650 questions
Jul 16, 2001 | 11:55 AM
#11
Pro Rider
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 201
Likes: 0
From: South Central Illinois, NO where near Chicago, that's not my Illinois
Jeffoxfr
How do the Ruby's compare to the 650? How much faster is the 650 to 40 mph? Is the ride on the 650 as soft as the Ruby? Does the 650 handle the turns better at speed? Which seems to be more stable over bumps at speed? And most important of all, is the real 4x4 of the 650 getting you through stuff the 3 wheel drive of the Ruby can't get through? Or can the 3 wheel drive of the Ruby get through as much as the 650's 4 wheel drive? I'm sure everyone is waiting for this comparison. They'd probably believe you over the magazines.
Well before I start answering all your questions I have to say that I was very impressed with the Rubicon. I was very impressed with the soft ride, great acceleration and the limited slip front end is one of the best I've seen, it really hooks up nice.
Now to answer your questions: 0 - 40 the Rubi feels (and is) really quick but it really don't even come close to the Prairie. A drag race to 40mph (freeze both atv's when one hits 40) and you probably would have around 8-10 bike lead by the 650, just a guess but when the 650 was hitting 40 the Rubi would be hitting 30mph it really is that much quicker.
Which handles the turns the best well, it's not really fair to compare a bike that can run in 2wd to one that stays in 4wd full time. The Prairie is an excellent slider (for a utility quad) and will carve a corner real nicely where as the Rudi will rail with much more body roll.
As for the ride if you like the Rubi's you'll love the Prairies although as I stated earlier the Rubi is smooth and both machines have an impressive ride. Their rides are most likely not as nice as the IRS Sportsman or Griz but if you want to fly around the corners over "normal" (not boulder strune) trails I don't think the IRS models will keep up.
More stable over bumps at speed? One thing that everyone seems to keep over looking on the Prairie is that this thing has an incredibly low center of gravity and at any speed that makes an atv more stable. I've rode down field roads that had some serious wash-outs at very high speeds with the Prairie and even if the thing gets a little off kilter it almost recovers on its own the ultra low center of gravity has turned out to be one of the most surprising features to the Prairie. The bottom line here, advantage Prairie, even if all other things on these two quads were equal the Prairie's COG gets the win for it; the Prairie handles high-speed surprises very well.
Which bike goes through the most mud: I have to tell you that at this question I do have a ton of experience and the advantage is not nearly what you would expect it to be. Honda did an excellent job with the front dif on the Rubicon. If it's a flat short to medium length mud bog both machines are excellent. Where the Prairie has a distinct advantage is if it’s a long or hilly mud run. If it's a long run the Prairie never runs out of tire speed (power) the Rubi does eventually start to loose tire speed and bog down some. Where we ride we have several long river crossings with the bottomless sand in them and the Rubi will not go as far as the Prairie. When you reach that point where you have to start rocking the machine to get it to crawl a little further the Rubi will bog down and start " three wheel driving", with the Prairie you just grab the little lever and keeper nailed. The other spot the Prairie has an advantage is anyplace that puts the bike in a bind the Rubi will 3wd almost immediately, which is not always bad. When this occurs on the Prairie and you grab the little lever you better have a tight grip on things and have eaten your Wheaties that morning. Because the first thing that's going to happen is it's going to try to straighten itself out and that can be bad. The nice thing with the Prairie is you can simple let the lever go to re-align yourself a little then grab it again, once you get the hang of the little lever it's the king of front dif lock and the safest.
I hope my opinion helps and that's just what all this is my opinion/observations.
Ride Safe, All
Prairie 650
How do the Ruby's compare to the 650? How much faster is the 650 to 40 mph? Is the ride on the 650 as soft as the Ruby? Does the 650 handle the turns better at speed? Which seems to be more stable over bumps at speed? And most important of all, is the real 4x4 of the 650 getting you through stuff the 3 wheel drive of the Ruby can't get through? Or can the 3 wheel drive of the Ruby get through as much as the 650's 4 wheel drive? I'm sure everyone is waiting for this comparison. They'd probably believe you over the magazines.
Well before I start answering all your questions I have to say that I was very impressed with the Rubicon. I was very impressed with the soft ride, great acceleration and the limited slip front end is one of the best I've seen, it really hooks up nice.
Now to answer your questions: 0 - 40 the Rubi feels (and is) really quick but it really don't even come close to the Prairie. A drag race to 40mph (freeze both atv's when one hits 40) and you probably would have around 8-10 bike lead by the 650, just a guess but when the 650 was hitting 40 the Rubi would be hitting 30mph it really is that much quicker.
Which handles the turns the best well, it's not really fair to compare a bike that can run in 2wd to one that stays in 4wd full time. The Prairie is an excellent slider (for a utility quad) and will carve a corner real nicely where as the Rudi will rail with much more body roll.
As for the ride if you like the Rubi's you'll love the Prairies although as I stated earlier the Rubi is smooth and both machines have an impressive ride. Their rides are most likely not as nice as the IRS Sportsman or Griz but if you want to fly around the corners over "normal" (not boulder strune) trails I don't think the IRS models will keep up.
More stable over bumps at speed? One thing that everyone seems to keep over looking on the Prairie is that this thing has an incredibly low center of gravity and at any speed that makes an atv more stable. I've rode down field roads that had some serious wash-outs at very high speeds with the Prairie and even if the thing gets a little off kilter it almost recovers on its own the ultra low center of gravity has turned out to be one of the most surprising features to the Prairie. The bottom line here, advantage Prairie, even if all other things on these two quads were equal the Prairie's COG gets the win for it; the Prairie handles high-speed surprises very well.
Which bike goes through the most mud: I have to tell you that at this question I do have a ton of experience and the advantage is not nearly what you would expect it to be. Honda did an excellent job with the front dif on the Rubicon. If it's a flat short to medium length mud bog both machines are excellent. Where the Prairie has a distinct advantage is if it’s a long or hilly mud run. If it's a long run the Prairie never runs out of tire speed (power) the Rubi does eventually start to loose tire speed and bog down some. Where we ride we have several long river crossings with the bottomless sand in them and the Rubi will not go as far as the Prairie. When you reach that point where you have to start rocking the machine to get it to crawl a little further the Rubi will bog down and start " three wheel driving", with the Prairie you just grab the little lever and keeper nailed. The other spot the Prairie has an advantage is anyplace that puts the bike in a bind the Rubi will 3wd almost immediately, which is not always bad. When this occurs on the Prairie and you grab the little lever you better have a tight grip on things and have eaten your Wheaties that morning. Because the first thing that's going to happen is it's going to try to straighten itself out and that can be bad. The nice thing with the Prairie is you can simple let the lever go to re-align yourself a little then grab it again, once you get the hang of the little lever it's the king of front dif lock and the safest.
I hope my opinion helps and that's just what all this is my opinion/observations.
Ride Safe, All
Prairie 650
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