Nyroc......do you know if the 03 650 is diff than the 02? What I mean is did they change anything with the belt drive that should have fixed the problems they were having with the 02's?I am sure the choke cable has been corrected but have not seen anything dealing with the belt.I have a 2000 kodiak with about 1000 miles and had not had one sec of trouble with the belt.It is my understanding Yamaha and Suzuki use a diff set up.I think their belt is turning all the time and the one on the Kawasaki is not??
2000 Kodiak
1998 Wolverine

 

The reason I want to ge rid of my 500i is because its gutless, it likes to break rear axles and the overall fit and finish is not all that good. I wanta solid axle for reliability, I broke two axles on my 500i. I want power to spin my outlaws, not just turn them. The overall fit and finish of the quad is not all that good, its about Polaris quality. I wish I looked at the Kawi before I bought this thing.

 

kodiac1 the Kodiak belt does not turn all the time either. bbertram I thought the AC was more reliable than that.

 

All my friends have problems with their Arctic Cats, they bought the 400i's. Starter problems, electrical problems and power problems. The ride is so smooth but at the expense of reliability when you slap on big heavy tires. On the Highlifter forum there is talk about people snapping axles too, so I'm not the only person to do it. Infact Polaris might have better reliability in the end. Arctic Cat should stick to sleds.

 

bbertram,

I must admit 4 hours is a long distance to travel for parts and maintence... How mechanically inclined are you? (I have had no problems with my prairie and don't anticipate any other than a belt adjustment every now and then...) If you check out Nyrocs site you can learn how to do the maintance... but again these are not polaris machines and don't really need a whole lot of maintence

I think the biggest obstacle is not the distance but if you buy the suzuki you'll always have the kawi in the back of your mind....and the "what if" question.... if you can live with that then buy the suzuki

 

I wish people with vinsons would step up to the plate and give me their opinions. The locker issue I can get by, because I can always add a locker to the front diff on the Vinson. The power thing though, will I have enough power to spin my 26x10 and 26x12 outlaws? I mean spin not turn, those are two totally different things. Currently my cat will not spin my outlaws just turn them. How does the Praire handle big tires? Will it spin them easily with the locker engaged? I have heard of the front left axle shaft popping out of the P650s with big tires. Why does this happen? Should I avoid the '02s? I would like to buy a used one from the dealership instead of brand new, so it would be the same money as a new Vinson. So many questions but I have lots of time to decide.

 

I was looking at the Vinson when I bought my 650. Take a look at the CV joints/boots, radiator, wiring, on the Vinson. It is all very exposed. Which is going to leave you stranded first a bad belt or a stick through your radiator?

 

The people with Vinsons aren't going to reply because they're sitting ther wishing they bought a 650. I've got over 700 miles of hard fast riding in the mud, dirt, water, you name it on my 650. I've had it to the dealer once to have the belt adjusted (warranty work) and have done routine maintenance myself as well as all mods. This bike runs flawlessly and seems to just keep gaining power the harder I ride it. I rode with a buddy on an 02 Vinson last weekend and I wasn't impressed. I don't know what changes have been made for 03 but they had a long way to go from the 02. By the time you make the mods you'll need to bring the engine performance even close to the stock 650 you could've bought a 650. These things are beasts right out of the showroom however I do recommend an upgrade on the tires immediately. They will handle large tires very nicely. The warranty is only 6 months anyway. I rarely take mine back to the dealer after the warranty runs out. Surely you can find someone closer that knows how to work on ATVs.

Just food for thought - sorry for being so long winded.

 

I did the same thing chainman did. The Vinson is very exposed. I didnt like it at all. I can honestly say I would buy a Polaris than a Suzuki. That pretty drastic.

 

OK, I can't take this Vinson bashing anymore, LOL!!. I had a Vinson and thought it was a great machine. I had a family matter that came about, so the Vinnie had to go. But I can tell you that I rode a Prairie 650 before buying the Vinson. The Prairie has incredible power. But in comparison, the Vinson isn't that far off. The clutch has a very early engagement so the take off is as smooth as the Honda Rubicon (I've ridden one of these also). But the power builds strong up to about 52 mph then works it's way up to an indicated 62 mph top end (verified on a GPS also). The Prairie tops at 65 I believe. The Vinson is a great slider too. I've gone around corners at 30 mph, broke the rear end loose and spun a 360 on soft dirt. It didn't HI-SIDE at all. Another thing that I've noticed about the Vinson is that because of the auto tranny in the '02's, it doesn't like to loft the front very easy. The '03 manual won't have this problem. Not to mention the extra power they gave it. As far as jumping the Vinson? It's a very flat, level flying machine. The weight distribution is very good. The only gripe I have is that the stock tires on both the Vinson and Prairie aren't fit for a tricycle. TERRIBLE TRACTION. I added a set of stock size Kenda Bearclaws which worked out well. Would I buy another Vinson, absolutely. If I were to buy an auto, I would look for a clutch kit. Otherwise I would opt for the manual. I forgot to mention the ease of steering on the Vinson. If you chose this machine, be very careful NOT TO TURN TOO FAST. The steering is the lightest in the industry. When I rode the Prairie, I took the handle bars in the guts. Partially my fault, but the bar taper didn't fit me right either. If I had a choice between the two, I would take the Vinson. But I would love to have it with the Prairie motor. HINT HINT SUZUKI!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!