Hey guys, Has anyone had any experience racing the Kawasaki? Give me details, I'm seriously considering the new 2002 400 4x4 X, or the 500 4X4.

Thanks

 

I guess I can answer this question without getting anyone all pissed off and saying I'm bashing 1 or the other. First of all if your concerned with racing any of the quads you mentioned the 400 Scram has the most potential to be modified but you would be better off buying a sport quad. None of the 3 are built to be serious sport quads without major mods. All 3 though are great quads for what they are intended. The Scrams are very fun all around quads and of the 2 the 400 is quicker. I have run my 500 against my 650 a bunch of times with me riding both against the other and the 500 wont compare to the 650 in speed. I have never run against a 400 but have ridden a few of them and I feel pretty confident that the 650 would take all but the highly modded 400s. I bought the 650 because it is basically an upgraded Scrambler. I get low range and a few more options for utility use with the 650. I would not hesitate to tell someone to buy a Scrambler if they arent interested in useing their quad for working. I have had a lot of great rides on my Scram and I'm sure I'll have alot more. The Scram does give you a sportier feeling when riding. Either the 400 or 500 are going to be a blast to ride but to answer your question your going to need to buy the 400 and modify the engine if your only goal is to beat a 650.

 

Scram 500 Man,

Just as an insight, your 1997 Scrambler 500 doesn't have the 500 H.O. engine. I don't know how much of a difference this would make (none IMHO), but you're right about the 400 needing mods to beat the 650. Still, my 400 weighs less than 450 lbs giving me at least a 150lb weight advantage, not to mention more horsepower in the trail mod engine.

 

Thanks for the reply guys, My Father has a 650 and I can't let him whip a$$ all over the new quad I buy, I would never hear the end of it!!. I was hopping that the 400 would at least be competitive stock. I plan on doing the usual clutch, pipe, reeds etc.

Thanks

 

This is a little confusing for me. I own a Rubicon and a SP500. Both of which are fast for what they are. I have raced 650s and 660s. They were fairly short races... about 200 yards. My Rubicon will hang within one lenght of the 650 or 660 and add 26" tires to the big bores and my Rubicon will beat them. I know my Rubicon is unusually fast, and my SP500 is even faster, but my delimma is this. I bought a 2000 SC400 4X4 a few months ago. It was slightly modded with K&N Filter, Delta Vforce reeds and Pipe and Silencer. That thing would smoke either of my bikes easily and none of the 650s I have seen would even be close. I have ridden a 650 at Albert Pike. To me it seems only slightly faster than good running HO. Actually, the last utility drag races I watched and raced in at FWP, a 2002HO beat everyone inlcuding the 650s and 660s. I admit, it was very fast for an HO, but that is how close these big bikes are to one another.

So, that being said, my advise would be to buy the one that fits your preferences. Out of the three mentioned here, my preference would be the 650. However, if you intention is to race on a sand drag or the trail, the 400 slightly modded will be tough to beat... given the choices you have listed. The 650 will be the most reliable with the least maintenance and the SC500 would be a compromise between the two.

Greg

 

Even with the new choices, if I had it to do over again I would still get the Scrambler. $5200 total cost for quad and trail mods to the motor, and I ended up with a very fast, fun ride.
60 horse, 500 pounds, its a real kick in the *** up to about 60 MPH. Nothing you could buy in stock form is going to beat it by more then a quad length or so in the places I ride. Dunes, Fire roads and old logging roads. The Kow 650 would be a great quad, but the extra $1800, extra weight, and extreamly high cost of engine upgrades (4-stroke times 2 (V-twin)), would keep me away from it.
If the money is not a problem, and you want a turn-key fast 4X4, the Kow 650 is probably the best choice.
But for me, there is no such thing as extra money. I need the best deal, and IMHO that would still be a 400 Scrambler.
[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Oh, and to answer the faster question,
Bone stock my Scrambler was neck and neck with 2 different 400 EX quads i raced. After the motor bolt ons I beat them by about 5-6 quad lengths up to about 60 MPH. The Kow is supposed to be a tiny bit faster then a 400 EX, so my guess is with a $500 trail package you would blow the 650 off the trail no problem.

 

cant get your pics to work.didnt know if you knew

 

Works now, thanks for the info. Its been about 4 months since I last looked in there, not sure how long its been down.