OK, I'm really going to be honest here, hope no one laughs, before I bought my 650 I had my mind set on the 650 before test riding any of them, the thoughts of that V-twin was more than I could stand, LOL!! When I walked into the showroom the 650 was the first one I saw, the 660 was behind it, I never even looked at it, LOL, I didn't even know it IRS until I found this forum. I love the 650 power and the way it comes on, but somedays I wish I had the 660 IRS, even more so when I ride real rocky trails. The 660 is far from the bottom, over all the 660 and 650 could be first in my book, it just depends on what day it is, when I'm howling down those long dirt roads, I'm in heaven on my 650, then when I'm going down those rutted and rocky trails I think to myself, a 660 would be sweet right about now. I'm planning on keeping my 650 forever, if possible, but I would love to have a 660, the power is very good also. The 700 was nice, but it seem to be missing something, I don't know, it just didn't make a lasting impression on me like the 660 and 650 has. The 700 is a great machine, but not for me, I'm sure people feel the same about the 650.

 

I bought my prairie 650 before the grizz and sportsman 700 were released. Now that I think about it, I probably would have waited before buying the 650 to test ride the 660 and 700, but I didn't know about them. If I was buying a new atv again right now, I probably would get the Prairie 650 anyways. It suits my riding style better. I have no intentions on trading in the 650 for a 660 or 700. However I'm interested in the Honda Rincon. If they add a locker to it and disc brakes all around, then I'll probably trade in my Prairie for it. But as of now, the Prairie 650 fits my riding style best. I'm very satisfied with it.

 

I just completed my 60 miles of "break-in" on my 650. I live in northwestern MN and our snow is melting fast. But just a while ago I figured I can have some real fun now that my Pairie 650 is broken in. I found a pasture of evergreens on a lot in the middle of nowhere. Now most of our snow is melted but there were still thick drifts of snow among the shaded evergreens. I figured on getting stuck but I just had my winch put on and there were trees everywhere so getting out should not be a problem. To my surprise, I never got stuck. The 650 did not miss a beat going over 3 foot packed drifts in 25 foot sections through the trees. Oh sure I shimmied sideways a little, I think the rear solid axle gave away stability as I went to one side or the other. But by throttling the 650 just a tad with the differential locked, I powered right out. I absolutely could not believe I made it through. Then I took a different route and then another. Each one through the deepest, longest stretch of snow. I did not get stuck. I rode similiar patches before in a little Honda 300 and always had to dig out or get off the machine and let it walk out on its own. The only problem is that I may get a false sense of security and really get stuck soon here. But until then, I am going to have fun. The raw power of the 650 is truly awesome.

Daryn

 

One selling point nobody has mentioned here was warranty coverage.I opted for the 3 year extended Kawasaki warranty when I purchased my 650.If the Yamaha or the Polaris have something comparable, the local dealers here did not mention it.(They were also the main reason for me to go with Kawasaki)

The dealer service in my area was what sold me in the end.That's not really saying too much, though, cause I knew more about the 650's features when it came out than my dealer did.They don't mind listening to what I have to think, though.The other guys around here get all holier-than-thou.

 

When I bought my 650, I declined the extended warrantee. I figure if after the inital warrantee period, if something breaks it is either my fault or it would be something that wouldn't be covered. I decided to get ATV insurance instead.

 

Hey Kingmort,

Speaking of dealers not knowing all their own features... I had a Kawi sales rep at the dealership tell me that the 650 DID NOT have liquid cooling. I almost bought the SP700 because of that. Only after looking at the specs did I realize that it actually did have liquid cooling. When I went to the dealer earlier today to buy a helmet, the sales rep pointed me out to a guy looking at a 650. When asked I told the potential buyer a lot of things that the sales rep did not even know about the ATV. I left soon after but I sure hope that buyer buys the 650 so he will not miss out on the fun I am having.

Daryn

 

DUstanko, that is why I don't let the dealers touch my atv. For example, I witnessed the dealer adding rear diff fluid that was not Mobil Fluid to someone else's 650. It was just 80wt gear oil. The salesman that sold me my 650 was an idiot and had to look everything up in is manual. He friggen couldn't even put the seat back on.

 

Dextreme,

I agree. When I do my first service here soon I am going to be very inquizzitive as to what they are doing. I am not a mechanic or nowhere's near one, but there are a lot of smart people in this forum who are educating me. I can about figure out by the forum and by reading whay type of oil goes where. By the way, I did ask a question in another post here in this forum regarding oil. Please give any appropriate info that you see fit. Thanks.

Daryn

 

I realize that over 3 years things will probably happen to my 650 that won't be covered under warranty,but 900 CDN won't go far when you start buying bike parts.If you look at some of the finer things(like the wiring under the seat)it looks a little frail to me.I'm kinda expecting to have electrical problems once my machine starts to get a little older.And I'm imagining the digital speedo and other goodies possibly causing problems.I know its kinda pessimisstic, but I have an uncanny gift for causing mechanical failures.Whether something is covered under a warrranty or not is largely up to how hard the dealer pushes for it.
I could be wrong, it wouldn't be the first time.I'll be sure to let everone know over the long haul as to whether the extended warranty is worth it.

 

I just got a Prairie 650 so I haven't been able to EXTREME test it yet. But I basically eliminated the Polaris based on the weight. I had a SP335 and the only things I did not like about it were, too heavy and not enough power. It weighed 677+ lbs. The SP700 is in the 750 range. That's WAY too heavy, even if it does have gobs of power. The Prairie and Grizzly were my considerations. I like the ergonomics, (There's a 5 dollar word for ya), "honda-like" of the Prairie better and I felt I could ride it faster and better on slow techinical trails than the Grizzly. I agree the Grizz is totally awesome looking, however the stock tires just look WAY too small. I also rode both, just across a parking lot, but the smoothness of the V-twin just made me smile. HA! I have not completed my break-in period yet, but I can't wait to pin that thing and feel the full range of power.
My brother will help me with the drag race question with the 400EX next week. We both weigh about that same and we'll line them up a few times. I expect the 400 to win, but the Prairie feels awful fast, I think it should be fairly close.