Feature > Adventure Toys
2005 Yamaha Kodiak 450
story by Tom Wilson
photography courtesy Yamaha
Crossing logs is child’s play to the full-featured Kodiak 450. With a ton of power, 4-wheel drive, a fully-locking front differential and fully-automatic, non-freewheeling transmission, the big Kodiak is a no-excuses off-roader.
So the $6,199, 2005 Kodiak retains its exciting combination of utilitarian practicality and sporty demeanor, plus gains a new level of ride plushness this year, a fact we were happy to confirm in a recent evaluation ride with Yamaha. We came away amazed at the big Kodiak’s ability to scramble over seemingly impossible obstacles while we sat like the proverbial lumps on its saddle. The IRS, we came to realize, really works.
While the Kodiak 450 is labeled a utility machine, it really is more dual purpose, with a good dose of sport potential built in. This shows in the smoothed, stylish bodywork and fancy grille detailing. Attention to detail is high; we especially appreciated the crinkle-coated cargo racks. They ought to prove more chip and rust resistant than the more typical paint.
Of course, the Kodiak was born to work, which is why all of us are able to convince spouses and accountants (be they different people in your household) that we need a Kodiak in the first place. Yamaha reports 46 percent of Kodiak owners use their ATV for leisure, 31 percent in farming and 19 percent for hunting. Thus, the Kodiak sports a full line of utilitarian features, from the obvious pair of cargo racks, to the not so apparent 12 volt power outlet and trailer hitch with a 1,100 lb tow rating as standard. Furthermore, the Kodiak offers plenty of ground clearance, yet is not too tall; is fitted with fully enclosed floorboards for work- or hiking-boot friendly operation, and its 421cc 4-stroke engine offers excellent torque to make putting around the ‘ol rancho easy stuff.
Engine access is easy; just pop off the plastic side panels by hand. Power is abundant from the 421 cc four-stroke, with excellent throttle response. A recoil rope provides back-up starting. It’s a bit awkward and requires a fair amount of effort, but it starts the engine should the battery die.
To ensure we were fully impressed by the new IRS, Yamaha mapped out a tortuous ride through a dry river bed. Strewn with engine-block sized river rock, the trail alternately charged straight down stream, or climbed the banks and meandered through the underbrush on the sides. And yeah, we were impressed. With 10.8-inches of ground clearance the Kodiak noiselessly straddled rocks we were convinced would make ugly scraping sounds, and when “boulder” became the appropriate word, the Kodiak would deftly wheel up and over with a minimum of upset thanks to the each wheel being able to seek its own level.
With the exception of the automatic transmission’s shifter located next to the Kodiak logo, the 450’s controls are positioned on the handlebars. The usual lighting, choke and starting switchgear is near the left hand grip, the right side holds the 4x4 and differential lock buttons. We found all easy to use with gloved hands. As for the shifter, it notches through a series of gates in a mainly straight line. There is a rear brake lever on the left grip to back-up the right foot brake lever as well. It helps as the foot lever is occasionally tough to access with large boots on.
Most eye-opening, the Kodiak could easily work its way atop a rock field, where a series of 2-ft. tall stones lay atop the under-laying stream bed, then pick its way across with amazing sure-footedness. The same assuredness came with crossing the more typical trail-crossing logs, gnarly roots and the like.
An independent rear suspension is earning the Kodiak 450 well-deserved attention in 2005. It does wonders for smoothing the ride and aiding traction on rough terrain. Ground clearance is improved to 10.8-inches as well.
But maybe best of all, the IRS gives a smoother ride over rough stuff so you aren’t beat at the end of the day. For simple dirt road riding, where the going is smooth to begin with the IRS helps some, but add potholes or head off into the woods where the ruts and rocks live and the ride improvement takes on big proportions. The rougher, the better, in other words.
This is hardly the worst of the rocks we bumped through on our Kodiak test ride. The IRS provides superior traction-not to mention a better ride-and with the 4x4 low-range engaged, it’s possible to slowly pick your way through truly tough sections at a crawling pace.
Engine power was another impressive trait, and by this we don’t so much mean outright acceleration as the wide-as-Texas powerband. Raw power was good for sure; acceleration was entertaining and when tucked to minimize wind resistance on long straight dirt roads we saw 53 mph on the digital speedometer. Fast enough for chores, we’d say.
But we also reveled in the 450’s grunt on steep hill climbs, its instant power hit when revved at low speeds, the ample rock-crawling torque and always-there throttle response. And while no one ever wrote sonnets about a 4-stroke ATV’s exhaust note, the 450 Kodiak speaks with a surprisingly deep thump that’s sort of fun when you’re in a sporting mood.
Yamaha uses full-length, mainly composite, belly plates on the Kodiak because they find the thick plastic parts provide great protection and don’t deform like metal skid plates. If aluminum plates are desired, they’re available through Yamaha’s accessory program.
What about handling with the IRS, you ask? It’s great. The Kodiak turns with authority and flat-tracks easily enough. Sure, it’s not an outright sport quad and requires a touch of throttle to hold the front end up when road-racing through slow corners, but it’s hardly a piggish cargo hauler, either. Yamaha is rather careful to inject some sportiness into their popular mid-size ATVs because nearly every one of their customers takes their Kodiak’s out for fun when work is finished. On the other hand, they don’t put so much gung-ho into the spring and shock tuning that the Kodiak plays the brute during working hours or while trail riding. Yamaha offers dedicated sport quads for that.
We were also pleased at how little steering effort increased when engaging low-range or the differential lock (front axle only). Pushing the 4x4 button made almost no difference in steering weight; the differential lock brought on a touch of heaviness and a notch of understeer. Used singly or together 4x4 and the diff lock made the 450 Kodiak essentially unstoppable. Quagmire mud bogs could still ruin your day, but even high-centered on rocks the 450 pulled itself out as soon as one wheel touched, thanks to the differential lock. Engagement of either feature is via pushbuttons on the right hand grip. A full stop, or nearly so, is required as well.
Key to the Kodiak 450’s hill-ability is its combination of low-range gearing and Yamaha’s centrifugal clutch which prevents freewheeling on downhills. Given the power of a nearly half liter engine, the Kodiak 450 in low-range is ready to drag you up very steep hills; and it can handle just as challenging descents.
The other 450 Kodiak trick is low-range gearing. It’s the defining feature of the 450 over the 400 Kodiak in our thinking, and a must-have if working hilly country or heavy loads. We only truly needed it once to make a long, very steep climb out of a stream bed, but then we really needed it. Low range is godsend for speed control on steep descents as well. To aid this, Yamaha went to the trouble of fitting the Kodiak with a centrifugal clutch in addition to its automatic’s normal belt drive. This saves belt wear, and maintains belt contact for maximum-available engine braking. There’s no wide-eyed freewheeling to the bottom of the hill on the Kodiak.
Snazzy is a good way of describing the Kodiak 450’s digital instrument panel. It provides a useful array of speed, time and distance measurements, along with indicating if 4x4 or the differential lock are engaged.
Fit, finish, control feel and ergonomics are excellent. The very tallest riders may feel slightly cramped after a couple of hours, and Yamaha says a handful of customers opt for the larger all-round Grizzly just for its larger riding position, but we’re talking single digit percentage points of the population. For the rest of us, the 450 continues the Kodiak’s traditional low center of gravity feel, easy step-over height and comfy ergos.
For anyone needing utility around the ranch and wanting some fun on the weekends the 450 Kodiak seems an ideal choice. Powerful and with a sporting side, it’s a great all-’rounder. At least 94.8 percent of the people think so.
Learn about WARN ATV winches for the Yamaha Kodiak 450.