I went down to my local Suzuki, Kawi, Honda.... dealer yesterday to go look at the Vinson because thats what i was looking at buying. I asked him about speed, acceleration, handling, and such and he told me the Vinson was extremely sluggish compared to my 1998 Sportsman 500. He told me i would be very dissapointed with the Vinson's acceleration and top end. He thought it was one of the slowest ATV's out there and it had about the same speed as the Rubicon. I was very suprised but i trust this guy because he was one of the owners and he could have sold me any atv there and he wouldnt have really cared which one i picked. He told me that if i wanted something with a little more speed and acceleration than i should go with the Prarie 650. I knew the 650 was fast but i thought the Vinson had almost the same performance. The only problem i have is that the Prarie only comes in auto and it is 1000 more than the vinson. I can get the vinson for 4999 and the praire 650 for 5999. I dont know if the extra grand is worth it and i would like some input on which one you think is faster. I would also like to know what the Vinson owners think about its performace compared to the Polaris 500 or the Prarie 650.

 

THe bitterness of sluggish performace will remain long after the sweetness of low price has been forgotten


You are not "spending" an extra $1000 .... you are "investing it" ... you will get it back when you sell some
year in the future.

Just my Opinon [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Well I have the Vinson auto , no sluggish performance here. I was also looking at p 650, but of the 4 dealers I went to for test rides EVERY belt squeaked, or the bike hesitated and then moved. All the dealers were like, black spring what? belt deflection? that is normal for a prairie. There is no doubt that the prairie is much quickerall around, but I feel the Vinson is a little better made. Both bikes have there good and bad points and what I learned from buying mine is whatever you have you will love it! Riding is what is important no matter what you have.

 

I have owned an auto Vinson and can tell you that they are NOT sluggish. The accelleration is similar to the Prairie, but not quite as brutal. The Vinson is a fast machine to 50 mph and then takes a little time to get to the top end (62 mph GPS verified).

The steering is the lightest on the market.

As far as ride, the Vinson is the best out there for a solid axle machine.

The tranny only comes in 2nd to the smoothness of the Rubicon. But it will walk away from any other 500 out there. If not, then there is something not set up right in the carb.

Considering the fact your dealer has told you that they are sluggish, he apparently has some "beef" about Suzuki.

Ultimately, the choice is yours and what machine fits you right. But for a dealer to tell you that this or that machine is the one you need, would tend to drive my business away.

Ride them all. Go to different dealers and ride the same machines if you can. Your not committed to buying from this one dealer. It pays to shop around.

 

hey! ihave riden them both and they dont really compare in performance(thats my opinion)but I think they are both well made.I like the way the prairie is layed out,where the gas tank is the air box etc.they are both pretty much made by the same people.suzuki and kawasaki share allot of ideas.I personally bought the prairie, but thats what I thought felt better on the trails and jumps .it plows very good and I havent had any problems with the tranny or belt.I put in the black spring right away and havent had any squells or anything.but I really like the vinson too.I would say that dealer either makes more on prairie sales or has too many of themand wants to sell some of them,or something similar to that.when I bought mine the dealer was pretty honest and told me right away, if you want a workhorse buy the vinson if you want a fun fast atv that can work when you want it to, buy the prairie.ride them all before picking they all are very similar but very different if that makes any sence.

 

Hey thanks everyone for your input, by the way LEP7MM the reason i want to buy from this dealer is because he has the lowest prices in my region, by hundreds and hundreds of dollars. I still dont know which one i will get though, but when i go on monday it will just be an impulse decision i guess.

 

I dont buy from any dealer that tells me crap like the vinson is sluggish. My buddy on his H.O. doesnt stand a chance. I just have trouble with acceleration, cause the tires are crap and just spin.
I love my machine, it was between it and the 650, but I got my auto for 5200, so I had to pick it up.
the 650 was gonna run over 6k. The vinson is as fast as i need, and goes anywhere I have wanted it to go.
I think the dealer is just trying to make a little more money on the deal.

 

Bottom line here ..... there is not ANY 500 cc 4x4 out there that is going to run with the P650.


I had a Polaris 500HO (piped/jeted/clutch kit) before the P650. The P650 will get to 40 mph and stop in less
distance than it took the 500HO to get to 40 mph.

 

VForcer,

I am guessing that your reply was in response to my post about the accelleration of the Vinson. I had no intentions of sounding like the Vinson will run with a Prairie. I did say that the acelleration was similar, but not as brutal.

There is no ute out there that will run with a Prairie. The Vinson's power comes on solid and consistant, up to about 50 mph.

Sorry for any misunderstanding.

 

First let me say that if you go with either machine you picked a winner...congrats.

The Vinson is a good machine with top notch performance in all areas (handling, power, well built) for the CC displacement. That 500 will take you practically any place a big utility can go...and if price is a high priority, vinson is the way to go...riding is no fun if you cant buy gas or the trailer to get it around. Vinsons performance is as good if not better then any 500 out there...500 HO could be faster as i have never rode or ridden with one in our pack.

The prairie 650 however has broke several mods in the sport utility class just like the V-Force is doing in the sports quad group.

- The design provides ground clearance with a lower center of gravity ... lower then any big bore ute. Lower center of gravity is a great advantage in off-camber rough stuff, climbing and helping eliminate body roll when cornering fast on trails. This is done by moving the gas tank under the seat (lower) and back...providing a better front/back weight distribution as well.

- The V-Twin...what can you say...the power plant from...well you know already. Spring, snorkel, Nyrocs Muffler Mod, jetting, and a twin air filter and you have even increased on the performance and spent about $100. Now the progressive springs and tires are a worthwild upgrades that is a bit more pricey. Everyone knows about the power plant so i will not dwell on it.

- Brakes...best in the ute class...wet sealed for the type of riding it was meant to be...stops that wicked power plant nicely

- Front differential locker...you four wheel alot or mud and this comes in extremely handy

- KBC (engine breaking). I had mine on a hill that everyone was practially scared to even go up...the P650 went up it and then on the way down i slapped it into 4-low and she crawled down so slow i thought i stopped a couple of times...did not use the break or gas once...actually my brother figured this out on another hill he took with it and told me...so i had to go bigger and better.

The prairie is worth the extra dollars...but economics should play into ... friend bought his wife a P650 and she goes 2 times a year and never over 40...alot of cash for a need that could have been settled with a Eiger. Ride them and see which one you like...if you like trailing and not one to dwell or use the power the prairie has, then get the Vinson...again, expecially if money is a factor...tires, tweaks and other additionals can add to the over price too...almost all stock tires stink...Vinson is a monster in its own right...its just team grean is on a roll...test ride them until your sure...its outstanding to have these types of choices isnt it...great time to be into Atving

On another note...look for kawi to come out with a another Ute with a around 500cc engine and a locker...probably not independent suspension as kawi doesnt like the weight they add...also Suk coming out with a big bore with IS and a pretty trick engine (not the kawi V-twin) in its own right...the tech on these bikes will not be shared...around Oct of this year