Anybody out there with a 400 4X4 Bayou? Don't hear much about this machine on these sites. My son bought a 1996 in a basket (after someone ran it up North here without anti freeze) and we've got it running and have done about 100 miles on it. It seems to be a tough, go anywheres machine. Any comments?

 

I think that it's a good machine, although I don't own one. They don't even have the 400 Bayou on their web page. I think that that's kind of wierd.

 

Though a very capable machine, the Bayou 400 4x4 was apparently never very popular. With the introduction of the Prairie 400 in ’96 as a ’97 model, Kawasaki placed the Bayou 400 on “hiatus” to quote their press release of the time. The Bayou 400 then returned for ’98, & ’99 (I believe), and was dropped again in 2000.

I have a ’96 Bayou 400 4x4 that I bought new on 26 August 1995. I now have about 1250 miles on it. During the Summer of ’95 I did extensive research on all of the big-bore (400cc – there was nothing larger then) utility ATVs available. I selected the Bayou 400 and have not had any reason to regret it.

About a year after I bought my Bayou, I authored a feature article for the ATV Connection about the quad buying process entitled, “Decisions, Decisions”. I believe the text of the article is still available in ATV Connection archives under the title, “Buying An ATV The Definitive Way”. With the appearance of today’s crop of 500 & 600cc big-bore utility quads yesterday’s 400cc monster is today’s midsize. The article is now a little dated, but I believe it still provides the best comparison modeling technique for use in buying a new or used quad that you will find anywhere.

My Bayou has rendered yeoman service for five years now with no problems other than self-inflicted ones. The OEM tires, Goodyear Tracker MPs, provide a soft ride but have all the puncture resistance of a toasted marshmallow. I had 23 punctures in the first four years of riding. Then I replaced the OEM tires with a set of Goodyear Mudrunners in the Spring of ’99 and I have not had one puncture since.

I have ridden my Bayou at the tough Cochranton poker run (the World’s largest OHV run with 8,000 participants the last time around) three times. I also rode at the Salamanca poker run once (it was even muddier than Cochranton), and I’ve ridden it (and my 300 Bayou) over the rocks at Tasker’s Gap twice (see the Tasker’s Gap article of 8-15-99 by Jim Cowgill for details). In every instance the Bayou has performed flawlessly.

The Bayou 400 is a machine that never got the recognition it deserved for being the all around great work and play quad that it is. I think that the more you ride it, the more you’ll like it, and the more impressed you’ll be with its capabilities.

Army Man

 

I encouraged my hunting partner to go with the Bayou 400 and he has been very pleased with it. He is a rather large man who will not hesitate to work the hell out of any vehicle. He uses it to frequently haul very heavy loads at our deer camp. To this day it has never become stuck even when pulling a load or suffered from any mechanical problem.