First Ride: 2003 Kawasaki Prairie 360
Big Stuff from a Lil' Brother
On the Rocks
To test the Prairie 360 on the rocks we picked a
more technical trail, Pritchett Canyon. The Red Rock 4 wheelers
rate this trail a 4+ out of 4 on the difficulty scale. Major
obstacles include the "Rocker Knocker", the "Rock Pile", and
"Yellow Hill". If you like a challenge, this trail is for
you.
The 360 had all the clearance that was
needed to tackle any of the obstacles. It was very easy to get
comfortable on and was very balanced in the technical sections. If
you like to ride wheelies then you may not be happy with the
Prairie 360, as the front end does not like to come up. We prefer
to have the front two wheels on the ground which is what the 360
does well. The Kawasaki variable differential lock really works
well in the rocks. We tried some obstacles with and without it.
With it engaged, we were able to climb right up with a minimal
amount of wheel spin. With it unlocked we had free steering. The
new 360 motor had plenty of torque in all the right places to move
the 600 lb Prairie. We were not doing any farm work, but by the way
it worked in low range on the rocks we suspect that it will fit
right in on the farm when you need to get some work done. The
Prairie 360 has a towing capacity of 1,100 lbs, the highest in its
class.
After a couple hours of riding we turned around just short of the top of Pritchett Canyon. The scenery was absolutely fantastic in this canyon. We made a couple attempts at this obstacle before deciding we should turn around. A winch would have been very helpful at this point. The Prairie 360 is winch ready for a Warn or Superwinch. We think we just might have to come back another time with a winch-equipped 360.
Summary With a full day of trail riding under our belt we have to say that Kawaski has produced a winner in the mid-class 4x4 category. About the only thing we would like to see different is an optional skid plate from Kawasaki Accessories to cover the exposed oil filter. We are worried that a stick could find its way up and damage the oil filter. The only downside to all these features is that the Prairie 360 is priced slightly higher than its major competitors, the Suzuki Eiger at $5,199, and the Arctic Cat 375 at $5,399. Watch for a side by side test of these three models in a future issue.
2003 Prairie 360 Specifications
| • Contact Information |
Page 1 - Page 2 - Page 3 - Page 4
Kawasaki Motors Corp.,
U.S.A.
PO Box 25252
Santa Ana, CA 92799-5252
Phone: 1-949-460-5688
www.Kawasaki.com
Elite Tours
1310 Murphy Lane
Moab, Utah 84532
Phone: 1-435-259-7621
Toll Free: 1-888-778-0358
www.moab.net/elitetours/
Email: elitetours@moab.net
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