I am about 5'11, 195lbs. and I currently have an '06 400EX with extras (HMF, DG bumper, jetted, K&N, etc), I love the bike, it is a great trail bike, very agile, a little lack in power. However, I would like to have a sport bike with a little versatility, I like the KFX 700 because you can get a hitch for it, and also you can ride 2 people a lot easier than on my 400, I don't ride 2 that much, but sometimes my wife, would like to go with me for some light trail riding, and I ride my son around the house some, but doesn't justify buying a second machine, and my son isn't old enough for his own yet. I have found a very low hours '04 KFX 700 with many extras (dual Alien, nerfs, AC bumper, spring and clutch change in tranny, jetted, etc) at a good trade to my 400EX (which has probably twice as many hours) and that is the one I am mainly interested in. The type of riding I do is mostly good hard trail riding, nothing too extreme, but hard riding in Southeast KY, wooded and open trails, mud, and creeks. I have found very mixed responses on the 700, seems you either love them or hate them. I know the kfx 700 has issues with the tie rod ends, are there other issues? I don't want something I have to work on more than I ride, does the belt slip, or what are the issues? How often do you have to adjust the belt? I have never trail rode one, only tried out a few used ones down the road or across a parking lot. Any information would be appreciated. Thanks.

dmoore

 

I haven't really heard anything bad about the 700. I rode one at the dealership and it was fast stock. They seem to fit well for a large person who doesn't mind a larger machine.

 

Absolutely ride it first, and I mean ride it out on some real world trails not just around in the seller's dirveway!

Several of my buddies have the 700, but they are a lot bigger and heavier guys than either you or me. I have ridden their quads, and to be absolutely truthful I think the machine is nothing but a huge ungainly PIG, and should not really be considered a sport quad! It has great power though, and I think people get sucked in by the thrilling power and forget the clumsy handling.

Did you know that it freewheels when you let off the throtle...so it has no engine braking....you need to decide if that is something you can live without, although I think you can alter the clutch to improve this (???).

 

The 700 is not aimed at the same crowd as the 400, so depending on you riding style the 700 could be a bad choice. However the 700 could outshine any other sport quad in some circumstances......If you like the 400 except the power you should not look at the 700. Maybe a Raptor is in your future?

 

You mentioned a hitch, so can we assume you are needing to do some light work???? Why not get the wife a cheap Recon (easy to ride autoclutch machine or even ES electric shifting if necessary) or something like that, that can double as a light work machine? Then when the kid gets older, he will have something to ride........

 

It is a dealer that has it, so it is hard to ride it on the trails. A friend that I ride with has an '07 700 Raptor, and I don't really like them. Especially when it comes to dealing with a TFI unit when you add a K&N or a pipe. I think it is just a lot of aggrevation to do some simple mods. Also, his is bad for fouling plugs. I actually like my 400EX better than the Raptor. As for my riding style, the trails don't really give a lot of opportunity to open one all the way up, on my 400 I am usually in 2nd or 3rd gear, every now and then we hit 4th and sometimes 5th, it is mostly wooded, some big steep hills, creek beds, etc. I like the extra ground clearance of the 700, because a lot of the hills are rutted out, and you have to be careful on the 400 not to get the swingarm hung up. I don't plan to use a hitch alot, but it is nice to have, the thing I think I would like most about the kfx 700 is the ability to fit 2 people on it fairly easy, plus it is easier to ride my son on an auto, but at the same time, I have never owned an auto and don't know how I would like it on the trails. I do some jumping, wheelies, etc, but not serious air, just play around at the playgrounds and the woops on the trails.

 

Now that I have to disagree with .... I've ridden my Father's KFX700 many times, and it does not freewheel at all! I hated it because the engine braking was too much, you don't even need the brakes on that thing if you let off before the turns a little early.....

It might not have actual "engine braking" like the UTEs have as a tuned feature, but It felt like a typical 4-stroke with back-pressure braking. And in that case there is more than enough torque in that engine to slow you down...

That said, I agree with everything you said about the way it handles .... It's big, heavy and bulky.... and very odd looking from the drivers seat. The front end is so wide it makes it feel even bigger than it already is ......

 

I did fail to mention that I'm talking about higher speeds, once you are up in the mid range ....... at low speeds you might be right that the gearing does not allow for engine braking to be effective ........

 

It's not the gearing, it's just that the clutch seems to be one-way and disengages. You are probably right however, that it only happens below a certain RPM. As I recall, when they first came out everybody was talking about HAVING TO GAS IT WHEN GOING DOWNHILL, to keep the clutch engaged and therefore have some engine braking. I do know that my friends changed out their clutch internals to get more braking. Just seems like a completely silly system all the way around to me!

The Kawi will probably weight something like ~150 pounds more than your EX does....that's like carrying a passenger right there.....

 

The clutches have been changed on this one as well, from riding across the parking lot, and down a small hill the engine braking seemed to be there, I just didn't know how well the 700 holds up, or how well I would like it on the trails. How does your friends like theirs? Have they had any issues with them? What kind of riding do they do with their 700s?