I received my December issue of Dirt Wheels yesterday. Beginning on page 60 was an article of the 2000 Kawasaki Prairie 400 4x4. The article described how the Prairie fared on a 1200 mile trip through South America.

Unfortunately, the article is simply one more example of the kind of slipshod reporting that comes free of charge with every issue of Dirt Wheels. The text portion of the article on page 64 refers to the Prairie as having “rear brakes”. The Prairie has only a single rear brake. The text also indicates that the reason for the brake’s failure was “the disk got tweaked”. The Prairie has a drum brake in the rear, not a disc brake. However, the photo caption on page 63 does list the facts correctly. If you’re a novice, or a person unfamiliar with the Prairie, which do believe?

For your edification the text portion of the article and the photo caption are quoted below:

Text on page 64:

“The one major component that gave out on us was the rear brakes. We aren’t sure if the pads simply burned up from the first day’s high-speed runs on the paved mountain roads, or if the disk got tweaked from hitting a rock (our rider doesn’t remember hitting anything that hard during the first day, but there was some damage to the brake skid). Whatever happened, we had no rear brakes for the rest of the trip, which was quite troubling at times. Fortunately, the front disc brakes did double duty for the last 1100 miles. We have heard earlier reports that the back brakes are a weak link on the Prairie models.”

Photo caption on page 63:

“After only one day on the trail, the rear drum brake was gone. The failure was due either to a hit from a rock (and not a very big one at that) or from just burning up on the paved mountain roads.”

I find it easy enough to ignore the lousy job done by the Dirt Wheels staffer and proofreader in regard to the brake description mix-up. But what I find utterly incomprehensible is that Dirt Wheels made no mention of any attempt to investigate the cause of the brake failure during the course of the ride, or after the ride was over. They simply summed up by saying that had heard reports of the rear brake on the Prairie being its “weak link”. This is quality journalism?

So Dirt Wheels staffers, and any other readers who may have been on the South American trip, I’ll ask the questions you couldn’t trouble yourself with. I don’t really expect any answers, but I’ll ask the questions anyway.

The photo on page 63 clearly shows the two rear brake adjustment wing nuts. When the rear brake “failed”, was any attempt made to adjust the hand and foot brake lever engagement point?

During the course of long hard rides, I’ve “lost” the rear brake on my Bayou 300 and Bayou 400, (both of which use an identical rear brake adjustment set up). All it takes to restore the “failed” brake, is one or two turns of the brake adjustment wing nuts. A task easily accomplished with one hand in less than a minute.

If you did make an attempt to adjust the rear brake, and the attempt produced no improvement in brake function, did you dismount the rear wheel and pull the brake drum to determine the cause of the failure?

Pulling the rear brake drum while on safari in South America may not have been entirely practical, but surely you carried a 17mm socket and a spanner (Crescent wrench) with you somwhere in your kit for making emergency repairs?

But even if you went to South America with nothing more than the quad’s own on-board tool kit, why didn’t you have a look at the brake when you returned home?

I’ve pulled the rear brake drum on both of my Bayous, it takes about 10 minutes. I want to know how you could go to print with this article and knowingly leave your readership with the false impression that the rear brake on the Prairie is subject to inexplicable failure while at the same time providing no corroborating evidence???

An amazing display of journalistic ineptitude!

Army Man

 

The 97 Prairie had a really poorly sealed rear drum. There is a factory authorized update for it. After I had mine done I haven't gotten water in it, even after being stuck in a river for almost 20 minutes.

Before the upgrade, it would get wet from a simple crossing.

I guess thats why they got the bad rap.

But I agree, some pretty poor reporting, and anyone who would continue a big trip like that without investigating a simple mechanical brake drum is pretty foolish.


Raul

 

Heck guys, with the liesurely way that I ride my Bayou, all I need is the parking brake.

Like I've said many times before, when you pay to much for something, you have to keep telling yourself it's better than all the rest.

 

Hey Jim (Armyman),
I have recently graduated from the ranks of Bayou ownership to become the proud new papa of a 2000 Prairie 400 4x4. I'll cc you and "Tree Farmer" soon on a full review, but so far I've found the new machine to be flawless. I also saw the DIRT WHEELS article and was left to wonder why such vague information took 1200 miles to compile. While repeatedly subjected to seat-height submersion and rock crawling like I haven't seen since Tasker's Gap, I have yet to experience any evidence of rear brake failure. I guess Kawasaki must be slightly behind Honda and Polaris with their "Advertising quota".

 

Armyman, I too am sick of the BS that goes into every dirt wheels magazine. I have stopped subscribing. In every issue I own there are at least two errors whether it be in the specs or in the write-ups.(I even counted) You should send that post into dirt wheels. Maybe it would open their eyes. I enjoy reading ATV Magazine and ATV Sport much more but even they aren't on par with the quality of magazines such as Car and Driver.

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Duncan Currie

'94 Warrior w/K&N Filtercharger, Jet Kit, Supertrapp Racing Series