Yea, regarding belts, on the Kaw forum they are having probs w/ the belts not adjusted right on the new Kaw. They say all belt bikes have this prob. Not true, I've never known a Yamy to have belt probs other than a slip due to deep water which I've NEVER had. I think it's pretty weak to have to mess with the belt on a new bike such as the Kaw 650. Yamaha has the belt system with the sprague clutch down pat and the true engine brake is unsurpassed.

 

<< Yea, regarding belts, on the Kaw forum they are having probs w/ the belts not adjusted right on the new Kaw. They say all belt bikes have this prob. Not true, I've never known a Yamy to have belt probs other than a slip due to deep water which I've NEVER had. I think it's pretty weak to have to mess with the belt on a new bike such as the Kaw 650. Yamaha has the belt system with the sprague clutch down pat and the true engine brake is unsurpassed. >>



I haven't heard of one belt failing on a Prairie 650. It is true that some owners are adjusting there belt deflection. They are looking for better performance. If you take your cover off your yamaha and measure the deflection, you'll probably see that the deflection isn't perfect. If you adjust it, you'll get a free gain in power and your belt will last longer. So I would hardly call the belt system in the 650 weak.

 

Just on a side note.... My '98 Sport is on its original belt. I hammer on it from start to finish and I've never had any problems.

On the other hand, My Mach Z 800 shreds a belt every week. Since I didn't get it until the end of the winter last year I didn't have it looked at. I'm guessing it's an alignment problem.

Are the belts on that Sportsman shreding or breaking? I heard that if everything is properly set up a belt should never shred.

-Josh

 

Please note I said it's weak not their weak. I don't think the many posts about belts on the Kaws are for extra power. It is because there is a problem with low end power via the belt not adjusted properly from factory. The 650 is like one of the most powerful engines available, you should not have to tweak it for more power. Lets not forget that Kaw had the largest recall on quads due to the belts shredding, over 40,000 Prairies recalled. At least give them credit for making it right but apparently their belt system could use some improvement. The Kaw is a fine bike but they all have their pros and cons.

 

I don't know about belts breaking, or not lasting. Other then Polaris quads, all the rest seem to hold up very well. I can ride my Griz in Hi range all day long, in and out of deep mud, and it still does just fine. Having a life time warranty doesn't mean much when you're in the middle of nowhere, with no hope of getting pulled home, and you burn up a belt! Sounds to me like any choice, other than Polaris, is a good one!

Rick

 

I have made this comment many times and I will make it again I have owned 5 Hondas 1 Kawasaki 1 Yamaha and 2 Polaris it does not matter what you buy they all have problems my Polaris are just as reliable as my Honda Yamaha or Kawasaki have been and the belt issue I have a 99 SP 500 with 3000 miles original belt and I have a 99 SC with over 5000 miles original belt. I am a hard rider if they where a problem then they should have gone out by now but they have not.
Every manufacture has a lemon for every story you tell me about Polaris being bad I can tell you one about Yamaha or Honda So when you decide just remember in the Polaris forum the Grizzly will be crap and in the Yamaha forum the Sportsman will be crap. I say go to your local dealer ride both and then decide. Just remember there are more choices the Kawasaki 650 Honda's new Rincon in the spring and Arctic Cat.

 

JHAM, This is a good example of how stories get twisted and end up sounding like something totally different. EG: &quot;Lets not forget that Kaw had the largest recall on quads due to the belts shredding, over 40,000 Prairies recalled&quot;. If I didn't know anything about this, I would assume from what you said, that they had a huge amount of belt failures. That is definitely NOT true. That was a SAFETY recall. They had very few belt failures, but they did have one that shattered and a piece of it jammed in the drive mechanism and locked up the wheels, causing the driver to fly over the handlebars and get hurt. This was because the belt was reinforced with Kevlar which made it strong, but could shatter. Kawasaki didn't want to take any chances on lawsuits, so they recalled all Prairies with this belt design and replaced them with ones made without Kevlar. I saw my Prairie's old belt with about 750 miles on it (and lots more hours of snowplowing time which doesn't put on many miles). It was like new. I wanted to keep it for a spare but the dealer had to return it to Kawasaki. If the adjustment of the belt on the Prairie 650 is out, the dealer will fix it under warranty. Many guys are doing this on their own because they don't want the dealers doing the work (I guess they don't trust them). I don't understand this way of thinking, because if they do the work themselves and screw it up, they won't likely get warranty. If the dealer screws up, at least it will still be covered. To each his own.

 

I did not intend to infer there were many belt failures on the Kaws but obviously there were a few and it was documented in the national news papers that the bike would lock up, all 4 wheels. Also, I've read that older Praries due to lack of engine brake thus lack of tension on belt caused excessive wear on the belt.

I do like the new Prairie but I would not want to have to mess with the belt adjustment and add shims and spacers to a brand new bike.

As far as Polaris, they have a good belt setup and invented it. You have to be careful to not load it up in high range or you may burn it, so you have to switch a Polaris from low to high often. Very good point brought up as I said before, you can ride a Yamaha in high all the time except for heavy loads or towing.

 

I have never owned a yama but i have owened a 500sportsman 1999, 220 bayou 1996, three 650prairies 2002, 400prairie 1998, and a trx125. I have not had any problem with the belt on any of the automatics. I did think about getting the 660 grizz but I knew what a kawi was capable of and not a yama. The sportsman gave me the worst problems. 2 busted cv joints, busted stabilizer bar for the independent rear sus. and all the greese that had to be put on. If you are stuck on the 660 and the 700 I know the 660 will be faster stock(not as good as the 650), but i heard that if you put a 500h.o. clutch kit in the 700 you can pop wheelies all day long [i can pull wheelies on the 650 easy]. I do like where the winch is placed on the 700 up high and dry. I also like where the radiator is on the 660 up high out of muds way. You should test drive both and see what you think. I would also ask the mechanics in the back and see what they think of each.

 

just bought a grizzly, i was thinking the same you were, but you have to buy the gizzly IT'S BAD@$$