Quad bike poll

Best 500cc (ish) quad bike


  • Total voters
    83
  • Poll closed .
Any idea if the new Yamaha Kodak 450EPS also has diff lock? I can’t see the need but know someone who was waiting for a 2020 model to come into the country as it had more features than the 2018 one?

We got a yamaha 450 a month or so ago and it came standard with diff lock and winch, and power steering. It's a great wee bike but it's only a 420 engine and I certainly would put it in the class of smaller bikes eg, Honda 420 and Suzuki 400, I also have a yamaha grizzly 700 and to be honest it's in such a different league you would be mad not to spend the bit extra and get the 700. And also I don't find it any worse on fuel!
 

hubbahubba

Member
Location
Sunny Glasgow
I will be replacing my second quad shortly. Suzuki 400 manual. Very good contition and well looked after. 50% tyres. 2014, 6 year old in january coming. 1600hrs and 11000m. How much is it worth?
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
We got a yamaha 450 a month or so ago and it came standard with diff lock and winch, and power steering. It's a great wee bike but it's only a 420 engine and I certainly would put it in the class of smaller bikes eg, Honda 420 and Suzuki 400, I also have a yamaha grizzly 700 and to be honest it's in such a different league you would be mad not to spend the bit extra and get the 700. And also I don't find it any worse on fuel!

Diff lock isn't on the 450 EPS, but it is on the 450 EPS-SE
(Screen shot from ATV services website)
Screenshot_20191116-132923.png


Surprised you say that though, @Al R would disagree with you. I've used the old model 450 and for all its physically tiny, IMO, it is a strong bike which can pull big loads - definitely more guts than a Honda 420. Mind you, it could well seem gutless after driving a 700 :ROFLMAO:
 

Floordoor

Member
You all need a Yamaha in your life, 2019 700 kodiak SE here. It’s a great bike, cant fault it. Nice and low and compact for a big engined bike! It replaced a 550 grizzly.
Father has a 2017 420 Honda and it has so many things that annoy me.
Feels unbelievably gutless for its size.
Feels badly balanced, when going down steep hills the back end seems to feel like it wants to overtake the front.
Jumpy gear box(throws the dog off the back when it changes gear)
Turning circle of the titanic.
It has IRS but feels like it has no suspension.
Limited to 64kph!!!
Dodgy Honda reverse thing where you have to press the down gear button 6 times then push this, pull that and then it might go into reverse if you haven’t pressed anything too fast and it’s confused itself!
In auto mode it’s gear changes are never at the right time, will change up if you give it a handful at the bottom of a hill then be in too higher gear so will change back down so fast it spins the wheels then you lose traction and slide back down the hill, not helped by the crappy tyres it came on as standard that wore out in 3 months.
The lights are crap, more light from a candle!
Tow ball is awkward..................can you see I’m a Yamaha man!!
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
You all need a Yamaha in your life, 2019 700 kodiak SE here. It’s a great bike, cant fault it. Nice and low and compact for a big engined bike! It replaced a 550 grizzly.
Father has a 2017 420 Honda and it has so many things that annoy me.
Feels unbelievably gutless for its size.
Feels badly balanced, when going down steep hills the back end seems to feel like it wants to overtake the front.
Jumpy gear box(throws the dog off the back when it changes gear)
Turning circle of the titanic.
It has IRS but feels like it has no suspension.
Limited to 64kph!!!
Dodgy Honda reverse thing where you have to press the down gear button 6 times then push this, pull that and then it might go into reverse if you haven’t pressed anything too fast and it’s confused itself!
In auto mode it’s gear changes are never at the right time, will change up if you give it a handful at the bottom of a hill then be in too higher gear so will change back down so fast it spins the wheels then you lose traction and slide back down the hill, not helped by the crappy tyres it came on as standard that wore out in 3 months.
The lights are crap, more light from a candle!
Tow ball is awkward..................can you see I’m a Yamaha man!!
I can’t be bothered to put more bad points of the black wheeled hondas up but have you ever had the gearbox go - and just stay like that :banghead:
@west coast angus i can see me having a yam 700 next too! The 450 pulls the Rappa fine but you know there isn’t much left in it on hills and across wet ground...
 
Diff lock isn't on the 450 EPS, but it is on the 450 EPS-SE
(Screen shot from ATV services website)
View attachment 844141

Surprised you say that though, @Al R would disagree with you. I've used the old model 450 and for all its physically tiny, IMO, it is a strong bike which can pull big loads - definitely more guts than a Honda 420. Mind you, it could well seem gutless after driving a 700 :ROFLMAO:

Yea sorry I worded it wrong, it's standard if you choose the correct model.

I think the kodiack 700 is the 550's intended replacement and will be the best bike in that class, and 450 was specially built as an entry level bike, it's a cracking little bike that's very capable on the steep slopes, and is top of the 400 class, but when compared to other 500s it is to small and lightly built and under powered, and is probably the reason you went Suzuki.
IMG_20191116_120254.jpg
IMG_20191116_120304.jpg
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
Yea sorry I worded it wrong, it's standard if you choose the correct model.

I think the kodiack 700 is the 550's intended replacement and will be the best bike in that class, and 450 was specially built as an entry level bike, it's a cracking little bike that's very capable on the steep slopes, and is top of the 400 class, but when compared to other 500s it is to small and lightly built and under powered, and is probably the reason you went Suzuki.
View attachment 844177View attachment 844178


Yeah, it felt a bit too small for my liking which is why it ended up as 2nd choice behind the Suzuki. The Yamaha is a very nice bike, though.


You saying it's an entry level bike, it's an interesting comment - they maybe intend doing away with the 350. The dealer my bike came from said there's new, tighter emissions regulations coming out soon. He didn't say anything about Yamaha or CanAm but he is sure the Honda 420 in current form will not pass at all and Honda have problems on their hands. Suzuki hope the 500 will be OK but might need some tweaking... their 400 probably won't meet standards - he said they are supposedly talking of bringing out a 'retarded' 500 which will replace the 400 (much like Polaris do with the 450 and 570 which are both the same 576cc engine but 450 produces only 31hp and the 570 44hp)
 

Al R

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
West Wales
Yea sorry I worded it wrong, it's standard if you choose the correct model.

I think the kodiack 700 is the 550's intended replacement and will be the best bike in that class, and 450 was specially built as an entry level bike, it's a cracking little bike that's very capable on the steep slopes, and is top of the 400 class, but when compared to other 500s it is to small and lightly built and under powered, and is probably the reason you went Suzuki.
View attachment 844177View attachment 844178
Does that model come in green too?
Also, does the fishing box say “Stolen From” above the name on the other side? All of the ones that get washed up here say Stolen From on them :ROFLMAO:
 
Does that model come in green too?
Also, does the fishing box say “Stolen From” above the name on the other side? All of the ones that get washed up here say Stolen From on them :ROFLMAO:

Think it's just silver, but it has an orange peel texture and is a pig to clean?

No this one just has some Barra shelfish company's name on it, a bit of free advertising ?
 
Yeah, it felt a bit too small for my liking which is why it ended up as 2nd choice behind the Suzuki. The Yamaha is a very nice bike, though.


You saying it's an entry level bike, it's an interesting comment - they maybe intend doing away with the 350. The dealer my bike came from said there's new, tighter emissions regulations coming out soon. He didn't say anything about Yamaha or CanAm but he is sure the Honda 420 in current form will not pass at all and Honda have problems on their hands. Suzuki hope the 500 will be OK but might need some tweaking... their 400 probably won't meet standards - he said they are supposedly talking of bringing out a 'retarded' 500 which will replace the 400 (much like Polaris do with the 450 and 570 which are both the same 576cc engine but 450 produces only 31hp and the 570 44hp)

I have also heard the Suzuki 400 could soon be no more,

Did you have a try on the yamaha 700 or was it just the 450?
 

Nithsdale

Member
Livestock Farmer
I have also heard the Suzuki 400 could soon be no more,

Did you have a try on the yamaha 700 or was it just the 450?

Never drove the current 450, just sat on it in showroom. I have drove the old model a good few times when I help a friend - different bike but same engine

Had a look round and a quick seat on a 2017 700 at a farm sale (no idea if that would be current model?)... IMO it was a small bike for its cc, too. I like a bike with a bit of presence, bigger is better IMO - wider, taller, longer are all good with me. Better stability, better traction (proven), and better ground clearance...
 
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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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