Patbucks
Do not release the gas from the shock!It is installed at the factory and is under an extreme amont of pressure.If the gas was not there the shock would just go up and down with little or no resistance.Adjust the shock according to the owners manual or send it to a reputable shock rebuilder and have it set up for your ability and weight.
Bearman

 

no the irs isnt softer than the 650's swingarm

 

Just the sound of the 650 would sale me on it. Ive heard them both next to each other and yamaha should be imberesd to even try to compere the 660 to the 650.

 

I have the 650 Prairie, and my buddy has the 660 grizzly. Yes the 660 has a much softer ride. But I still like the over all ride of my Prairie, more of a sport quad feel. They are both great Quads.


650 pics

 

Slot,

Great pics Man!!! Since you and your friend have both of these what do you think are the + and - of the 650 and Griz 660. I am going to buy one of them. Right now I am leaning toward the griz because I like the IRS and double A arm front. However I like the look, center of gravity and the 650 twin on the Kawasaki. If one it had the double a arm fromst instead of Macpherson struts.

 

We know a guy who went though 2 kaw 650's, both had transmission problems. He has since bought the griz and loves it but I've read the griz takes on water. I think both of these new quads will need some improvements.

 

<< What your Uncle says might be true I don't know I not a mechanical engineer. But just sit back and think about it for a second, If what he says is true then why do high performance racing cars have IS front and rear? It must not be that big of deal. The benefits of IRS greatly out weigh the disadvantages. Also I am sick of hearing about more to brake on the IRS. I have beatup 4 ATV in my time and have never had problems with IFS why would I expect the IRS to brake. With all this nonsense I have spouted I still can't decide on the Kaw 650 or the YAM Griz. I hope one day an ATV manufacture will come out with the first IRS sport quad. >>



If you look at offroad 4x4 racing trucks they have a solid rear axle not IRS
I am not saying there is any thing wrong with IRS, Its just what ever you prefer. My buddy has the 660 grizzly and he rides it very hard, and has no problems with it.

650 &amp; 660 pics

 

I own both a Kawasaki 650 Prairie and a Yamaha Grizzly.

I've had the Prairie over a year now. It has 118 miles on the odometer and another thirty from being towed or pushed. It's been back to the dealer on several occasions and that's where it is right now. All the crankcase oil gets sucked into the air cleaner box and gasoline gets sucked into the crankcase. Not once, not twice, but virtually every time out since it was new. It's taken a lot longer than they thought to repair it and maybe they fixed it this time, (but now I'm in no hurry to get it back).

In fairness, when this dog is running it's a fabulous ride. But, don't go anywhere you can't get help in a hurry. The Grizzly has never left me stranded and runs with outstanding reliability (which I adore). When both machines can operate at the same time (which has been rare), the Prairie out performs the Grizzly by a very small (almost imperceptible) margin until you get to accelleration. It wins in that category rather convincingly. Also, the Prairie is a "Lexus" kind of ride next to the Grizzly, but neither will wear you out in the course of a day.

Would I buy another Kawasaki? I don't know whether I've lost confidence in the dealer, the manufacturer or the product, but my eagerness to buy more Kawasaki's has subsided in every category (I have a lot of ATV's and watercrafts to play with and we replace them from time to time just to upgrade). I'm sure that none of my friends are hot on Kawasaki these days, (it works out to be a pretty spendy ride when you consider the maintenance problems, personal recovery time, money and accumulated mileage in less than a year).

Same question, "Would I buy another Grizzly?" Without even hesitating. They're completely reliable, tough, agressive little 4 wheelers. If someone needs more than the Grizzly can do I hope they're making money doing it.

Bottom line, I still own companies and operate them on a day to day basis. My time is precious and I don't enjoy field recovery operations when I'm out playing. Maybe I got a lemon, (My other Kawasaki's have been fabulous) and maybe it's just a bad model. I'll most likely sell this one if it's running when I get it back - but I'll also tell the buyer it has a rough history in the shop and a poor reliability record in the field.

 

This subject has been beaten to death. Do a search and you will find quite a few threads on this subject. I have ridden both machines and anyone who says their 650 rides as good as a 660 is totally biased. If you look at my signature, you will see I own a 650, and after having ridden my buddies 660, the 660s ride is way more plush than my 650s. On the other hand, I can corner at retarded speed while my buddy on his griz has to slow down due to body roll. There are so many pros and cons to each of these machines. Ride them both and then you'll know which one you want.

 

I have a Grizzly and one of my riding partners has a Prairie 650 (at my recommendation). It all depends on what you are looking for in your ride. If you like to go fast and like to power slide the Prairie is better. They are both close in performance (the Prairie accelerates a little quicker) but the most notable difference is in the way the machines handle at speed. The Prairie has a much more solid, stable feel to it.

The Grizzly has a lot of body roll plus the IRS keeps the rear tires planted better which also makes it harder to power slide (but certainly not impossible). In return it gives you a cushier ride, especially over rocky terrain. It has a softer seat as well. If a smoother ride is more important to you than high speed performance then you’d probably like the Grizzly better. With skill the average person can ride (notice I didn’t say “race”) it just as fast as a Prairie over the trails. I even removed my anti-sway bar to amplify the effect of the IRS at the cost of yet a little more body roll and less power-slide ability. I push mine pretty hard at times, enough to keep pretty well ahead of my riding buddies (usually a Prairie 650 and a Rubicon) , so you can ride it fast if you want to and can get used to the quirks in the handling department. The IRS also gives you better control in rock gardens by keeping the rear tires planted better over irregular terrain.

If a comfortable ride is really important to you then it might be worth looking into the Honda Rincon. I’ve heard that it is the “Cadillac” of the IRS group (however it doesn’t have a front differential lock). I believe the Polaris Sportsman models are also known to have a “softer” ride than the Grizzly. The new Arctic Cat (with the Prairie V-Twin engine) would be worth looking into as well.

My Grizzly has around 1500 hard miles on it and has held up well. The body work is not as durable as the older 600 version but mechanically and performance-wise the 660 model was a major improvement. If you tend to do a lot of slow riding then you may have over heating (gas boiling) issues. Under these circumstances any attempt to apply sudden or full throttle will result in severe engine sputtering. I believe this issue has been addressed in the ’04 models however there are fixes described on the forums (venting the side covers, heat shielding the exhaust pipe and gas tank). I do not experience this issue under normal trail riding conditions, only when mowing or dragging logs for an extended period of time. Also I have not had deep water issues with mine that some have experienced. I’ve had mine in mud / water nearly up to the seat with no problems.

Prairie Pluses:
- less engine vibration
- more stable at speed
- better performance (faster acceleration)
- slides better
- front diff lock engagement mechanism easier to apply under trail conditions
- better rear brake design
- lower center of gravity (better off-camber handling)

Grizzly Pluses:
- a less punishing (smoother) ride on rough terrain
- more comfortable seat
- better handling of rocky situations
- higher ground clearance
- more fuel capacity
- easier starting (Kawasaki & Honda seem to require more warm-up time)
- less engine maintenance (1 less cylinder)
- more durable transmission (less belt issues anyway)
- less prone to over heating due to mud issues (radiator doesn’t seem to clog as easily)

Hope this helps!