So, I currently have a Yamaha Kodiak 400. Its been a great quad, but my one complaint is that its a little under powered. I am researching Kawasaki Brute Force 750's.

So far, I've found that in 2008 they started offering fuel injection, and in 2010 they had power steering.

Are there any bad years to get or stay away from?

I recently test drove a brand new CanAm Outlander 1000. Absolutely loved the power it had, but don't have the pockets deep enough to afford a $12,000 quad at the moment. I have read with some upgrades that the Brute Force can be as fast as the Outlander 1000. Any truth to this?

What power upgrades are available and what do people usually get when upgrading them? One thing I want is power. That being said, I don't necessarily want something that is super loud and obnoxious. I plan on getting a sport quad later, and can use that one for being loud, but I do use and plan on using my utility quad to do work around the yard, plowing snow, and work in the woods and didn't really want to have something loud to do stuff like that.

Any info is welcomed as I'm trying to learn what I can here.

Trying to keep the price range when I do buy in the $3500-$5000 range.

 

I have the 650 myself and I think it has plenty of power. Mine doesn't have the irs, swingarm solid rear axle just as your Kodiak does. I had a Grizzly 660 before and although the hp numbers are close, seat of the pants tells me the 650 has more get up and go than the Grizzly did. Its comparable the earlier Grizzly 700, which i have had some seat time on. The 750 compares to the Outlander 650 in performance. I would just leave it stock. I hate loud exhausts myself too. You'd have to do some serious engine work to get a 750 to be equal to an Outlander 800 in speed and power. But i'm sure you have noticed how much more even used Outlanders cost. The 750 will top out at around 70 mph. I think that's pretty fast. I think 2012 was the first year of power steering but yes efi was introduced in 2008. It didn't add any power but I'm sure it definitely helps in cold starting and fuel economy. Those Kawasaki v-twins are thirsty engines, especially with the dual carb setup. Efi puts them a little closer to the rest in fuel range. I've only had my 650 for a few months but runs flawlessly. Replacing a brake cable has been the only repair I have had to do to it.

 

Thank you for the reply. Yeah, if I'm gonna do it, I'll go for the 750. I really like my Kodiak so if I'm gonna make the change, I'm gonna need a big power increase to make it worth it.

Seems like a cheap Dynatek CDI is the biggest aftermarket power upgrade for them. Don't know enough yet if jetting or getting bigger jets is required for that and an air filter. These would likely be the only upgrades.

From the research I have done, I have heard other say that they Brute Forces can be gas "thirsty". My 400 sips fuel. I can do a full day of hard riding most of which at wide open throttle and and the worst day I maybe go through a half tank. How bad is the fuel economy of the 750? Will I be able to do a full days riding and make it on a single tank of fuel?

 

You might think about a wideband O2 if you really want to tune that BF. Heck, maybe 2. I couldn't believe how much improvement I got out of my old Arctic Cat 500 after getting an AEM WB. For max power, jet for a 12.5/1 at wot. Don't know how the BF responds to race cams, either, but there is something , plus a 5 degree advance timing key. My AC was pretty much at the wall at 55 gps mph stock. Now with carb tuning, a race cam and advance key, on 30" tires it will hit 64 gps mph running 93 octane.

 

I think factory BF 750's with nothing done other than just the CDI will run over 70 MPH. That will be enough for me.

I'm not looking to turn it into a drag quad. I just want a significant power increase from my current Kodiak 400. The bigger cc 750 V-twin with a simple K&N air filter and CDI would be sufficient for me. I don't know if doing these two mods would require jetting or not. Either way it should not warrant a full dyno tune or leaning it out to 12.5.

 

As far as fuel economy goes, I can only get about 60 miles out of a 4.8 gallon tank. The carb 750 will get about the same. If you go for a newer efi 750, you should get better results.