I am now the proud owner of a 06 BF 650 in camo. My wife suprised me with it last friday night. I have been wanting a quad for years I just have never been able to justify spending the $$$. To top it off she is paying for it with her money. This is quite a step up from the honda 110 three wheeler i had when I was a kid. That old 110 was a tough old bird it smoked like a freight train when i finally quit riding it. My saying for it was check the gas and fill it up with oil. I broke several bones and have several scars from that experience.
Enough about the old beater let talk about the new one. i have read the owners manual from cover to cover it seems kind of vauge about oil changes tune ups etc. Can somebody please tell me how to best take care of it? (mechanically speaking) First oil change? How often do I change the oil. Also can you give me a heads up on any potential problems what to look for? I have read about the knuckle recall on the 05. Is this one gonne have a recall? Any help I can get would be greatly appreciated . I look forward to hearing some input.
By the way I love this machine and even more my wife for the great gift!!
I want to get an idea how you experienced guys take care of your quads so the dealer does not try to change my blinker fluid and grease my muffler bearings.

 

If I could just get the wife to buy in on the my money and her money setup. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] Congrats on the new quad. I would change the oil very frequent during the break in stage.

 

Change the oil after a few hours run time at first, follow the manufacturers recommendations or better after that. Keep it greased and clean it off after those mud runs. Keep a close eye on the air filter too. You have to be more proactive when it comes to maintenance then with say, your car. I always keep a good eye on my radiator also and try to keep that cleared of mud and gunk also. Some people spray WD-40 on the plastics to aid at wash time. Pressure washers can be the mortal enemy of your quads bearings and such. Take great care not to blast any moving or electrical parts if you use one of these.

 

Should I change the oil before the recomended 10 hr break in period? Is 10 hours long enough for break in? I want to see what it will do at full throttle but, I dont want to break anything either. Thanks

 

No, you don't have to change oil before the recommended 10 hours service...that's probably overkill.

I will tell you the BEST THING you can do is to go to Nyroc's website...its like the Bible of the Kawasaki quads (Prairie 650/700/BF650, etc.) and the best part is its TOTALLY FREE! If you go to the tech tips section at atv.dnsalias.com you will find TONS of repair instructions and pics along with MODS too. You can look in the Prairie 650 section b/c the BF650 is nearly identical to the old P650 in every way except for the plastic fenders and few other small items.

Best tip I can give you is to keep your CVT belt tight...I check the belt tension on my P650 every 250 miles or so. If you keep the belt tight, it should last a very long time!

Congrats on the new quad and Happy trails...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Do a forum search on 'break in' and you should get a ton of info. I wouldn't worry to much about the engine if you put the hammer down for a bit, just be careful that you have a good, safe place to do it in as that quad can hit a very respectable top end speed, OK?

 

she's either a great woman or she wants your butt out of the house [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] I've broken in 5 new quads and each one I rode just like I had it for years, I didn't baby it at all and I never had any engine problems. I changed the oil the first time at 10 hours on 4 of them, my Brute 750 I honestly forgot to do it until 25 hours and still had no problems. The oil came out looking fine. I do use the good stuff, if for no other reason than peace of mind. I bought my Brute after the recall (A-arm on the 750) and it still had to go back, I doubt your dealer took care of yours and it probably has to go back but call them with the VIN number to be sure.

 

What brand of oil should I use. I know the book recomends 10-40 for the weight. Any sugestions on brand. That honeydoo list is gonna get longer and longer since I got this new toy!! Thanks for all the help.

 

I use Spectro Gold, get it at the dealership when I buy my filters. it used to be $3.50 a quart but it's probably gone up in the past few months. I've heard you can use Mobil 1 in the Brute because it doesn't have wet clutches but don't take my word on that. I'm sure somebody else can correct me if I'm wrong.

 

If you want to use the good stuff I would consider Amsoil MCF 10W-40 synthetic, or 0W-40 synthetic motor oil for your engine and front differential. They also have a hydraulic oil that is good for the rear diff. They have awesome products and good product support. As far as prices. If you pay $10, you will be considered a preffered customer, and you will get wholesale prices. For a case of the oil, it is $69.00. A quart of hydraulic oil for the rear diff is $6.00, and an oil filter is $8.40. It is expensive, but for a full synthetic the quality of product it is it is hard to beat. Mobil 1 synthetic will be more expensive for the same type of oil. Their filters are good quality also, and they have been more than helpful with all of my questions and concerns. Check out www.amsoil.com and shoot them an email and tell them what you are looking for. Their shipping is fast and usaully there the next day when ordered. I would stick to the manual on the first oil change and do it at 10hrs. I switched to the full synthetic at the 10 hours. Good luck and if you have any more questions give me a shout. Congrads on the new machine!!