I will be purchasing an 03 Prairie 650 at the beginning of the summer and am eager to talk to someone who regurally mounts their Prairie up with paddles and rides the dunes with it. Is it a decent hill climber? Does engaging the 4x4 help in the sand, or does it slow you down? Note that I already own a great quad for the sand and the primary reason I am buying the Prairie is because I want a bike for the muddy winters that Oregon offers. I just want some input about its overall performance on the sand because we do about 30% of our riding on the dunes.

 

a magazine had an article on that a while ago, maybe dirt wheels or atv action, cant remember which one, but it gave good detailed info

 

Rode my 2002 Prairie 650 for 6 days at Glamis CA. Imperial Sand Dunes.

Didn't need paddles. Out ran most ATV's.
Could out run 440 Polaris with 25" paddles
2@ 400 Scramblers with straight and "V" paddles
250R's with paddles
A very few Ban-shee's with paddles
400EX with paddles
the list goes on.

4-wheel drive is great, you go faster with it, just don't use posi-lever in rutted areas. It Hurts !!!

Backed up Oldsmobile Hill in 4x4, easy!
Comp Hill no problem.
China wall very hard.

Little Sahara in OK. ride there a few times a year without paddles. No need for them. With new tires, you can out run, or stay with the pack in the long drag race.

 

Prairietwin,

Did you have the black and red spring in by chance? I'm going to some dunes in a couple of weeks if the weather permits and the people I will be riding with will all have sport quads. I want to show them just what the p650 can do. I have not yet put in the red spring because it is plenty fast enuff out of the hole for me right now! I am wondering if the red spring will make up for any lost power on take off in the sand.

Thanks for any info.!

 

No spring change. It works perfect just like it is with stock tires. Take off is no problem at all.
At OK. dunes I raced my neighbor's three 250R's. One is stock, one is a 265 with pipe and carb. and stuff, third is 310 with everthing($12,000.00) SMOKED ALL OF THEM. The only thing he could do better is run just before I backed up a dune and ran over his 265R.(I have a stiff leg from street bike wreck, can't walk very good or run).

No he could outrun me on top speed after 3/4 of a mile or so, but not even in 300 yds.

The one picture I'm sending you is Imperial sand dunes at Glamis CA. at the top of the dune look real close and thats me on a 650P at Oldsmobile Hill getting a little roost at top after out running a 400 EX and 400 Scrambler both with paddles!!!! Ha ! Ha !
The other pictures are OK smoking 250R's

Your pressure will be low enough you won't need different spring. But if you want use black only, you don't need all the stall. The Prairie floats across sand. Only at tops will you need extra gas of 4- wheel drive. Thats if your scared to blast the dune tops!!
GOOD-LUCK !! Send me your e-mail for pics.

 

Thanks for the imput, I feel much more confident that my new prairie will double nicely as a sport/utility winter bike, and as a summer sand terror! I still can't help but wonder if maybe a very non aggressive set of rear paddles (five or six lug) will make the prairie go even better on the sand. Mid summer after I graduate from college and the cash flows start going the other way, I will put my money where my mouth is and tell you how it does! I was going to buy the prairie sooner, but the wife said she did not want us to have two four-wheeler payments a month until I got my engineering degree. My 03 Raptor is not paid for yet. If I am the engineer in the family, maybe I should be making all the financial decisions!

Life is great in Oregon, except for the rain