I'm VERY close to my first ATV purchase and will readily admit I am a novice when it comes to knowing much about them. I have done quite a bit of research though, and have narrowed my choice down to a Honda 450ES or a Yamaha Kodiak 4WD.
My wife wants to learn to ride as well. She doesn't like changing gears and because of that I am intrigued by the automatic transmission on the Kodiak. On the other hand I am well aware of the high degree of Honda reliability.

Specifically would feedback on the following comments:

1) Automatic transmission on Kodiak. Sings" loudly and can be quite bothersome.

2) The Kodiak transmission will slip when wet because it is belt driven.

3) The Honda turning radius (because it is full time 4WD)is is much wider than a Yamaha (when in 2WD).

3) The Kodiak has more power/ torque.

4) There is no way to log hours on a Kodiak and no add-on for that purpose.

5) The 450ES LED speedometor is unreliable and drains power even when the unit sits turned off.

6) The electronic shifting on the 450ES can be quite uneven at times (ex: shift from 2 to 3 is not instantaneous).

PLEASE, feel free to comment freely! You can't hurt my feelings, because I haven't developed a brand loyalty.

At least not yet anyway!

Thanks,

Keith

 

To answer question #5.
Yes the speedo/clock/dash display will drain your machine dead, you must start your quad at least two times a week and let it run. If not you will drain your battery dead, and lose your electric shift. Two friends of mine bought brand new 450ES's at the same time last year, and they are still battling this problem. So far the only solution, is to buy a battery buddy charger and leave it hooked up. TF

 

As you are a first time buyer I would reccomend the Kodiak I do not own one but I rode one and it is a great machine . I believe it may be Yamahas big seller 4x4 soon . I love the automatic transmission , I own Polaris quads but if I ever change it will likly be back to the Yamaha brand as I had them in the early 90s and the new Kodiak really impressed me it is not only a good performer but a great looking quad to this was something that I always felt that Yamaha was lacking but the Kodiak certainly has style. It looks great. As for the ES honda They are solid machines, but I just got one out of my shop that had its second Electric shift problem(warranty covered the first)and it was a huge job to repair. I wont go into it but it was a lot more than I anticipated when I jumped on it turned out to be internal tranny trouble. As you can see I like the Kodiak Auto but you make your own decision thats the best thing to do consider our sugestions but make your own decision.

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Kevin Gowdy aka Kagey 1999 Polaris Magnum 500

 

Oh yea one other thing is women aren't intimidated by the auto as much as they are by shifting.another thing to consider is your dealer,if you have good dealer to take care of you,can over look some other things.what ever your choice your sure to have alot of fun an enjoy.

[This message has been edited by corncob2 (edited 09-10-1999).]

 

If I were you I'd go for the Kodiak. My father owns one and I am very impressed with it. I myself own a Yamaha Warrior and when my father and I go trail riding he keeps up very well. I feel that there is enough power and speed to play around if you want and also a very simple 4-wheeler for your wife to ride. I feel that the Honda just has too much extra stuff that a 4-wheeler doesn't need. I hope this stuff helps you out a little bit.

 

Kagey, What was the problem with the Electronic Shift? You mentioned that it had internal transmission trouble, but the transmission on the ES and the S are the same, the ES just has a solnoid to change gears. I am calling you a liar, I just was interested what the problem was.

 

If Yamaha made the Kodiack a 500, and dropped the Grizzly, they would have a great flagship model. The Grizzly is a good machine too, but I don't think it has much going for it over the Kodicak except the motor size.

 

Pheonix: The problem with the ES was a result of the Trans problem . The transmission had a shifter cam or as some call it a dog which had somehow gotten slightly bent just enough that it caused a bind when the shifter tried to shift it . I found it by installing the manual shifter on it. Found the shifting got progressivly tighter as the quad climbed through the gears. The extra strain appears to have been the cause of the damage to the shifter motor. Being familiar with Honda tranny I knew as soon as I shifted it the first time manually that something was not exactly right with the linkage or something. I believe that the problem may have been just simply a bad part. They do happen sometimes.

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Kevin Gowdy aka Kagey 1999 Polaris Magnum 500

 

The kodiak would be my chice. If you are gonna ride in mud it should be yours to because it has disc all the way around and the honda450es when it goes to deep in mud or water the electric shift will fail.Also when you buy the ES the dealer will give you a spare foot shifter just incase the electric shifter screws up which definetely makes me not like the ES. But honda is known for realiability in many aspects except for that darn ES.

 

BIGBEAR4x4, why will the 450ES fail in mud or water? I have had mine in about 24" of water and 18" of mud and have yet to have a problem.

The reason that Honda, not the dealer, includes the shifter is because if the battery goes dead, for whatever reason, you would need to be able to shift back in to netural to start, and you may have to shift into the gear that you want.

I think that you will find, anyone that has had trouble with the electric shift (which are few and far between) it's because they rode hard and did not maintain their bikes.