Thinking of buying a 2000 kodiak. Looking for comments from owners good or bad on this model. Also looking for any available test data other than the one in Dirt wheels 12/99 issue and where to find them? Thanks for the info.

NOTE FROM ATVBBS:

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atvbbs

[This message has been edited by atvbbs (edited 01-15-2000).]

 

Hi, I have 4 hours on mine and all I have to say is AWSOME! I shopped & shopped and test rode the Rancher, Forman 450 ES, & Kawasaki Prarie 400. Not just parking lot rides. My partner has a Forman 450 ES. The rest are owned by my fellow co-workers. Oh I left out the Plaris Big 2 Stroke.
Yamaha went all out. Tilting the engine forward did wonders for off camber riding and front end traction in 4X4 on hills. You'll smoke a Grizzly on the trails. The forman is a Farm machine. The Rancher is a Small Bore unit. The Praire would be great with engine braking.
Pump the tries up and stiffen the shocks a little for your weight and you are flicking it around on the trails.
Good Luck

 

Hey rock, thanks for the info. everything I've read so far seems to point to the fact that Yamaha did their homework on the Kodiak. Appears that this machine is very well rounded for trail/exploration riding without being engineered too much toward Utility or motocross.

 

if you guys are thinking the kodiak is the best yamaha atv I would have to agree with you. They did their homework by copying polaris to the the last detail! (auto tranny, liquid cooling, struts, etc.) I'm not saying that is a bad thing...... its about time. The kodiak is far superior to the grizzly in my opinion. Now if only all atv manufacturers were as technologically advancing we would have some REALLY kick a*s atv's. It seems like polaris and honda do all of the new stuff.?

[This message has been edited by Mag500 (edited 01-15-2000).]

 

i think you're wrong about the struts

 

A Polairis Copy? No, No! Yes it is an Automatic if you want to call it a copy. However it is narrower and the variable pully moves in the oppisite direction. The engine breaking is much superior. On a Polaris if you are doing alot of slow riding you need to put it in Low Range to preserve the Belt. I know this because 2 of my co-workers have them and love them. The Kodiak only needs Low Range under a Load.
There are no struts on the machine.
I'll give you this. They did look at what ATV'ers wanted and the problems with Autos and did a good job improving on them. They did not want another Grizzley over heating problem.
The Polaris an all together different machine. They are selling them like Hot Cakes too.
I love my Kodiak. It's really a pleasure in the tight stuff.
The breaks get better with time.
The suspension gets better after break in also.

therock

 

I have a Polaris Magnum and a Yamaha Y2K Kodiak.

The Kodiak is a superior machine in anything and everthing except the Mud my hat is off to Polaris and there 4wd unit.
The brakes on the Kodiak work better but the Magnum takes less pressure to lock up all four.
Part of the problem with the polaris is the automatic transmission, the Kodiak has made the Polaris feel and work like 20 year old technology come on Polaris if you invented the auto you messed up and forget to continually improve upon your design the others have you beat and its your own fault. If your not careful someone will come up with a suuperior 4wd unit, how I'm not sure yet but you haven't improved it and when someone else does you will cry foul and say they're copying us! Stepping off the soap box now thank you.
My Kodiak has given me nothing but grins since July in everything from rec ridding to hunting and climbing up deep canyons with my elk!

 

Hey, Muddy Doug E thanks for the comments. Being new to this whole ATV thing can you give me some details as to why the Polaris is better than the Kodiak in the mud. Is it the so called "true 4 wheel drive" Polaris talks about? Or the sensing system they have to power the front wheels when the rears are slipping? Thanks.

 

I have a thought about the 3-wheel drive problem.

Being that it is a limited slip, It will tend to resist allowing one wheel to spin if both axles are a) turning at about the same velocity or b) both have some resistance against rotating freely (three-wheeling).

If you should get into a situatuion where it is three-wheeling, applying light pressure to the front brakes should give some resistance on both axles allowing the limited slip diff to do it's thing. This is opposed to resistance on one wheel and nothing (causing spin) on the other wheel.

Just a thought, I will be happy to try it when the temperature stays above 0 and we get some mud!

Ryan

 

Ryan, it does work to an extent. I tried it on our Foreman ES. Hitting the front brake lever will cause the motionless wheel to "kick" giving a little pull.