Forum report for quads

[JCWaterfowler]

Hello Hunting BC followers

hope everyone is getting excited for the hunting season coming up!
Iam in the market to buy a 4x4 quad and iam having a tough time figuring out which atv is best for the average hunter. Iam wondering if anyone can tell me which yamaha kodiak or grizzly and in which cc would best suit me. maybe its not a yamaha i don't know. Iam 5' 10" and weight 190lbs any help would be appreciated.

JCWaterfowler

[Jagermeister]

Either of your suggestions will work for you. You do not need big CCs to get out hunting. Going fast will get you past game so fast you will not see it. Lighter machines are easier to manipulate in the bush and leave a lighter footprint.
Speaking of a lighter footprint. I have used my ATV for hunting and other outdoor activity since 1998. I try my dammest to not leave a track where someone else may follow. Once a track is visible, others will follow and next thing you know, it's a regular highway and every Tom, Dyck or Hairy is in what was once exclusively yours. The longer that you can keep your track obscure, the longer your domain will be exclusive, but sooner or later it will show if you use the same course repeatedly.

[steelheadSABO]

The average quad i'd say is 400-500cc which is perfect for hunting. you can't go wrong with a grizzly or kodiak also check out the 2011 big bear 400 looks like a good hunting machine.

[Marlin375]

Bought a Kodiak 450 brand new in 2003.......just regular/anual fluid changes and a set of brake pads... zero problems.
More than enough power for everything I have done, including draging Moose and Elk and plowing snow.
Starts at -25 first time every time.
I would do it all over again, but I have to wear this one out first.

[srupp]

hmmm only owned, Hondas..... never left me stranded...never any big repair..always did what I wanted,,,,never seen one blow up.. sold my Honda 300 to my bud he;s STILL using it ....original axle boots and all

I now got a 500cc Honda Rubicom CANADIAN TRAILS EDITION in camo..love it

will be the last atv I ever need,,,,,


steven:mrgreen:

[SPEYMAN]

The Yamaha Grizzly(Kodiak) 450 now has power steering.I have owned 2 450s and put over 12,000 km on my last one.No problems,just regular maintainence.Will go anywhere the bigger machines go,just slower.

[.300WSMImpact!]

if money is not a big deal I would get the bigger CC like a 800 and up, and if i would suggest a quad it would be the can am, we have had Honda's Suzuki's, but the can ams have been the best, most power most reliable, but these days you cant go wrong with any quad,

[Slime green cat]

I have been riding quads for years and now have a Rhino. First of all ! You picked the right brand . Yamaha's are awesome machines ! very very reliable and well engineered !
I have ridden them all, and I have to say my favourite quad for all around use ... especially hunting ! would be the Kodiak 450 . they have all the features you need such as diff lock and low range . They also have a sealed wet rear brake that will outlive the machine and give you reliable and squeek free stopping power .
The Kodiak 450, has all the power and grunt you will ever need for work, hunting and playing, and will still get good mileage . They are also a touch narrower and have a lower center of gravity than alot of the newer big bore machines .... and that translates into a very easy to ride machine that will get you into places with ease that a heavier and slighly wider machine may struggle with .
Get yourself a 450 Kodiak ! I can promise that you wont regret it .

[nature girl]

Just take a day and go to the different atv dealerships and try some out. Sit on them see if you like how it feels. Will you be carrying a passenger. One thing to remember is if it is going into the truck box make sure it fits. Some of the atvs are bigger now then a few years back what I have noticed. Well good luck on getting a new atv.

[Husky7mm]

The 450 fits in all 6 1/2 ft boxes (standard size shortbox) but the grizzly has to have the tail gate down or ramp the front tires up to close the tail gate. The advice here is excellent. Everything is true. Buy the yamaha and your set. If you go grizzly and big oversize tires and ride the snot out of it you can have CV axle problems, thats about it. The 450 is about 3-4000 less and it can go all day on a tank. I have a 400 and 660 and had a 450, they were all excellent. There is a reason why they are not as cheap as the artic cat or polaris. They are just made better. Sorry guys lol

[Husky7mm]

Always get a winch throw in the deal. It can save you ass and retreive game. Good luck!

[Gataga]

I bought a new 450 a month ago and love it. Like it has been said you pay a bit more but you get more. Along with the diff lock and power steering they are also equipped with a engine brake. I bought it to use on my trap line and plan on putting tracks on this winter.

[longwalk]

I think too many people get caught up in locking this EPS that etc. My main concern when I am out in the bush with my quad is that I get back. That is the bottom line. If the trail is to steep deep muddy whatever it is I cannot make it in 4wd then I will walk. My preference runs to a more reliable, simple machine that will bring me home. So I ride a Honda.

[waistdeep]

Bought a Kodiak 450 brand new in 2003.......just regular/anual fluid changes and a set of brake pads... zero problems.
More than enough power for everything I have done, including draging Moose and Elk and plowing snow.
Starts at -25 first time every time.
I would do it all over again, but I have to wear this one out first.

Hey I do recall being on my hands and knees figuring out how to get your wheel to stay on :)

[yzchamp]

DO NOTGET ANY THING BIGGER THEN 500 .. my 750 king quad burns as much fuel then V8 gets far less places then my yamaha kodiak 450 do its lot more heavier and cost 2x as much..
its a guy thing to get biggest fastest thing but once u have one of them you relise how unpractical they are...

[nap]

bought a 650 can am 2 years ago and gave it a good test last fall, yarded a ungut bull moose a km to the truck, dressed out at a little over 450, Impressed the hell out of me, i believe all can ams have stock power steering.

[Jagermeister]

if money is not a big deal I would get the bigger CC like a 800 and up, and if i would suggest a quad it would be the can am, we have had Honda's Suzuki's, but the can ams have been the best, most power most reliable, but these days you cant go wrong with any quad,When you start talking 800cc +, it's a no brainer. You might as well go UTV or better still, a Suzi Samurai.

I agree with Ruppster, Honda. Oh yeah, I had the Suzi Samurai so experience speaks here.

[Marlin375]

Hey I do recall being on my hands and knees figuring out how to get your wheel to stay on :)

I am still convinced there were other forces at play with the missing cotter pin and castle nut fiasco......we will never know.

I'd still buy a kodiak and not just because you can Mcgiver the wheels on.


Another reason I settled on the Kodiak was the way they shift into Reverse.

Test drive your prosective quad and make sure you like the way it functions, some of them are a pain to shift into reverse and personally I am usually not in a very good spot when I need reverse (off balance, off camber, and sometimes off my quad)

[Singleshotneeded]

I'd suggest a quad with power steering, easier and safer to control when you have a deer on it or are pulling game.
Suzuki King Quad 500 or 750, or the Grizzly 550 or 700...both are also fuel injected for good performance in the mountains.

[M.Dean]

I own a 2000 Kodiak 400 4x4,Warn Winch, Windshield, Hand and Thumb Warmers with the Mono Shock for rear suspension. I also own a 450 Kodiak,with all the bells and expensive whistles. The 450 is a dream to ride, will literately go any where you got the balls to drive it! And if I had to do it all over again I'd go with the new Yamaha 400! It has everything you'll ever need for hunting and just plain having fun with your clothes on! I like my 450, but if your in real tight trails, around stumps and trees and rocks, the bigger Quad is harder to handle.Maybe the bigger ones with Power Steering would change my mind, but I've yet to ride one. I've tried to ride my 400 last year, but with my back and the Mono Shock I had tears in my eyes after the first mile, I shot a Buck that day with it, drove it slowly home and have never been on it since! My 450 is great for hauling wood, which I do a lot of, I use a trailer with it and we've had it loaded to the top with dirt and rocks and never had a problem. I did burn a belt out of it a few years back, but it was stupidity on my part I think, I spent a day pulling and yanking a Bull Moose out of the bush, then that same week I hauled a couple of 30 foot fir logs around the yard to make a bench around the fire pit, should have used my truck I guess! So, for your size and weight I wouldn't get to carried away with a big Quad. But, I guess size does matter if your a Porn Star, and it really matters if your a small guy and the Quads up side down and on your chest!!! And remember, any Quads a good Quad if you own it!!!