Somehow, this machine got a reputation for being a duner. Sand robs a lot of power, so having a lot of engine is probably the reason. Most of these guys seem to be more dune oriented than trail riders, but again they are all big guys who probably wouldn't be comfortable on a smaller quad.

We have some excellent nice 50" woods single track in the local mountains. The Kawi guys won't ride them....they say they are to narrow. The last cross country ride they went on was a highly technical piece of steep, rutted, washed out fire road. This road is more suitable for a 4wd, but I have done it a bunch of times on the 400EX without incident. They came back with great stories of rolled quads and bent handlebars and such....NOW THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT!

 

That seems kind of the opposite of what I was thinking, I figured the 700 would do much better on the rutted out places especially due to the ground clearance. That is really the only time I have had issues with either 400 I have owned, is on rutted out hills, where I hit it hard, but the middle was too high, and the swingarm stuck on it. Plus I thought the 700 would do better on the steep inclines due to it being longer and wider, which I know the seat height is taller and would make it a bit more top heavy.

Have they ever had any problems mechanically with the 700s or are they pretty solid bikes? How often do they have the belts adjusted?

 

Well, I have an 04 KFX700 that I bought new in 04. I have a few light mods like air box mods, K&N air filter, Dalton Pro clutch kit with blue/orange spring, HMF dual exhaust. It's a little heavy, but feels light when being rode. It's been very dependable as well.

 

i am a trail rider and the kfx700 does just fine .........

 

ps . i would not recommend this as a 2 up machine ....

 

How often do you have to have the belt adjusted? Have you had any issues with the tie rods?

 

What do you mean by a 2 up machine?

 

If you need more ground clearance, maybe think about some taller tires???? I ran ITP Holeshot XCT's for a while just for this reason. If I were an eastern trail rider, I think I would run the new IPT TracStar radials that come in 23" front and 22" rear. Lowering the gearing might then be helpful.

 

I had thought about going to a bigger tire if I decided to keep the EX, which I haven't had that many issues with the clearance, it usually does pretty well. I haven't saw the TracStar radials though, I will check them out.

 

I like my 700.I've had no problems with mine.I've never heard of tie rod end problems on these bikes.My belt light has came on but it comes on automatically at 100 hours.But my belt doesnt slip any.It's a fine bike for two people to ride.I have a pic of me and my girlfriend on mine on my profile pics.I'm 5'7 225lbs and she's 6'0 and we fit fine on the 700.My 700 feels like it has engine braking when going down hills if I rev the motor a little.I dont know why you need engine braking.I have hand breaks.As for being heavy they are but I rode mine 2 weeks ago all day long and it didnt wear me out and I'm not exactly in the best shape.If I were racing a quad though I wouldnt pick the 700 because it is heavy.The 700 wont be a whole lot faster than your 400.I've raced the 400 with my 700 in a straight line drag race and can only beat the 400 by about 2 or 3 bike lengths.I think top ends would be about the same speed.I jumped the 400 off the line is the only reason I got the lead on the 400.The 700 is a good trail bike.I like the automatic.