just feels even more powerful.