This is probably the most ignorant question the experienced Kawasaki guys have heard in a long time, but I'm trying to learn as much as I can about the Prairie 650/700 as I see a purchase coming towards the end of the summer. Anyway, two of my best riding buddies have Yamahas. One is a 2003 Kodiak 450 and the other is a 2003 Grizzly 660. The Grizz is newer and only has about 900 miles on it. The Kodiak however, has a little over 1,900 miles on it. The Kodiak just came back last week from the dealership for a tune-up and their wasn't a single thing done to the belt. That's almost 2,000 miles with no belt adjustment, replacement, anything. This guy rides just as hard as all of us, if not harder. Muds very often too. Now, I've heard the Kawasaki belt drive system requires quite a bit of maintenance. DON'T GET DEFENSIVE GUYS! This is not meant to be a stab at Kawasaki, just a question out of pure curiosity! I've also heard the belt may need to be adjusted anywhere from 200 to 1,000+ miles. Why does the Yamaha at least SEEM to outlast the Kawasaki system to my uneducated eyes? I'm sure it's something simple, but just please point it out to me so I won't annoy you anymore with this question.

 

Howdy,
my 02 Prairie will be 3 years old next month. It is on its second belt. That is 2700 miles total. I changed the first belt at 600 miles. It seems that Prairie belts come with loose tolerance from the factory. I dont know why. I put a set of Outlaws on my quad the first week that I had it. That was a mistake to put those heavy tires on a loose belt. I changed the primary and secondary springs when I changed belts and had no more trouble. My belt is needing replacing again because it was getting tired after all those miles and I added a DG3 module to it and the belt really started slipping due to the incresed power. I think that with the proper adjustment that the Kaw belts will last quite a while. Have a goodun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

The Kawi belt system comes from the factory and dealers in spec but the belt stretches and goes out of spec. That will happen in 100 miles. So after those 100 miles you put in a black secondary spring and remove 1 shim. Then you drive it till the belt blows, it never needs adjusting again.

Also the clutch system on the Kawasaki is more advanced as the primary is a helix and can be adjusted. Atleast thats how I understand it, if I am wrong someone will correct me.

The Kawi belt system gets a bad name because people never put in the spring or remove the shim, including dealers.

 

Thanks very much for both of your replies. It honestly doesn't seem so complicated to me now. Another question for those of you who like to talk about this stuff. So after a guy hits the 100 mile mark they put in the Black Secondary Spring and remove a shim. With a Black Secondary Spring, Dalton Plain/White Primary Spring, 25" lighter mud tires (mudbugs or mudrunners) and a DG3, about how much belt life could one expect from their Prairie after the adjustment/black spring and with these mods? Are the 700 belts as durable as the regular belt on a 650 machine?

 

Yamaha engine braking is second to none due to their sprag clutch. Belt lasts longer.

However,

-it takes 3 to 4 times as much work to change the performance characteristics on a Griz.

-The yamaha primary clutch stores cakes of packed dust mixed with grease.

-The yamaha centrifugal clutch heats the engine oil (faster oil breadown), and also releases abrasive particles into the oil.

-Takes a lot more work to change a belt.

-They still slip when wet just like everything else.


IMO, the simplicity and ease of working the Kawi belt is a the biggest plus. I don't care if I only get 2000 out of my kawi belt. I want it to be easy.

 

I didn't necessarily mean just the Yamahas. All other belt-drives applied to this as well. I just said Yamaha because it's the only one I've got first-hand experience with. My mistake.

 

I don't know all the other ones. I think most of the others are similar to the Kawi design which is basically a snowmobile design.

You can't continually tow and move heavy stuff with it without wreaking havoc on the kawi belt. The yamaha design is more forgiving for clutch abuse.

For recreational riding, climbing and mudding, I prefer the kawi belt system for the simplicity. If I was only towing or stump pulling, I would get somethin with a non belt transmission.

 

I agree with NYROC, the Kawi clutches are some of the most tunable ( you can even use Polaris springs in them ), so FYI, the Polaris & Kawi systems are very similar... I have never had the big Yamaha clutches apart, But would be willing to bet, that there are not tons of threads on the Yami forum, concering spring shift out points, etc... The Prairie, now uses basically the same system as the V Force, the 700 belt, is much improved over the older 650 belt ( of course you can also put the 700 belt on a 650 )... the system stays dry, much better than most atv's, & now that aftermarket belts are finally available, they are reasonably priced to replace as needed

the 1st year I got our 650, I pulled things around the farm, that would have been working most 1/2 ton trucks, I mud raced, Hare Scramble raced, Pulled, & pounded the crab out of it on the knarliest trails I could find ( all with the original 650 belt & stock internal clutch components, & 26" Mudrunner tires )... my secondary ( driven ) clutch bushings went out at 1200 miles of hard use... it cost about $300.00 to fix... if that had be another type of transmission requireing service, ( such as Honda's juicy tranny's, or an auto-clutch manual, it could have cost much more to fix... the cost of repair / maintenance on the CVT type of tranny, would make it the one I'd use for pulling... yes it will require more maintenance, but the cost of service is much less, also the CVT ( when properly tuned ) always puts you in just the right gear ratio, weather you are running 28" + tires or not...

I thought I had heard that something about the big Yami's clutch, gets the motor oil dirtier faster, & can add more heat to the engine, but will admit, that that is here say, as I had said before, I haven't had that system apart...

 

People like newbeetle and shotgun are right about durability and tuneability.

Let me clarify the point I was trying to make above, the kawi clutch does not do nearly as well pulling hard right at takeoff speeds when the belt is not fully grabbed.

The mudracers and weight pullers are using the belt fully grabbed and it is fine for that. Better than slushamatics.

It isn't good for moving pickup trucks out of ditches. You can toast a belt in one shot.

 

One thing that alot of people don't talk about, is the Bombarier ( spelling )... maybe no one wants to type it out, because the can't spell it... but I believe the "bomb's" system is pretty bullet proof... from the 2-3 that I've ridden with...

also, power has alot to do with required maintenance, as well... we have a 2001 300 Prairie, that has been used every bit as hard as my "bigger" Prairie, maybe even more so, since we plow our 1/4 mile driveway with it in the winter, anyway, it still has it's original belt... we all know that the "big V twin", is in a class all it's own, when it comes to power & acceleration, so it stands to reason, that the CVT drive system, will require more maintenance than a slower less powerful quad...