When it comes to the motor of the Brute Force 750, I was already a fan. In the past, I've always been blown away by Kawasaki's ability to build extremely strong, reliable and powerful V-twin motors. But Kawi stepped things up to an even higher level this year with the addition of EFI. This motor quickly barks to life with a lazy push of the start button, slides into gear with nothing less than ease and crisply outputs a ferocious power to the ground without even the slightest delay. It's true folks-this 749cc V-twin paired with EFI is nothing less than a monster. It's a ferocious but controllable type of power that will keep adrenaline pumping and the excitement rolling. And popping the front tires off the ground when needing to conquer obstacles along the trail was as simple as grabbing a handful of throttle. I can say with confidence that this Brute is among the fastest utilities available today, but a comparison with other big-bore utes will have to decide its final ranks in overall speed.
Unfortunately, as exciting as the unique trails of Ocala are, four-wheel-drive wasn't often required. I'll have to pair this test with past experiences of using the four-wheel-drive system on this machine. I remember a couple of years ago, a friend and I pulled a broke-down mud-laden sport quad up a long, muddy, steep grade with deep, nasty ruts lining its center to get my mount back to the parking lot. Ever since that day, I knew that the Brute had outrageous workhorse abilities. Truthfully, I never in a million years would've thought that pulling this sport quad up that hill was even possible, but it was our only option if we wanted to get it out. To my surprise, with a great deal of help from the differential lock, we clawed and hauled the quad to safety. From that day forward, I've been a believer in Kawi's four-wheel-drive system. And as for hauling trailers, logs or whatever chores you put your Brute Force up to, it will do it willingly and without any complaints.
As I try and wrap this up, I wanted to give kudos to a few other details that the Brute Force does well. Accompanying this beast of a motor is a very effective braking system. Both the front and rear brakes stop this machine with authority, and that's comforting after experiencing the power and speeds of which this machine is capable. I also wanted to point out the new seat urethane. It's as comfortable as it is stable, allowing for a long day of riding without unwanted agitation. The new footpegs grip well, while the new polished-aluminum wheels drastically improve its appearance.
Lasting Impression
The 2008 Brute Force 750 4x4i has left an impressive, lasting impression on me. My biggest complaint from the past was a brutal suspension and twitchy front steering, but Kawasaki has listened to its critics and has drastically improved this monster in 2008. Add EFI, and you've got one of the hottest utility sport ATVs on the market today.
As for my day spent at Ocala OHV, it was phenomenal. Even though I complained of deep sand whoops at the beginning of this story, I must admit that I actually enjoyed riding them. At the end of the day when we were packing up, I met a handful of great people who were coming into camp to ride over the weekend. The only negative thing I can really say is that I wish I could've stuck around to camp and spend the whole weekend riding. What an awesome trip.