Good Looking Machine! (And the 4-wheeler ain't bad either.)

I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but you are going to learn to hate those freakin' Dunlop tires. I don't know what kind of riding style you choose to do but they are DANGEROUS at speeds above 20 mph in a turn! Be careful and enjoy the most awsome quad on earth.

 

prairie please elaborate on the dangers, I'm a totally new atv, rider, yesterday i picked up my machine and it was my first ride. I've been taking it slow and trying to get a feel for turning. Not that I plan any high speed powersliding turns by any means, but what should I look out for?

I hear the stock tires suck, and i need a black spring. This has been beaten down my throat =] Anyway, i'm going to try to get as much life out of the stock tires as I can and then upgrade at that time. Even though they suck , I don't know any better at this point. Whats a better all around tire when it comes time to upgrading? I plan on riding predominantly trails, maybe 10% mud/deep stuff at most. some sand, some harder ground, some dirt roads. Some suggested kenda bearclaws I think they're called... Some like mudlites but they sound a little too geared toward mud for my riding preference.

 

I have 2 rat dogs,10lbs b/t the 2 of them.They ride in a flavo-rich milk crate zip tied to the front rack.My big lab mix,Daisy rides on the rear rack.I have piece of plywood that fits tightly onto the rack.And it is covered w/ carpet for her to grip.They love it. 3 tongues hanging in the wind, and 4 if I am hot.Of course riding is restricted to flatter areas and lower speeds.Be careful around areas with little critters.Daisy launches herself at squirrels.

 

Lightman,

The problem is that your new 600+ lb. Prairie will cause the 2-Ply Dunlops to "roll over" on you in a turn. This will make the bike terribly squirrly and could cause loss of control. The best tires for you will depend upon your riding style and terrain, but you will no doubt want at least a 4-ply or probably a 6-ply, both for control as well as for puncture resistance. Good Luck and watch those high speed turns!

DV

 

They are dangorus and flat prone the dam things are to thin to ride home on after a flat and leave you stranded all the time. 5 flats on 8 rides 4 nearley squar rimes. Save your rims and junk the stockers or your gona have to replace the rims as well witch are worth alot more than the Dunflops ( see how the rim sticks out past the stock tire).Fortune shortly after getting the 650 the Dunflops were destroyed trying to ride home on a flat.I made it the tire did not but at that point I would not have fixed it if I could. Welcome Aborad

PS you are right about the pipe but the tires first please.

 

Lightman don't worry about the stock tires.... Bump the air pressure up a bit to help with roll over, and add slime in them to avoid flats.
I ran the stock tires on my Grizzly at 7 psi in the front and 5 psi in the rears, worked great. After listening to everyone say I needed bigger tires I bought TSL Super Swampers. Great tire but not ideal for trail riding. To much hp lost, made the atv to tall and I thought It would get stuck faster with the bigger tires. I ride alot in the sand and snow, the tires will dig in to fast and leave you stuck. If you think you need to change tires I would look at the new hole shots for the big atv's.
Tim

 

I have 4psi front and 5 rear, set from the dealer. Hopefully its ok there. So if I keep the stock rims, is 26" the ideal size? ATR holeshots seem cool, but I hear they are totally worthless in the deep mud or sticky stuff. I want good trail performance and hardpack, but still want the ability to go thru nasty stuff 10% of the time or so...

I did order some tire sealant from highlifter for them, as I did hear they puncture easily. I think the people that are ripping them up so quickly are experienced riders who are hard on their tires and ride hard and fast. I've ridden my prairie twice, and ridden an atv twice, period. Taking it easy for a while..

 

Grizzly,

I hate to disagree with you man, but IMO, you are giving Lightman a bum steer! I don't know anything about the stock Grizzly tires (they may be the same as on the new Prairies), but I personally know three different individuals who purchased new Prairies, and all three had NOTHING but problems with them. One of the three, a surveyor, slowly rode his new Prairie through a soy bean field one day while on the job, and as a result had to plug 15 seperate holes! Every time that he rode recreationally after that, he was having to add air because of slow leaks. Never could get them all stopped, even with "slime" and eventually broke down and bought some real tires. Another buddy "PartsMan2" beat up his rims so bad (as CHAOSIN MONT mentioned) that he had to replace them.

Knowing this, and hearing all the horror stories, when I ordered my new quad, I negotiated with the dealer to have aftermarket wheels and tires installed prior to picking it up. The dealer then has the brand new crappy products to sell to some unsuspecting ignoramous, and it only cost me an additional $250. For the riding that I do, I couldn't be happier with the decision: The tires really hook up in deep mud and snow; are great for fast tracking on hard pack; have a nice "hangover" to protect the wheels; and no roll-over in turns. I'm sure that they are quite a bit heavier than stock, but let's face it: The Prairie, especially with a few mods, has power to spare and then some!

All I'm saying is this: The stock Dunlops are not worth the powder to blow them up and they WILL let you down, and as Mr. Murphy says, it will probably be at the worst possible time. Just my 2cents worth.

Be safe and good luck!

 

Glad they didn't let me down today, I rode 58 miles into the big cypress indian reserve in the everglades....alone..... =] It was killer, 80 miles in all. No complaints so far, but I"ve been taking it easy on them. I know 27 and 28" tires are for mudders etc, but what is better for all around performance including high speeds, 25 or 26?

 

Lightman,

I suppose that would again depend upon the riding that you do. I opted for the 26" BearClaws over the 25" primarily because the rears are substancially wider and afford tremendous bead and wheel protection. Some of narrower trails with rock outcroppings can really chew up wheels in these parts.

Sounds like you are really enjoying your new ride. You might consider a winch if you plan to do a lot of long rides by yourself. Trying to get a 600 pound quad out of a deep mud hole all by yourself can be tuff! (Been there, Done that, Don't want to do it again!)

Be careful,
DV