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Story by Matt Finley, photos by Matt Finley,
Mark Kariya and Kawasaki
2012 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 4x4i EPS First
Ride
2012 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 4x4i EPS
2012 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 4x4i EPS |
Kawasaki has blurred the line between a utility
quad and a sport ATV with the 2012 Brute Force
750 4x4i ESP. They took an already capable
work-horse and turned it into something a lot
sportier with Electric Power Steering (EPS), a
more powerful V-twin 749cc engine that has much
better low-end torque and
double-wishbone suspension. Add to that a new set of spoke
wheels, redesigned bodywork and trick headlights
and you’ve got just about everything you need to
make this Kawasaki utility quad look as good as
it rides.
So when Kawasaki invites you to take that new
Brute Force look and feel up to the snowy
mountains of Medford, Oregon for a test ride
you’ve got the potential for greatness. The
Jackson Hills Staging Area, built by local OHV
club the Motorcycle Riders Association, didn’t
disappoint. They’ve built and maintain a great
trail system that offers everything from
fire-roads to rock crawling to super tight
back-woods scrambles that made the hair on the
back of my neck stand up.
Living in southern California means I’m used to
riding ATVs in hot deserts and sand dunes, not
wooded trails that are barely wide enough for a
quad and sometimes covered with snow. The
duel-range 4-wheel drive and electric power
steering make it easy to navigate around those
squeaky-tight tree-lined corridors while the 8
valve, 32-bit CPU controller measures speed,
temperature, throttle position and crankshaft
angle to provide precise, powerful low-end
torque to get you over logs, rocks and up muddy
and snowy hills.
The strong, easy to handle Brute Force 750 4x4i
is highly desirable for a sport rider like me.
New
sportier grips with molded-in safety wire
grooves give you a solid handle on steering and
help reduce vibration feedback from the motor.
The
cushy new seat material sitting 35.8 inches
high on top of 7-1/2 inches of independent rear
a-arm suspension provides comfort, grip and
resistance to cold.
One might think a utility quad this big and
powerful would be hard to ride hard. You would
usually be right, but the light throttle feel
and electric power steering on the Brute Force
help reduce fatigue, letting you spend more time
playing (or working) instead of resting.
Speaking of working, the new Kawasaki Brute
Force 750 4x4i brings more to the table with a
12-volt electrical outlet to power your
accessories and tools. The
cargo racks are made
from bigger diameter tubing making them
stronger. They’ve also added a series of hooks
to the cargo racks to make it easier to tie down
your gear. A
trailer hitch bracket and 1,250lb
towing capacity are standard equipment on the
2012 Brute Force.
A newly designed double-cradle frame provides
better strength and helps with rough terrain
handling. It’s got 9.4 inches of ground
clearance, AT 25x8-12 front tires and AT
25x10-12 rear tires and a new steering assembly
that moves the bottom of the steering shaft off
the differential, all working together to help
remove the influence to steering while riding in
4x4 mode on older Brute Force ATVs.
Riding in the rain and snow turned out to be a
lot more fun than I thought. And a lot more
demanding. But when things get wet you have some
things you want to keep dry. A
dry storage area
is a pretty important thing for some people and
Kawasaki knows that. They’ve got a dry storage
area that will keep things dry in some pretty
bad conditions and a relocated air-duct helps
keep out water, mud and snow.
The Brute Force 750 4x4i EPS has environmentally
sealed rear brakes that keep out dirt, mud and
other nasty’s that make it hard to stop and
front disks that works with Kawasaki Engine
Brake Control which helps maintain safe speed
when descending steep hills.
The newly updated 2012 Kawasaki Brute Force 750
4x4i EPS is an all-around good looking and
excellent handling utility quad that is reaching
across the aisle into sport ATV territory. It
takes the work out of riding a big-bore utility
quad and adds wheelie-popping power and tight
trail 4x4 handling that will get your attention
without distracting you.
2012 Kawasaki Brute Force 750 4x4i EPS
Specifications
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Engine: Liquid-cooled, 90-degree, four-stroke
V-twin
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Valve system: SOHC, four valves per cylinder
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Displacement: 749cc
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Starting system: Electric
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Bore x stroke: 85 x 66mm
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Compression ratio: 9.3:1
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Fuel injection: DFI®; (2) 36mm Mikuni throttle
bodies
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Ignition: TCBI with digital advance
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Transmission: Continuously variable belt-drive
transmission with high and low
range, plus reverse, and Kawasaki Engine Brake
Control
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Final drive: Selectable four-wheel drive with
Variable Front Differential Control,
shaft
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Frame: Double-cradle, high-tensile tubular steel
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Front suspension / wheel travel: Double
Wishbone/ 6.7 in.
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Rear suspension / wheel travel: Fully
independent, dual A-arm / 7.5 in.
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Front tires: AT 25 x 8-12
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Rear tires: AT 25 x 10-12
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Front brakes: Dual hydraulic 200mm discs with
2-piston calipers
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Rear brake: Sealed, oil-bathed, multi-disc
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Overall length: 86.4 in.
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Overall width: 46.5 in.
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Overall height: 48.0 in.
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Wheelbase: 50.6 in.
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Turning Radius: 10 ft. 6 in.
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Ground clearance: 9.4 in.
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Seat height: 35.8 in.
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Lighting: 35W headlights, 5W taillight, 21W
stoplight
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Rack capacity, front / rear: 88 lbs. / 176 lbs.
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Towing capacity: 1,250 lbs.
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Curb weight: 694.6 lbs.
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Fuel capacity: 5.0 gal.
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Instruments: Speedometer, odometer, dual trip
meters, fuel gauge, engine temp,
clock, hour meter and 2WD/4WD icon, plus
indicators for EPS,
neutral, reverse, belt, and oil pressure.
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Color choices: Scout Green, Super Black,
Metallic Tungsten Gray (SE)
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MSRP / MSRP (SE): $9,999 / $10,349 (SE)
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