Well, I just did a major test on the 2001 Prairie 400 4x4 that I got about two weeks ago. I had a buddy with a Bombardier Traxter 500 come over and did some swamp riding. The 400 did an awesome job in the mud. I went in mud up to the front headlights and had no problem. The 4x4 system works great, the only problem though is that if you start to get stuck you have to pull the front brakes a little bit to get all four tires spinning. I got stuck once, and the Traxter got stuck 3 times. (both of us were going through the exact same things). We got the traxter stuck so bad one of the times that the 400 couldn't even pull it out. Took us 45 minutes just to get it out. it was in mud up to the taillights (if you stepped wrong the water would go all the way up to slightly above your knees. On torque, the Traxter was the ruler, but the Prairie was right behind it through everything. But the Prairie has a lot more HP, and speed. In a drag race the 400 was up to 50 MPH where the Traxter had only gotten up to 35 (in a short sprint). The 400 lifted the front tires slightly off the ground (about half an inch) when the gas was punched, and all four tires could be spun on dirt/sandy areas. This is also a fairly good quad to get the rear end loose in corners too for more agressive riding. One thing that I don't like about the Prairie though is the rear swing arm. Sure it rides smooth, but when you take turns fast, or push the throttle when taking a sharp turn inside tire in the turn likes to lift off of the ground. The stock Tires on the 400 are good at gripping, but they are pretty cheap. (dunlops). I put a few tears in the tires about 1 inch long. Well this was my thoughts on the Prairie 400!

 

Glad to here Your enjoying your new atv. I've got 2700 miles on mine now and it's still going strong. Have fun...........

 

When I rode a Prairie 400 4x4, here are some of the things I noticed:

1. It had good top speed for what I was able to get it up to, but it had a lag off the bottom, but then again most automatics do.

2. The seat is very comfortable. I wish the seat on my 300EX was that comfortable.

3. The suspension was very good. It handle some good sized jumps.

4. It was a bit tippy in tight corners.

5. I felt like a sat up to high on it.

6. The steering was pretty light for a 4wd. It also had a tight turning radius.

7. I liked the speedometer on it. When I get enough money I want to get a speedometer for my 300EX.

8. The range selector was hard to use at first but I got used to it.

9. It was an all around good ATV. If I could afford one I would probably buy it.

I also rode a Prairie 300 2wd. It was a lot like a 400 as far as power goes. But then again I didn't get either one up to full speed so I don't know. Also it seemed like the handlebars wanted to turn to easily.


I also have a question, is it bad to shift ranges while you are moving? Because when I was on the 300 I would start at in low so it would get a better start then when I would wind out in low I would shift to high. I was just wondering if that was bad. Thank you.

 

in the owner's manual it says it will damage the transmission or the engine because of the sudden change in RPM. I don't know though, I've only shifted it going about 5MPH, the rest of the time I am stopped.

 

The reason the rear tire lifts off when cornering sharp is because the front suspension is so soft. If you get the optional stiffer springs this problem goes away and doesnt really seem to effect ride quality.