[Soundchasr]

Hey all!

I just bought a 2018 450. It seems all of the topics are about the 700. Is there another place I should go or are all Kodiaks welcome?

Thanks!

 

[Rollin]

Hey all!

I just bought a 2018 450. It seems all of the topics are about the 700. Is there another place I should go or are all Kodiaks welcome?

Thanks!

Congrats on your new Kodiak!

There is no dedicated forum for the new 450s and you're welcome to any of the 700 forums - they're the same animal :grin2:. Post some pictures of you new machine and let us know how you like it so far. Not many 450 owners here as it is a brand new addition to the yamaha atv line -so you're going to be the lucky first ones who learn about it and help others. Kinda like the Kodi 700 was a couple years back ...new motor, new everything .

 

[Soundchasr]

Thanks! So far I like it a lot. It doesn't have the power of the 700 but it does pretty well. I haven't really got on it yet (I'm in the break-in period). I'm not able to post images yet but I will soon.

 

[mike2018kodiak450]

has anyone found any performance mods for the 2018 Kodiak 450 if so let me no

 

[mike2018kodiak450]

I want more power out of my new 2018 450 has anyone found any power accessories yet

 

[MNhunter86]

I want more power out of my new 2018 450 has anyone found any power accessories yet

I'm pretty sure the biggest power mod you could do would be a 708cc engine swap, I'm pretty sure it would fit:grin2:

 

[Nomad]

I want more power out of my new 2018 450 has anyone found any power accessories yet

For what you will have to spend ( and likely still not be satisfied) , you'd have been farther ahead buying the 700 imo. There is a compromise that one needs to be aware of when going with smaller displacement.

 

[CodyKodiak]

Hey guys, I have a 2020 Kodiak 450 EPS. Since the day I bought it, it sort of "lurches" or "jerks" when you first accelerate. It's at a very low rpm, when the clutches engage, you can feel it sort of "grab" and then it drives like normal. No abnormal sounds or anything, just a consistent and somewhat abrupt engagement and I'm wondering if this is on all the 450s. I have ridden many other CVT-equipped quads, mostly kawasaki and polaris, but this is my first Yamaha with a CVT.

Any insight is appreciated. My next step is to go to the dealer and see if the other 450s on the lot do the same thing. If not, time for some warranty work.

Cheers!

 

[Vincent]

Hey guys, I have a 2020 Kodiak 450 EPS. Since the day I bought it, it sort of "lurches" or "jerks" when you first accelerate. It's at a very low rpm, when the clutches engage, you can feel it sort of "grab" and then it drives like normal. No abnormal sounds or anything, just a consistent and somewhat abrupt engagement and I'm wondering if this is on all the 450s. I have ridden many other CVT-equipped quads, mostly kawasaki and polaris, but this is my first Yamaha with a CVT.

Any insight is appreciated. My next step is to go to the dealer and see if the other 450s on the lot do the same thing. If not, time for some warranty work.

Cheers!

It should not learch or jerk at all. Engagement should be smooth from a dead stop. I'd bring it back to the dealer

 

[CodyKodiak]

Thanks. I went to the dealer, drove a floor model Kodiak 450, smoooooth as butter. Mine is definitely jacked up. I dropped it off for warranty work, hopefully Yamaha fixes this transmission. Mine is brand new, been like this since I bought it a month ago.

 

[TRW]

Should be an easy fix, How long are they going to have it? When they do get it done, please let us know what they did.

 

[CodyKodiak]

I dropped it off a couple hours before close on Tuesday. They said expect to hear something back (at least after an initial inquiry/assessment) by late this week or early next. More interestingly though, when the tech came outside to conduct a quick analysis of the issue (which he fully acknowledged existed) I asked "you think Yamaha will fix this transmission?" and he said, "I don't know, maybe, they might say it just runs that way". That's a little disheartening - we had a similar experience with a Ford Escape with 1k miles on it ( I know Yamaha is not Ford). The tech was great mind you, nice guy, easy to talk to, honest answers. Additionally however, my quad NEVER fires up upon first 1-second press of the ignition when cold (80-90 F outside) It has always taken two 1-2 second tries. The floor model fired right up instantly and didn't have any trans issues..... wondering if I should have just ponied up for the Kodiak 700 EPS......Lesson here: ALWAYS drive the ATV before taking home.

Will keep you posted on what happens - I'm hopeful Yamaha will sort it out. Sorry to sort of hi-jack this thread, but there doesn't seem to be a 18'-20' 450 section.

 

[TRW]

I had a 16 Kodiak, that had some running issues when new, the dealer told me I had bad fuel, and it was the same fuel that came in it. This was within the first few hours. They did get it running much better, but I never knew what they really did. It seems to me that Yamaha is not buyer friendly, so I think this will come down to the dealer, as always good luck!

Thanks for the feedback, and I hope to hear your final results.

 

[CodyKodiak]

Bad news for me....Yamaha refuses to fix it. I hate bringing this negative vibe to the forum, but it's what I'm experiencing and everyone's input is helping for sure.

The dealership left me a voicemail saying, and I'm paraphrasing slightly, "Our tech took a look at it, then we contacted Yamaha and Yamaha said there isn't anything to be done. Yamaha engineered in some play to protect the machine, you know, for when you're off road and in 4wd and stuff."

To me this is unacceptable because the machine lurches when accelerating from a stop after every. single. gear. change. It is sudden, it is abrupt, and it is not normal. I fear it will cause premature wear on the transmission components. I know Yamaha did not engineer the machine to abruptly lurch into motion upon accelerating (every single time), b/c the other 450 on the showroom floor doesn't do it at all and b/c NO OTHER atv with an automatic CVT from any manufacturer does this unless it is not operating correctly.

Now I begin my journey of continuing to reach out to Yamaha for support. Soooo happy I didn't buy the extended warranty since Yamaha won't honor even their 6-month manufacturer warranty. I've got a youtube channel where I'll post a video of the ATV lurching into motion and explaining that Yamaha refuses to fix it, claiming that's the way they designed it to work.

Again, I hate to be a debbie downer - that ain't my style, but this has been supremely frustrating. Thank you everyone for the continued support. I want to love the machine, but Yamaha isn't helping.

 

[Colorado Kodiak 700]

Let's focus on what may be causing your issue. It seems to me that something isn't moving freely within your clutch. Maybe there isn't enough or any grease on moving parts or maybe something isn't seated correctly. A clutch rebuild is probably in order. If you find something installed incorrectly then you can use it as documentation to help in your battle with Yamaha.

Good luck!

 

[Vincent]

Bad news for me....Yamaha refuses to fix it. I hate bringing this negative vibe to the forum, but it's what I'm experiencing and everyone's input is helping for sure.

The dealership left me a voicemail saying, and I'm paraphrasing slightly, "Our tech took a look at it, then we contacted Yamaha and Yamaha said there isn't anything to be done. Yamaha engineered in some play to protect the machine, you know, for when you're off road and in 4wd and stuff."

To me this is unacceptable because the machine lurches when accelerating from a stop after every. single. gear. change. It is sudden, it is abrupt, and it is not normal. I fear it will cause premature wear on the transmission components. I know Yamaha did not engineer the machine to abruptly lurch into motion upon accelerating (every single time), b/c the other 450 on the showroom floor doesn't do it at all and b/c NO OTHER atv with an automatic CVT from any manufacturer does this unless it is not operating correctly.

Now I begin my journey of continuing to reach out to Yamaha for support. Soooo happy I didn't buy the extended warranty since Yamaha won't honor even their 6-month manufacturer warranty. I've got a youtube channel where I'll post a video of the ATV lurching into motion and explaining that Yamaha refuses to fix it, claiming that's the way they designed it to work.

Again, I hate to be a debbie downer - that ain't my style, but this has been supremely frustrating. Thank you everyone for the continued support. I want to love the machine, but Yamaha isn't helping.

DO NOT BACK DOWN! Your machine is new this issue is 110% unexceptable . These dealers don't give a Crap about us and only want to make cash, without being bothered with proper customer care. Worse case try a different dealer but not till after your brutally raveged this one. Good luck, and we are all behind you!

 

[JimP]

Call Yamaha Corporet directly and be a pain in the rear. Tell them that you are going to park the Kodiak in front of their office with a sign saying what you think of it. Also remember you are not dealing with Yamaha but a independent business that sells or services Yamaha machines. It is no different than Joe Blow Chevy........they represent the brand but are not Chevy


Or just bite the bullet and find a independent repair shop to fix it. That is why most on here do our own work on them.

To me it sounds like a clutch problem

Sent from my SM-J737V using Tapatalk

 

[TRW]

Wow, this is very upsetting. I love justice so count me in on getting Yamaha to stand behind this repair. Post some semi generic info, like the number of the dealership that needs persuasion. I don't know how much we can post on this site, but I intend to discourage anyone on from buying a Yamaha until this is resolved. I know a high level official in the state of Wisconsin who is very involved in ATV purchases by the state, and I will talk with him. So if it is legal to post a number of the dealer, and I think it is, post it and I will call, and I will have others call and tell them that the Forums are lighting up and so are the blogs.

What town are you located near, I will find a talk radio station near you and fill them in on your injustice! Is there a Lemon Law that might apply in your case?

 

[Nomad]

Took Yamaha 4 years to acknowledge the oil consumption issue with the 2016 708 engine. Hope they are more prompt in your case. I've been told by some dealer employees that Yamaha is difficult to deal with on their end as well.

 

[CodyKodiak]

Thank you everyone, again I appreciate the advice and support. TRW - I'm not sure if you're joking or not, regardless that's pretty hardcore - may have to go that route eventually.

I made a quick video showcasing the issue. If this happened after 10 years of use, I wouldn't be upset. If this was a $2k quad I bought used, I wouldn't be too upset. This is brand new. It's hard to tell in the video, but I can feel the abrupt engagement every single time. Should I just relax and not worry about it? Or get this thing operating smoothly? The tech never opened it up, so I'm not sure what the issue(s) is, maybe the primary clutch?

My post count isn't high enough to post the URL. Can someone else post the URL for me? Search the below on youtube and you'll find it:

"pNSrH3cHzEs"

Title: "Yamaha Refuses to Warranty "Jerky" Ultramatic CVT on Brand New 2020 Kodiak 450 EPS"

Thank you again everyone, this forum is incredibly helpful. I hope to pay it back for other 450 owners when possible.