i am trying to decide between the griz and the prairie. all of the reports i have read pick the prairie. i just dont understand why they still have a solid axle and struts up front. is there a big ride quality difference. any input from those who have rode both would really be appreciated. have heard the griz has headlight probs and bends lower a arms pls help

 

depends on the type of riding you do...if you are aggressive and like the advantages of a utility with a sporty ride then the prairie...if you want the comfort with less sportiness then go grizz...that is the long and short of it

I have the v-twin 650 and wouldnt trade the growl of the twin and the snap of take-off for a bit of comfort...just my 2 cents

 

I've got a Kawie and my buddy has a Grizzly so I have ridden both. Ride quality----Grizzly without a doubt. Very plush ride. It soaks up bumps like they aren't there. Power----Kawie. The V-twin kicks everything else's a$$. Others will disagree, but they lie. There is nothing like the power of the Prairie.

My buddy has had the headlight problem. What happened was that the lights get so hot that they actually melt the solder that holds the bulb casing together. He replaced them with 25 watt bulbs and that fixed that. The day after he bought it, we did the floorboard mod to beef up the floorboards. An easy fix.

Both these quads rock. They both have lots of power and they both ride well. Like Bosox said, it depends on your riding style. As soon as I heard that V-twin, I knew which one to get!!!

 

Thanks Blaster One more question Does your 650 have a wider turning radius because of the struts up front

 

Don't know. If I need to turn a tight radius, I crank the handlebars and nail the throttle. Spins er around in a bike length!!

 

is there an advantage to a solid rear as opposed to irs?

 

Solid rear is more sportier. You can powerslide way easier. Less moving parts on a solid rear axle. An IRS has four more CV boots to tear! They make a big deal about the clearance of an IRS machine, but I have found that it is nearly a non-issue. I went everywhere a friend of mine went on his 700 Polaris, and I got stuck in the same place he did too!!

Long story short, if you want to trail ride all day long at a nice, leisurely pace, go IRS. If you like to be on the tape, powersliding every corner, get the solid.

 

Hey Weekend warrior. I am new to these forums but have spent some time riding a couples Grizzlies my friends own. I bought a 03 Prairie 650 in September and haven't looked back. The ride is almost cadillac like on a Grizz but my Prairie takes them off the line and stays ahead. I don't take them by much but they have the cross hairs on me now. I went from the smallest Quad '00 polaris Xplorer 250 with rcr stage 1 to the 2003 prairie. All three are mod'ing the exhaust, jetting, holes in the air box, and anything else not too cheap on their grizzlies to catch me. Two of them know a heck of a lot more about these things than I do, so I am worried.

I like the push button 4 wheel drive on the Grizz versus having to stop to go into 4 WD on the Prairie. The seat is harder or at least not as comfortable on the prairie and when we ride it is ALL day long 100 to 150 miles in Northern Minnesota and usually on 2 hours sleep. I am 30 something so I am getting old, too. The front end always felt light to me and I feel more in control on the Prairie. I don't know why.

Two of the guys have had overheating problems and I towed one home on the Prairie because of it. If you want power, from what my friends who have the grizzlies tell me, the Prairie is the GUY.

I am totally stock right now except heated grips and thumb lever. I hope my buddies don't read this post cause I am looking to read some posts to get mod ideas. We have a week long ride in the Black Hills near Rapid City in June. I want to surprise them as I did with my Prairie on a weekend ride in October.

Take care and this helped!

 

Coolbeans, modify your muffler, put on the DiamondG air intake snorkle and rejet your carbs. Even with all the mods your buddies are gonna be doing, they won't even come close to your Kawie. I have modded my muffler so far and it has given me a fair power gain. Gotta get on the intake and carbs to finish it off.

 

Thanks Mastrblastr! Call me a knucklehead but where do I find the diamondg snorkel (web site?) Any muffler mod suggestions?

Do have starting problems when it is cold? It is a pig to start in cold weather! I choke it for a while and touch the throttle until somewhat warm, then it idles ok forever. If temp is in the 40's F, no problems.