My wife bought me a blue '07 Wolverine 450 for christmas and I really like it. I got a chance to put some miles on it over the holidays and for the riding I do it really suits me well. I've heard opinions on it lacking power but I really don't feel that way. It's definately not fast on the top end. Mine will do 51 easily with anywhere from a 150-265lb rider but no more. It pulls really hard to 48 then slowly clicks off to 51 then it feels like it's hitting the rev limiter. To me it feels like it has a stiff clutch kit in it from the factory and I have no problem breaking the tires loose even on fast (35mph) slides. The only other place it left me wanting more was ground clearance. I think a good set of 25" tires like some bighorns, XTRs or Swamplites would cure that. I'll more than likely keep the stock wheels and tires but right now I can't seem to find a wide rear wheel. Eveything I see that fits the Wolverine is 12x7 front and rear and I'd like to keep the wider rear if possible. I don't see this thing having any trouble pulling the larger tires without any mods.

I've noticed there is a huge lack of mods available for the 450 and I'm not really sure why. There's only a couple of pipes, clutch kits and jet kits available and no CDI boxes. I'd like to get a little more power out of mine but for now I have no complaints. I really like the stock tires for loose or hard packed trails and hills and they clean out great in the mud but just don't have enough clearance for some of the places I ride. I swapped up several times with my wife on her Rancher 350 and with my cousin on his Prairie 700 and BF 750 and every time I got back on the Wolverine I liked it better. I can see where my wheels are going in the tight spaces and it doesn't feel like I'm riding a bull dozer. Nothing could climb like this thing either. The front carries a lot more weight than the back so when you're climbing it just feels like the front is planted solid and it pops right over at the top easily. The hills are really where this thing felt at home the most.

This time next year we're going to get my wife a new ATV and she's really wanting a SRA Prairie 650 but I'm thinking more along the lines of the King Quad 450 (oh how I wish that motor was on my Wolverine). Overall I'm really happy about the Wolverine and I guess I can list my likes and dislikes as this...

Like:
Midrange Power
Trail Visibility
Handling in tight trails

Would like:
More Ground Clearance
Front diff lock
More top end

 

Congrats on the new quad, the more miles you put on, the more you will like it.

I absolutely love my wolverine, it is the perfect machine for my type of riding. The power is good enough (I would like more, but it performs well now), the weight is manageable, and the power band is great. If your looking for some more top end, check out the hauck clutch work....that will get you close to 60mph, and better acceleration also.


The ground clearance isn't really an issue where I ride, it doesn't make any difference on the dunes, and the trails I ride are pretty open. I have been hung up a few times, but a good set of skid plates and being able to shift my weight around to pop the machine off of ruts and logs really helps. A locking diff. could have helped me in a few muddy situations, but I don't plan on doing that kind of riding any more, so not a big deal.


When the can-am renegade first came out, I started regretting my purchase of the wolverine....but I'm still pretty happy, the wolverine gets the job done.

If you ever have any questions on mods, or the quad itself, just post up. There are some really knowledgeable guys on here.

 

Well the wolverine is not hitting a rev limiter at all. It is just out of gearing at 51 mph. With taller tires you will pick up a little top end. You could get the pipe filter and jet kit it will add power all the way around.

 

How much was the clutch kit? I read where you have to pull it and send it to them. I noticed you have a different set of wheels too. Are those lighter than the stocker and what size are they?

 

Welcome to the Wolverine family...

I have right at 50 miles on mine... I agree the bike climbs well... I ride trails and Lt to Med mud... If I get to heavy mud I just work my way around it and if I can't I have a winch to do the job... I hated the stock grips so I replaced them with a bigger dia. foam ones... Took a lot of the vibration out that I felt in my hands...

Again welcome to the Wolverine family...

Oh... Need pictures...
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: Drifter463

Welcome to the Wolverine family...



I have right at 50 miles on mine... I agree the bike climbs well... I ride trails and Lt to Med mud... If I get to heavy mud I just work my way around it and if I can't I have a winch to do the job... I hated the stock grips so I replaced them with a bigger dia. foam ones... Took a lot of the vibration out that I felt in my hands...



Again welcome to the Wolverine family...



Oh... Need pictures...

[img][/img]</end quote></div>


I had no problem in the mud as long as I didn't bottom out. I have almost 100 miles on mine already and am hoping to have 1000 on it by the end of '08. I'll try to get some pics up soon...I don't even have any yet.

 

I doubt these are any lighter than the stock wheels, I just did it for the look. They are 12x7 I believe. They do make the quad a little wider because of the backspacing/offset of the wheels compared to the stockers. But other than that, you cant tell a difference. As for pricing, give Hauck a call...tell them what you have, and what you are trying to gain and they will give you a price. I think the shop that worked on my quad jacked up the cost of the hauck clutch work to cover themselves a little for all the time they put into my quad trying to figure out why I couldnt go over 46 before I had them do the hauck kit....they ended up charging $230 which is double what they quoted me before hand.


http://www.hauckperformance.com

 

I think they told me about 115-125

 

Less than $150 is a steal! I came here to post that my quad is finally over 100 miles and I can hit 53mph consistently on a flat black top road. I did learn a trick to getting the most out of it as well...don't punch it and hold it! I was cruising along behind my wife going 48 and noticed I had plenty of throttle left so I went ahead and got down on it and it jumped to 52 then rolled up to 53 and held. I wasn't sure if it was a fluke or not so I turned around and made another pass but this time I hammered it and held it all the way and I couldn't break 51 again so I turned around and tried my luck feathering it out and I easily hit 53 so I turned around to make sure it wasn't downhill any in that direction and I had no trouble hitting it again. I'm not sure what is going on with it but for some reason it pulls harder if you keep it above 45 for a little bit then drop the hammer. Tonight I looked at my specs for the throttle position and noticed mine was 1/16" shy of full throttle so I tweeked it out and I'll see if that doesn't get me a mph more. 55mph would make me a happy camper on a stock bike since I've heard of several people not getting 50 on a regular basis...oh and I'm not a little guy...I weight 265.

I forgot to add that my speedo is nearly dead on with my dads handheld GPS (a couple tenths off) and actually reads 2mph slower than my cousins 700 prairie and 750BF. They both read dead on the same. All on stock tires too. It wasn't a cold night and it was actually warmer than most of the nights I've been out riding.

 

I tested mine with my GPS last week, speedo said 54, gps said 53.7....close enough for me. I believe the bike is rev. limited at 53, if you lift the back of the quad up, it wont go past 53, at least mine couldnt while it was stock. After they did my pipe, jets and filter, I couldnt get it over 46 mph. We couldnt figure out why so I had my clutch done by hauck, and now it hits 60 with the back end lifted, and 59ish with me on it.