I have heard through friends that there is a problem with the front axle of the 04 P700's. The problem is that are snapping. I have used my bike hard and have had no problems with it all. I figured that if there was a problem, I would have read about it here. Is there any truth to this or is this just Honda people wishing that there is a problem.

 

It is just honda people wishing there is a problem. P700 front axle problems are rare. You can get stronger axles from Gorilla, which a few people have done, but most of us never have any geartrain problems other than belt maintenance.

Grizzly CVs have been braking a lot. The honda Bigots might have twisted that story. When hondas I know have gone where the Kawasaki's go, they break axles, trannys, front diffs much quicker than other brands. I don't take any stock in anything I hear about reliability honda owners. If it appears in the kawasaki forum, I just skip over it.

 

I've never heard of a P700 having ANY drivetrain issues.... even less blet issues then the P650... I too have heard of several Grizzly cv/axle issues...but not the Prairie.

Everyone who doesn't own a Praire try to say that something is wrong with it.... they just suffer from Prairie-envy!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Thank you for the reassurance that the P700 is the bike to run. I will let my Honda friends in on the good news and see what their next rumor will be.

 

My '02 650 has spent the bulk of it's life with 26" - 28" tires on it ( & mud bog racing, every chance I get )... over the last few years, I began racing hare scrambles, which include jumping 30' - 50' tabletops etc... I have heard of & seen cracked rear axel housings, but it has always been from extreme jumping like I just mentioned, & is easy to prevent by the addition of the V Force rear axel reinforcing ring... I don't personally know of anyone that has broken a front axel ??? still most of the better utility class hare scramble machines I race against are Prairies, & the incidence of axel failure is almost non existant...

 

If you read back in the old posts on this form I had a problem with my left side aarm snapping on my new P700! And you know the axle bent but didn't snap? I think with ALL manufactures turning out a lot of Product there will always be some with defects? Unfortunately it only takes one problem to get the rumor mill going sometime~lol. Kawasaki made good on the Parts for me and so far I've been VERY happy with hows the Prairie has held up and I put it through a lot! I owned a Rincon and happen to like Honda Products a lot! I felt the Rincon was a Very Nice Ride but it lacked in Power and Performance big time! when compared to the Prairie 700.


www.MarylandATV.com

Prairie 700
TRX 2-Something-R
V-Force - SOLD!
And a bunch of other Toyz!

 

I broke 2 axles on my 650, but that is when i had a lift on it. Did not break one before or after i had the lift. I still dont understand why it was happening since i know i am not the only one that runs a lift kit. I just know it is not happening now. Just my luck.

 

I explosed the bearing cage on the left side and I am thinking about going with Gorilla's, but I am woried that all I am doing is moving the point of failure from the shaft to the gear box. What do you think? I have a 2" lift in it with 28"-589s.

 

28" tire should fit fine without the lift. Do you really need the lift kit?

 

Do I have to have the lift...maybe not. I like it and I want to keep it, matter of fact, I would put 2 or more inches under it if I could afford to do it. It makes a a big difference between drowning out going down a creek and not (mine isnt H2O snorkled). I have never drowned mine out, but my friends who have non-lifted Polaris, Hondas, & Yamahas have. I dont mind spending the money on Gorillas if they are worth it and if they just dont create a larger problem by shifting the point of failure to something more expensive. I called Gorilla and spoke to them about it and they said it shouldnt....."the ring and pinion in a Prairie is super stout and you shouldnt see a failure there. Worse case, it will bogg the engine down if you get in a tight spot and you know you need to back out of it."