HI I Need help choosing between honda foreman 450 s and prairie 400 4x4. Im going to be using this for recreation , like racing around my property and trails, and for hunting.
Im looking for something with low maintainance and reliability. Price is not really that big of an issue. Im getting around 6500 with tax included for either. Another option is the kawasaki 300 4x4 as well. Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks
Andrew

 

Andrew,
Kawasaki is coming out with a Prarie 360! It's the little brother to the 650 with all the same features. (Locking front differental and so on) You owe it to yourself to check it out. It will obsolete the Prarie 300 and 400. Also they claim it is built to compete with all the 400's on the market. We will only know this once the comparisons are done in the magazines. Price to be $5500
Good Luck in what ever you choose!

 

My dealer sells the 400 4x4 prarie for @ $5600 and the 360 goes for $5250 out the door.
As far as what the other thread said about the 400 needing more power and feeling like it weighs a ton. I must need to ride more different quads because my 99 400 rides smoooooth and has all the power I need. It was one of the original sport/utes when it came out in 97.
What I don't get is that you are deciding between the 450s and the prarie, it seems like the 450es would be in the same catagory because of the full floor boards and near auto shift.

If they were priced the same I would go with the honda because of it's 2wd/4wd option.

The 360 looks like a great quad, but since your spending $6500, why not get the 650??
You need to do a little more shopping around. There are plenty of people on the message boards paying less than $6500 for a 650 out the door. My dealers price is advertised at $6400 out the door.

 

I have one of the original 97 models and it has well over 11,000 miles now. It has been a good quad. However it is full time and the 450 is selectable. I would recommend a test ride if possible to determine. The only problem my 400 ever had is that in cold climate it was rought to start but the dealer installed a carb heater kit and it works perfectly now. The prairie convinced me so much I bought the 650 because of the 400's reliablility.

 

The '02 450-S sells for $5200-5400 in central OH., PLUS tax, of course. It is a good ute. bike. Don't know Kodiak prices. The Kodiak has better suspension for fast trail riding, though. Ride'em BOTH, then think about it. That is what I did when I was deciding on a 660 Grizz or 650 Kaw Prairie. I rode BOTH, one right after the other! The Prairie won, in my case. Awesome bike!
OOPS-- Sorry, just realized that you were comparing the 400 Prairie with the 450-S(ES)! NOT a Kodiak and the 450-S(ES)!

 

Are you going to be doing a lot of towing? The prairie 300 and 400 have the exact same chassis just the 400 is liquid cooled. My dealer said you really only need liquid cooled if you are doing a lot of towing. You could also save a lot of money. I bought mine in Feb and when I was looking I looked at the hondas. I thought they were kinda steep in prices compared to what you get. Example a friend of mine bought a honda rancher 2 wheel drive with 5 speed tranny he paid more for it than I did with the prairie 300 4X4 and mine is auto and has a spedometer. The best thing is to go and test drive and figure out what features you personally want. Hope this helps.

 

The Prairie 400 is one of the better riding quads that I have ever been on. This particular one was even a 97. I think it is better in almost all reguards than the 450 (though I don't like automatics), but its lack of engine braking on downhills is enough for me to take the 450 instead.

Now the 360 is something else! I would definitely take that one over a 450S. Too much on the table, and the only thing favoring the 450 is the extra cc's. Can't beat a 350 class quad with a differential locker.

 

Liquid Cooled versus air cooled, I personally like the liquid cooled when your crawling it sort of gives you a piece of mind to know your quad is not overheating and if it may you will get the satisfaction of a light to let you know. Don't get me wrong now air cooled quads crawl and handle low speeds just as efficient but I like the idea of having a hey dummy I'm overheating light.