I ride a Magnum 325 4x4. I like the machine except for a few things: no engine braking, steers like a Mack truck with flat tires, and doesn't motor up the hills as fast as I would like.

Now gettting to the 650 part: here are some questions for the people that own and ride one. If you don't own one, please don't waste our time telling us what you think it will be like. I want opinions from people that have experience with them.

Engine Braking[*]Does the KEBS work well?[*]Does it work on all 4 wheels?[*]Do you have to give it gas to get down a hill?

Steering[*]How is the steering?[*]Is it easy, hard or just right?[*]Does it seem tight?[*]What kind of joints does it have on the tie rods, Heim or Ball?

Engine
No need to talk about the power, acceleration and top-end, it has enough to do what I want.

Ride[*]Are you happy with the ride?[*]Does the front soak up the big bumps without bottoming-out?

Trailer hitch[*]Did you get the trailer hitch for your machine?[*]Was it a pain to put on? How much did it cost?

Tires[*]What kind of tires come on it?[*]Do they go through the mud?

Overall[*]What are your over-all impressions of the machine?[*]What would you change?[*]What can you no longer live without?

Thanks for your time, I hope that everyone will be able to benefit from some first hand knowlege instead of speculation and marketing hype.

 

Engine Braking

works very well, but it does not engage unless you are under 10mph, the idea is if you are going fast you don't want engine braking all the time.
It takes a little getting used to but I learn to really like it.
I can fly into a corner hit the rear brakes and get back on the throttle without the engine braking grabbing right away, it's pretty cool once you get the hang of it. Almost like a fake manual clutch.

Does the KEBS work well?
Yes, see above

Does it work on all 4 wheels?
If you have 4wd engaged it does,if not it don't.

Do you have to give it gas to get down a hill?
No, it will roll at about 2-4mph then the engine braking will engage and disengage, it's a little strange at first but I like it.

Steering
Works just fine to me, they say the griz is lighter but thats not always good if you ride agressive (I do).

How is the steering?
very tight feel, like the parts are all solid and reliable (I've had a few atvs that don't feel that way anymore after just a few rides)

Is it easy, hard or just right?
Just right for me, but I've never rode anything i've considered hard, if you can't turn it don't ride it!

Does it seem tight?
Yes, see above

What kind of joints does it have on the tie rods, Heim or Ball?
Not sure, but no play after 17hrs

Engine
No need to talk about the power, acceleration and top-end, it has enough to do what I want.

The best attribute of this engine is not the top speed, or cool sound, it's the instant response. We ride around a river with a-lot of very steep very short 8'to 20ft bluffs with no room to build up speed at the bottom. Before this machine the only other atv that would attempt most of these was my old Scrambler (you have to have 4wd) and extreme instant power.

Ride
Very nice, it rides much better than our Honda's (including the rubi) and my Suzuki Quadmaster. I would compare it to what you are riding now, pretty plush but hard to bottom out (I've had it over 4' on jumps with no problems)

Are you happy with the ride?
Very

Does the front soak up the big bumps without bottoming-out?

If you've ever rode or owned a Polaris Scrambler I would compare it to that, I weigh 200lbs and have not hit bottem yet. For the way I ride I actually would not mind a little stiffer front end.

Trailer hitch

Did you get the trailer hitch for your machine?

I'm trying, they're backordered.
Was it a pain to put on? How much did it cost?
Don't know, $29.00

Tires
Good, no plugs yet

What kind of tires come on it?

Have to check, but they're listed on their web site. www.prairie650.com

Do they go through the mud?

This thing is AWSOME in the mud, good tires and outstanding tire speed will get you anywhere. (and dif. lock)

Overall

What are your over-all impressions of the machine?

So for it's awsome, 17 hrs and 120miles, no problems

What would you change?

Add rear hitch (I've ordered one but still haven't recieved it)
Thicker plastic (although this has not been a problem)
The machine is light for what it is, but lighter is usually better.

What can you no longer live without?

The incredible brakes front and rear, this thing will stop on a dime. The brakes are so good the engine braking is only a pleasure not a must have.
The engine response / acceleration
The differential lock. I was not sure about this little lever thing at first but some body really did some r&d here. Why I say this? It works like this if you need it, it only takes one finger to operate and you pull it all the way to the handlebars so you are not comprimising your grip or safety and when your done with it you just release it no need to stop or wait for it to disengage. If you've ever rode something with true 4 wheel lock and you are hard on the throttle and suddenly hit terra ferma your going for a ride, and it may not be in the right direction. I've checked out the new Griz and the way they set theirs up I caution riders, if it turns the tires like the Prairie (and I'm sure it will) you better be ready.

Thanks for your time, I hope that everyone will be able to benefit from some first hand knowlege instead of speculation and marketing hype.


-------------------------
Kevin Staton
www.windrockatv.com
2000 Magnum 325 4x4 <u>Text</u><u>Text</u>

 

Thanks Kevin for taking the time to explain things,since you are an owner we can trust what you are saying
Bearman

 

A lot of people seem to think that you need a &quot;locking&quot; differential locking control. I admit I thought the lever control on the Prairie seemed strange until I used it. It's biggest advantage is that you do not have to practically be stopped to engage or disengage it. This seems trivial, but is it very handy to use the lever on steep, rutted climbs. With the differential locked and climbing, sometimes one of the front tires will bite hard and try to jerk the front sideways some. With the Kawi system you just release the lever slightly to regain steering control, straighten things up, and resume the locked status without losing momentum. I guess you could still steer it back fulled locked like other systems, but it would take some quick muscle. I can see the case where you would want to lock it and dismount on the throttle side to walk it out of some strange situation. I keep a properly adjusted ty-rap handy for this scenerio. You can just slip it over the end of the handlebars and the lever, and you have it locked.
I think the best characteristic to the motor is the smoothness and how quiet it is. I am sure performance parts will be available soon, but I would hate to go back to being so noisy again.
I find the low center-of-gravity a good feature for my type of riding (steep mountain trails).
On my 2000 Grizzly, I could straddle larger rocks instead of driving a tire on them with it's greater ground clearance, but it's high center-of-gravity sent me through the air more than a few times when it would suddenly tip over. Like all specialized machinery, It would be too costly to make a quad more adaptable to different riding conditions, like having IRS that can lock in position as a straight axle or active hydraulic suspension that could allow adjustable ground clearance on the fly! They all do seem to be improving with the competition so who knows where they will get in another 10 years?

 

prairie633, I totally agree with you about the diff lock on the prairie. If you have to stop to engage it, then you lose all your momentum. The prairie's is nice because you can engage it on the fly without stopping.