Another ATV thread

[jungleboy]

I know this is a common theme but I am considering a change and am looking for input.
I currently have a Yamaha Viking which I really do enjoy riding but, I just don’t use an atv like I used to and this big beast takes up a lotta room in my one car garage.
I use it mostly for hunting and beyond that it sits .
I am considering going back to a small quad and am looking at the Honda 420 or the Yamaha Kodiak 450. My preference is one with EPS.
I lean toward the Kodiak but I know that when poking along the trails the Honda will likely be quieter with the ability to run at low rpm in a higher gear.

Any constructive input would be appreciated , not too interested in any other brands , CanAm is a non starter for me .

[Jerry D]

I road a Honda 420 with the fully independent suspension on both front and rear axles 7 years ago. It had power assisted steering and the push button gear shifter.

It was one smooth riding quad. Now I’m back on a rubicon 500 which is a more powerful and larger work quad and it’s a rough ride!

A buddy has the 450 Kodiak and he likes it a lot but I’ve never riden it to compare.

I think your looking at the right two models though for what your looking for.


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[esher]

Love my yamahas.

[Glion]

I find durability is fairly similar between the brands. However I do find you pay more of a premium for Honda used than Yamaha. I just picked up a Yamaha wolverine but looked extensively at Yammy and Honda quads and side by sides. It always seemed for similar products the Honda was a little more money used. New they were fairly similar. Just my 2 cents. Best of luck but my personal choice would be the Kodiak

[45/70/500]

go with the honda , if it turns out its not the best for your application it will be the easiest one to rehome

[CNP]

I've got a 2011 Yamaha Grizzly 550. They stopped making the 550's in favour of only one size in the Grizzly model, that being the 700. Same size block/same size bike, just bored out differently.

10 years old and has never seen the inside of the shop since the day I bought it. Best ATV I've ever owned.

Yes it has EPS :)

[waldedw]

I have a 2014 viking and I love it, before it I had a 2008 - 700 grizzly and before that a 2004 - 450 kodiak, all great machine, sold both those quads to my nephew and his boy have run the poop out of them and they are both still running, the 450 kodiak has over 11,000 km on it and he has never touched it, you just can't go wrong with Yamaha

[Smokinyotes]

Whether you go with a Honda 420 or a Kodiak 450 doesn’t really matter as they are both great machines. The Yamaha will be faster if that matters. No belt noise from the Honda. I’m not sure about the Yamaha but you might not find a Honda sitting on the showroom floor. My son and I bought new Honda’s last year and are really happy with them so far.

[hogie]

Whether you go with a Honda 420 or a Kodiak 450 doesn’t really matter as they are both great machines. The Yamaha will be faster if that matters. No belt noise from the Honda. I’m not sure about the Yamaha but you might not find a Honda sitting on the showroom floor. My son and I bought new Honda’s last year and are really happy with them so far.

I don't think you will hear any belt noise on a Yamaha. They have probably the best system out there for belts. They have a ten year warranty on them now.

Hard to find stock anywhere right now. If you can check out Wetaskiwin for buying. Both Honda and Yamaha dealers there. They will let you test drive machines. Yamaha has a nice area behind shop with hills , Honda just a flat field. I was set on buying a Honda until I drove one. I liked the Yamaha much more. More user friendly. That would be Honda with DTC trans that I didn't like.

[Dean2]

Still riding my Honda 400 Foreman that was new in 2002. Oil changes and a couple of sets of tires, one battery and one set of front wheel bearings. Manual shift, no power steering, solid rear axle. Tremendous workhorse, great for plowing driveways, donking down trails going into a hunting spot, draggin out whole moose AND it is short enough height wise I can back it under the canopy on my pickup and carry it clean and out of sight. My brother is on his third Yamaha with almost identical use pattern.

However, all his Yamahas have had a better ride than my Honda.:) I bet I could sell the Honda for about what I paid for it new.

[jungleboy]

Thanks for all the input everyone. I will get out this week and see what is available if anything. I see the Kodiak has diff lock which is a plus and eps is standard equipment. It is going to be a tough choice to go back to a quad as I have been using a sxs since 2010

[58thecat]

Still riding my Honda 400 Foreman that was new in 2002. Oil changes and a couple of sets of tires, one battery and one set of front wheel bearings. Manual shift, no power steering, solid rear axle. Tremendous workhorse, great for plowing driveways, donking down trails going into a hunting spot, draggin out whole moose AND it is short enough height wise I can back it under the canopy on my pickup and carry it clean and out of sight. My brother is on his third Yamaha with almost identical use pattern.

However, all his Yamahas have had a better ride than my Honda.:) I bet I could sell the Honda for about what I paid for it new.

Pretty much the same for me, 04 and 05 Honda fourtrax fully manual, just a beast in the bush and I refuse to get on another newer quad cuz I might buy one with a plusher ride....nah who am I kidding they just work and are tried, tested and true.

Good luck on the quad quest!

[JULIUS]

I am still riding my 89 Yamaha big bear 350. All I require for my hunting needs and it fits in my pick up box with the tail gate closed. Has never failed me and never more than 2 trips to pack out a moose or elk.

[harv3589]

If you are looking for a Honda rancher 420 I’ve seen a few brand new one on Kijiji listed by dealers recently.

[Pixel Shooter]

Just build a shed in the back and get er out of the garage lol. Viking real nice machine.

Really cant go wrong with Honda or Yamaha. rode Honda forever and own everything Honda from generator to water pumps to weed whackers and vehicles. They are just dependable and just work and dont give you grief. Im now riding a Grizzly with all the goodies, handles my plow better on 700, luv the ride. my very last Honda was electronic shift and hated it, manual quads no problems or issues

[Talking moose]

I’ve rode Honda’s all my life until I got my first yammy. First one was Kodiak last one was a grizz.

[Talking moose]

All were great in one way or another. I just prefer Yamaha.

[Sooner]

Friends kid bought a new Honda 420 shift model in 2020, non EPS. Nice atv, good zip. Put on new rims and Zilla tires and it goes pretty good. It is a good all around quad.


I bought a new Grizz 700 SE with EPS last year after using dads 6x6 Argo forever. Absolutely love it. Used it for hunting this past fall and it putts along real nice in high gear. Low is even better if its sketchy. The stock exhaust is not that loud unless your on the gas.


The Honda kid is already wishing he went with Independent rear susp and EPS. We told him but he is an old school thinker in a millennial body lol. He would give me the gears about buying an automatic. I said I had Honda's forever, I am tired of shifting. I'm older now and want easy peasy.

After riding my Grizz, he has said he may upgrade to a Rubicon with EPS, Independent Rear Susp and gasp, maybe go with the automatic and let his dad take over his 420.


Both are good choices. I have always wanted a Grizz since riding my friends old 660. I went Grizz as I want to join a couple friends for summer fun rides. For me, I found the perfect mix Imo.

If your going new, put your money down on one now so you get it sooner.

[ronkaren]

i have two honda 420's, 2016 & a 2017. shift transmission, i personally wouldn't buy anything but. they are bullet proof. pretty smooth ride, compared to the 400 rancher. I've never had an issue with any of the hondas I've owned, sold the 2002 rancher, but still own a 2000 250.

[KBF]

My inlaws have 4 yamahas on the farm. Ive had the privilege of working on 3 of them so far. Sure all things break down, sure they are used for moving cattle, so they get worked. But I wont own a yamaha.

[tri777]

I know one thing, after near 2 weeks of this weather and non starting of my BruteForce, A Honda or Grizzly
is looking better and better.

[M.C. Gusto]

I find durability is fairly similar between the brands. However I do find you pay more of a premium for Honda used than Yamaha. I just picked up a Yamaha wolverine but looked extensively at Yammy and Honda quads and side by sides. It always seemed for similar products the Honda was a little more money used. New they were fairly similar. Just my 2 cents. Best of luck but my personal choice would be the Kodiak

Is your wolverine the upgraded version of the 2019 with the seat bolsters removed? Just curious how much more room the front seat has? That was the sxs i wanted but it was just too cramped in the drivers seat.

[dukla]

Have had both, Honda and Yamaha, both bulletproof imo.
Bought a new deluxe Rubicon in the Fall. Zero regrets.

[jungleboy]

Well I went a bit of a different direction on this than I thought I would but today I picked up an older Kawasaki KVF 360. It’s a 07 with only 1400 km on it. I looked at some reviews on it and nothing really jumped out at me to scare me off. It has a hi lo gear box cvt trans and a mechanical front locker. The price was reasonable as can be in the age of covinflation.
It’s pretty basic and I still may end up keeping the Viking ( jury is still out on that ) but this will be an experiment that won’t break the bank and if I don’t like it I can always sell it again I suppose .
I think it will be a good machine to teach the grandkids on and they won’t grow out of it too fast . 177934

I looked long and hard at new machines that are only new on paper because nobody has any stock. But the prices seem outrageous, like 18g for a Honda Rubicon 520. Or how about 14g out the door for a Kodiak 450.

You can get the CF Moto which is a Chinese rig that gets pretty good reviews but is only within a thousand of the name brands and it appears that Polaris is selling Cadillacs now based on their pricing .

[Positrac]

It’s amazing the price increase on all outdoors related equipment these days.

I bought a new Solar 420 inflatable jet boat and I paid $2,000 more for it than the quote I received 12 months earlier.

Supply and demand I guess.

[Dean2]

Those prices for new are just silly. You made the right choice buying a good used unit and waiting till the new prices come back down to reason. I don't know Yamaha pricing but I was looking at Honda 2 years ago and a Rancher 420, with manual shift,was $8100. According to the Honda site the MSRP on a 2022, 520 Rubicon deluxe is $12,000 so clearly the dealers are in full bend over and grab your ankles mode.

[jungleboy]

Those prices for new are just silly. You made the right choice buying a good used unit and waiting till the new prices come back down to reason. I don't know Yamaha pricing but I was looking at Honda 2 years ago and a Rancher 420, with manual shift,was $8100. According to the Honda site the MSRP on a 2022, 520 Rubicon deluxe is $12,000 so clearly the dealers are in full bend over and grab your ankles mode.

The msrp from the manufacturer is up but not significantly , but the dealers want : shipping, pdi, doc fee and of course gst on the sale as well as all the overcharges . That adds up in some dealers to $2500+ over the msrp.
I went to one dealer because they showed on their website that they had a few machines in stock. I got there and there was nothing on the floor except for a Suzuki 500.
I tried to strike up a conversation with the sales guy but he wasn’t interested in talking. He gave me the price and went off for more important things. In other words.. take it or leave it I don’t have to negotiate.

[Dean2]

The msrp from the manufacturer is up but not significantly , but the dealers want : shipping, pdi, doc fee and of course gst on the sale as well as all the overcharges . That adds up in some dealers to $2500+ over the msrp.
I went to one dealer because they showed on their website that they had a few machines in stock. I got there and there was nothing on the floor except for a Suzuki 500.
I tried to strike up a conversation with the sales guy but he wasn’t interested in talking. He gave me the price and went off for more important things. In other words.. take it or leave it I don’t have to negotiate.

Just remember who those dealers are, hopefully everyone else does too. Their tune will change big time eventually. Reminds me of many of the merchants in GP. When the patch was booming they had REALLY high prices, enough so that many of us shopped only at the places that gave fair deals or in Edmonton for whatever we could. When hard times rolled around there was the inevitable pleas to shop local, help your good guys out, we promise we won't ever screw you again. As soon as the patch picked back up, they were back at their old tricks in a heart beat. Many of those businesses have gone broke over the past 15 years because the population isn't as transitory as it was and people remember who tried to mess them over.

[graybeard]

Still riding my Honda 400 Foreman that was new in 2002. Oil changes and a couple of sets of tires, one battery and one set of front wheel bearings. Manual shift, no power steering, solid rear axle. Tremendous workhorse, great for plowing driveways, donking down trails going into a hunting spot, draggin out whole moose AND it is short enough height wise I can back it under the canopy on my pickup and carry it clean and out of sight. My brother is on his third Yamaha with almost identical use pattern.

However, all his Yamahas have had a better ride than my Honda.:) I bet I could sell the Honda for about what I paid for it new.

I have near the exact machine and I love it....Mine is a minty 2000 Honda 400 Foreman with 1,800kms on it.....It is a full time 4x4...

What a beast.

I cannot speak to the Yamaha line as I have never owned a Yamaha machine.

However I can say this, all the new machines are very smooth to ride.

[daveyn]

I have a Honda 420 with EPS. I love everything about the bike but the EPS. I would absolutely opt for a manual transmission. The EPS seems to really struggle with finding the right gear, it lugs hard before downshifting and is often downshifting hard when you're halfway up a steep slope, its pretty scary sometimes. Also doesn't want to upshift at the points I think it should be. The push button option is difficult to find in the dark as the buttons aren't lit. Also with my machine, once the machine gets hot from running hard or over a long period the button shifters will not down shift if the machine isn't moving. Like if you are running in 3rd and stop to have a look at the mud hole before moving through it and try to downshift, it gets stuck between gears, I have to shut the machine off, let it cool and then it will go into gear.
Just a pain.
Go with the Honda
Go with a manual shift. Bullet proof.

[stubblejumper01]

I have a Honda 420 with EPS. I love everything about the bike but the EPS. I would absolutely opt for a manual transmission. The EPS seems to really struggle with finding the right gear, it lugs hard before downshifting and is often downshifting hard when you're halfway up a steep slope, its pretty scary sometimes. Also doesn't want to upshift at the points I think it should be. The push button option is difficult to find in the dark as the buttons aren't lit. Also with my machine, once the machine gets hot from running hard or over a long period the button shifters will not down shift if the machine isn't moving. Like if you are running in 3rd and stop to have a look at the mud hole before moving through it and try to downshift, it gets stuck between gears, I have to shut the machine off, let it cool and then it will go into gear.
Just a pain.
Go with the Honda

Go with a manual shift. Bullet proof.
I thought EPS was electric power steering?

[Smokinyotes]

I thought EPS was electric power steering?

It is. The electric shift is es.

[Positrac]

I bought a used 2003 Honda TRX350 Rancher ES full time 4x4 in 2015 for $3,000 with about 1,000kms on it from the original owner. The thing was in excellent shape. Well, I beat the heck out of it up until I sold it a month ago. It still looked good but now had a couple thousand extra kms on it. I had also sunk it in the Muskeg numerous times. I ended up getting $1,000 more for it than I paid for it 6+ years ago. I’d buy another one in a heartbeat. I actually don’t think you can get a much better quad for putting around hunting and the Electric shift never gave me any issues. Find a good one and if you keep the maintenance up, which is basically just oil changes, it will last a long time. I actually wouldn’t have sold it but a quick look on Facebook Marketplace found several for sale and we’re moving down south this year so I figured it would be one less thing to move and when I need another one they can be found if you look around a bit.