Kawasaki KFX700 V Force - Don't Miss The Point!
#1
09-16-2002, 01:23 PM
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Right now I’m shaking my head and grinning ear to ear. Kawasaki has just announced the arrival of their new KFX700 V Force twin cylinder sport quad. Somehow, while everyone was up in arms over Honda’s failure to announce a new sport quad on September 12, Kawasaki for the most part slipped up behind us and sneak-attacked us with this big, bad, green machine. If I were alone, I’d let go with a Bo Duke “Yeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaa!” at the top of my lungs. Thank you, Kawasaki!
I’m shaking my head though because already some have missed the point. The nit picking has started. The grumble games have begun. Here we go again.
“My goodness, that thang’s got shaft drive!” “What? No gears to shift? Huh? You serious?” “Lord have mercy, there’s a sealed disc brake back thar!” “Crap! Thar’s them Raptor headlights again!” “Dadgummit, what a waste of metal and plastic – they didn’t build what I wanted ‘em to build!”
The fact is, Kawasaki didn’t have to build anything. They could have floated along clinging to the Z400 / KFX400 raft and continued celebrating the runaway success of their Prairie 650. They could have said “Well, we gave y’all that new Prairie 360. What else did ya’ll want?” But they didn’t.
The new KFX700 sport quad is, like it or not, just what the doctor ordered. (Well, doctors, lawyers, office managers, telemarketers, sewage workers….ATV enthusiasts from all backgrounds.) This very well may become the ultimate fun quad. Think about it. People are gonna have a blast on this quad. No shifting, no chain wear to worry about, just get on it and let ‘er rip.
Face the facts. Not all of us race. Not everyone rides MX. Not everyone flies high like Dana Creech. Not everyone takes racing as seriously as Tim Farr or Jeremiah Jones. Most of us just ride for fun.
The KFX700 is aimed squarely at all those folks that looked at the Prairie 650 and said “Boy, that’d make a fun quad to play on if I did this and did that and removed the racks.” Already, the Prairie 650 is establishing itself as not only an awesome utility machine, but also a potentially effective dune and cross-country racer in modified form. The idea of a mega-motor in a sporty chassis wakes up the Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor in all of us. MMmmmm…. more power!
Not all sport quads need to be pure racers at heart. Somewhere between purebred racers and utility machines there is a market for machines that combine the most desirable attributes of both. This has already been proved with the highly successful Honda 250EX. Even before the 250EX, there was the Suzuki LT230E in the mid-eighties. This was essentially a 230 Quadsport with shaft drive. And don’t forget the Honda ATC250SX three-wheeler. All three of these machines were (or are) highly successful sellers because they provided a bridge between those machines that could provide the convenience, reliability, and relatively low maintenance of a utility machine and the better suspension and sporty nature of their faster brethren.
And don’t forget Polaris. Polaris also recognized this niche and produced machines that fit the bill. Although they were criticized for years for not producing a diehard racer (which they now have), thousands of consumers are still having a blast on their machines, which feature auto trannies and sport machine suspension. The biggest fault of Polaris machines was their inability to provide the level of finish and reliability that consumers have come to expect of other brands.
Think of the KFX700 not as Kawasaki’s idea of the ultimate dune machine or a misdirected attempt at an open class MX racer. Rather, think of it as the ultimate let’s-just-go-out-and-have-a-ton-of-fun machine. Auto transmission or not, 700cc’s of twin cylinder power is going to be an absolute blast! And the machine looks good!
For those of us who’ve daydreamed of a big bore, high performance quad that we could ride and just have a blast on without all the high maintenance duties of a race quad, take note. The Quad Gods were paying attention. The Kawasaki KFX700 V Force has arrived.
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!"
I’m shaking my head though because already some have missed the point. The nit picking has started. The grumble games have begun. Here we go again.
“My goodness, that thang’s got shaft drive!” “What? No gears to shift? Huh? You serious?” “Lord have mercy, there’s a sealed disc brake back thar!” “Crap! Thar’s them Raptor headlights again!” “Dadgummit, what a waste of metal and plastic – they didn’t build what I wanted ‘em to build!”
The fact is, Kawasaki didn’t have to build anything. They could have floated along clinging to the Z400 / KFX400 raft and continued celebrating the runaway success of their Prairie 650. They could have said “Well, we gave y’all that new Prairie 360. What else did ya’ll want?” But they didn’t.
The new KFX700 sport quad is, like it or not, just what the doctor ordered. (Well, doctors, lawyers, office managers, telemarketers, sewage workers….ATV enthusiasts from all backgrounds.) This very well may become the ultimate fun quad. Think about it. People are gonna have a blast on this quad. No shifting, no chain wear to worry about, just get on it and let ‘er rip.
Face the facts. Not all of us race. Not everyone rides MX. Not everyone flies high like Dana Creech. Not everyone takes racing as seriously as Tim Farr or Jeremiah Jones. Most of us just ride for fun.
The KFX700 is aimed squarely at all those folks that looked at the Prairie 650 and said “Boy, that’d make a fun quad to play on if I did this and did that and removed the racks.” Already, the Prairie 650 is establishing itself as not only an awesome utility machine, but also a potentially effective dune and cross-country racer in modified form. The idea of a mega-motor in a sporty chassis wakes up the Tim “The Tool Man” Taylor in all of us. MMmmmm…. more power!
Not all sport quads need to be pure racers at heart. Somewhere between purebred racers and utility machines there is a market for machines that combine the most desirable attributes of both. This has already been proved with the highly successful Honda 250EX. Even before the 250EX, there was the Suzuki LT230E in the mid-eighties. This was essentially a 230 Quadsport with shaft drive. And don’t forget the Honda ATC250SX three-wheeler. All three of these machines were (or are) highly successful sellers because they provided a bridge between those machines that could provide the convenience, reliability, and relatively low maintenance of a utility machine and the better suspension and sporty nature of their faster brethren.
And don’t forget Polaris. Polaris also recognized this niche and produced machines that fit the bill. Although they were criticized for years for not producing a diehard racer (which they now have), thousands of consumers are still having a blast on their machines, which feature auto trannies and sport machine suspension. The biggest fault of Polaris machines was their inability to provide the level of finish and reliability that consumers have come to expect of other brands.
Think of the KFX700 not as Kawasaki’s idea of the ultimate dune machine or a misdirected attempt at an open class MX racer. Rather, think of it as the ultimate let’s-just-go-out-and-have-a-ton-of-fun machine. Auto transmission or not, 700cc’s of twin cylinder power is going to be an absolute blast! And the machine looks good!
For those of us who’ve daydreamed of a big bore, high performance quad that we could ride and just have a blast on without all the high maintenance duties of a race quad, take note. The Quad Gods were paying attention. The Kawasaki KFX700 V Force has arrived.
"Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!!!!!!!"
#3
09-16-2002, 01:47 PM
#6
09-16-2002, 02:42 PM
I also agree, I think it has a spot in the market.I rode a Scrambler for a while, and the thought of an even more sporty auto clutch would be cool.I think Kawi will sell alot of machines,who doesnt love more power.Thats why I ride a dale now over the scrambler.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
#7
09-16-2002, 02:59 PM
yeeeeeeeeeeehaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa is right,i lover the idea.and i might be right in line to buy one of these.
and theres always going to be sceptics and do gooders that will talk down the machine,but you don't have to buy it if you don't like
it is probably the most advanced quad to be built today,and whenever some thing radical like this comes along and it isn't they same as what some are already riding then it can't be any good.
this new quad really kicks the llamas a$$.
and theres always going to be sceptics and do gooders that will talk down the machine,but you don't have to buy it if you don't like
it is probably the most advanced quad to be built today,and whenever some thing radical like this comes along and it isn't they same as what some are already riding then it can't be any good.
this new quad really kicks the llamas a$$.
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#8
09-16-2002, 03:07 PM
