Danzig: Comfort - Polaris Reliability - Toss up Power - Prairie
My neighbor has a Polaris 700 and it has a great ride but the power is not near what my Prairie has. Reliablity is a toss because I even have a bum Prairie. Hopefully after this round of shop fixes it will be ok. I still like the Prairie but if I have to keep taking it in it will wear on me.

Sirmilll: You had an extreme lemon I feel for you.

STAKK: I live in Knoxville and come to your neck of the woods to ride all the time- Royal Blue. I love the Mud. Who is your dealer? Sounds better than mine. What did you get for trade?

Whatever you do if you plan on keeping your quad for a while and you are not Nyroc buy the extended warranty just in case you get a lemon.
Matt

 

Hey Mudmagnet,

We ride Windrock quite a bit. I actually bought my Predator at the the dealer in Jacksboro. Twin Cove Marine is the name. Jim runs the place, and Eugene is the mechanic. Just the nicest ole boys you'd ever want to meet. Great service. I highly recommend them.

Scott

 

Just my 2 cents. I have owned my Prairie 650 since Feb. 2002. I have 1600 miles on it mostly riding in the Rockies of Northern Utah. Not alot of mud, but LOTS OF ROCKS....LOL. Several times a year we head out to the west desert area of the Great Salt Lake. Lots of flat out top end running around. I have done Nyroc's exhaust mod, added the black spring, and had the dealer re-jet.....Runs like a top!! Been planning on puting in a Diamond G hole shot. Last fall I added C-series ITP rims with 26X9 Dirt Devils XT's on the front and 26X12 Gators on the back. This may sound like an unusual combination but I did alot of thinking on this and I wanted the different treads. Once I put them on the Prairie however...I noticed that the wider tire on the rear caused me to loose some tire height in comparison to the front tire height. I think that when the gators wear out I will replace them with 27X12's just on the back. Im hopping this will even out the ride height a little. Sitting on a level surface my wheeler looks like the back end is a little lower than the front end.

As for reliability, During the Fillmore ATV Jamboree, the bottom finger on my fan bracket broke, this caused vibration that separated my radiator....I wasnt really happy at the time, but Kawi fixed it under warranty. That is the only time it has been in the shop. I took the fan and put a better weld on it before the dealer installed the new one. This has been an issue with several Prairies, Nyroc and I discussed it when it happened.

I had a 95 400 Bayou before I purchased the Prairie. I can tell you this...for longer rides.....100 mile a day type rides...the 400 had a "softer" ride....I really attribute that to the seat foam of the 400. Although I do love the way the Prairie handles.... and LOVE POWER, after being on my Prairie all day....My lower back is a bit on the hammered side. The seat on the Prairie is about as soft as a freaking ROCK. I purchased the gel seat cover from Kawaski.com when they had them on sale....I think I paid $9.99 for it....I does look good but I didnt notice any real difference in softness.

I ride with several friends who own Polaris...Several who own Honda (I own 2 honda's myself, 03 250 ex, wifes new toy! and a 88 300, daughters ride)...several who own Yamaha. ect. ect. We often switch machines...do "seat of pants" comparisons...race....all the things friends do. Some buy their machines due to brand loyalty. Some for the specifics of a machine. Personally, I have had some bad experiences with Polaris. The machines werent mine...but one summer, every time I went for a ride with my friend who did own them (two, a 300 2X4 and a 300 4X4) I ended up towing him home....Seriously....EVERY FREAKING TIME. That was in 1997. He sold them both and ended up buying a a Honda Recon in the spring of 98. He still has it and his wife rides it now. He just bought himself a rancher 350. I tried to convince him he needed a Praire 650...and he does love to ride my machine...but money was a bigger issue for him.

Why have I just told you all of this......because I want you to know that I enjoy riding, I personally own 5 wheelers from 3 different manufactures...right now my main ride is the Prairie..OF COURSE, however, if I want to jump on the wifes new 250 EX, its sitting in the barn next to the Prairie. My wife HATES my 650, she is uncomfortable on it. She says its too big and it scares her....SILLY WOMAN!!!

If you have the opportunity, test ride what you think is going to suit your style of riding. Talk to someone who has owned the model of machine your thinking of. TALK to people about customer satisfaction when it comes to the dealers that are near you. A good dealership with experienced mechanics can mean more than any BRAND LOYALTY. And once you make a decision...buy a shop manual for your machine. At some point.....something will go wrong. I can tell you its very satisfying to be able to work on your own machine.

Now...after all of that....
1 Comfort....Polaris has a plushier ride
2 Reliability