If you do a search in the Kawi forum under mudrunner you will find several descriptive posts I've made about the Mudrunners. I like them a lot.

 

3TV, by the type of riding that you do, wouldn't the Prairie 650 suit you better? It should remain the sportiest of the bunch with the solid axle (its certainly the best jumper and slider so far), and it still rides very well. Kawasaki's quality is very good too. Just wondering.

 

The lack of disk brakes and a locking front end would keep me from buying the Rincon. Honda will eventually get there, and sales will be good. For a company that doesn't like change, they are slowly incorporating the important features. I believe that by 2005, the Rincon or a similar model will have both the locking front end and disk brakes all around.

The prarie will remain the top dog as far as acceleration goes. I've ridden both the Prarie and the Grizzly (not the sp700 or the Bomb 650), and the Prarie takes the cake on low-end acceleration. I like IRS though, and acceleration isn't EVERYTHING to me. I like acceleration, but ground clearance, smooth ride, true 4x4, and low-end torque matter more to me as a package. Even though I believe the prarie may be more durable than the sp700, my vote still goes to the sp700. That's just my take. It is nice that we as consumers have so many different choices nowdays. And, I'm not bashing any quad or anyone's preference.

Waylan

 

3TV, Wow, your experiences on a Prairie 650 sure are different than mine, but you are used to "flying". For sport type riding, you would probably like the Prairie better with it's optional stiffer front springs. It's too bad they didn't make the springs adjustable. I can't imagine how the Prairie could feel "quite slow" for a utility quad, but thats why we don't all buy the same things. I thought it was a rocket! I also thought it handled great, but I never rode it in sand. Since you are used to riding a DS650 sport quad, you may have to wait a long time to find a utility quad that really pleases you. I hope the Rincon turns out to be as good as it looks. I love the Prairie engine but I'm not wild about the looks of the machine.

 

3TV, Now borrow your friend's Prairie and try it out in the snow. With that locking front end and no governor, it should be able to go very well. I wish my old Prairie had a front locker for deep snow. I would be able to go a lot farther. It should really shine in 10" of snow. I am also anxious to hear what you think of the Rincon, but I guess that ride is several months off. Have a great Christmas!

 

The lack of disk brakes and a locking front end would keep me from buying the Rincon. The machine looks very nice but a locking front end is critical where we ride.