I didn't want to ask this question on the Honda board, figured I'd get biased answers. Since I'm leaning toward the Rancher I thought I'd give Yamaha folks an opportunity to tell me why the Rancher would be the better choice.

I need 4wd. I am going to attach a snow plow. I will do mainly light trail riding, no serious mudding. I want a comfortable ride. Reliabilty. Also want a relatively quiet machine.

While the Kodiak has the advantages of switching from 2wd to 4wd and the auto tranny, the Hondas are proven extremely reliable and I understand the front suspension is better on Hondas and it also has the digital speedo.

Any input is appreciated

Thanks

 

I don't own a Kodiak but I would like to buy one sometime in the future for my wife.I own a GRIZZLY and I really like it!I've really looked over the Kodiak and 'am really impressed with it,great ground clearance,easy/tight steering,lightweight,big gas tank,looks good,rack capacity,liquid cooled!The Rancher is also a great machine,but in my opinion not as nice as the Kodiak.The price is something to consider,possibly being that the Rancher is cheaper.Tough decision,but either way you can't go wrong with YAMAHA or HONDA!!

 

I went to a dealer that sold both Yamahas and Hondas. I went there with the intent on purchasing either a Big Bear, Kodiak, or Rancher. Before I test drove any of the quads, I had ranked as my favorite based on what I had been reading from magazines and numerous web sites the #1 Big Bear 400 4X4 as the leading candidate, #2 the Rancher 4X4 ES, and #3 Kodiak 2wd/4wd option Automatic. I knew the features each model offered as well as the specs and what the reviews stated were the strengths and weaknesses. The Big Bear was initially my favorite due to the numerous improvements over the 99 Big Bear and the great reviews which all seemed to say that the new improvements would make the Big Bear bullet proof. Pros - extremely tight turning radius, quick steering, 386 cc engine, tons of low end torque, and purpose built for hunting and utility work with a bit of sportiness blended in. Cons - unstable on off-cambers, back-up starter a bust, and too low geared on top end - needs an overdrive, and some people think the front end is just plain ugly! I was planning on putting Cycle Country's electric shifter on the Big Bear and ITP's Billet Wheels to take off about 30 lbs. I like light sport-utility quads. The Rancher (535lbs.) had caught my interest after reading a couple of reviews and getting a color brochure from a Honda dealer. I like what the Rancher ES 4X4 offered for the price. For the same price as the Big Bear you got electronic shift, floor boards, Sure-trac and an LCD. Rancher did not have as many reviews in the magazines or on web sites but had alot of people in the forums bragging about them. Pros - features mentioned above for the price ie, ES, LCD etc.., Sure-trac, high revving motor, inner splash guards, Honda's reputation, and extremely stable on off-cambers. Cons - Sure-trac pushed in corners, did not have as nice a turning radius as the Big Bear and only had a 329cc engine. Kodiak - Mostly everything I heard about the Kodiak was all positive. The Kodiak was winning all the shootouts by beating some of the best - Honda (Foreman), Polaris and Kawasuki. Pros - Fully Automatic, Ultramatic transmission with engine compression braking, 400cc engine, tight turning radius, smooth power delivery, light weight roughly 544 lbs. dry, shifting from 2wd to 4wd, floor boards, an easy to use and neat looking shifter, decent mud protection, dual hydraulic discs brakes, and excellent ergos. Cons - CVT susceptible to water and belt slippage, some vibration through floor boards, backup recoil starter a bust, and traditional limited slip front differential. As expected all of the models had something I liked and didn't like. So, I did what any sensible person would do. I decided to test drive all three and see which one I liked the best. After test riding all three, I ended up buying the Rancher even though I did not feel like it was the best riding ATV of the three. The Big Bear and the Rancher felt about the same as far as ride quality. I picked the Rancher over the Big Bear for several reasons. The first thing I noticed between the two was that the Rancher was quieter. The tone from the muffler sounded much better than the Big Bear. The quality of the workmanship between the two felt better on the Rancher. I like the fact that for the same price I got alot of features ie., ES, and the Rancher looked better. However, I did think the Big Bear was an excellent machine, but I couldn't buy but one. The Kodiak really impressed me. As a Rancher and Honda owner, I am on the record as saying that the Kodiak is a better riding ATV. I rode it longer, enjoyed its feel more, and thought it was sportier, than the Rancher. I found it hard getting off the Kodiak. It was quick and just a fun, agile, and light feeling quad to ride. Tone from muffler sounded the same as the Honda Rancher. I did notice that it did have some vibration come through the floor boards but the Ultramatic transmission was sweet. -But for- the CVT belt being susceptible to water and the problems associated with getting the belt wet, I would have bought the Kodiak. I don't care what Kodiak owners say, it is a weakness of the Kodiak that I did not want to experience! I deer hunt and go deep into the mountains, cross numerous streams, and I did not want to deal with that issue. As I stated earlier, I bought the Rancher 4X4 ES even though I felt the Kodiak was a better ride and clearly sportier. The other little things that assisted in my difficult decision were things such as the back up starter. A reliable back up starter to me is important. If you have ever been hunting using a 4X4 truck to get back several miles into the woods, and mistakenly in your haste to get to your stand, left your lights on and came back to a dead battery around the time it was getting dark, then you know what I mean. Also, I was thinking when making my decision on which quad, that I would be riding on off cambers, and my dad who is getting old would be pulling a mower with the ATV on off cambers behind the house, and I just felt that the Honda strengths were in that department (stability and Sure-trac). Additionally, I got a lot of extras on the Rancher which made it more attractive when comparing what you received dollar for dollar. If Yamaha can better protect the tranny belt and stick a reliable and usable back up starter on the Kodiak, then I think that Yamaha will be very tough to beat. I believe that in a shootout the Kodiak would clearly beat a Rancher based on the criteria I have seen in other shootouts, but for my use and purpose, the Rancher was a better suited ATV for me. I really like my Rancher. It has been bulletproof and goes anywhere I so chose to go and is very fun to ride, but I still wouldn't mind owning a Kodiak if Yamaha were to address my concerns mentioned above. My advise to you is to go ride the quads several time if you have to and sit down and think about exactly what you will be using it for and then narrow your choices down to one or two and go ride those ATV's before making a final decision. And let the force be with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Jeez.. next time make an index!! LOL just kidding

 

NICE review well written and somewhat well informed i only have 2 points for you. 1 The Kodiak has a pullstarter just the same as rancher. So i dont understand you comparison of Yamaha having a unreliable backup starter??????
2 Your mention of getting the belt wet seems to be a caryover from Polaris. I have never gotten the belt wet on my Kodiak OR my Grizz. Fact is if you get the belt wet on the Kodiak you Hydrolocked your engine because the belt vent and carb air intake are the same height. Outher then those 2 items nice review. The Rancher is an excelent choice if i had wanted to shift gears i would have baught one also. I dont know what hondas auto will be like but IMO the belt is hard to beat. It is simple to work on and very reliable (excluding polaris's problems)

 

Nice review! I to would agree with most of your thoughts, I think the Yam backup starter is the same as the Honda however. I to narrowed my choice between the Rancher and the Kodiak. My decision was mainly price (about $650 cheaper) and the auto tranny wasn't appealing to me. That doesn't mean it isn't good, just that for my use I would prefer to shift. Either way you'll be happy with either!

 

Y2K_Kodiak,

I think they mean the 2000 Kodiaks have "hard to pull" pull starters. And they're right. The good thing is you only have to get it to pull over one time and she'll start right up.

 

Trusteel, I too was faced with the same decision. I'll be doing light trail riding, but this mostly for "around the acreage utility", and most of all, plowing.

Here is my experience. I bought the Kodiak.

The Tranny- When plowing reasonable lengths of area the "super low 1st gear" runs out of enough speed on the Honda, and 2nd gear doesn't have the "oomph" and will ultimately wear out easier, the Kodiak tranny is wonderful, with both low and high and no worries about running "out of gears". It shifts wonderfully, for utiltiy use the Kodiak tranny is faf far superior to the Rancher, and guess what, you have a "Park" mode too.

Towing- See my thoughts under "tranny" as they all apply. The Kodiak also can handle more on the racks and has a higher towing capicity. I alos live on a "mountain" and would hate to miss the 1st-2nd shift towing a heavy load uphill. Verdict, more power as I've got 70 more cc's!


Playtime-2wd baby, nothing like it for playing, oh yeah, and I have 400 liquid cooled cc's as well!

Suspension-I drove them both, I love the low center of gravity and plushness of the Kodiak, to be fair the Honda had good ergonomics too.

Reliability- I'm not worried one bit. So far this thing has been worked hard, pulling, plowing, and playing with no! troubles. For $300 I have 42 months bumper to bumper warranty, and the features i want.

Your on the yammie board, buy the Kodiak.


Bryan

 

Nice move, posting the Kodiak VS Rancher post on both the Yamaha & Honda board. Yamaha people telling you why not to buy the Rancher & Honda people telling you why not to buy the Kodiak. Two months ago I had narrowed my choice down to the same ATV's Kodiak & Rancher. YOU need to ride both & make your decision. Both machines are very good. The Rancher is a great mid size quad & the Kodiak beat all the competion in the 450cc class.

Either way its YOUR chioce & your money.

 

doylebear

Good post. I would like to say I agree about the pull starter. The Rancher and 450 have auto compression releases. I have a Kodiak and practiced pulling it and mine takes more than 1 pull but it will start. I did it at 30 degrees F.
As for the belt getting wet. I’ll say this. You have to get it REAL DEEP. If you get the Rancher as deep as it takes for the kodiak to wet the belt you are in just as bad of trouble. It takes more than a splash to make it slip too. I have dipped my front end a few times and she kept going.
A friend of mine hit a deep hole and hit his engine cut off by mistake and got water in the belt area as well as the Carb. We pulled him out and drained the air box. Pulled the plug and blew out some water and cleaned the filter. She fired up but the belt was wet. We stood her up and the water drained out the belt housing exhaust vent. Put it back down and fired it up and she dried out in 5 minutes.
It is an issue I agree. Instead of only worrying about the air box taking on water you have a Belt to think about too.