Does anybody know the date that the Prairie 360 will be out...

 

I guy already test drove one, and this is his post:

"OK, here it is. I tested the Prairie 360 this evening. Price: $4975 + Tax & Registration ($5260 out the door) Ride: Very plush - front(struts) and rear mono shock. The rear is adjustable, the fronts did not appear to be. Oil Filter: Very easy to get at. It was located at the front and center of the engine with nothing in the way when reaching in there to take it off. Engine protection: Steel plates instead of plastic. I like it that way. Just my preference Comfort: Ergonomics when sitting on the quad felt pretty close to my rancher. I was impressed. 4wd switch: It is a rocker switch instead of the push button or slide switch like on the other brands. It is located on top of the handle bar above the throttle lever almost parallel with the ground. It wasn't the easiest to get at with your thumb, like the other brands but it was ok. A light comes on and tells you when you are in 4wd. Shifting on the fly seemed to be OK. The shift from 2wd to 4wd was also very smooth. I couldn't feeling anything when switching between the two. Like the yamaha and new suzuki vinson, 4wd is activated using a servo motor. Differential lock: Worked great. It couldn't be any easier. Just pull a small lever above the left side brake lever and you are in. When done, let go - It is just like the 650 Shifting: This was one of the easiest shifting automatics that I have driven. Shifting was effortless from H to L to R. A big improvement from the Prairie 300/400 or some of the other brands. There was no sticking sensation or rocking required in order to switch gears. Also, there is a reverse over-ride button on machine. This is located on the left side and is accessible using your thumb. The shifter is located on the right side of the gas tank. Steering: Whether I was in 2wd or 4wd, I couldn't tell the difference. Steering seemed easy either way. During this test drive I was pushing 8-9" of fresh snow that fell last night, so the steering might feel different on hard pack - I am not sure on this one. Oil Cooler: The cooling fins for the oil cooling system was located a foot or so back from the front bumper. It is protected with a screen, but did seem a little to close to the front for my preferences. It may be accessible by branches if you were brush busting with it. To see this better, look at the picture on kawasaki's website. Still not too big of a deal. Seat removal: This is accomplished by pulling a looped cable at the back of the quad. Once you pull the cable just lift the back end of the seat and pull backwards. Re-installing the seat was easy also. Just insert the tab on the front of the seat into a slot by the gas tank and push the back down and it clicks in. No storage under the seat. Just the battery and air box. Braking: Disc in Front, sealed oil bathed in rear. Seemed to work well. I was not able to get a feel for the engine braking because there were no steep inclines to test it on - maybe someone else can elaborate on the Kawasaki KEBC system. Power: The engine seemed a little underpowered, but I think I heard this gets better as the belt/engine breaks in - Again I am not an expert at this belt thing, so maybe someone could answer that better. Since there was no speedometer, I couldn't tell what the top speed is. I am guessing 45-50 mph. Handling: The machine handled real well and seemed very stable. I did not get that tipping sensation or nose diving when corning at higher speeds. I will give it an A+ in this department. Miscellaneous other stuff: There was some sort of warning light for the belt, although I am not sure what would cause this light to turn on??? There is a gas gauge on the tank, which is a plus. The belt housing on the right side did not jab into your leg like some of the other brands and the foot brake lever was easily accessible. One thing I was disappointed about was that it did not have a speedometer or tripmeter. It is available as an upgrade for about $150. I am not quite sure why they did this. I would buy the upgrade just so I can keep track of oil change and tune-up intervals + trip mileage so I don't run out of gas!!! This is a quad that I am looking at for my wife. She drove it and also liked it, so I guess that is all that matters in the end. I believe I may end up buying it by the end of February as long as my taxes work out OK this year. Kawasaki is also offering 0 down, 0 interest and no payments until January 2003 also, which makes it an easier buy. If you wait 'til January though, I believe you will be socked with 16% interest so it would probably be a good idea to get it paid off right away. I covered all I could think of. If you have any more questions, let me know."

I am sure the power is adequate. I think he may be wrong about the power a bit, since he is used to the auto clutch models, he may have felt that the lack of jerk meant lack of power.

 

I am not sure where or how this guy got to test one, but from looking at the pictures on Kawasaki's web site it sure looks like there is an analog type speedo on the bars. Atleast from the front it looks like the setup on the old 300. Maybe he tested a pre-production? Or canada unit? Even his price is about $400-500 low if he is saying $4,975 is the msrp? I would think that for the first few months most dealers will TRY to get msrp of $5,499.

 

He posted this from another forum.

He is from wisconsin, other than that I have no info other than he seems legit. He has been talking with his dealer for days, waiting for the 360 shipment.

 

I am the guy from wisconsin that posted the message.

No it does not have a speedo, but one can be ordered as an upgrade is what the dealer told me for about $150.

$5400 is the msrp, but my dealer will sell it to me for $4975. He never sells at MSRP.

My dealer has two of them right now. 1 red and 1 green. I got to test drive it for about 20 minutes out in the snow. I will proabably be picking it up this week.

Joe