I picked up a brand new 2003 Kodiak 400 4wd a month ago and have just been riding around the farm with no problems. Today I went out and did some trail riding through creeks and hills. It ran fine until I put it in reverse and gave it some juice it started spitting and cutting out, as soon as I let off the gas and pushed the throttle a little it ran fine in reverse. I checked the owners manual and did not see anything mentioned about this. Is this normal or is it some feature Yamaha puts on it's automatic 4wheelers?
I have a 2002 Beartracker that doesn't have this problem.

Thanks,
Jay

02 Beartracker plain jane
03 400 Kodiak 4x4 plain jane

confused;

 

This is normal it is a rev limiter that keeps the speed down while in reverse. They are used on auto cvt quads since a cvt quad will run just as fast in reverse as it will in forward. It limits the speed to around 12mph in reverse. There are mods that you can do to over ride this safety feature.

 

The previous person's response is right on the money. The reverse rev limiter bypass is a cinch, it can likely be done in under a half hour and for around $5.00. I do not know if the Kodiak's wiring is the same as the 02' 660 Grizz, but I would guess it is very close if not the same. Nonetheless, do a search on "rev limiter bypass" and you should find lots of directions, at least for the Grizz that is. The process for the Kodiak should be identical, the wire may just be different that's all.