I bought a Kodiak on opening day of Deer season in 1997. I still have that bike. It still runs great. Occasional maintenance is all it needs. I have several newer bikes from various manufacturers. They all have pluses and minuses. But that old Yamaha will never leave me stranded in the woods. Great machine!
I love the automatic! Just bought my first one a few months ago. 03 450 Kodiak. Has around 700 miles, everything is original, garage kept, like new, $2800. I didn't know how I'd like or trust it. I was new to yamaha as well. I've owned several other brands and really enjoyed my Hondas and Suzuki. I'm now convinced that the Kodiak was the best machine ever made. I love that I found the older model with the pull start, diff lock, and straight rear axle. I'm a hunter and have a lot of land, attached to miles of woods, to take care of. I'm so impressed, I'm now selling my brand new dual sport to buy a second yamaha, preferably a grizzly.
My dad bought a Big Bear new in 1996, so I’ve spent decades on that rig. In the mid 2000’s I bought a 98 Kodiak for the extra cc’s and rode that a few years. Both had diff lockers installed for the extra traction in the swamps and the ability to crawl over down trees, etc. These things are perfect for our land and the jobs we use ATVs for. Everything we do requires a lot of snort, never a need for more than 15, 20 MPH. It’s shocking to me that you’d take a work machine like this off a jump. Twice. Just seems like taking a tractor off a jump.
@@Dan-in-the-Wild awesome story there! glad you got some nice work horse machines. I take all my machines off the jump for fun. I like to test all aspects of it!
I recently got myself a 1995 Kodiak 400 and on a flat straight stretch I got it to max at about 80km which is 50 mph, I've had the speedometer maxed out going down hill but it's really sketchy, it takes a while to get going though and if it wasn't all time 4x4 it would rip, the older Kodiaks aren't really meant for speed I find, they handle really good off road though
love these videos. All of them remind why owning a honda is the very best choice you could ever make. I had one of these and it was a piece of junk versus the same year 400 foreman i ended up buying a few years later
I just bought a 96 400 Yamaha kodiak, the plastics had been sprayed with gravel guard, looked aweful, not sure what year plastics came with the bike, but they are much better and i like the look of the square headlights better. Rebuilt the top end, new carb, new brakes all around, cant find a foot brake assembly though, runs amazing, pulls violently well, looking forward to after its broken in again
Hello, tell me, I plan to buy a Kodiak 400 (Big bear 400), if it is carefully operated, just drive without mud and swamps and regularly serviced, then 15,000 km will pass?
Whoever put that front basket rack on the REAR rack should be horsewhipped. Hello, lower back bruises! I remember when this machine was one of the biggest cc 4-wheelers offered. I never saw that many, but the vibe I got from Yamaha fans felt like it wasn't the jump up from the Big Bear that it should've been. I got to spend an hour or two on one back in winter of 2000, and aside from top-end performance, it did what a 4x4 utility quad was supposed to do.
Can you buy that foot shifter for the quad anywhere? We have one but the shifter is gone and we use a wrench lol and it sucks cause it always falls off
I bought a Kodiak on opening day of Deer season in 1997. I still have that bike. It still runs great. Occasional maintenance is all it needs. I have several newer bikes from various manufacturers. They all have pluses and minuses. But that old Yamaha will never leave me stranded in the woods. Great machine!
I love the automatic! Just bought my first one a few months ago. 03 450 Kodiak. Has around 700 miles, everything is original, garage kept, like new, $2800.
I didn't know how I'd like or trust it. I was new to yamaha as well. I've owned several other brands and really enjoyed my Hondas and Suzuki. I'm now convinced that the Kodiak was the best machine ever made. I love that I found the older model with the pull start, diff lock, and straight rear axle. I'm a hunter and have a lot of land, attached to miles of woods, to take care of. I'm so impressed, I'm now selling my brand new dual sport to buy a second yamaha, preferably a grizzly.
Thank You! I just got in a 1996 Kodiak with 250 miles. I had no clue how to start it. You saved me a lot of grief. New carb rebuild and it purrs.
My dad bought a Big Bear new in 1996, so I’ve spent decades on that rig. In the mid 2000’s I bought a 98 Kodiak for the extra cc’s and rode that a few years. Both had diff lockers installed for the extra traction in the swamps and the ability to crawl over down trees, etc. These things are perfect for our land and the jobs we use ATVs for. Everything we do requires a lot of snort, never a need for more than 15, 20 MPH.
It’s shocking to me that you’d take a work machine like this off a jump. Twice. Just seems like taking a tractor off a jump.
@@Dan-in-the-Wild awesome story there! glad you got some nice work horse machines. I take all my machines off the jump for fun. I like to test all aspects of it!
I recently got myself a 1995 Kodiak 400 and on a flat straight stretch I got it to max at about 80km which is 50 mph, I've had the speedometer maxed out going down hill but it's really sketchy, it takes a while to get going though and if it wasn't all time 4x4 it would rip, the older Kodiaks aren't really meant for speed I find, they handle really good off road though
wow! yeah solid off road machine, lots of fun. glad you're enjoying it :)
love these videos. All of them remind why owning a honda is the very best choice you could ever make. I had one of these and it was a piece of junk versus the same year 400 foreman i ended up buying a few years later
I just bought a 96 400 Yamaha kodiak, the plastics had been sprayed with gravel guard, looked aweful, not sure what year plastics came with the bike, but they are much better and i like the look of the square headlights better. Rebuilt the top end, new carb, new brakes all around, cant find a foot brake assembly though, runs amazing, pulls violently well, looking forward to after its broken in again
Very good ,useful info, good explanation, i am in look/check to see to buy a ATV, so thanks.
no problem, thanks for watching!
Hello, tell me, I plan to buy a Kodiak 400 (Big bear 400), if it is carefully operated, just drive without mud and swamps and regularly serviced, then 15,000 km will pass?
Blows my mind how slow they are. Just got a 1997.
@@Guystufff yeah they're not known for speed haha
Hello, I'm calling from Romania. I also have this model of atv but I don't know where the mileage is. Can you tell me where it is. Thank you.
Great bikes…. Bullet proof
Terrible ATV probably the worst 4x4 on the market
@@jlucier59that's definitely opinion and not fact.
If you take care of them, which many people don't, they last forever.
What is the app that you are using for the top speed called?
Do you have the timber wolves
Whoever put that front basket rack on the REAR rack should be horsewhipped. Hello, lower back bruises! I remember when this machine was one of the biggest cc 4-wheelers offered. I never saw that many, but the vibe I got from Yamaha fans felt like it wasn't the jump up from the Big Bear that it should've been. I got to spend an hour or two on one back in winter of 2000, and aside from top-end performance, it did what a 4x4 utility quad was supposed to do.
Nice four wheeler
Do you know how much horse power it has? I literally just bought one 10 minutes ago 😅
not much haha
Can you buy that foot shifter for the quad anywhere? We have one but the shifter is gone and we use a wrench lol and it sucks cause it always falls off
I sold Muffs a complete parts atv, check for them on eBay. very likely they still got one. out of Rhode Island - give them a call. Muffs Motorsports
@@WeTryMotorsports ohh okk thanks
Is it straight gas no mixing oil on the fuel?
straight gas (4 stroke) on this one
Those particular tires on your machine are known to pull the bars from your hands
yeah they're a little aggressive
Do you still have the big bears 250
Na they're gone, I normally only keep them so long
If bear was 350. Timberwolf and beartracker waste 250’s
@@kylechrestman6955 The Timberwolf is a great a ATV.
Is it 4wd all the time ?
Correct!
Yes
what was the top speed and does it have a revlmiter
11:00-13:35 is the top speed run. 37 mph on this bike, no limiter
The throttle may have a screw that limits the maximum. @@WeTryMotorsports
@@jacko377 naturally, but no ECU. without one you'd explode the motor lol
I prefer the automatics they make great trail quads
same but i dont mind the 5 speed
Hope you have a new go pro. Sound cutting in and out while picture doing the same.
yeah, it's super annoying. I am going to get the app plus a mic for the phone
the atv needs shocks. Also this llooks like new jersey
Just hold the brake and u can start it in gear
Sure it has the ability if not more
Thats not a 1996 its 1995 m'y 1996 is not the same
Quad
mines louder mine is custom
Worst 4x4 ever made mine gets stuck everywhere it's a pile of shit 2wd ATV will go much further
My 1995 handles the Mud well it’s very swampy and Muddy down here in Louisiana creek bottoms etc and this old Yamaha deals with it
sounds like operator error
dont run your quad in holes jeeps go into then you dumb fuck