Somebodies CAT is about to get skun, by a Prairie Chicken, cluck cluck.

Besides, the prairie is still King of the hill, swamps and wheat fields until proven otherwise. Come on down and letts put your beast to the test, yes I said beast (I like). I am totally sick of this plastic on the Prairie, she runs from brush, hense the chicken she is to me. She is NOT tuff and I am NOT happy with the plastic. The ole Bayou was the toughest, you could kick, hit and ram into it and NOTHING would happen, no cracks, peels or blisters, NOTHING.

YOU wait, the new kawi(I HOPE) will have Bayou plastic and I will be much braver in my attempts.

I'm not castrated yet, or dead!

Bring it on,

DOA

 

oh? I though DOA stands for dead on arrival? Are you complaining about the black plastic or the real plastic? If you are complaining about the black plastic go to Maritime Canvas and get some black canvas and cut out the shape and stick that on that's what I'm doing, the canvas looks better than plastic too. I think scootdog has to come in here to fix things up a bit. The nice thing about the AC is we can almost do the same mods to it and get some nice results. I'm looking forward for IRS I know it would be nice but I really don't know if I wwwwwwwwanwant it. I hope the new Brute doesn't loose the sportyness the Prairie has.

 

Hello, you tuff butted coyote, I hear your buddies howling over the hill and seen the remains of their work, the brook does wonders on deer legs and you know the rest. Yes, that's why you should be careful in the spring time drinking from streams, two years in a row now we have found the hide and whats left of a carrass in our brook.(tip of the day, might save the runs) and not from Artic-Cats.

I am talking the whole damn plastic, it's all WEAK. I cracked the corner of the *main* front by just rubbing a small hardwood(and the trim) not to mention the other side as well from wheeling out of a hole and tipping on my side.(CRACK) So, now I have replaced both front trims, one back bottom piece and she need a front lower piece. In -20 do not DARE touch anything and I mean anything with the fronts. Rubbed a log, bottom front smashed into 5 pieces, stitched it together for now but 52 bucks a piece for them. Now I have goop with plastic reinforce behind both front fenders and a stitched lower front on a $10,000.00 bike, which would look even worse if I didn't invest in the other three trims. ARGH

Man, does that ever feel goooooood to get that off my chest and it is for Kawaski that I wrote it, not to deter anyone from buying. I love this bike, other than the PLASTIC. They could use a better switch for the 2/4 wheel drive mode too though, too close to your hand and when stuck you WILL hit the botton and then you are stuck in 2 wheel drive. NOT GOOD and very embarrassing for the King.

I just hope Kawi puts the plastic I had on my old Bayou on the new 750 and give me a good trade in, or else I WILL be sitting atop a pretty big kitty instead. I cannnot leave the V of course, there is NO going back, I love the V and will never go back. Do you hear that all you other ATV makers/lovers. You have to give Kawi credit but everybody has their niches and glitches, same as bikes. Letts make them all better, I need competition.(lol) besides the King-Cat.

I want my Bayou plastic back, she was and is TUFF, like a king should be. This "skirting" is not for kings and may well be that Kawi deserves the Queen of Tree Flee title.

Kawi will be King again, I hope.

DOA

 

This IRS is totally awesome,skidder ruts,not a problem,I can turn around in them.Never tested my plastic too much yet but it feels like the same as I had on my kodiak,TUFF!I have got to do something about the headlights though,just drove over a big 'ol branch beside a choppin and it went around with the tire and busted one.I saw the darn thing and thought about getting off and moving it but didn't,that's what I get for being lazy.I love the power,love the IRS,the clearance,everything but that darn busted headlight!!

 

Heyyou, you need a front bumper too!
Bummer on the headlight, I do LIKE my 03 headlight guards, a must on a quad I believe, the Rincons get broken headlights too. So kawi, heed the message, these things are going into skidder ruts with branches, do you test for that or the cold, you should.

Watching heyyou's Cat, it travels very straight and looks like it handles the gravel road turns like the Prairie, it looks goood from behind. I would pop up the total rear axel, while the cat would only lift one wheel on a rock type thing. I think I am convinced to go that way as I too was skeptical about the IRS tilting. I need the comfort and the clearance. The cats seat is nice and soft too, where the kawi feels like I am sitting on a rock, hope the 05 kawi is better.

One other thing while I am at it, I hope Kawi reduces the throttle poundage, my thumb went bad from it, very bad! Couldn't drive the bike until I put a twist on it and that can be dangerous. My thumb healed in about 3 to 4 months (of pain and locking) scared to take the twist off now because I do not want to scew my thumb again. You don't realize how much you use that baby until you loose it, you need it for everything! I am hoping the EFI will reduce the pressure by not having the heavy return springs, does anybody know if this will be true? Nyroc?

Love my kawi, just hate to see it loose the King title and will fight in the trenches with the Big Cat to keep it.

Do you hear me Heyyou? You know the slop hole that's waiting for your "*****" Cat, I will be on the other side waiting and waiting and waiting. Heyyou, The MapleLeafs are on to the next round also, only thing, they are meeting the Flyers, the big bad flyers. I would like it much better if they were meeting your Habs, isn't that short for habitual whiners?

DOA, dead on arrival but alive and kicking with the help of the Big V. The hemi of ATV's.

 

The bad press with the poor handling is in large part due to the crappy tires they put on those rigs,IMO,I think it handles pretty good,doesn't feel as tippy as my kodiak at all,actually I feel a LOT safer on my big tall Cat.This thing will go anywhere,once again,this thing is AWESOME!!!

Oh yea DOA,when you get hung up on that little stump in that slop hole again,duck,I'm gonna use you for traction(lol)

PS,my headlight got busted from the back-side,a bumper wouldn't have helped.

 

In response to DOA's post about bayou plastic, the previous owner of my quad must have been terribly hard on it, it is not in very good shape at all. Nothing major but where the front fender and the tank piece meet is cracked and the rear fender piece has 2 pretty good cracks in it. not that im concerned with it at all, i didnt buy it for its looks... bottom line on this brittle plastic business IMO is the manufactures need to get away from using plastic altogether. Seems with all the innovation the plastic bodies that have changed little since ATV's have been started has been looked at as not necessary to change. When they do change it ( ex. lava red Vforce) seems they think that the majority of people who buy a quad are more concerned with looks than with durability, and maybe they are right with that type of quad. Maybe they could use something tougher and justify the prices they charge for them. Kevlar?? hmm a bulletproof quad....

 

AlaskaBayouGuy,
I see yours is a 98 and mine was a 1990 model which is still in perfect condition, even after being rammed by a honda doing 25mph in the winter, drove his rack about 3 inches into the rear plastic, which stayed for about a week and then it disappeared/popped out, still like new. It has the black plastic which I think might have something to do with it, somebody else might know more about that than I. Sort of like plastic skidplates, it's that tuff. Been rolled over multiple times by the previous owner and tipped a few by myself, I would never take this 650 where I would take the Bayou, it simple cost to much to even think about going into a chopping/clearcut with the 650, I might have to get my honda buddy to get my deer out for me, it's that sad, she's a fragile queen, not the King. It seems Kawi plastic has been getting weaker as the years go bye, is this a money grab, it's not improvement. All I can say is *they better damn well get tuff in a hurry* or nobody will buy them, not anyone that knows anyway. I told my Kawi dealer that Honda plastic is tuffer and held the piece of the new trim like I was going to hit him with it, while smiling(they know and are not happy about it either).

heyyou,
That's a weird place to bust your headlight, I figured for sure it must have took a front on hit where they're not protected. How are you going to crawl over me with all that weight? You'll need to put your bike on a diet, remove all the lights, before they remove themselves, and whatever else you can think of, then come on down. Just use your maglight taped to the front rack for light. Leave your brake light though, just to tease our pullalots/honda buddies with. We'll see about that stump, I might be on the other side laughing at you if I giver what she's got, I'll have to squeeze her but I think I can make it, then you yourself will have to go on a diet to keep up. I mean, you can't strip your bike down to nothing, all that would be left is the engine, the beautiful Vengine.

DOA

 

Everyone talks about weak plastic on the Praire, I don't see it as weak. Its satisfactory for my needs, I don't plow through bush like a bull moose. People who do not take care of their quads or do not pay attention get broken plastic. Pay attention to the trail, miss that branch sticking out, don't hit it, avoid rocks, etc. This is common sense yet alot of people think a quad is meant for that. When I was younger I was this way, in a hurry all the time, didn't think much of sticks and rocks. Now I drive different because I payed for my quad and I like to keep it in good condition.

 

Speaking of broken parts ...

The plastic floorboards on a Grizzly are a pretty stupid design, and since I do mostly rock crawling with my Grizzly, on trails that crazy Jeeps wont even go on, the floorboards on my Grizzly have both been broken and repaired a few times too many. Plastic vs rock, ... h'mm? Who's going to win that one?

I really like the steel floorboards on the Arctic Cat (best in the industry in my opinion), but I did notice that the back end of the foot brake lever on the Arctic Cat hangs down below the floorboard and skid plate. Has anyone ever broken or bent that hangy downy thing? Thanks.