Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., announced that the Prairie 650 4x4 sport utility all-terrain vehicle (ATV) is being replaced for 2004 by the new Prairie 700 4x4 ATV.
As the new king of the big-bore 4x4 segment, the Prairie 700 4x4 boasts more engine displacement and more torque, and for those who haven't guessed yet, it has more than just a little influence from Kawasaki's ultra-high-performance KFX700 V Force sport ATV.
The Prairie 700 4x4 retains the main features of its predecessor, such as selectable four-wheel drive with variable locking differential control, the Kawasaki Automatic Power-Drive System (KAPS), dual front disc brakes and the Kawasaki-exclusive sealed rear braking system. The new V-twin four-stroke engine, however, borrows many of its parts from the recently introduced KFX700 V Force sport ATV.
Jim Williams, ATV product manager for Kawasaki, said engineers developed the original Prairie 650 V-twin engine with the knowledge that they would make continual refinements in power and overall performance, essentially creating a powerplant that would be utilized in several different models. The ultra-high-performance KFX700 V Force was another step up in performance, and now those upgrades are being applied to the new Prairie 700 4x4 sport utility ATV.
"The rule for four-wheel drive ATV enthusiasts is that you can never have too much torque," said Williams. "So, we took many of the internals from the KFX700 V Force and put them into the Prairie 700 4x4, then tuned it for four-wheel drive applications."
