[commoniak]

Hi, originally from Germany, I settled down in the south of France on a sheep farm at the foot of the Pyrenees. I bought a new Kodiak - my first atv - 2 months ago, because I needed a motorized employee... I realized that I am not a very talented donkey. So the news is, we here in Europe have Kodiaks, too
At least, I do - I don't know anybody yet who has. Even in the atv forum I'm in... They don't seem to be very excited about this new model or utility vehicles in general. All they want is Sportsman, Scramblers, Grizzlies, Raptors, Outlanders and so on. So I thought it wouldn't be a bad idea to find some other kodiakowners.

 

[Rollin]

Welcome to the forum . Congratulation on your new Kodiak! We like pictures ...especially of places we may never have a chance to visit.

 

[commoniak]

Thanks, Rollin!

Voila:

 

[DsuOkra]

Nice place, congratulations on the Kodiak!

 

[Liveto99]

Nice!!! And a good looking pup.

 

[commoniak]

Thanks, that's fun... I of course don't always see that it's a nice place.
The 'good looking pup' btw is a **** of a character. Maybe you see it in her eyes, that she wouldn't hesitate to drive the atv to get to the sheep to chase them a little bit... fortunately and finally to where I am, but she isn't clear in her head if she is more wolf or sheepdog.

Some more pics of the area and the village:
http://goo.gl/pHsnP0

 

[Muddin]

That view is gorgeous, but the Pup alone caught my attention But ! Congratulations and welcome to the forums ! Plan on changing anything yet ??

 

[ka64]

Thanks, Rollin!

Voila:

Very Cool.

Welcome aboard!

 

[commoniak]

Thanks, ka64!

That view is gorgeous, but the Pup alone caught my attention But ! Congratulations and welcome to the forums ! Plan on changing anything yet ??

Yes, she caught you, you are the bait now - that's exactly her

No changes, except some more, eventually better designed plywood boxes for more room for even more stuff including my wolf

 

[Muddin]

Thanks, ka64!



Yes, she caught you, you are the bait now - that's exactly her

No changes, except some more, eventually better designed plywood boxes for more room for even more stuff including my wolf

Lol darn it ! Always getting lured in :wink2:

But oh sounds like a fun project, can`t wait to see pictures on how it goes !

 

[offroader]

Welcome to the forum.

Were you looking into any other ATV's before coming to a decision on the Kodiak? Also how did you initially find out about it?

 

[commoniak]

@offroader:
I absolutely wanted to buy new as I intend to keep the machine for a long time - my tractor is now for 50 years on this farm
The first dealer I went to advised me to take Yamaha. He had sold already two older Grizzlies to other farmers which use it for the same things as I do. Then I 'studied' the Yamaha marketing stuff and fell for it
(I can't help... I start hating all that marketing all over the internet especially when trying to be authentic )
I thought about a Polaris sportsman as another colleague has one and is pleased with it, but no local dealer - if there was, I'd have considered strongly
In my French atv-forum they nearly always advise the Polaris Sportsman despite admitting some 'minor weaknesses' - but the biggest points for Polaris here - especially for recreational riders - are two seater and price, I guess (they seem to be so much better in price over here in Europe).
As long as the rumored reliability of Yamaha comes out to be true I will be happy with my bear!

 

[offroader]

Always found farm usage of these to be interesting since there's quite a range of things to do with ATV's, even with landscaping since they have to haul around trailers, wood chippers, the list goes on. Looking forward to the experience you'll have to report back.

 

[Floris]

Guten Tag!

I'm a Dutch guy living in Switzerland and am still waiting for my Kodiak to arrive.
(First batch of 2016 Kodiaks will arive in June here in Switzerland.)
I bought a Kodiak 700 EPS SE and noticed the same as you.. everyone seems to be in favor of the Polaris or CanAm stuff.
However, luckily there are also some smart Europeans ;-)

Greetings,
Floris.

 

[commoniak]

Hi Floris,

we can found the European branch of the Kodiak cult ;-)
What are you going to do with yours? I suppose - as a Dutch guy in Switzerland - climbing up the mountains :-D

 

[offroader]

Guten Tag!

I'm a Dutch guy living in Switzerland and am still waiting for my Kodiak to arrive.
(First batch of 2016 Kodiaks will arive in June here in Switzerland.)
I bought a Kodiak 700 EPS SE and noticed the same as you.. everyone seems to be in favor of the Polaris or CanAm stuff.
However, luckily there are also some smart Europeans ;-)

Greetings,
Floris.

Welcome to the forum!

 

[Floris]

Hi Commoniak,

I will certainly use it to go up the mountains to enjoy the view and nature!
But besides that, I will also going to use it daily to commute to my work.
For this reason I have chosen the Kodiak because I did not want a "weekend" sport ATV but really a reliable workhorse.
Today I just heard that the first batch of 2016 Grizzly's have been delivered to the dealers and they are now waiting for the first batch of Kodiaks which will probably be in 1 or 2 weeks.
In Switzerland they are configured a bit differently from the rest of Europe so they need to be tweaked a little.
For instance, top headlight is not allowed so there will be a black cover on the handlebar.
Also they will be "gedrosselt" but this will be removed as soon as they are delivered.
And I also think that breaking system is adjusted so that it has a certain percentage of breaking at the front and rear.
Anyway, can't wait to have my first ride on it.... I'll definitely will post some nice pictures with a Swiss mountain view as soon as I have it.

By the way, where in France are you located?
I spend a lot of time in a tiny village called Velieux when I was young. (District 81 I think).
Hope to go there soon again...

Greetings/Grusse,
Floris.

 

[commoniak]

Hi Floris,

funny thing, all this regional/ national legislation nonsense... In France too they are delivered to the dealer with reduced motor-power. It's an electrical device... Ripping this out can cause of course 'problems' with the assurance in case of a road accident...
Headlight not allowed in Switzerland... really?
Good that you mention the 'tweaked' breaking system: I just might have figured it out how that is supposed to be... I had read before about it and really got confused as this isn't mentioned in any manual.
I'm in the 09, which is not at all far from the 81

 

[Floris]

Hi,

Here we have the same.. I think they are limited to 20 PS.
However, this is done with a simple pin that basically sets the maximum level that the lever can be pushed.
So removing the pin (and a small steal plate I think) is the only thing that would need to be done to get back the full power again.
So luckily no electronic stuff!

 

[commoniak]

Yes, it is 20 HP. And here it is an electronic device - I've seen it. :grin2: