Kawasaki has launched a new big bore ATV. Take the smooth styling of the 750 Brute Force and cross breed it with the chassis layout of the Prairie 700 and you’ll get close to what the new 2005 Brute Force 650 is all about.
The big difference is price. The new 650 is targeted at the competition’s IRS 4-wheelers in the 500 to 600 range and absolutely nails the bulls-eye with big-time value.
Unlike the 750, the Brute Force 650 uses a swing axle rear suspension with a single, reservoir equipped shock and McPherson struts up front (the 750 uses parallel A-arms).
The 633cc SOHC twin is the same V-twin mill used in the original KVF Prairie. It transfers power through Kawasaki’s KAPS CVT tranny via shaft drive to the rear diff which encloses the multi-plate rear brake used on virtually all Kwacker Sport-Utes over 360ccs.
All the good stuff is included: digital instrumentation, selectable 4WD, trigger actuated locking front diff and a heavy duty trailer hitch.
At a quick glance, the only notable aesthetic difference is that the new BF doesn’t share the 750’s pencil beam headlights. Nevertheless, this is a lot of ATV for the money and we think it’ll grab a significant piece of the middle of the market for Kawasaki.
