I'm 55 yrs old and new to ATV's. I've been riding street motorcycles for the last 32 yrs. My daughter and son-in-law have given me the bug to buy an ATV. I have talked to people who are familier with them , read everything I can find about them, and have narrowed the search down to 2 ATV's. The Praire 700 and the 2005 Honda Rubicon 500. I can buy the Kawasaki for $500 less the the Honda. I have priced both units with a winch. I plan to use this machine to work around my 3 acres pulling a small trailer full of dirt or rocks or tools once in awhile and the rest of the time I will playing on it trail riding and running up the river bank when the water is down. My question is in you'all experiance which machine is the best bang for the buck. Pros & Cons of the 2 Quads and will I have any trouble with the extra weight of the winch on the front end? Will it cause me any extra problems down the road. Do you think the winch is really needed. I just thought it would come in handy at times. Is there any problems with the belt drive on the Kawasaki? I have test rode both machines and both seem to do real good but the Kawasaki sure has more power which I liked. Do you think Kawasaki will quit making the Praire this year?
Thank you for your thoughts, I appreciate it!
Dandy

 

Well i would choose the 700 because it has more power than the 500 and since your goin to be using it for houling i would choose the more powerful one

 

Dandy get the 700 you cant go wrong they are some of the best work horses and the best trail utility and play sportyier than any other full size you cant go wrong I think the resale on that 700 will remain very good for a long time ....My 650 prairie has 4000 miles and just gets better every day I would not ever consider tradeing that machine for anything It will grow on you just like your favorite motorcycle.......J.H.

 

Im a die hard Kawasaki fan but i will give you an honest opinion.The Rubicon is an Excellent machine for what it's intended to do.The quality is the best and overall fit and finish are second to none.The rubicon provides a very comfortable ride when the speeds are slow.An excellent trail riding quad.The prairie is a better quad at speed.The honda transmission i feel is better,because it doesn't have a belt.The kawasaki can go through deeper water because of it's air intake design though.A winch won't affect the quad much and i wouldn't worry about that.The power for hauling a small trailer isn't an issue,both machines can do it effortlessly.One thing to consider is the kawasaki gives off a considerable amount of engine heat which can be annoying in the warm weather.You definitely need a winch because when these babies get stuck you ain't budging them,i don't care how strong you are.I own a 2002 prairie 650 and i ride it hard and the motor has been excellent but the quality of the plastic is terrible.They changed the plastic this year and it looks to be much better in quality.The rubicon has the trax-lok 4wd available which is nice because you can ride in 2wd.My friend has a rubicon and the only problem we had was the choke cable was sticking but we replaced it and haven't had any problems.I'm due for swingarm bearings on the prairie,..i have about 1400mi on her.This seems to happen to most prairies around this mileage.One other thing to consider is when you ride the rubicon it is hard to get dirty.The mud and splash protection are the best iv'e seen on an atv.Both quads are nice i feel but for mild mannered trail riding i feel the rubicon is a much more pleasant mount and a quieter machine, the engine braking is also better .If you are a more aggresive rider i would go for the prairie.Good luck.....

 

We know two people that have had to replace their Rubicon's entire transmission. I know of no one that has had to replace an entire Kawi transmission. This one is easy, if you want biggest bang for the buck, the Prairie 700 absolutely blows away the Rubicon.

OL

 

Either one you get, you will like. If you have a bad back, get the Honda.

If you choose the Honda, after a year or two you might get tired of seeing Prairies go by you as you get more aggressive on the trails. Just the power of the V-twin as you head up a steep is a heck of a rush.

A heck of a feature on the P700 is the engine braking system. I go down hills where all I see in front of me on the other make quads is brake lights going on. I don't touch the brake going down these same hills, just letting her idle on down that rocky trail.

This is a hell of a safety feature, especially if you're coming down the trail pretty fast and come to a switchback you didn't expect. The engine will do as much to slow you as the brakes will (and Kawi has good brakes).

The engine power and engine braking are the two best features of the P700.

You need the winch if you are going to be riding by yourself at times. Also if you ride the mud holes, which I personally do not do.

The belt drive is not a problem, way over-discussed. You have to maintain it. If the belt stretches, you can tighten it up....takes about an hour and maybe $15 in shims the first time you do it. After that, you have all the shim combinations you will ever need. People on here would show you how to do it.

Welcome to the forum and good luck on your choice of quads.

 

I've got almost 500 miles on mine. I adjusted the belt in the first 50 miles, and I haven't had to do it again, yet. I ride the living crap out of this thing, the only time it isn't wide open is when I'm not riding it!

 

Just the 500.00 would get me to buy the Kawi over the honda.
I work my 650 all the time . I have towed way over the recommended limit and I have no problems with belt slippage.
I also plow with mine in it moves snow 1 1/2 feet deep with no belt slippage.
I wouldn't worry about the belt.
As far as swing arm bearings are concerned I am sure that is from the atv being submerged in water and mud alot. If you are going to do that or jump a 600 - 700 lb machine not including rider you have to expect to replace stuff like that.

 

You will not go wrong with the Prairie, althought Honda is a nice machine too[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Thanks everybody for all your help. I brought home an 2005 Prairie 700 yesterday. Shes got 20 miles on her now and i love it. Thanks again. This is a great web site!