Home Forums Gear Horses and ATV's Yamaha versus Arctic Cat ?

Which would some of you fellas figure is the better deal and the better bet ? An 06 Yamaha 450 Kodiak with 4000 miles for $3300 , or an 06 Arctic Cat 400 auto with 2000 miles for $3600 ?


Seems like the Yamaha has a very good reputation , but I really like some of the features on the Cat . The Yamaha dealer is a very good guy to do business with .

The machine will be used mostly for ranch work .

No question...the yamaha. The cat's have good motors but don't do so well in long run tests. The Kodiak will have more power for pulling, they seem to have a lot less vibrations and noise at opperating speeds, quite a bit lighter I think.

I do like the Artic Cat's rack system though. I wish others would do something like that.

Having had Yamaha's in the family since the mid 80's - little biased but I can honestly say never had a single issue with their machines. (cept my banshee but that was my fault - too much HP on old bottom end) MANY, MANY, MANY miles and hours on them.

Also know a guy with an Artic Cat - he's had it a long time and works it hard too. 0 issues.

Don't think you can really go wrong with either one. I prefer the Yam and manual shifting tho - call me old school...

I love my yammy kodiak.....artic cats may be ok, but my 400 kodiak will bring me, my son, and a big buck out of the boonies, all up, no prob....

Either will do you just fine. I personally would choose the one that has the options you desire the most.

Mostly ranch work huh?

The only thing the cat might have on the yami is clearance.

Yamaha, way easy decission for me.

Yamaha, hands down. I ride Hondas and if they (Honda) didn't make them, i'd own a Yamaha Grizzly.

thanks to ya'all for the replies......I went with a 660 Grizzly . It is a couple years older and has a few more miles than the Kodiak , but it just fits me better . I felt like like I was setting on the ground riding the Kodiak, plus it looks like this particular Grizzly had a real gentle home .

The extra height and ground clearance were two of the things I really liked on the Arctic Cat .

You'll like that grizz.

What year is it?

tzone.........it's an 04 . Plus it had a good heavy brushguard on the front and $400 worth of aluminum skid plate and cv shaft protectors added on.....

I truly believe Arctic Cat makes a good product but my 05 500LE was a complete lemon. I had enough and bought a 06 Grizzly 660.

I've had very good luck with my Yamaha in all applications.

Here is my daughter and her Canadian bear with the Arctic Cat front basket.

We are Yamaha people and had them for 20 years now, both bikes and atv's. Now of course we have had some other brands too but nothing is less of a pain than a Yamaha motorcycle or atv.

We are getting new 550 & 700 Yamaha's this summer! Going to trade off the Honda 450-Foreman with electric shift, what an embarassment for those people. I could write a book on why NOT to have an electric shift Honda ok.

Artic Cats are basicly a manchine that is put together with other manufacture's parts and I am not found of Suzuki engines in the first place.

yeah, such an embarassment they still make it.

Good choice on the yamaha.

My wife has an '88 bigbear. been meaning to replace it but I just cant bring myself to do it. dang thing runs to good.

Well Tzone! If you kept up with the results of the "shoot outs" the last few years, starting in 2004, you will read that Honda could have finished 1st or 2nd pehaps but because of the so called Electric Shift and Tranny, they finished LAST....Dah!

Yeah, they still make it only because of the recalls to try and fix the problem, which has taken them forever to get done. I spent the money on the Honda, so I figure that entitles me to be able to say what I think ok.

I don't trust shoot outs. What one man considers "hard ridding" is usually very different than I. I go mostly by what pards have and work as we tend to ask the same of the machine.

When I get mad at my ATV.... I call it a STV which is what they all really are. Some Terrain Vehicle

I've got a polaris sportsman 500, which has always been right in the running for most ground clearance plus it is a true 4x4 as in, all 4 wheels dig & pull.

but it's still just an STV.

Maybe with bigger tires & a snorkle I could call it an MTV Most Terrain Vehicle...?



My point is, they have there place. None of them are trucks or tractors. Good for dragging deer out of the woods, getting around on trails etc... But the name ATV bugs the hell out of me.

I know what a real ATV looks like & these little toys we ride around on are not it.

Calm down there Tiger...I didn't say you havn't a right to voice your opinion. You do. But for a company to continue to make something so they can fix a recall doesn't make sense. My 03 Foreman 450 w/electric shift was flawless. It was just a bit cold blooded. If I didn't sell it to buy diapers instead, I'd probaly still have it.

Those shootouts are made to sell magazines, that is about it. I don't have a lot of faith in them, espically since Polaris wins most of them, and we all know what they say about those.

It is just a little good natured ribbing, I don't care what you drive, if you like it, fine. It is all just garage talk, nothing more.

Tzone, glad you feel that way youngster! Now getting back to those magazines (which I don't subscribe to) in 2003 the Honda did ok, but changes came about and those 2004 models & 05 had some major shifting problems and if your battery was not 100% charged up, it would NOT shift the machine into or out of gear.

Now fancy taking that ATV to the moutnains and getting up one fine morning at 25 degrees on an elk hunt and find out that battery didn't keep enough charge to let the rider shift gears. I want a completely mechanical foot shift on my very next ATV hunting vehicle.

Now what is with Polaris? It seems their machine was the only one that met US Army qualifications. Now am I missing something on this or what?

I've got an '84 Yamaha 225DX trike that's been through just a bit over the years. Rolled something like 5 times, bent the rear axle once (straightened with a bottle jack and railway tie) and floated down a freezing river once too. Every spring I pull it out hoping it dies so I can buy something different, and every year it starts right off with the electric start. They have some quality built in there.

That said, I'm really diggin' the new AC's. I like the clearance better than my Honda Foreman.


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