2000 Grizzly and Kodiac
#1
09-03-1999, 12:00 AM
Join Date: Jul 1999
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I went down to the local Yamaha dealer today and asked the question. I wanted to know which one is selling the best as of now; they sold 7 Kodiacs and 4 Grizzlys. They are really impressed with the new Kodiac, it seems to be the best machine that Yamaha has built up to this time in the utility quad market. I still could not believe they did not put a speedometer or an hour meter on the machine, so you know when to change oil. Has any one found an after market speedometer?Also, has anyone been able to check out the top speed.
Kyle Kimball
Southeast Texas
P.S. I still worry about the heat from the Grizzly. I think the motor will get too hot in my area. I was also impressed with the Kodiac, it looked really nice and had some good features.
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Kyle Kimball
Southeast Texas
P.S. I still worry about the heat from the Grizzly. I think the motor will get too hot in my area. I was also impressed with the Kodiac, it looked really nice and had some good features.
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#2
09-03-1999, 09:35 PM
Hello etkimball!
After putting 30 miles on my grizz, me and my nephew went down to the farm. I didn't want to go because it was 98 degrees,.....we went,.....were there. The only flat spot on this place is the pond water on a calm day. (Sorry back to the point)
As for the heat and the grizz: while playing real slow the oil fan kicked on, motor ran fine, and actually surpassed my expectations.
As for me: I agree with you on the kodiak on everything, if the water cooling fits your needs, keeps you from having a heatstroke, then that's the way I would go, because "If your not happy your not having fun".
Good point about the hour meter,hope this helps a little on the 2000 grizz issue.
mborum
[This message has been edited by mborum (edited 09-03-1999).]
[This message has been edited by mborum (edited 09-06-1999).]
After putting 30 miles on my grizz, me and my nephew went down to the farm. I didn't want to go because it was 98 degrees,.....we went,.....were there. The only flat spot on this place is the pond water on a calm day. (Sorry back to the point)
As for the heat and the grizz: while playing real slow the oil fan kicked on, motor ran fine, and actually surpassed my expectations.
As for me: I agree with you on the kodiak on everything, if the water cooling fits your needs, keeps you from having a heatstroke, then that's the way I would go, because "If your not happy your not having fun".
Good point about the hour meter,hope this helps a little on the 2000 grizz issue.
mborum
[This message has been edited by mborum (edited 09-03-1999).]
[This message has been edited by mborum (edited 09-06-1999).]
#3
09-07-1999, 02:25 PM
Just spent another weekend on my 2000 Kodiak,
I really put this thing through the paces one
interesting situation I ended up in was I
climbed a long steep trail that lead up to a
logging road when comming back I took a wrong
turn down hill (The Hill was steep enough that I had lock my arms and lean way back to keep from going over) ended up facing a 3' diameter log. So I figured I would try out my
new winch then I realized I didn't even try backing up well holly cow it backed out of there, yes it was dry and good traction never
the less I was still very impressed.
Now on to the info you have all been waiting
for on a very very very slight incline (meaning not perfectly flat) on gravel 3/4- and sunny 80 degrees, 750ft elevation, top
speed on my Kodiak as measured with an Eagle
GPS was 54.9 MPH and it seems to have more motor available. I suspect it's geared slightly low so when someone adds larger tires there is enough motor and gearing to turn them.
One more thing I had complained about the handling at one time and thinking that I needed to increase the front wheel width. I
instead increased tire pressure from 3.5 to
6.0 and put the suspension on the softes setting. This made all the difference in the world!!!! No more wandering down gravel roads very predictable in a slide much easier to ride really aggressivly.
The engine braking in low range is just amazing!!! I was going down a really steep ravine with really nasty washouts and the left front tire feel into a washout that had grass grown up out of it to the same level as the rest of the trail. Needless to say I went over the bars due to lack of proper body postion but I really nailed the landing Olympic judges would've been impressed! My biggest fear was the the Kodiak was going to hunt me down and try and grind me into the dirt. To my complete amazement the Kodiaks rear tires settled back down and at the same time the front tires started to roll out of the rut it had fallen into. Great the Kodiak didn't pounce on me and try and grind me into the dirt it's going to try and run me over%&*@ thinking this thing would head down hill with determination I rolled out of the beasts way knowing the Kodiak got the best of me this time. Well low and behold it slowly crawled down the 10-15ft allowed me to climb back on and continue down the hill. I have a new found respect for my Kodiak even without a rider the Kodiak refuses to lose its composure out on the trail. Ride hard and be safe!!!!
Muddy Doug E
2000 Kodiak, 425 Magnum, Kawasaki Bayou
I really put this thing through the paces one
interesting situation I ended up in was I
climbed a long steep trail that lead up to a
logging road when comming back I took a wrong
turn down hill (The Hill was steep enough that I had lock my arms and lean way back to keep from going over) ended up facing a 3' diameter log. So I figured I would try out my
new winch then I realized I didn't even try backing up well holly cow it backed out of there, yes it was dry and good traction never
the less I was still very impressed.
Now on to the info you have all been waiting
for on a very very very slight incline (meaning not perfectly flat) on gravel 3/4- and sunny 80 degrees, 750ft elevation, top
speed on my Kodiak as measured with an Eagle
GPS was 54.9 MPH and it seems to have more motor available. I suspect it's geared slightly low so when someone adds larger tires there is enough motor and gearing to turn them.
One more thing I had complained about the handling at one time and thinking that I needed to increase the front wheel width. I
instead increased tire pressure from 3.5 to
6.0 and put the suspension on the softes setting. This made all the difference in the world!!!! No more wandering down gravel roads very predictable in a slide much easier to ride really aggressivly.
The engine braking in low range is just amazing!!! I was going down a really steep ravine with really nasty washouts and the left front tire feel into a washout that had grass grown up out of it to the same level as the rest of the trail. Needless to say I went over the bars due to lack of proper body postion but I really nailed the landing Olympic judges would've been impressed! My biggest fear was the the Kodiak was going to hunt me down and try and grind me into the dirt. To my complete amazement the Kodiaks rear tires settled back down and at the same time the front tires started to roll out of the rut it had fallen into. Great the Kodiak didn't pounce on me and try and grind me into the dirt it's going to try and run me over%&*@ thinking this thing would head down hill with determination I rolled out of the beasts way knowing the Kodiak got the best of me this time. Well low and behold it slowly crawled down the 10-15ft allowed me to climb back on and continue down the hill. I have a new found respect for my Kodiak even without a rider the Kodiak refuses to lose its composure out on the trail. Ride hard and be safe!!!!
Muddy Doug E
2000 Kodiak, 425 Magnum, Kawasaki Bayou
#4
09-07-1999, 09:04 PM
Muddy_Doug_E,
Been enjoying the tales of the 2k Kodiak. Do you plan to put different tires on it? Have you checked the mileage? Also if you have a basis for comparison, how would it ride vs say a wolverine (I'm wondering about the shock settings) I apprieciate any thoughts.
Happy Trails
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Steve "Bog Hog" West
Honda 300 4x4 - Gordonized, Powered and Vamped
Been enjoying the tales of the 2k Kodiak. Do you plan to put different tires on it? Have you checked the mileage? Also if you have a basis for comparison, how would it ride vs say a wolverine (I'm wondering about the shock settings) I apprieciate any thoughts.
Happy Trails
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Steve "Bog Hog" West
Honda 300 4x4 - Gordonized, Powered and Vamped
#5
09-08-1999, 02:53 PM
Bog,
I don't have a comparison against the Wolverine yet! I should have one shortly I have met a few guys here in Oregon through this website to go ridding with. One has a wolverine another a Warrior and the third has a 400 Prairie. Believe me I will let everyone know the ins and outs and comparison of these machines! My opinion would be the Wolverine will handle better than the Kodiak due to it being lighter therefore feeling more flickable on the trails and easier to manhandle. The Kodiak I'm sure is designed to be faster than the Wolverine, why would Yamaha design a "new 4x4 quad" that can't at least beat the old wolverine in one area that being speed. For the longest time I wanted a Wolverine but decided to wait and see what the MFGs came out with so I purchased a 425 Magnum 98 (last year made) that could be handed down to the wife she likes auto trannys. I also hated them until I rode a Grizz. Knowing that the Kodiak tranny was based on the Grizz put my mind at ease. I used to race three wheelers and the the amount of engine braking you get when letting of the gas at a given speed is about what you would expect if you were in a gear at that speed, very close. The one thing I don't like is if you come up fast on a sharp corner you can't shift down an extra gear to help get the back to slide around, in some cases you have to use extra body position and get on the gas a little sooner than you would think to get it to slide around. There is very slight lag when you hit the gas and the power hits the rear, where as shifting down an extra gear there would be no lag at all!
The gas mileage since I had to go on an "extended ride" not by choice mind you and even having to use reserve to get back to camp. This is a fairly educated guess but it is pretty close to 20mpg depending on how you ride if you put along a little more if your ridding hard of course a little less. No speedometer or odometer on this quad aaarrr!
As for tires the Dunlops will have to go sooner or later but for now they are fine.
I think I have decided on the Bear Claws since I don't have to deal with near the mud that you guys in the south have to contend with. I do like the mud as my name indicates but I have no desire to turn heavy tires this would make slidding even less predictable. One more thing that I will look at is maybe adding wheel spacers in the front even still. The inside front tire never inspires confidence in high speed corners 40+ it never feels firmly planted where my polaris does but the Polaris has a wider front end than the back by about 3" so I think I am going to try wheel spacers on the Kodiak to widen the front end. This will make it handle a little better in the recreation department. If you do mostly sport/recreational ridding with hunting being an after thought then get the Wolverine if you like to ride hard have a machine that is still possible to man handle with hunting being a definite job for your quad get the Kodiak I'm sure the Wolverine won't go anywhere you can't go. The drivetrain of the Kodiak is heavier duty than the wolverine and made for hard work and heavy hauling, I beleive the Kodiak will serve you well, but don't overlook that Wolverine something else you might want to wait and see what Honda is going to release in a week or two.
Muddy Doug E
I don't have a comparison against the Wolverine yet! I should have one shortly I have met a few guys here in Oregon through this website to go ridding with. One has a wolverine another a Warrior and the third has a 400 Prairie. Believe me I will let everyone know the ins and outs and comparison of these machines! My opinion would be the Wolverine will handle better than the Kodiak due to it being lighter therefore feeling more flickable on the trails and easier to manhandle. The Kodiak I'm sure is designed to be faster than the Wolverine, why would Yamaha design a "new 4x4 quad" that can't at least beat the old wolverine in one area that being speed. For the longest time I wanted a Wolverine but decided to wait and see what the MFGs came out with so I purchased a 425 Magnum 98 (last year made) that could be handed down to the wife she likes auto trannys. I also hated them until I rode a Grizz. Knowing that the Kodiak tranny was based on the Grizz put my mind at ease. I used to race three wheelers and the the amount of engine braking you get when letting of the gas at a given speed is about what you would expect if you were in a gear at that speed, very close. The one thing I don't like is if you come up fast on a sharp corner you can't shift down an extra gear to help get the back to slide around, in some cases you have to use extra body position and get on the gas a little sooner than you would think to get it to slide around. There is very slight lag when you hit the gas and the power hits the rear, where as shifting down an extra gear there would be no lag at all!
The gas mileage since I had to go on an "extended ride" not by choice mind you and even having to use reserve to get back to camp. This is a fairly educated guess but it is pretty close to 20mpg depending on how you ride if you put along a little more if your ridding hard of course a little less. No speedometer or odometer on this quad aaarrr!
As for tires the Dunlops will have to go sooner or later but for now they are fine.
I think I have decided on the Bear Claws since I don't have to deal with near the mud that you guys in the south have to contend with. I do like the mud as my name indicates but I have no desire to turn heavy tires this would make slidding even less predictable. One more thing that I will look at is maybe adding wheel spacers in the front even still. The inside front tire never inspires confidence in high speed corners 40+ it never feels firmly planted where my polaris does but the Polaris has a wider front end than the back by about 3" so I think I am going to try wheel spacers on the Kodiak to widen the front end. This will make it handle a little better in the recreation department. If you do mostly sport/recreational ridding with hunting being an after thought then get the Wolverine if you like to ride hard have a machine that is still possible to man handle with hunting being a definite job for your quad get the Kodiak I'm sure the Wolverine won't go anywhere you can't go. The drivetrain of the Kodiak is heavier duty than the wolverine and made for hard work and heavy hauling, I beleive the Kodiak will serve you well, but don't overlook that Wolverine something else you might want to wait and see what Honda is going to release in a week or two.
Muddy Doug E
#6
09-08-1999, 11:04 PM
Muddy_Doug_E,
Thanks for the input - I'm still a while off from another purchase - I have been interested in the new Kodiak since it came out - lots of nice features, looks good, and I think the wife might actually like not having to shift. I was just curious about the ride - most quads probable ride a bit better than mine (it's kinda like an empty dump-truck) - I noticed it has adjustable shocks - do you like these?
The mileage sounds pretty much in line with what I get on my 300, it has done as well as 30 (easy trails) to 14 (Marengo Swamp).
Anyway - Thanks again for the info.
Happy Trails
p.s. I am waiting patently to see what Honda comes up with - I just hope they actually DO!
p.s.s About the Speedo - I screwed up and bought a Honda speedo when I got my quad (mucho bucks) - then Gordon comes along with a simple, cheap, and better alternative - A little digital mountain bike speedo - has about 10 functions - uses a magnet that we put on the fron drive shaft. It can be recalibrated based on current tire size, shows time, current speed, max speed, current trip, overall mileage and some other stuff for about $30 vs the $160 for the plain honda speedo.
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Steve "Bog Hog" West
Honda 300 4x4 - Gordonized, Powered and Vamped
Thanks for the input - I'm still a while off from another purchase - I have been interested in the new Kodiak since it came out - lots of nice features, looks good, and I think the wife might actually like not having to shift. I was just curious about the ride - most quads probable ride a bit better than mine (it's kinda like an empty dump-truck) - I noticed it has adjustable shocks - do you like these?
The mileage sounds pretty much in line with what I get on my 300, it has done as well as 30 (easy trails) to 14 (Marengo Swamp).
Anyway - Thanks again for the info.
Happy Trails
p.s. I am waiting patently to see what Honda comes up with - I just hope they actually DO!
p.s.s About the Speedo - I screwed up and bought a Honda speedo when I got my quad (mucho bucks) - then Gordon comes along with a simple, cheap, and better alternative - A little digital mountain bike speedo - has about 10 functions - uses a magnet that we put on the fron drive shaft. It can be recalibrated based on current tire size, shows time, current speed, max speed, current trip, overall mileage and some other stuff for about $30 vs the $160 for the plain honda speedo.
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Steve "Bog Hog" West
Honda 300 4x4 - Gordonized, Powered and Vamped
#7
09-09-1999, 03:43 PM
Thanks Bog Hog,
I have a bike in the shed that I can do just that with thanks never thought about that!!
The shocks on the Kodiak: The rear absolutly great shocks no crushing where as the fronts soak up 1ft diameter full speed log hits just fine. I was hauling @#$ down a trail catching up to some friends on my other quads (had to stop to add a waypoint) anyways they thought it would be fun to watch me blast around the corner and over the log (I forgot it was there) and the Kodiak went right through it like it wasn't there. They both went slack jawed when they seen this.
The front shock do suffer from crushing and I think dual rate shocks would be the ticket to fix this remember this is a utility/recreation recreation being second priority. The front shocks are stiff probably for heavy loads and the do soak up the oh-@#$ really good!
Thanks Gordon and Bog for the tip on the odometer!!
Muddy Doug E
I have a bike in the shed that I can do just that with thanks never thought about that!!
The shocks on the Kodiak: The rear absolutly great shocks no crushing where as the fronts soak up 1ft diameter full speed log hits just fine. I was hauling @#$ down a trail catching up to some friends on my other quads (had to stop to add a waypoint) anyways they thought it would be fun to watch me blast around the corner and over the log (I forgot it was there) and the Kodiak went right through it like it wasn't there. They both went slack jawed when they seen this.
The front shock do suffer from crushing and I think dual rate shocks would be the ticket to fix this remember this is a utility/recreation recreation being second priority. The front shocks are stiff probably for heavy loads and the do soak up the oh-@#$ really good!
Thanks Gordon and Bog for the tip on the odometer!!
Muddy Doug E
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#8
09-11-1999, 01:56 AM
#9
09-13-1999, 05:55 AM
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Muddy_Doug_E Could you answer one more question for me. On the Grizzly that I test rode the engine was running fast before shifting to the next gear, they make clutch weights for this to help lower the engine speed when crusing at a slower pace. How dose the Kodiac do at lower cruise speeds, dose it seem to shift out faster so the engine pulls at a lower speed,or dose it run fast before shifting out? Kyle Kimball Southeast Texas p.s. Thanks for the information. I have to go shrimping now.
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#10
09-13-1999, 05:21 PM
doug-would it be possible to put wheel spacers ona 4 wd machine like the kodiak due to the front drive shafts? there set up for the stock wheels and you would have to put extensions on the shafts then? right? i dont know but i hope you fix the prob.
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Robert Hammond---and one BAD Suzuki lt 125 RLH151@Aol.Com
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Robert Hammond---and one BAD Suzuki lt 125 RLH151@Aol.Com
