Which Utility ATV???
#11
03-11-2002, 09:13 AM
The Prairie 650 is out. Poor utility quad with the lousy front struts and springs. Also the ground clearance is bad. It could never handle a winch and 60" plow up front with it's weak suspension. When plowing snow, ground clearance is very important. That is a real weak spot for the Kawi. Also, after riding a SP500 for several years, you can really appreciate the IRS. The only real + about the Prairie is the engine, but that's all. The rest of the bike is really very mediocre. I'm not impressed.
I have sold both the Sp500 and the 400SS now so I can go out and purchase whatever it I want. Right now the SP700 is out because of its clutching and EBS. It's awful. The Kawi has poor suspension and ground clearance. The Quest, well . . . you have to buy from Mr. Badwrench locally, I won't do that. That leaves the Honda which only has the Ruby right now. That leaves the Grizz, which is not really great in any one category but pretty good overall. The Ruby really is not up to what I want, and the Rinny won't be out until maybe August. So, I'm looking and might wait. I have a line on a silver '02 Grizz with 30 miles that a dealer has as a demo unit he used at an atv rodeo. If he'll part with it for $1000 off I'll spring. Otherwise I may wait until the '03 Grizz and Rincon come out and decide then.
The Polaris 700 would be a good bike but the clutching setup is horrible. Way too high engagement and the EBS is extreme, definitely not my style. From past experience, it will cost close to $1000 to get the Polaris clutching corrected. The best deal on one is $6800 around here + 1000 for clutching, that's 7800 + tax. No way.
The Kawi is going for $6500 at most dealers. What bothers me most about the Kawi is the "only" thing dealers mention is performance. This is a utility quad, if I wanted performance I'd get a DS650 or Raptor. When you talk to them about the Kawi and utility work, they don't have a clue. Two dealers would not recommend putting anything more than a 48" plow on one because of the weight. Heck, it doesn't even come with a trailer hitch. It needs IRS to be competitive with the Polaris, Yamaha and the coming Rincon. That would help ground clearance and the ride comfort. Now if they could fix those front struts and springs . . . too may shortcomings for the Kawi when you really look at these top end utility bikes with an open mind and are not biased as to any one make at all.
I have sold both the Sp500 and the 400SS now so I can go out and purchase whatever it I want. Right now the SP700 is out because of its clutching and EBS. It's awful. The Kawi has poor suspension and ground clearance. The Quest, well . . . you have to buy from Mr. Badwrench locally, I won't do that. That leaves the Honda which only has the Ruby right now. That leaves the Grizz, which is not really great in any one category but pretty good overall. The Ruby really is not up to what I want, and the Rinny won't be out until maybe August. So, I'm looking and might wait. I have a line on a silver '02 Grizz with 30 miles that a dealer has as a demo unit he used at an atv rodeo. If he'll part with it for $1000 off I'll spring. Otherwise I may wait until the '03 Grizz and Rincon come out and decide then.
The Polaris 700 would be a good bike but the clutching setup is horrible. Way too high engagement and the EBS is extreme, definitely not my style. From past experience, it will cost close to $1000 to get the Polaris clutching corrected. The best deal on one is $6800 around here + 1000 for clutching, that's 7800 + tax. No way.
The Kawi is going for $6500 at most dealers. What bothers me most about the Kawi is the "only" thing dealers mention is performance. This is a utility quad, if I wanted performance I'd get a DS650 or Raptor. When you talk to them about the Kawi and utility work, they don't have a clue. Two dealers would not recommend putting anything more than a 48" plow on one because of the weight. Heck, it doesn't even come with a trailer hitch. It needs IRS to be competitive with the Polaris, Yamaha and the coming Rincon. That would help ground clearance and the ride comfort. Now if they could fix those front struts and springs . . . too may shortcomings for the Kawi when you really look at these top end utility bikes with an open mind and are not biased as to any one make at all.
#12
03-11-2002, 01:58 PM
What was wrong with the SP500 for plowing snow? That's the one I'd choose. I had one and it plowed all the snow I ever wanted to push. I have a SP700 now. I keep reading these posts about the EBS being so extreme on the SP700 but I have not found that to be the case with the one I have. Going down a steep incline along side my son's SP500H.O, They will stay side by side. Even though I own a sp700, I wouldn't recommend one for anyone else, not till they get the bugs out anyway. I've only had a coolant leak and a fuel leak so far but it's still a pain in the a$$ taking it back and forth to the dealer. I have pulled some cut up logs out of the woods with it though and it has a ton's of torgue. I've never rode a 660 grizz but everything that I have heard about them has been positive, and you would still have the IRS and plenty of motor. I'd stick with the 500H.O or the 660 grizz but what the he-- do I know. I've made my mistake for the year, but at least I'll admit it.
#13
03-11-2002, 04:42 PM
Honestly, my SP500 was great for plowing snow. The MudRunners helped there also. But so did all the other modifications I did to make it the way it should have been in the first place. I hate stock Polaris clutching and EBS. I had ebs on my SP500 and removed both the drive and driven clutches and replaced with stock Polaris clutches, belt and a roller secondary. Yes even the belt is different on an ebs setup. I changed the drive spring to get the engagement down and then added an adjustable flyweight kit (Thunder Shift kit) to adjust the clutching the way I wanted it to shift out.
The new SP700 I rode had the clutch engagement way too high. Also the stock ebs would almost put you over the bars when getting off the throttle @ 40 mph or so. I also hated having to constantly have my thumb on the throttle, not the slightest bit of free wheeling. I just don't like the feeling it gives me . . . it gives the impression of being in 2nd gear in a standard tranny.
It cost me $730 for a complete drive and driven clutch along with the Aaen roller secondary. The TSK was another $100, then the tach and we are at about $1000 real fast.
I actually went out thinking the SP500 or the Kawi650 would be the two I would be comparing. It turns out that the SP500 eliminated itself with its poor clutching setup. Really, until you drive a low engagement clutch with a roller setup, you will not understand how nice the setup works. The Roller gives you about 60% of the engine braking that ebs does. Much more comfortable to ride. Particularly when plowing or doing utility work, log crawling during hunting season, etc.
Maybe the SP700 I rode was not right, but it sure reminded me of my SP500 when new. I don't know anything about the problems with the SP700 except the rumored coolant leaks from a few people in the forums.
A few people are having vapor lock problems with the Grizz 660. It seems very isolated, some have it, others don't. I personally think it's a fuel problem, but who knows. Our V-Star 1100 has a strange dislike for premium fuel and runs poorly with it. 87 or 89 octane works great in it. Go to premium 93-94 and we get some very weird backfiring, poor mileage and hard starting. A lot to do with the configuration of many of today's gasolines.
Also the Kawi's are know for their clutching problems. The 300's and 400's were very bad, some going out at 300-400 miles on new bikes. One 650 has already done the same that I'm aware of locally. Belt problems, etc. The Kawi has a similar setup as the Polaris except they cost 3X as much for the clutch parts for some reason. Very few parts around the country for them also. I was told this afternoon that a guy had to wait 3 weeks just to get his clutch parts from the dealer.
Every bike has good points but some have some bad points depending on your expected use and style of riding. After looking at all of them, I will have to make some changes to whatever I get to be satisfied.
The new SP700 I rode had the clutch engagement way too high. Also the stock ebs would almost put you over the bars when getting off the throttle @ 40 mph or so. I also hated having to constantly have my thumb on the throttle, not the slightest bit of free wheeling. I just don't like the feeling it gives me . . . it gives the impression of being in 2nd gear in a standard tranny.
It cost me $730 for a complete drive and driven clutch along with the Aaen roller secondary. The TSK was another $100, then the tach and we are at about $1000 real fast.
I actually went out thinking the SP500 or the Kawi650 would be the two I would be comparing. It turns out that the SP500 eliminated itself with its poor clutching setup. Really, until you drive a low engagement clutch with a roller setup, you will not understand how nice the setup works. The Roller gives you about 60% of the engine braking that ebs does. Much more comfortable to ride. Particularly when plowing or doing utility work, log crawling during hunting season, etc.
Maybe the SP700 I rode was not right, but it sure reminded me of my SP500 when new. I don't know anything about the problems with the SP700 except the rumored coolant leaks from a few people in the forums.
A few people are having vapor lock problems with the Grizz 660. It seems very isolated, some have it, others don't. I personally think it's a fuel problem, but who knows. Our V-Star 1100 has a strange dislike for premium fuel and runs poorly with it. 87 or 89 octane works great in it. Go to premium 93-94 and we get some very weird backfiring, poor mileage and hard starting. A lot to do with the configuration of many of today's gasolines.
Also the Kawi's are know for their clutching problems. The 300's and 400's were very bad, some going out at 300-400 miles on new bikes. One 650 has already done the same that I'm aware of locally. Belt problems, etc. The Kawi has a similar setup as the Polaris except they cost 3X as much for the clutch parts for some reason. Very few parts around the country for them also. I was told this afternoon that a guy had to wait 3 weeks just to get his clutch parts from the dealer.
Every bike has good points but some have some bad points depending on your expected use and style of riding. After looking at all of them, I will have to make some changes to whatever I get to be satisfied.
#14
03-14-2002, 09:23 AM
You GOTTA take a look at the 2002 Arctic Cats....You can get a 400 or 500 that will have plenty of power for your needs...The 500 can be had with auto or manual trannys, as well as solid axle (ACT) or independent rear suspension. The AC's have the most ground clearance and wheel travel in their class, and the power is excellent...They are superb utility ATV's that are great for a romp through the woods...I looked at all the above-mentioned brands and selected AC as the best-built ATV's on the market (not to mention American-made and competetively priced)..Good luck with whatever you end up with!![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]
#17
03-16-2002, 09:07 AM
No, my mind is never made up until I buy.
I have been looking, reading and riding all the various utility quands the last month or so. I'm only stating what I have found out over this time by my own personal experience.
For me, a real nice setup would be the Grizz 660 chassis, Kawi engine and a Polaris roller clutch without ebs.
I have been looking, reading and riding all the various utility quands the last month or so. I'm only stating what I have found out over this time by my own personal experience.
For me, a real nice setup would be the Grizz 660 chassis, Kawi engine and a Polaris roller clutch without ebs.
#18
03-18-2002, 12:31 AM
Hey not sure if you really want the biggest quad or not but I have a Sportsman 400. I do snow plowing, trail riding, farm work, and I use it in our 4-wheeler pulls and it seems to be a great machine. I do know if your looking for power the Artic Cat isn't the right choice if you read the ATV news mag you will see that the Artic Cat 500 only has 14.? horsepower. Thats not too impressive if you ask me. The Polaris' come stock with the reverse override button which makes them very nice. Plus the independant rear suspension is awsome on rough terrain. Just giving you my opinion. If you decide to go that way great if not good luck.
#19
03-18-2002, 08:37 AM
Not to get into a brand pissing match here but...
Horsepower is important, but torque is more indicitive of how much work a quad can do (i.e. pull, plow, etc..). The AC has more torque than most other machines. The drawback is that top speed is lacking. For me, going faster than 30 mph was not that important, or with the area I ride in, it's impossible!
Just look at farm tractors. A big Case might only have 70 or 80 hp, but could pull a building over (we've done it - I know). It's all torque.
I don't think you could really go wrong with anything that's out there. Just a matter of what fits you and your budget the best.
Good luck.
Horsepower is important, but torque is more indicitive of how much work a quad can do (i.e. pull, plow, etc..). The AC has more torque than most other machines. The drawback is that top speed is lacking. For me, going faster than 30 mph was not that important, or with the area I ride in, it's impossible!
Just look at farm tractors. A big Case might only have 70 or 80 hp, but could pull a building over (we've done it - I know). It's all torque.
I don't think you could really go wrong with anything that's out there. Just a matter of what fits you and your budget the best.
Good luck.