PrairieDust: Thanks for the information on these wear pucks. I have not experience this yet, but will keep it in mind. Thanks again for the headsup.........MJSTX

 

Mudseeker, how many kilometers did you have on it when they replaced the wheel bearings?
Seems kinds soon to have them replaced.

 

I have 900 km on it. The bearings didn't seem bad but I was getting a shutter in my front end when I would put alot of strain on it spinning. My dealer called Kawasaki tech and they told them a few Prairies had loose bearings that could could cause this so they replaced them just to be on the safe side. I haven't had a chance to try it since so I don't know if it made a difference.

 

I don't understand what everyone is talking about "re-shimming" the drive pulley, I watched them do mine they didn't re-shim anything.They took the rear pulley off, took what looked like a washer out of the middle of it and reinstalled it,the belt and cover. No noise at all now, the just took a shim out of mine, but didn't put another in it's place.

 

Does anyone know of a aftermarket belt for the 650? My belt is on the way out, after only 1000 km and I would perfer to go with a belt with a longer life expectancy.

 

Well, I just returned from the Kawa dealer after having my belt replaced under warranty at 18 hours/87 miles total on the machine. It had developed a loud belt squeal when starting from a standstill. After keeping it for 8 days the dealer said the original belt was "trashed", but they had no idea what had caused it. I sure hope this doesn't become a recurring problem.

 

Hey, Bearman,
Glad to get your input on my belt problem and sand Dunes postings. I had planned on trying to get your attention with my posts and glad I did. Sorry to hear your wife is having similiar problems with her 650. Seems to me that it is a pretty widespread problem and hopefully, Kawa will recognize the problem and do something to fix it. At this point in time, I am not about to buy anything that Kawa makes until they fess up to the problem and fix it. And if that does not happen pretty soon, my 650 is going to be history and I will have something else.

I plan to write a long letter to Kawa as soon as I can find time. We got back home from Arizona 15 March. Worked several days getting caught up on my paper work and doing income tax and then on 29 March, my son was badly injured in a motorcycle accident and had been airlifted to a hospital in Wichita Kansas and I went up there and came home yesterday. He is still in the hospital and is recovering and will be ok in a couple of months. Had pretty severe chest and lung injuries.

Yes, we are planning on making Richfield again this year. Have not yet registered but have our packet. GeeBee

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Hi GeeBee
I am very sorry to hear of you'r Sons accident, We will say a prayer for him. The wifes 650 ran for 10 hours and the belt is grinding and howling yet again! If they don't have a fix soon I hear Yamaha is coming out with a replacement for the Wolverine and the 650 will be down the road. We have already signed up for the Jamboree, hope to see you there
Bearman

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]Hi Bearman,
Appreciate your prayers for my son. He will be going home tomorrow.
If you haven't already, call Kawa and complain about the belt problem. I would also encourage any other 650 owners that are having similiar problems to also call Kawa. The more of us that complain, the more likely Kawa is to come up with a permanent fix for this problem.

I also plan to write a letter to the National Transportation Safety Board and try to convince them that this is a safety concern, i.e.,if the belt was to break or fray due to slippage, it could cause a wheel lock-up and a potential for serious injury or death. Kawa recalled 1999 and 2000 Prairie 400's and Prairie 300's 4x4's for potential belt problems. My Prairie 400 was one of those.

If there are any you that are considering buying a 650 or the new 360, you might want to give it some serious thought. The belt/converter is the same in both models. There are too many good comparable ATV's out there to take a chance on getting the belt problems we are having and Kawa sticking their head in the sand on this problem. One Kawa customer service rep told me that the problem was not "statistically important" as they had had only a few complaints and did not consider it a problem!!!

GeeBee

 

34 hours/141 miles,
getting a houling sound when I take off from dead stop. I assume this is the beginning of a failing belt! Has anyone changed the belt or adjusted the belt themselves? Bought a service manual few days ago and it seems rather easy, but speeks of a few "special tools required"! Wondering where a fella could acquire such special tools , or can an alternate tool be used? Thanks for any input provided



P.S. How may a person contact Kawasaki to complain about believed defects?