Of the 2 colors on the 650 which do you like best. Green or red .Also unlike Swen i'll wait until it does come out and I know One thing I will not be disappointed

 

I still plan on getting one, and i wanted the raptor almost as much, now it will just take me a little longer,

 

Mudrunner, you definitely won’t be disappointed. I’m still breaking it in, and I’ve only got 50 km’s on it so far, but it’s awesome. I’m taking it easy on it, but you can tell that its got a lot of power in that motor. I haven’t revved it out yet, but it feels like it could give the 400ex some competition in a straight-line drag. I’ll find out in a couple of days. I was out today, trying out the locking front end, and I love it. The only complaint that I have is that it whines like crazy. My dealer tells me it just the belt, but I want to hear what other owners have to say about it.

I got the green one, only because it was the first at my dealer. Side by side, I’m not sure which one I would pick. But I don’t have any complaints about green. For those that couldn't wait, it's their loss.

 

Thanks for the information( 650 vtwin ) But I would really like to know if it is already set up for a winch Like will I have to buy a mount along with a winch or is the mount built into the frame It's my understanding that it is.And will a warn 2500 lbs winch fit.did you have to pay extra for the composite rack parts. How about the hitch.Man I just know mine will be here this week why I say that is because I'll be in wyoming and montana this week

 

I picked my Prairie up May 10th. I have only had time for a few rides, but here is short version of my impressions so far. I can only compare it to a 00' Grizzly because that is the only other ATV I own. The V-Twin engine has an impressive sound. Not the Blub-Blub-Blub sound of the well known motorcycle V-Twins, but a very powerful sounding rumble. Perhaps this is because of the 9.9:1 compression ratio? The CVT is much quicker to respond to the throttle than the Grizzly; I almost backed into a tree because I was used to "mashing"
the throttle for the Grizzly and it creeping back.
I tested the climbing ability on a steep grassy hill. The grizzly can climb the hill but the front end gets so light near the top it either lifts the front wheels or the rear end begins to wheel hop. I have rolled the Grizzly off this hill before even when laying on the front bars. The Prairie climbed up with attitude! The lower center of gravity really keeps the front end down. I just sat and leaned forward, used the diff-lock and it climbed. The only thing you have to be careful with is the throttle. When you slow down in the middle of the hill you have to be very careful not to jab the throttle for more speed because it responds instantly. If you are not careful it will try to wheelie up the hill. I also backed it up this same hill. Once again, be careful not to power up the rear end when climbing up backwards. A note of caution with the K-EBS (braking system). I let it roll down this same steep hill starting over the edge and from a dead stop. It rolled a few feet and picked up some speed before the K-EBS engaged. When it did the rear end lifted off the ground a few inches, I leaned back and it set back down. Braking slightly at the start until the K-EBS engages prevents this. Once engaged, the Prairie crawed down the hill under complete control. When rolling down a small grade at a snails pace you can hear the K-EBS servo motor kicking in and out. I think I will wire a switch in the system to enable/disable it and only use it for decending steep grades. For normal grades, the front or rear brakes work exceptionally, and the K-EBS only engages at slow forward speeds anyway. The engine break-in is half-throttle for 10hrs. I noticed that the two units I have seen do not have the black rear axle seal "covers" as seen on the press introduction units. Perhaps they were not needed? The only problem I have had so far is with the winch mounting. I can't figure out how to mount a Warn 2500 in the front winch bracket? Waiting for this unit really stunk, but it was worth the wait. I think it will be some time before this ATV can be significantly sucseeded.

 

I tried mounting a Warn 2500 winch on the "built-in" bracket but it seems poorly engineered. It only uses two of the four mounting bolts, the winch motor hangs out of the frame too much, and the small slot for the cable to travel through will not let the cable travel end-to-end on the winch drum. The Owner's Manual also states that the spooling limit is 1000lbs. I contacted Warn's Engineering Department and they are waiting for their unit to arrive so they can design a mount for the Prairie 650. They said it may take a month or so after the receive the unit. I am still waiting for the Dealerships to get a parts list. Until then you can't order any parts, hitch, rack covers, oil filters, etc. for the Prairie. Another note about the K-EBS system. When decending a very steep hill this weekend in 4WD low range, I noticed that if it slows down too much, the system will "kick out" and not re-engage until you are rolling with significant speed? If you use your lever brakes, the K-EBS with not re-engage unless you allow the ATV to pick up some more speed. To keep the K-EBS system engaged on decent you have to apply a slight amount of throttle. This will take some practice; It is a little strange looking down a steep grade and using a little throttle to increase the engine braking power! Over all this is a very smooth machine. I rode 26 miles this weekend without any problems at all. It is very stable on side slopes and grades. At one point on a steep, off-camber slick-rock slab I was decending and the front tires caught in a washout at the bottom end that I didn't see. It leaned over so far I fell off the ATV. I thought it would tip over but it was just sitting on the rock on an extreme angle. I grabbed the rear end and swung it towards me and the CPU on the ATV shut the engine and fuel pump off. This happens at an angle of 65 degs. I think, which is well past the point of no return. I used about 2 gal. of fuel for about 30 miles so far. Just in case anyone was wondering, I think the overall drive ratio in the high range is 8.61. If the engine will pull to 8500rpm, and subtracting about an inch or so of tire diameter for deformation, the top theoretical speed works out to about 70.5MPH.

 

Mudrunner,
The composite racks did come with it. The hitch also comes with it, but I’m told only on the Canadian models. Maybe the 604lbs weight restriction is only for the U.S. The winch mount is just behind the front bumper. There is a plate there, but I couldn’t get a SuperWinch 2000 to mount. Like Prairie633 said, it’s a very poor design.

Prairie633,
Do you find it really, really whines? The whining of the belt seems louder than the engine. Is yours the same?

 

650vtwin,
The CVT does a great deal of whinning. The engine has a lower pitch but I think the CVT is just as loud. I didn't notice it very much because my Grizzly(soon to be sold) whines alot too, but it's motor is much noisier than the Prairie's.
Did your Prairie come with the rear axle seal boots? There seems to be a machined surface on the axles for the boots to ride against?

 

Prairie633,
I checked and I don’t have those axle seals either. There have been a few articles on the machine, and some pictures have the seals, while others don’t. I’ll be asking my dealer tomorrow. I’ve already been in water over the rear axle, so I hope it’s not a problem. Let me know if you find out anything, and I’ll do the same.

 

My prairie 300 does the same thing