Since the Prairie 700 is a straight axle and has lower ground clearance, is it at a significant disadvantage as a mudder compared to other IRS quads??? How about with some mudlites or 589's??? Please lets not get into brand bashing or IRS vs staright axle debate here. I would just like to hear some real experiences and what they have been.

 

I have owned V-Twin Kaws for almost 2 years. I ride some of the nastiest muddy, mountainous areas east of the Miss. river. I am very rarely stuck. These bikes kick butt, IMO. I ride Wayne Nat'l. Forest in S. Ohio, and Hatfield-McCoy Trails in SW WVa.

 

most other bikes dont have the diff lock so this gives it a huge advantage. I i ride with a 660 grizz and go through anything he does(gizz has diff lock and irs). If comfort is your thing, go with the grizz. If you want somthin with a little sportier feel and a little faster in a drag race, go with the prairie. In my opinion these are the best bikes in their class. Its a toss up between the two depending on your riding style.

 

I ride with a friends that have Sportsman 700 and a Rincon 650 we all have 26" Mudlites. When the ruts are real deep I do get hung up more compared to them but not really stuck just need to use more muscle and body english than them at times, which does get tiring after a few mud holes. The Prairie will mud with the best of them, from what I see the IRS is better at mudding in the extreme situations only.

 

The Prairie 700's strait axel is not a significant disadvantage but a disadvantage non the less but, it will more than make up for that in sheer power and the ability to turn the tires very fast to power you through the realy thick stuff. It also has the diff lock front end. Both are great bikes and I have them both but since I bought the Prairie I no longer ride the Grizz witch is also for sale. Just my 2 cents.

 

I have a P700, my Step brother has a P700, my brother has a P650... but we ride with all sorts of bikes, including 660 griz, 700 sports, Kodiaks, I haven't found a situation where my P700 can't stay with the rest, and I'm on stock POS tires! In fact, there have been a few situations where us Prairies where the only ones to make itthrough some nasty mud/rock hills. With the skid protection on the P700, I just slide, or wheelie over any object, or plow through trees no problem! As others have said, with the Diff lock, and sheer power, the Prairie is a tough act to beat for all around bike....

One trick I've found is with crappy soupy mud, I put my P700 in high gear, and as soon as I roll towards the mud hole at about 5mph, then as soon as my front tires hit it, I pin the throttle, and she skates right over it!!! Makes a hell-ova mess, but it's a blast!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

I have a 700 prairie with 26" ITM 589 MS tires and a 2" lift. I usually have no problem going where the IRS quads go. I ride in some extreme muddy stuff and when it gets real bad, the locker along with the torque and power get me through. I have been stuck when I get high centered and could not rock from side to side to get traction where the IRS quads can sometimes go through, but these are thigh deep ruts and some of the IRS (stock versions) get stuck as well. But over-all, the prairies rock weather mudding, racing, trail riding or utility work. But it is a fact that the best mudding suspensions are the IRS quads.

 

hey i have a bone stock kawasaki prairie original tires and all the last mud hole i went through was 26 inches deep. Without the diflock on and it went strait through it

 

I think the solid axle is at a disadvantage, even though slight, with all else being equal. That extra couple inches of ground clearance could mean the differance between pulling some body out or being pulled out.

 

One advantage an IRS quad has is if it gets high centered, the wheels will drop lower as far as the shock will allow, thus touching the bottom in some situations. I now also have a new BF70 with 27" mudlites and have witnessed this myself. But, the prairie 700 is probably the best all around utility quad ever made, although I love my BF750.