Thanks Mudblaster, I remember chatting with you in the AC forum when I was thinking about getting the cat and then of course after I bought it. Is Andy Basham still running around these forums?

 

We have or have had all three different machines and I think that sums it up perfect. The BF was everones least favorite to ride. The Praries were everyone in the family's favorite ride except dad and he likes his KQ when its running, it left my dad high and dry on the trail once and he has some trust issues with it now.

For the same money as the Sp800 the Bomb 800 is a great cross between the Sp800 and the prairie 700. V-twin, low center of gravity and smaller size like the Prairie and IRS soft comforatble seat with EFi like th Sportsman. I have very little seat time on mine but I can give you an update later this weekend after our first real riding trip with it. If you want.

 

That would be great.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] You have definitely supported the SRA chassis and if you tell me you like the Bomb better then that says something.

 

My polaris friend and I rage on about this at work at lot.

Here are the nice Polaris features.
-lots of service centers
-4x4 that you can activate anytime, you dont have to roll to have it kick in
-EFI ($1000 bill if this gets damaged)
-headlight in the bars
-rear work lights


I have a 2003 Prairie 650.
-I like front and rear independant brake levers, 1 brake seems foreign to me
-SRA, simple maintenance
-feels light and nimble
-easy to go fast on trails
-low center of gravity, feels stable
-manually locking diff
-cheaper than a 700efi
-looks nicer than polaris IMO

Bad things about the Prairie
-more difficult (around here) to find competent service people --> http://atv.dnsalias.com/
-lower to ground, get belly up in snow and mud sooner than a SP
-to have it start well in winter you need to shim needles, if you complain the dealer will do this for you
-if you are stuck in 2wd your boned, you need the quad to roll a bit to activate 4wd
-wtf is the deal with 100 hours then limp mode (great feature if your 50 miles from home)

I wouldnt buy a BF, I have heard too much trouble from them from dealers and on the boards. Plus for the price I would expect EFI. But thats my opinion.

I wish more polaris owners would nit pick the details a bit. I get tired of people that buy X brand because their parents/friends/etc buy them. I dont have blind brand loyalty, I buy what I think is the best for me, so I would say my opinion is more unbiased than most. I was looking too at the 700efi, but didnt like the looks/feel/single brakes/or all the cv joints, plus the performance of the Prairie's engine played a big role in my decision. But I would have taken a SP if I would have gotten a good enough deal on one. My second choice if I couldnt have gotten a Prairie would have been a Grizzly.

 

after a hundred hours it dont go into limp moad.
all it dose is the belt light flashes.
and when the belt light flashes its telling you its time to service the belt and change the oil.
the owners manual will tell you that.
if you care to read it.
and i agree plainsman.i also dont like the fact that it has to roll about 6 to 10ft befor it gos into 4 wheel drive.
but thats minor.
if i think i might need 4wd i will put it in befor i do any thing.
and as soon as im out of the muck i switch it back into 2 wd
you just have to remember to put it in 4wd befor you get into the nasty stuff.
dont wait untill your in it and stuck.

 

Mine went into limp mode at 100 hours. You have to agree that is stupid. If it doenst do it anymore then great. I change my oil much more frequent than that anyway so it does me no good at all. From an engineering standpoint just flash the light when its service time, dont reduce the operational ability of the ATV. Could you imagine if you were out in the woods and somone got hurt and you had to get them back but now you in limp mode?

The rolling into 4wd, is minor if you remember to activate it, but I have been blasting along and wham hit a muddy patch of prairie etc. That really bites, but yes if you always ride in 4wd or always know the trail you will be on then its fine. That is a nice feature with the viscus (sp) lock. Personally the immediate 4wd activation is a very desireable feature and one that I wish Kawi had. EFI is a distant second, just because I would be concerned about replacement of the brain if it got damaged.

I like my Prairie a lot, dont get me wrong. But facts are facts.

 

if it gos into limp mode on the trail there i a proseigure you can do to reset it.
if im rite it the same one you do when you reset the light.
and then its good to go but you should check it as soon as you get home to make sure the belt is fine.

 

I think the limp is removed in 04. But your right just reset the light and it goes away. I hit 100 at my home here and was curious about the limp mode. I didnt go into limp until after the 100 hours and you turn off the engine. Then the power was greatly reduced until you did the reset. I think 4wd was also locked out in limp but I cant recall for certain. It was a good thing to get rid of anyway.

 

I think only the late '02's and the '03 Prairies were designed to go into that retarded limp mode at 100 hrs. The '04 and '05 Prairies don't seem to have that design feature. They might flash, but no limp mode at any set time or mileage.

 

IMO it was just an 03' design goof, and as far as I know it was only the 03's that had that feature. If I understand this right the aftermarket CDI boxes elliminate this feature all together.


Dirteater

Well it turned out like I thought, Its an excelent cross between a sp800 and a P700. The new Oulander handles sportier than any IRS machine I have ever ridden. It can power slide at least it did in the sand yesterday, I even could do doughnuts with it. I never could do those things on my SP800 or my old grizz. Its the best IRS design I have ever been on. I will say the Prarrie still does those things a little better but for the guy looking for all the features and comfort of the Sportsman and the sporty feal of a prairie, the Outlander is as good as it gets. I put up some new pics check them out.