I've heard the same thing about IRS machines but it looks like both of the new machines from Kawi & Suzuki will have IRS. I would love to try it out though just to feel the difference for myself but for now I'll stick to my Vinson (single axle).

 

The black spring is stiffer. It holds the pully a lil longer so the RPMs can climb into the torque faster. When you climb a hill it allows the clutch to "back shift" faster and keep you from running out of power at the top of the hill. Its almost like using low and hi range at the same time. The stock spring in the P650 would prolly be great in the 360.

One of the keys to belt life on the kawis is the belt deflection. Add or remove shims as needed.

The 650 and 700 are almost identical in performance and I've seen 650s outperform 700s. (may have been rider input [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] )

A $6400 P700 would be a great way to go.

The only problem I have found on the prairies is they tend to overheat when run at low speeds for a while.

 

We owned 2 - '03 650 Prairies, and we now have 2 '04 Twin Peaks. The TP's are Priaires with Suzuki plastic on them. (they even have kawasaki on the frame) The main difference we've noticed is that the 700s have immediate throttle response, much quicker than our Priaires did. I am sure top end there's probably not too much difference. The ride is smoother, but we haven't mounted the ATRs yet, so that may be the stock tires. (we had ATRs on the 650s too) Keep the belt in adjustment (like everyone has already said) and put the black EPI spring on it. Get some decent tires for it, and you'll be unstoppable. We never once had a problem with over heating. Make sure the radiator is clean, we made sure to clean it after every ride. We also ran some water wetter in it. BTW - we just got back from Montana - the most beautiful country I've seen so far. You're lucky to live there! (Mrs. Q)

 

Well, I went to Billings MT and got my Prairie 700 for $6450 but had to pay an extra $75 to have it re-jetted for the high altitude conditions here in Wyoming. The gear whine is annoying but the machine goes through, or over, anything I point it at. I have just over 100 miles with 16 hours so you can imagine the difficult riding conditions I have here. Yesterday I left my house which is at about 8,000 feet and was cruising around at about 10,000 feet. One thing I find troubling is fuel economy. I'm getting about 10 mpg tops, and I'm hoping it improves as it breaks in. Does anyone have experience with poor mileage on their Prairie?
Thanks, Jerry