Hi, can I am thinking of getting a p 650 but I keep reading that they have a weak clutch. I talked to a dealer that just sold Kawasaki and they said the clutch wasn't a problem. ( I'm not surprised ). I then asked a dealer that sold Kaw, Honda, Yam and Suz about the clutch problem and they said it was the fastest in its class but yes, yes, yes the clutch was a potential problem just go check with our service department. Ok I know this is a great bike but I don't want a bunch of trouble down the road. I know about the shims and the PM you need to perform on the clutch. Could this be why people have trouble because they neglect to do the PM? Somebody please put me at ease about this. Is the trouble brought on by abuse, neglect or is it a problem kaw needs to address. I have to check this out real well before I buy or should I get a different quad. Thanks for your time.

 

We say the same thing each person that asks this.

The "Clutch" is not weak. 2 rules apply with the 650:

1. The belt comes loose from factory, and as a result wears fairly fast (due to best in industry engine torque). Tightening it to the lower end of the spec makes it last longer.
2. The black driven epi spring ($25 and 30 minutes) makes the belt never slip and last longer.


So, is my clutch weak? No. Belt problems? Absolutely not.
My first belt went south very very fast. My second belt is holding up like gangbusters (adjusted tighter and EPI spring). I would have been disatisfied with my 650 if me and the other guys that post here had not figured these things out about the belt.

 

Well said, NYROC. Wish I had known what I know now about tightening the belt when I got my new 650. If I was to buy a new one now, I would install the black spring and set the belt deflection to the minimum tolerance before I ever rode it.

 

I may have said this about the 650 belt more than most everyone else. However, I learned about it from what other people have posted so I can't take credit. At least I know it to be true from experience.

 

nyroc, if the Prairies all come with a loose belt and this black spring you've mentioned makes the clutch work better, why hasn't Kawasaki corrected this from the factory? For the price you have to pay for these machines, you shouldn't have to do anything to them, and I am surprised that Kawasaki wouldn't make sure that the clutch is as good as possible out of the box. They sure don't need a bad rap about the clutch Have you heard what they have done to the 700's clutch to beef it up?

 

I don't know about the 700.

Although Kawasaki deserves many pats on the back for the nice things they have done for us (V2, sealed brakes, diff lock, etc), they have throroughly kicked the customer in the head with the belt and the cdi (unreasonably restrictive performance limiting device). There is a fix coming for the CDI. Dealers have measured a few 650's before selling them and the belt is loose, toward the loose end of the spec. I am not sure why, other than the belt has a possibility of squeaking at idle when it is tight. Mine squeaks at idle, but when I give it gas the squeak stops and I get the most absolutely positive belt engagement imagineable. Never slips, even in the worst situations.

Many dealers are not smart enough to know the solution to the 650 belt, and quite a few 650 owners become dissatisfied. Many dealers don't even care, since they might be able to trade the 650 in and sell another model. The smart ones are the ones that ask us why their 650 belt is sucking, and we all know the reason , and the fix, and we help them out so they can enjoy their 650. I am not happy with kawasaki for this. But for the minimal amount of work it takes to fix it, I am not fired up about it.

But they are smart enough to steer their customers away from a potentially problematic quad. This fact is proof of Kawasaki's belt blunder. The proof of the fix that I described to you comes from the testimony of many forum posts where the authors all claim (as I do) that their belt is lasting a long time adjusted tight and with the black spring. I don't have any collected data to prove what I have said. Most people around here would back up this stuff, but a lot of people hunt and appear to be gone right now.

I post belt maintenance info on my website to help anybody I can. Thanks is all I get for it.

 

I agree with nycro, well said.

The clutch on the p650 is one of the best clutches ever maded. It is a Comet clutch, the same clutch as used on polaris ATV's and snowmobiles. The only difference is our's is a 4 weight clutch, which are only used on the high performance sleds, that are used for drag racing, it is one of the most "tuneable" clutches maded, and capatible of holding a 200 hp sled on ice with over 144 ice picks, it will hold a stock 42 hp p650.

It amazes me that there is not more talk about clutching on these sites, especially from the riders in the north who might race their sleds.

One of the first thing we learned, was as soon as we replaced the stock tires, which were usless, was that the heavier tires, maded our RPM's drop. The manual says that the p650 makes peak HP, 42 hp @ 6500 rpm's. kawasaki put 58 grams weight in the clutches, to get the right RPM's (6500). If we add heavier tires and rims, which adds weight to rotating mass, lowers our RPM's so we are not at peak Hp anymore. The only way to get the RPM's back at our peak Horse Power is to lighten the weights to bring our RPM's back up, by doing this we'll get lost RPM's and speed back.

One of the best investments for a p650 owner who is concerned about preformance, is a tach. Get to a dyno, find out where your peak HP is and clutch for that peak HP. Unfortunately, any tach I know of that is worth having, costs a lot. The tack we use for ATV pulling is a Digtatron Playback Tach. We make a run, look at the RPM's on the play back tach and adjust our clutch weights to get us into our peak HP.

Sorry for rambling on, the Comet clutch is not a weak clutch. if anyone need help clutching, e-mail me, I'll help if I can. Smith@ainop.com. When Bearman's new CDI box comes out, the Peak Hp RPM will change and we'll need to clutch for it.

 

I really do think Kawasaki is fully awaire of the misadjusted belts coming from the factory. Take a look at the different years (2002A, 2002B, and 2003) and they have different shims sizes in the secondary clutch.

 

MONEY.........is the reason Kawasaki won't admit to their short comings. The warranty work would lose them much MONEY.
My take on the P-650 is this: the machine demands some maintenance other than changing the oil. I like to work on my ride, so THIS doesn't bother me. Buy a Honda, if you don't want do any of your own work.
I love mine, and will buy another!

 

Or rebuild the old one. So if you like tinkering you could always do the work on the old prairie.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]