I don't know of any dealer who would let you take a test ride, at least not here in the southwest. I can get you in touch with my buddies who have 700's, and I am sure they would let you have a test ride. Two of them are in the forum, Kawirider and HappywithVforce. We ride Rasor Rd. frequently (near Baker Calif.), which would be a 2 hr. drive for you. There was a ride planned for the 17th, but I don't know if it is still on.

I really think you will get a biased opinion from these guys however! They are big guys, and love the power. They are experienced riders, and are willing to give up some handling for the big cc ride.

Does your wife think she can handle an autoclutch???

 

We have had our quads at a dune hill at Bullgap in Mich. Not as high or as steep as Silver Lake. If the Trailblazer doesn't have the traction/floatation to make it up the dune, it will dig a hole in the sand with the rear tires. I think like most any quad, to do any serious duning, you need sand tires. We probably will pick up a set for our quads this year for when we go to Silver Lake. However, you will find the same with the KFX. You might go higher up a hill because you can get more momentum with the KFX, but eventually you will find a hill you won't make it up without sand tires.
I hope this helps you [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
BryceGTX

 

Q]Does your wife think she can handle an autoclutch??? [/quote]

I believe that my wife could handle an auto clutch though she would prefer an auto. I worry more about friends and family that might just ride once in a while, they wouldn't be putting the time into being comfortable with the auto clutch like my wife would be able to.

Thanks for the offer. I may be already out of town (Arizona) that weekend but if I'm not I'd definitly be interested at taking a look. I'm a decent size guy myself (6'1" and 240lbs) so I'm not scared of their size at all.

I fully plan on getting some sand tires. The dealership that I've been looking at has pacakges where for a little over an extra grand they install an upgraded pip, nerf bars, a flag whip, a 6-pack rack, and will give you an extra set of wheels with sand tires mounted on them. So I would probably just take a deal like that.

I know it's still pretty damn heavy bike but what do you guys think about the Polaris Scrambler? It's not near as sexy to look at and is still pretty damn heavy but from everything I've read in the Polaris threads it's a little more tame than the KFX 700 (so it should be easier for the wife and friends and family). It's still an automatic also making it easier for those others and it looks like it's still sporty enough to hit the dunes and desert trails pretty aggressivly as well as hit the 4-wheel drive and get into a little more technical stuff and even some rock climbing. My wife and I did some rock climbing last year on a Bruin, (I think that's what it was) and it was a blast.

 

It sounds to me like the 700 is a good quad for you and your wife. It may just be better to get the 700's and deny non-riders acces to your new toys if safety is a concern. I know they have a lot of power, and it is easy to get in trouble if you are not careful and/or don't have experience. By the same token, why should you punish yourselves buying something that may well be underpowered for your needs for 20% or less riding time. There are plenty of people out there learning to ride on 5 and 600 pound machines. Utilities that will never handle as well as a KFX700 to boot. I think you would be OK even lending them to a thoroughly instructed ADULT beginner, as long as you start them out slow practicing the basics on flat terrain. Turn in the throttle limiter and keep a close eye on them, leave the trickier trails until after some good seat time is acquired. I also think you should make a serious effort to get some test rides in.

 

Hey Scooter,

I agree a hundered percent....I do need to get some test rides in, no matter what quad I go with.

I hate the fact that I can go to a used car dealership and test drive a $2000 car but I can't go to an ATV dealership and test ride a KFX700 or any other quad when I may very well be dropping $16,000+ by the time I get two quads and a trailer.

Once again I thank everyone for taking the time to help me out with this.

 

I think the no test driving of bikes is a liability issue for the dealerships. And where you going to ride it anyway, around the dealer's paved parking lot? What kind of stupid test ride would that be? From the dealers point of view, it would be better to lose a sale than have some idiot who got injured sue them.

That's why folks should come to the forum for the opinions of those of us who have ridden them!

 

I understand the whole liability issue, but is that not a large purchase to make just on speculation?

Not everyone out there knows someone who has the same sort of quad that they are interested in purchasing.

If they could at least give you some sort of 10 day return policy with a clause in the contract that states what condition and how many miles is acceptible for the return.

I guess I'm just not one of those people that has 15K to thow around on something that I hope I may like once I actually ride it.

And yes I do think that you could get some idea when riding it around the parking lot, I've rented quads before and I could tell very quickly wether I was comfortable with how it started, how you sat on the bike when it was in motion and how the controls felt.

The sad thing is that the same dealership let my friend test drive a motorcycle that he was thinking of buying. (3x's the price of the one quad I would test drive).

Thanks again for your help everyone.

 

I think the 700 is definitely one of those machines that you want to ride before you make your purchase. The first time I rode one, is was shocked to find that the thing just freewheels when you let off the throtle (no engine braking whatsoever). If I had bought one and then discovered that, I would really be pissed!

 

I think the choice of getting two KFX-700 is a great one. They are big and powerful but also fun. Most of the people that have them love them. Good choice, go for it!

 

instead of two sport quads,why not get a utility quad and a sport quad? kawasaki prairie 700 for the trails and technical stuff, easy for novice riders, has enough power for the sand. along with the prairie get the kfx 700. if the kfx gets stuck you can pull it out with the prairie. cover all your bases!!