The questions I have about the 650 are from looking at the pictures that Tater kindly posted. It looks like the vertical bars on the outsides of the grill are joined to the bar around the lights by pop rivets instead of it being all one piece. It looks cheap in the picture to me. Is the fit and finish on this machine still as good as the current Prairie's? It looks like they still have the light Dunlop tires on it. I wish they would use a tougher tire. Are the gold wheels going to be on the production model? I hope not. Is the digital display large enough to read easily? I was hoping they would have one like Honda has on its Foremans, also with the third light. Does it have more ground clearance than the current Prairie? It looks like the rear suspension is a similar solid axle, so not likely. It would be nice if they would make something similar to Arctic cat's semi-independant rear-end. It offers better traction than a solid axle without being too heavy and you don't lose ground clearance with a heavy load. FOURYOUNGS was saying that the compression braking was accomplished by applying pressure on the belt by an electric servo. Hopefully they've done their homework here! I hope that the belt setup is tough and will need little or no service, unlike the system they have now where they want you to take it back to the dealer for regular checkups. What is the advantage of these racks over all metal ones? Is the turning radius tighter than today's Prairie? What is its top speed and weight? Hopefully it will be lighter and more agile. Where did they put the battery? I hope its not under the fender and exposed to the elements. Is the shift lever the same as the 2000 model, or have they changed it to something like the 97 model? Is there a park position? If Tater, hambone, FOURYOUNGS, or anyone else have these answers, I'd like to hear from you. Heres hoping its a really great machine! The other OEM's will likely have bigger engines soon, so I hope its more than just that. I want a sporty utility quad. Wouldn't Yamaha would do well by making a new version of the Wolverine with about 500 cc's and the Kodiak's automatic?

 

DieselPro, you're probably right about the traction unless there was a differential. With all the features I'd like to see, I wouldn't be able to afford the quad! It would be nice though.

 

I am interested in the new 650 also but have many questions in reference to the 650 and Kawasaki in general. One of the many questions is : what is the lever on the handle bars going to do for the front diff.(Lock it or what?) Also, How is a Kawasaki about their dependability and reliability and has anyone blown CV joints on their bikes with the larger after market tires?

 

I just read your post. I will try to answer all that I can for you.
The fit and finish appear to be quite good. A friend of mine has a 97 Prairie 400 4 x 4 and it is as good as that, if not better. The tires seem to be like his 97 Praire also from my memory of the machine. The rep. said the rims might be aluminum in the production run. The led display does not seem as big as what Honda has,(I own a Rubicon) but the way it sits in between the handle-bars is really nice. I am not sure about the grond clearance. It does have a solid axle swingarm set-up in the rear end. The spring pre-load on the shock is adjustable. I am not sure if the turning radius is tighter than current Prarie's or not. The top speed is 65 mph and the weight 600 lbs. according to the rep. The battery is up higher than before, if I can remember right it was where the seat and "gas tank" meet. (fake gas tank. Actual gas tank is under seat). I don't think there is a "park" on the tranny. The transmission pattern is different than what they offer now. Something like an auto on the console-floor of a car. I love the sound of the machine. Hope this helps.

 

The small lever on the left hand side of the handle-bars locks up the front differential creating true four wheel drive as the lever is pulled in.

 

Do you have to keep holding the lever in while your going through whatever it is that your trying to get through? If so would'nt that make it alittle akward and dangerous? Also, what about the Durability and reliability of the Kawasaki's and also have they fixed the problem with the belts that were recalled. Also, has anybody had a problem with the the belt slipping or blowing a CV Joint with Larger after market tires on their current Kawasaki's?

 

FOURYOUNGS---thanks for answering most of my questions about the 650. It sounds very interesting. How would you compare it to your Rubicon? I hear that it is also a great machine. I have a 1997 Prairie 4x4. It is a good machine, and the quality (fit and finish) is very good. If this one's is as good, then you can't do much better than that. I think mine has as nice a finish as any ATV. It is very comfortable, but I would like to have more top speed and "snap" to lift the front end more easily and quickly over logs, etc.. The newer Prairies are better at that than mine, but I love the sound of 650 cc's and 65 mph! Lets hope the belt can handle it! I hope the steering is lighter and with a tighter turning radius. It should be light in 2-W-Drive.

 

Re your question on CV joints and larger tires:

I have a '91 Bayou 300 4x4 and a '96 Bayou 400 4x4. Both quads came stock with 24x8x11 fronts and 24x10x11 rears. A little over 18 months ago I replaced the OEM tires on both quads with 25x8x11 and 25x10x11 Goodyear Mudrunners.

The Mudrunners are anywhere from 2 to 5 pounds heavier than the OEM tires. In the intervening 18 months both quads were run at the Cochranton Poker Run, the Salamanca Dice Run, and the 1st & 2nd Quads-On-The-Rocks run. In all, they were four very tough and demanding runs that place a lot of stress on both quad and rider.

While the 25-inch Mudrunners I put on both Bayous are not “monster mudders”, to date I’ve had no drive-line problems. The CV-joints on both quads are original, and even the 300 has ample power to turn the larger tires in deep mud.

Since the new 650 will be Kawasaki’s flagship offering with which they hope to lure power-hungry buyers, it will most likely be somewhat over-built to allow for just such contingencies as four very large mud tires. I don’t think you need to worry.

Army Man

 

After seeing the machine I would think it is a machine I would like to own. I had heard about the 650 before I bought the Rubicon, but did not want to wait until next spring or early summer for the new Kawasaki to come out. The torque and horsepower of this machine should be incredible. Without sounding like a broken record, after seeing the machine do 2 passes in the field, the performance was really mouth watering to me. I think that the v-twin engine design will enable Kawasaki to get the center of gravity down on this machine. Also keeping the weight to around 600 lbs. is very appealing to me. That is a few of the reasons I bought the Ruby. I have owned Honda, Polaris, and Yamaha quads and think they are more than capable machine, along with the other products offered by the other manufacturers. I believe this Kawasaki 650 is a step forward in performance for sport-utility machines. It is good for our sport.

2-2000 Polaris 250 Explorers
1-2001 Honda Rubicon

 

Yes, the rep. from Kawasaki indicated that the lever had to be held in to keep in in "true" 4-wheel drive. He said the advantage was that after you got through the difficult section that required the locking front differential, then you could let go and be back in "regular" 4-wheeel drive and not have the torque steer problems.