About ready to purchase 2 Prairie 4X4's 2001 models. One 400cc for me and one 300cc for the wife. Wife pretty new at ATVing. I am a long time dirt-bike rider, but am looking something we can do together. After doing a bunch of reasearch on all of the ATV's I have come to the conclusion that these 2 seem to give the most in an ATV for the money than other manufactures. Does anyone know of any two better overall automatic ATV's than these two. Value and quality for the dollar are very important. Or, is their any reason I should stay away from these two? We really want something we can use once or twice a month for many years to come. Although, I am sure I will be trail-blazing and mud-bogging with my buddies a bunch of times without her.

Thanks
Doug
Lillian, TX

 

I don't have two Prairies, but I do have two Bayous; a '91 300 4x4 that my 15-year old daughter rides, and a '96 400 4x4 that I ride. I bought the '96 new in August '95, and I bought the '91 used in July '98.

Except for a few small self-inflicted wounds (and one big one), both Bayous have been very reliable, and very capable, performers. The engines used in the Bayous are the same ones used in the Prairies, though they tweaked them a little for the Prairies.

When my daughter and I test drove the 300 and 400 Prairies about 18 months ago, we got the Prairie 300 up to an indicated 44 MPH and the Prairie 400 up to an indicated 52 MPH over a completely level stretch of railroad right-of-way behind the dealership. This compares to and indicated top speed of 40 MPH for my Bayou 300 and 47 MPH for my Bayou 400.

The one drawback to the Prairies, and my only complaint, is they have no compression braking (though that may have changed with the 2001 models).

In my opinion Kawasaki produces some very fine play machines (and I mean more than just ATVs - I also own an '87 Kawasaki ZG1000 Concours street bike and a '98 Kawasaki STX900 Jet Ski) that just don't seem to get the hype of some other manufacturer's offerings, or the respect that they deserve. Kawasakis are easily as reliable as Hondas (which seem to have a lock on the reliability title). And they are more powerful than Hondas, while being as powerful Suzukis or Yamahas for any given class.

Kawasaki has always offered a lot of bang for the buck in any given class right back to the '67 Avenger 350 street bike that would easily smoke bikes twice its size. Go ahead and buy them, I think you will be very pleased with your selection.

Army Man

 

The drawback of no engine braking with the Prairies that Army Man mentioned is only a problem when going slowly downhill, but the Prairie has very good brakes. It holds back fairly well when you let off of the throttle until the engine is just above idle. Then the drive belt "freewheels" and if you are going downhill slowly, will need to use the brakes. I've become so used to mine that I don't think its a big deal, although it would be nice. If you do a lot of steep downhilling, you will have to change brake pads more often than you would with engine braking. On downhills where you can go fairly quickly, you can "blip" the throttle to keep the engine above idle and maintain some holdback. The quality of the Prairies is excellent in my opinion. I wish they came with tougher tires, but most OEM tires are very light. Like Army Man, I think you'll be very happy with the Prairies. I don't know of better "bang for the buck".

 

MY SISTER-IN-LAW HAS A PRAIRIE 300 4X4 2001 MODEL IT COMES WITH ENGINE BRAIKING AS STANDARD EQUIPEMENT.

 

I have owned a 2000 Kawasaki 400 4x4 and currently own a 2001 of the same model( both are basicly the same ). The bike has 2 drawbacks: lack of engine braking ( although the brakes are very good ), and the inability to switch between 2 and 4 wheel drive. However, the positives far outweigh the negatives. I have found this bike to be quick, comfortable, and dependable. The fit and finish is excellent. The belt drive auto makes driving a pleasure ( I've never even experienced slippage ). I suggest you find a reputable dealer, thats always a bonus! Would I buy another 400 4x4 auto? You bet!! ( the new 650 sounds real enticing doesn't it? )

 

to those that have both the 300 and 400 how would you compare the two.Since everything is about the same except motors. A example i'm looking for would be-I once had a 1997 dodge longbed truck with a v-6, totally hated it, always downshifting noisy, buzzy. My friend had a 1997 dodge with the 360 v-8 his truck was far better even though the only difference was the motor. It just seemed to make everything better. Would that be a good summation between the 300 and 400 models?

 

14mins,

You've made an interesting analogy relating the two trucks and the two quads. I was once firmly convinced that if one was forced to choose between a 300cc quad and a 400cc quad, that one would have to be mentally impaired not to choose the 400 over the 300. But as an unknown philosopher once said when asked for an eternal truth, "This too shall change".

Since I do own a 300 and a 400, and since I've had the opportunity to compare them side by side for over 18 months now, I have come to appreciate the 300.

Your analogy with the Dodge trucks vis-à-vis the 300cc and 400cc ATVs is OK on the surface, but it nonetheless contains one fundamental flaw (which is no reflection on you, as I like your analogy).

The fundamental difference between a Dodge 1500 with a V6 an one with a V8, versus a quad with a 300cc motor and one with a 400cc motor, is the percentage weight differential. In the case of the truck, the weight differential between a truck with the same body style equipped a V6 versus one equipped with a V8 might be 100 pounds (I'm guessing here as I do not have the exact figures, but I think it is a reasonable assumption to say that Dodge's 5.9 Liter V8 weighs about 100 pounds more than their 3.9 Liter V6).

On a vehicle like the Dodge truck that weighs in excess of 5000 pounds, a 100 pound weight difference represents less than 2% of the vehicle's overall weight. In the case of my Bayou 400, which has 595 pound dry weight, and my Bayou 300 which has a 572 pound dry weight, the weight differential is over 4%.

What this means, is that the Dodge truck with the V6 is moving 98% of the weight that the truck with the V8 is moving, but with far less horsepower and torque. In the case of the Bayou 300, it is moving 96% of the weight the Bayou 400 is moving, but the torque and horsepower differential between the 300cc engine and the 400cc is not as great as that which exists between the 3.9 L V6 and the 5.9L V8.

The upshot here is that a truck with the smaller engine must deal with a 100% greater weight differential than the quad with the smaller engine. Therefore the 300cc quad suffers much less in comparison to the 400cc quad than does the V6 truck to the V8 truck.

Beyond a certain level of raw power the Bayou 400 has over the Bayou 300, their trail manners are nearly the same. The Bayou 300 has lighter steering, and feels a little more nimble than does the 400. Otherwise where one goes, the other goes as well.

I attended the 1st Quads-On-The-Rocks ride at Tasker's Gap in July '99 riding my Bayou 300. I attended the 2nd Quads-On-The-Rocks ride at Tasker's Gap in April '00 riding my Bayou 400 (my daughter was riding the 300 for QOTR II). My overall impression after riding two different quads of the same very tough 33 mile course, is that there is little difference between them performance-wise except for a little more top speed from the Bayou 400.

In the really rocky Tasker's Run section of the course, the lighter 300 was less tiring than the heavier 400. And at the first-gear, rock-crawling speeds at which we were traveling (1 to 2 MPH, the rocks were that bad), the 400 had no real advantage over the 300.

Gordon Banks, an early, and knowledgeable participant on this Forum, once said a 300cc 4x4 is the ultimate quad and you don't need anything bigger to get the job done. I took issue with him and pointed out a dozen areas where I thought the 400cc 4x4 was better. We ultimately agreed to disagree. Now that I've had my 300cc 4x4 for over 18 months, I have to grudgingly admit Gordon was right.

Yes, you'll give up a little top-end and a lot of acceleration with a 300 as compared to a 400. But out on a tightly wooded trail, or on one covered with rocks like Tasker's Gap, the 300 will go anywhere the 400 will, and darned near as quick. My daughter rode my 300 Bayou at the Cochranton Poker Run (really muddy) and at Tasker's Gap (really rocky) and had little difficulty going everywhere I did.

Yes, I could have run away from my daughter if I had wanted to, but that says more about my level of skill and experience versus hers than anything else. At the Tour de Forest in Marienville, Doug Blackburn riding a Bayou 300 4x4 left me, and my Bayou 400, for dead in the tightly wooded section of the trail. Doug is a former MX racer. The greater torque and horsepower of the 400 didn't buy me anything against Doug's superior skill.

What the 300 versus 400 debate really comes down to is whether or not you're willing to pay upwards of $1000 more for the slightly greater speed and power of the 400. If you're on a budget, which will only allow you to buy a 300, don't feel bad. You can smile all the way to the bank and back knowing you bought what is arguably the most versatile ATV for the money.

Army Man.

 

Army Man i really appriciate your reply, as you have noticed i have been posting some questions on thw 300 and 400. The dealers around my neck of the woods don't let you test drive the quads. I bought my parents a 300 pairrie new last year. I picked the 300 over the 400 for them, for two reasons- They are about 70 years old and are not going to ride anywhere but around the house (125 acres) and not challange the machine. I also figured i would be the one to make sure the quad was always in running order. I doubt that they would check the fluids. The 300 seemed to fill the bill for me and my checkbook. I am impressed with the 300 and feel i made a good choice.I figured the 300 would probably be more dollar friendly to the wallet over the years, than the 400. This machine replaced a 1986 trx 250 Honda. I figure this machine will last as long as they wish to continue to ride. (approx. 3 hours per week.) My wife and i have 1999 Lakota, and 1999 Bayou 220. I wish to upgrade the 220 with a piarrie 300 or 400. My wife is on the small side and feels the 300 is to big for her. My idea is to let her ride the Lakota and i will take the Piarrie 300 or 400 until she gets comfortable with it. We really only ride on our own property and we are into casual easy riding, no jumping. I would think the 400 would be as fast or faster than the Lakota but i don't know. I have also thought about a Pol. srambler 500 4 stoke. I see post about reliablity problems but i feel that i might not have them since i don't plan on ragging on them. I just want to get back to the house alittle faster and in comfort. Any suggestions? Sorry my spelling is so bad, my typing is not much better, but i promise i will work on both. Thanks.

 

14mins,

After reading all of your various posts, I think I detect a longing for speed and power that will not be satisfied by the Prairie 300.

So, if money is not an issue, then I suggest you go with the Prairie 400.

Army Man

 

Army Man, thanks for your input. I do believe that a Prairie 400 will be under the x-mas tree for me. I still have to decide between the 2 wheel and 4 wheel. Most likely the 2 wheel drive. Doubt that i would get the srambler 500. I have located a neighbor down the way that has a 1997 4x4 400. I will try to ride it soon. I will take in condideration the changes made to the machines since then.