What do you think of Kawasaki's customer service performance? I'd like to see if there is a trend with this companies customer service performance. Thanks...

 

Never needed it so I could not tell you. Sorry

 

I can tell you in Canada they have the worst service I have ever seen, very poor at kawi Canada in Toronto. I have had to deal with them 4 times now, last thing I was told by Issac at customer service was "there's no guarantee on how your new a.t.v's gonna hold up on the trail, anything can happen, you may break down again, you may not"

 

I had a problem with my local Kaw. dealer and my local Kaw. dealer stopped talking to me. So I contacted Kaw. Customer Service in Calif. and they contacted my local dealer to see what the problem was all about. Other than making contact with my local dealer, Kaw. Cust. Srv. did absolutely nothing for me. They refused to get involved with my problem and said it was between me and the local dealership.

Luckily, my local dealership contacted me after hearing from Kaw. Cust. Serv. and after more conversations, they finally admitted they screwed up and gave me my money back along with an apology. Obviously, I'm glad that Kaw. Cust. Srv. was there to at least contact my local dealer, but they were pretty much useless otherwise.

Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I just smoked a belt from doing some heavy hauling after only 10 miles/2 hours on the machine. Neither my dealer or Kawasaki will cover it as a defect. They consider it normal wear. It was the second time I used the machine. Also, I had called numerious times about scheduling to get the steering knuckle replaced due to the recall on the 2005 650 Brute Force, and the parts are never available, yet they warn you not to drive the machine till fixed. Yes, you can tell I am not happy. Spending the money I did on a machine that I can't use for what I intended. The dealer knew I was pulling trailers of firewood each year in the fall and needed a good utilty ATV. I still have my '87 350 Big Bear that is a bit under powered, but will haul the wood in. Kaw Customer Service out of Calif. said they regret that I had such a problem, but say to take it to my dealer if any more problems. I think not! Anyone looking for a like new (only 11 miles) '05 650 Brute? I am thinking Honda, (not CVT tranny).

 

Geosur,
I assume that you were using Low range when you were pulling the heavy loads? If not, that may be part of your problem. If you decide to keep the BF650, I can tell you the best way to avoid future belt problems. First, you should make sure that your belt tension is on the tight side. Its very common for Kaw. to sell these quads with a loose belt (at least its usually on the loose side of the acceptable tension). If you don't know how to tighten your CVT belt, then go to Nyroc's site and look in the Tech Tips section under Prairie (your BF650 the same basic machine as the old P650). Anyway, that's the first tip. The second tip is to change out the rear (secondary) CVT spring. You will need to remove the stock spring to tighten up the belt anyway, so that would be a good time to replace it with a stiffer spring such as the EPI Black (secondary) spring. These springs only cost $20 or $25 and it should only take you approx. 45 mins to do this spring installation and tighten up the belt. I'm pretty sure these 2 changes would solve your belt smoking problem. I have used my P650 to haul my 3100 lb boat (plus the weight of the trailer and all the gear/fuel inside the boat) around my backyard with no problems whatsoever.

PS - Do yourself a favor and get a BF650 Service manual and do all the maintenance/repair work yourself...stay away from the dealers b/c most will hire 16 year old kids to work on your quad, so you are paying for their learning curve! You might as well learn to do it yourself and save the $$$.

Good luck and happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I couldn't agree more with what MIKEY said... I do ATV pulling, & have even out pulled a Kubota 4 X 4 Diesel utility vehical with my quad... I like my belt on the tight side of spec, but not so tight is squeals when stopped & in gear... BTW... I've done a lot of pulls, & never roasted a belt yet pulling... & yes you should always pull in low range... & BTW # 2 ... I use the stock springs for pulling

also... they have revised the recall letter to... have your front end parts inspected & continue to ride your quad, until the recall parts come in... I, myself think it's great that they are replacing all these parts...I have even got my 5 year old 300 Prairies parts replaced... as well as my '02 650 Prairies... IMO, the lawyer on the left hand didn't know what the parts manufacterers on the right hand were doing, as this is a huge recall, & there are a lot of parts to make, as well as being able to keep making parts for new quads... my dealership succumbed to someone who was being a jerk, & demanded their recall parts on a new quad... this cost me being able to compete in 2 different competitions, while some guy with a newer quad, whose parts were not bad, demanded that they replace his parts now, because he had one of the original letters... I 3was not happy, but that had nothing to do with Kawi's customer service... IMO, they've ( Kawi ) has always treated me fairly, & though this recall thing has lots of people P.O.ed, I think it's great they are replacing parts in the 1st place, as I've beaten the "crab" out of both of our machines, & the recalled front parts were still good on both machines...

... & I do also, recommend getting the manual, & become members on the forums that specialize or have sections that are Kawi dedicated... most of the regular types of dealer maintenance & preventitive maintenance can be easily done by the owner, with the help of a manual, & the forums...

 

Thanks Mikey. I may try that. I do my own mechanical work on everything I own anyway. I just never thought being brand new I had to so soon. I am trying to find the correct belt for Dayco or Ultimax that fits this machine. Noone lists yet for the '05 650 BF. I even called Dayco and no reply yet. I think it could be HP2017 or HP2018. I see highlifter.com sells both primary and secondary springs for o/s tires. By the way, that may have helped contibute to the smoking of the belt. Running 27" x 12" Kenda Bear Claws on the back and 10" wide on the front. Tires are not as likely to spin, even in sloppy mud. Love those tires. Also, run them (25") on the Big Bear.

 

I have a Honda 250R, but I took it to a Kawi dealer for service one time and they treated me like garbage. I always turn my own wrenches, but Im in college, it was finals week, and I had no time to work on it. I needed a whole new Stainless steel breakline system installed - not that big a deal.....just hook it all up and bleed it then u r done. I brought it in and he said it would take 4 hrs at $80 per hour!! I got loud with the guy right in front of other customers. I told him I'm no chump and that I know how long the job would take (I rebuilt the whole thing by myself, but like I said I had no time and wanted to ride that weekend). So I go outside and load my R back on the trailer, he came out after me and said he'd do the job for an hour of labor. So he did retact trying to rip me off, but the point his that he tried to do it in the first place.

 

Geosur,
You're quite welcome for the advice. BTW, I recommend that you stay away from aftermarket belts on the BF650/P650 b/c there have been SEVERAL reports of dayco belts coming apart. The OEM belt on our machines seem to be the most durable available and you can find it online for a much better price than your local "stealer". www.ronayers.com is a good source for online OEM parts for your quad.

Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]