With our lift installed and tire/wheel combo mounted, all we could think of was how badly we wanted to ride this beast. In all reality we couldn't throw a leg over it until the build was complete, so it was on to the next step of installing a snorkel kit. Over the years, we've installed a wide array of snorkel kits, and for this project we turned to Submarine Snorkel. The parts in this kit were clearly labeled and seemed to fit quite well. A nice feature found with this kit is the "crash plate" which mounts to the front utility rack. This plate reinforces the snorkel system, which prevents the tubes from pulling away from the airbox or CVT housing in the event of an accident or contact with a low-hanging limb. The down tubes under the crash plate are left long, so the installer can cut them to the exact perfect length needed. The installation was easy for the most part. The only snag we ran into was installing the large three- to two-inch boot over the CVT cover and strapping it in. We had to remove a small plastic casting lip from the CVT cover for a tighter fit, problem solved.
As we stood back to admire the fruits of our labor, it was apparent something was still missing. The additional weight from the new parts and more rotating mass from our tire/wheel combo were sure to rob power even from a 650cc machine. All of these bigger parts meant that we needed more power, and the first step of increasing an engine's power is a quality exhaust system. We turned to Big Gun for a system that would give our engine the performance boost it needed. Big Gun gave us one of its new EVO Sport Utility exhaust systems that is claimed to give an increase of 6 horsepower. Not only does this system look sweet, but it is much lighter than stock and gives the extra power needed to tackle any mud pit.
 Kawasaki Mount Kawasaki supplied...  Kawasaki Mount
Kawasaki supplied us with a mount for our winch. |  Gorilla Winch If you are...  Gorilla Winch
If you are anything like us, you'll need a Gorilla winch to get you out at some point. |  Snorkel Kit To make our Brute...  Snorkel Kit
To make our Brute submersible, we had to have us a Submarine Snorkel kit. |
The final must-have item for our Brute Force 650i was a strong winch to get us out of some sticky predicaments. Gorilla Winch supplied us with one of its XT 2500 units that we secured on a winch mounting plate supplied to us by Kawasaki. This setup gave us the confidence we needed to attempt the murkiest pits knowing that we could get ourselves out. Finally, this project build has been transformed into one bad creek bottom bogger.
High Lifter Tires High Lifter...
High Lifter Tires
High Lifter Outlaws offer an extreme amount of grip in sludge.
After all the toys had been unboxed and all the labor had been spent, I noticed a lone brown box sitting in the corner. In this box was possibly one of the most important parts to a fun weekend in the trails. This was our waterproof sound system by Jensen. The new Jensen Heavy Duty JHD910 is a self-supporting radio receiver with features like AM/FM tuner, seven-channel NOAA weather alert band and backlit controls. This unit also has an auxiliary input for your iPod or MP3 player. Our system mounted to the front rack, and with the speakers having their own separate mounts the places we could use this was endless. The system needed a small bit of deep waterproofing in the wiring connections, but the receiver itself and the speakers are waterproof. The JHD910 system has a small antenna and in the future we may need a bigger one, but no worries, Jensen has you covered.
Well, finally our Deep Creek 1 was ready and off, so we sailed down the trails at our secret test ranch in Georgia. We immediately noticed how smoothly the tires rode, for a mud tire, that is. The compound of these tires is very soft, so I think we could ride this one for hours without being rattled to death. As the trails tightened up it began to be apparent that our choice to go smaller instead of bigger on the lift was a smart one. The steep banks at our first river crossing had been a little hairy, but it didn't faze the beast. The Big Gun exhaust put enough extra in the power to convince the big Brute that it hadn't lost any power at all with the larger tires. Hitting the next deep creek, though, wouldn't be so easy on DC1 as the water came up over the fenders and away she floated through. The snorkel on our Kawi Brute made a submarine out of the big red quad.
 Xtreme Lift For a low price,...  Xtreme Lift
For a low price, Xtreme Products will get you a couple inches more of ground clearance. |  Jensen Tunes Offering tunes...  Jensen Tunes
Offering tunes for your ride, this Jensen setup is waterproof and easy to install. |  Big Gun Exhaust Adding a...  Big Gun Exhaust
Adding a Big Gun pipe allowed us to easily churn those larger tires. |