I'M DOWN TO THESE 2 QUADS. I KNOW THEY ARE BOTH GOOD QUADS I CAN'T SEEM TO DECIDE WICH
ONE TO BUY. I BOUGHT A RUBICON FOR MY WIFE SHE IS VERY HAPPY WITH IT BUT NOW IT'S MY TURN.
IS THE 650P A GOOD RELIABLE MACHINE WITH LITTLE MAINTENANCE.I KNOW DOESN'T HAVE MUCH GROUND CLEARANCE AND NO IRS BUT IS STILL A COMFORTABLE TRAIL MACHINE. CAN IT CLIMB OVER ROCKS OR LOGS WITHOUT GETTING SNAGED. ANY CHANGES FOR 2004. ANY PROBLEMS I SHOULD EXPECT FROM EITHER ONE. I NEED TO MAKE A DECISION BY THIS WEEKEND. THE GRIZ IS MEAN LOOKING . THE DEALERS HERE I LIVE DON'T HAVE ANY DEMOS FOR TO TEST. THAT'S A !@%$# OFF. COME ON FELLOW QUADDERS I NEED YOUR HONEST HELP.
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If your looking for a plush ride and don't ride too aggessive then go with the grizz. If you like kick in the pants power and sharp handling, go with the prairie. Prairie has belt life problems if not adjusted properly, nyroc has suggestions on his site to help this. A friend of ours has a new grizz. and has broken three front axles already. My point is that you may have problems no matter what you buy, no one can quarentee trouble free machines, if a dealer trys to feed you that crap look somewhere else. Pick a machine that appeals to you and suits your way of riding, then enjoy. There has been some talk of the 2004 Prairie being a 700 but that hasn't been comfirmed yet as far as I know.

 

Lack of ground clearance and no IRS are excuses that Grizzly owners use to justify their misspent dollars.

Actually, I get to ride them both, and they are both fine machines. My buddy bought the Grizz and I bought the Prairie. He uses his to haul stuff, pull a trailer, and the occasional trail ride. It's great for that, plus the LE Platinum color and aggressive looks make it look cool as he##!!

I however, like to slide sideways out of every turn roost all over him as I fly by! I tend to ride much more agressively than him, and the Prairie suits this riding style better. Both machines have similar power and top speed when stock, with the Prairie having a slight edge. But you start unlocking the power that Kawasaki hid from us, this machine turns into a beast!

Try to find a way to ride them both. Keep reading these forums, and make your decision based on your own experience and riding style. Good luck with which ever quad you choose.

 

BrianT,

We are not making excuses for the Grizzly. The Grizzly is awesome for its intended purpose, so is the Prarie. The intended purposes are different though. The Grizzly is definetly more of a work machine, with the Prarie being closer to a sport machine. Hope this helps you make your decision. It really depends on how you will use it!!!

 

Tazzmaina, I got to test drive both side by side. It depends on your preference. the power of the 650 was the biggest deciding factor.

However, I can't stand to ride the 660. The susp is soo mushy for me and it leans too much. The engine vibrates a lot and Doesn have near the low rpm grunt the 650 has. Some griz owners (my friend) have wished for more more big tire turing power, and they get it from their spring kits.

I prefer the grab on the fly diff lock on the prairie. you have to stop on the griz to lock the diff lock. There is no reverse override. When my friend gets stuck really bad, and decides to back out, he can't get any power out due to the lack of a reverse override. The griz diff lock can be left on without holding it with your hand, which is a neat plus.

Griz looks cooler, but I can really see how cool it looks while I am on it.

I would have liked the griz more if it weren't for the handling and the overly soft seat. The rincon handles better. I can't stand to use body english on a soft seat like th 660 seat. Big tank gets in the way of me leaning forward. The griz holds a lot more trail debris every time I go riding with my griz friend. The trailer hitch is in a bad spot, hard to hook and unhook.

The 650 belt can wear out faster if you don't put a $25 spring in and keep the belt tight. If you do these 2 things, your 650 belt will last a very long time and preform extremely well.

The 650 has way better brakes. The dual piston fronts stop you better and the sealed rear (waterproof, iceproof) is great too.

The engine brake on the 660 is a bit quieter, you can't hear it. The engine brake on the 650, is still quite effective even going super slow.

The grizlies do need to have their valves adjusted more. They also have weak floorboard supports that crack. There is a fix for that. A large quantity of them have been having gas boil in their fuel tanks due to excessive heat build up above the engine. Doesn't happen to every one. There is a fix for that. They might have fixed this in the 03 model. I hafta check.

I recommend the 650, more. But if you are more of an easy does it rider, or ride where there are severe ruts get the 660.

 

you need to check out the polaris 600 twin.

 

Both are good machines I would still pick the 650 over the 660 but that's me. You don't need to worry about getting snaged, the 650 is very comfortable and the 2004 I hear is getting a 700 engine (however I really feel that you don't need the 700). If looks mean anything to you, (which it doesn't to me) I would go camo 650. The maintance on the 650 now is good with a little work on the clutch to the black spring etc... I don't think you will be dissapointed by the 650.

 

I HEARD FROM A VERY RELIABLE SOURCE THAT KAWI IS COMMING OUT WITH A 800 VTWIN FOR 2004. LATER ALL

 

PLus...How can you beat the sound the 650 makes???? YOU CANT!!!!!

 

Taz,
I don't know about the grizz but the prairie can go over 2foot logs no problem. I usualy ride with IRS polarises and they high center on logs that the prairie hops/slides right over.