just picked it up on thursday and the front right axle is floping around and the boots are lose,hope its coverd on waranty my son put 100 ks on it this weekend i hope i dont have to wait for parts. any one know how big a job it is to fix? i put 26 in tires on would this be a factor on it breaking.

 

You may have to wait for parts but it should be covered under the warranty. Me, my cousin, and brother-n-law all have the 650 brute force with ITP tires so I feel I can comment with certainty. 1 is 5 months old, one is 3 months old and mine is 2 months old. This is where the dates come in handy. I personally have put 3 electrical boxes on my machine and the four wheel drive is out as we speak on the other 2. One has a completly busted front housing. As you have probably saw the front end on the brute force happens to be a weak point. It will not go in 4X4 in reverse and if you do get stuck you better hope it is in 4-wheel drive already because it is extremely hard to get it to engage without the front rolling. Also after speaking with the mechanics at the dealer today they informed me that the ball joints in the front have also been known to fall out so please check the tightness as I would hate to be driving at 40+mph and something fall out. I know that seems like I am downing the brute force but I am not. I love the brute force power, and the way it sits but it does have some problems that could cost you significately in the future once the warranty is gone.

 

sounds like a good reason to get extended waranty and yes the dealer said the housing was broke i hope they can get it fixed soon.how many other 650 owners have had front axle troubles?is this a rare case.

 

I do agree about the extended warranty. My cousin that had the housing to break went and bought the extended warranty. It's suppose to be $450 plus Tax and cover drive components and engine. If you haven't bought the warranty yet you can buy it up to the last day of your factory 6 months warranty of which I plan to buy. As far as the front end busting, thats the first one I have saw do it and I saw it first hand. Like I said before, Including me there are 3 of us that bought the 650 and 2 have had front end problems. Mine hasn't had front end problems but has had problems with the aftermarket electrical box which has went out on me twice in less than 2 months. It really helps the power and eliminates the override button for reverse. I would recommend one once they get the bugs worked out. You would be amazed with the power difference. My dealer's mechanic also warned me to keep an eye on the tie rod ends. Supposedly he has saw them either fall off or be extremely loose because he took the initative to warn me. Also keep an eye on the boot over the rear drive shaft. We also had one to build pressure and suck the boot into the rear drive shaft and rip it to pieces. They are not hard to change but you do have to remove your entire rear end. If you see the boot sucked in then you can loosen the clamp on the boot without removing anything and let the pressure off and the boot will expand to its original position. That will work unless it is ripped. Always keep an eye on the boots because they are one of the most important parts because they keep grit and water from entering your bearings. That's all I can tell you for now because we haven't had a chance to ride again, since they are all in the shop right now. I considered trading to the 660 grizzly but they lack power when put into 4-wd and besides, the brute is a great machine, once the bugs get worked out, and they have much more torque. If you hear of anything else please let me know. I would rather find something wrong before it falls out (a.k.a. Tie rod ends) [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] Thanks for the post. It's good to know these things really work

 

By the way, All 3 of the brute's I am talking about have 26" ITP tires so that may be an issue but I don't know anyone that has the stock tires on the brute and when I saw the housing bust he was trying to get it into 4-wd in a very small rut because they don't go well at all in reverse. The rut was probably 5" deep with little mud and he was trying to barely spin the rear tires so it would go into 4-wd and when it went in it popped and the oil was the tell tell sign something was broken[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] . Also, you better check with your dealer to make sure they will cover your brute considering it has the bigger tires. My dealer works well with me eventhough I have put an aftermarket box and the larger tires on it. I would think kawasaki wouldn't want to warranty anything that has been altered so make sure your dealer will work with you or you could waste the money and still have no warranty. I am not sure just thought I would throw that out there for you to kick around.

 

parts on back order should i ask for a machine while mine is getting fixed

 

Yes I would ask for a loaner. My dealer will provide me a used ride if mine is in the shop but not sure about all dealers or how that works on ATV's. I know my dealer works with me well. What fun is an ATV if you can't ride it... Talk him into a loaner[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]