Yes, trails can get a little twisty and rought, but on long straight end you don't want to be left behind. Most ATVs with a very good driver can come out first out of the forest but on the straight end which we have a lot here, the fastest one leads. I can easily pass a Bombardier Quest 650 or any other big bore 4wd ATV with my prairie on a drag but after take off, riding down the trail and at 65mph the Quest is in front and we try to follow him! That is why I want more top speed the pass him all the way, from bottom to top end. Even a Grizzly has more top end then we do in stock form. And that is why I would like to have more top end. Be a leader not a follower!

 

If you haven't run with a good tach, I recommend it - educational to say the least. I've also talked with Mike Penland and a few others about the reality of the rev limiter and here is what I've found:

- Most Prairies seem to be limited below 8500 with some as low as 7900.
- A stock Prairie will not hit the limiter unless there is severe belt slipping, in neutral, or with no traction.
- Stock clutching and gearing limits the Prairie before the CDI does.

When you hit the limiter the machine sputters - exactly as it does when you're in reverse and hit the limiter. If the symptom is that you're not gaining addtional MPH or RPM, that doesn't mean you have hit the limiter.

Mike Penland says he has a machine that hits 72 MPH without hitting the limiter with stock gears. EPI engineers tell me that the Prairie is out of gearing above 62MPH - you'll build speed, just slowly.

Reality lies somewhere in between. My experience with a Digitron tach and running experimental electronics is that even with an advanced curve that doesn't drop off at 6500, it's exceedingly difficult to hit the limiter. I have run with the limter as high as 10,000 rpm and not encountered an increase in the top speed - or hit 8,500. The max i've hit so far is 7,050. I'm going to put in a 750 kit with cams and porting followed by clutching. Maybe I can hit 8,500 then.

Peace,
Sgt_Rock