hey guys could use some advice on the kfx 400 was checking out kawis web site and really like the kfx 400 never owned a kawasaki i have four yamahas and am looking to buy another sport quad only sport quad i have now is a 2000 warrior and shes great but want to upgrade and just dont care for the raptor and the yfz does not have reverse i dont race and all riding is trails, woods roads, fields, fishing, that kind of stuff. how would the 400 fit the bill for that? reliability is a big factor also getting to old to walk home. im 5'9" 225 lbs so would the 400 fit me? im sure the 400 would be a big improvement in performance over my warrior? also looked at the 700 on the web site but kind of pricey and i dont really need 700cc, any advice would be great. thanks kris[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

I have a buddie who has an 05 kfx 400. His is a blast to ride just about everywhere. That bike has more than enough power for most people on the trails. The handling is also light and crisp. It's not the fastest around but it has more power than most can use expecially on trails or in the woods. It's a well balanced machine that does everything very well and would be a huge improvement to the warrior. Not that they are bad machines but the 400 is that much superior. I can't see someone buying a kfx 400 for the trails and general fun and being dissapointed with their purchase.

 

thanks hey i was looking thru the posts do they have some kind of problem with corrosion? hopefully they will fix that on the 07 model, also any idea what the ground clearance is on the 400? thanks

 

I have no idea as to the ground clearance. But my friend and I have ridden at wolf pen gap in Mena Ark. which has some rough and rocky trails and the ground clearance was not an issue. Yes as of right now they are having a corrosion problem. The magnesium, prob spelled wrong, cover doesen't like the coolant and is causing a corrosion problem. As of right now the fix is to install an older cover that is not made of magnesium. Surely kawi will fix this problem on the 07 models. If you are looking for an 06 I wouldn't be too scared of it I would just get it IN WRIGHTING from the dealer that it will be fixed when it starts to corrode weather the warrenty is out or not. As of now if the bike is out of warrenty then kawi wont cover it. Which is a real shame because it's a known factory defect and a black eye for the 400 and kawi.

 

I am 6'5 about 300 pounds or so and we own 2 KFX700s. They are great if you dotn want the hassle of shifting have plenty of power even more so then the 400s. They are VERY VERY reliable had ours for two years going on 3 and no problem that we didnt cause on them. Start right up first time everytime. Good soft suspension on them I really like them until i had to have more sport then went to a YFZ=p. Hope this helps!

 

slow

The 400 is a great all around machine, you can't go wrong with it. As stated the corrosion problem with the magnesium is a bit unfortunate, but far from catastrophic unless it's ignored.

I would just tell the deal to throw in an aluminum cover. It's not a big deal to change out, at most a few hours for a newbie probably half that for anyone who's done work on quads before.

I was a Yamaha guy for years too, and it came down to the Raptor600 or the z400. After riding both it was no comparison for me. Of course the 700r was not out at the time, I'm sure that would have made a difference. Even now I drool a bit when I stop by my local Yamaha dealer and see the new Raptor on the floor. But it's over $2000 more than I paid for my kfx last April.

Maybe by the time my kfx is paid off I will look a blue again.

 

thanks for all the advice i called the kawasaki dealership its about a two hour drive for me he gave me a price of 5399.00 for the 400 i told him that i heard a bunch of talk on the internet about the corrosion issue with the magnesium cover and could they throw in an aluminum cover, he told me he never heard nothing about it and that its not true! im thinking either this guy lives in a closet or he is just feeding me a bunch of crap anyway im going to check with another dealership and avoid this place.

 

kfx 400's are sure a hell of alot of fun...great trail quad. since you're riding all trails i'd suggest a certain quad (cough pred cough) but i don't wanna hi jack your thred.

the kfx's also have a lot of upgrades available for them since they're somewhat interchangealbe with the z400 and dvx 400

 

Don't believe that dealers b.s. Unless he only sells 4 or 5 units a year he knows about it. My best advice is to not be rude but be a hard a$$ and tell them you know their full of bull and do they want your money or do you need to go somewhere else. I know that makes me sound like an a$$ but I have only become that way from dealing with dealers and shops that try to screw people. You'll be supprised how fast attitudes change when your a hard driving guy who KNOWS what he wants and won't take anything less.

 

Yea it's funny how NO dealers have heard of this.

Just this weekend while I was changing the cover on my KFX I stripped the screw that holds the crankshaft seal keep in place. I ended up drilling the old case to get the tab out. A trip to the local dealer to pick up some oil, engine ice, and later a new 6mm screw ended up in a conversation about the whole thing. No one in the entire dealership knew what I was talking about.

Granted it was not a Suzuki dealer, but they are Yamaha, Honda and Arctic Cat. They have a DVX400 on the floor at all times, I know they've sold them so someone out there HAS to be having the problem with a machine bought there.

My rot was not as bad as some here but changing it over was well worth the price, and my time to install it.