Author Topic: My first Suzuki (Read 2654 times)

Daniel · « **on:** July 23, 2008, 04:58:09 AM »

For years and years I've owned nothing but Honda ATV's. They've always been reliable and served my purposes. However, when I was in the market for a new ATV recently I made a list of features that I wanted on it. These included:

1. Independent rear suspension
2. No leaky drum brakes
3. Selectable 2 wheel/4 wheel drive
4. Front differential lock
5 Automatic transmission
6. Fuel injection
7. High/Low range

After looking at all the models from the various manufacturers I ended up buying the Suzuki King Quad 450. I would have bought the 750 except for the fact that I've got a young son (13) who I know will be riding it some and I didn't want him to have access to a big bore beast. This Suzuki has all the features I wanted and I'm very happy with it so far. About the only complaint I have is with the stock tires, but that'll be solved soon when my new ones arrive. Of course, most ATV's suffer from inferior stock tires.

I almost feel I'm being unfaithful to Honda after having such a long relationship with them, but the bottom line is that they're behind the times compared to some of these other brands. I've still got a 2000 450 Foreman and it has served me well, but it's a dinosaur compared to the new King Quad. I expect to use the Honda for several more years as my son and I both will need our own bikes, but he'll have to pry me off the Suzuki if he wants to use it.

Old Syko · « **Reply #1 on:** July 23, 2008, 01:51:05 PM »

Should have gone for the big bore. You still have the the Honda for the boy to ride, just need to set some boundaries and keep the big boy for dad. The extra cubic inches are the main difference between the two.

BlkHawk73 · « **Reply #2 on:** July 23, 2008, 02:06:55 PM »

Same one I'm considering myself. That and the Can-Am. No need to look at anything too large. Also no interest in power steering or that EFI stuff.

All those years ago nobody seemed to need the big ones and those old decrepid 250's would go anyplace they were steered. I really, honestly think most folks that think they "need" the big 700's and such only need something to give an image and/or for bragging purposes.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #3 on:** July 24, 2008, 12:51:43 AM »

there good bikes. You dont see alot of them up north here but thats because there about the mirror bike of the artic cat line. they share most components and up here in snowmobile country people just tend to buy a brand they know and artic cat is bigger then suzuki.

Daniel · « **Reply #4 on:** July 24, 2008, 05:17:58 AM »

Well, down here in Dixie Honda rules the roost and as mentioned above, that's all I owned before buying the Suzuki. I once read that Honda sold 25% or more of their ATV's within a 250 mile radius of Jackson, Miss., which is the area where I live and hunt.

You know, I said before that I would have bought the 750 if it wasn't for my son, but now that I've had a chance to ride the 450, I believe it has all the power I'll ever need. Soon I'll be shimming the primary clutch and adding a new secondary spring which will give me more low end power which should help turn the aftermarket mud tires that arrived yesterday. Then I'll add a rear rack and A-arm guards and this rig will be ready to take hunting.

Old Syko · « **Reply #5 on:** July 25, 2008, 01:57:05 AM »

It's funny how different brands rule the roost in different parts of the country. Around here Yamaha and Kawasaki are the top dogs with AC coming on strong with the introduction of some new dealers and ACs additions to their product lines. 2 years ago AC barely made a showing here but that is changing fast. Honda barely makes a showing anymore and yet 10 years ago that was about all anyone had.

In a lot of cases the main difference between a 450 or 500 and a bigbore is just the engine with the rest of the bike being exactly the same. If a 450 is what floats your boat then enjoy it. It's a well proven engine on a great setup. Most where I'm from prefer to be all we can be, so to speak which means the biggest and best you can find still isn't good enough. We have NEEDS.

Daniel · « **Reply #6 on:** July 25, 2008, 04:31:30 AM »

I understand why people want more power, but it seems to me as ATVs (and UTVs) keep getting bigger we're just going back to the days before ATV's when we used Jeeps, Bronco's, etc... Those things were heavy, rutted up the woods and it seems we spend most of our day getting them unstuck instead of going about our intended business which was to hunt.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #7 on:** July 25, 2008, 05:51:51 AM »

nothing wrong with a 450 or 500. 5 years ago those were the big bores everyone were talking about. I actually like them as there smaller in size. Some of those big 700 and 800s are dammed near as big as my jeep. Sure there faster but i cant imagine trying to ride something that big with a untility suspenion at any kind of a pace on the trail anyway. If i want to go fast ill ride my raptor or warrior. Honda used to be the king around here too. Ive allways been a yamaha man. It goes back to my younger days of motocross racing. All my buddys road honda elsinores so i had to be differnt and run a yz. Anymore hondas dont sell like they did up here. For one there over priced Sure there a good bike but your paying to have that honda name on it because there all good anymore. Each one has it neat features that the others dont. Honda is probably in the rear when it comes to new inovations. theyve got the attitude that there so good people will buy them even if there an outdated design. Polaris did the same with there snowmobiles and it almost ran them out of buissness. Luckly they wised up in time. Honda needs to get off there duffs and make some new products. The rzr and the rhinos and prowler are taking a big chunk out of the atv market and honda doesnt seem intersted. Probably a good thing though as theyd probably want 20000 for it!

BlkHawk73 · « **Reply #8 on:** July 27, 2008, 02:39:11 AM »

Quote from: Lloyd Smale on July 25, 2008, 05:51:51 AM

Sure there a good bike but your paying to have that honda name on it because there all good anymore.

No different than Harley Davidson.

You buy that name and that's about it - well that and you're automaticlluy transformed into one bad-butt dude.

Quote from: Lloyd Smale on July 25, 2008, 05:51:51 AM

The rzr and the rhinos and prowler are taking a big chunk out of the atv market and honda doesnt seem intersted. Probably a good thing though as theyd probably want 20000 for it!

Honda is releasing thier side by side this year bringing back the Big Red name. I don't care for these designs myself. They're too wide for many trails and i'm not buying a ATV to bring someone else out for a ride, they want to ride, they can buy thier own. Hunting use...what ever happend to physically walking to your hunting spot. Ppl are just getting too darn lazy over the years - great role models for the fat overweight lazy kids ppl are raising now.

Lloyd Smale · « **Reply #9 on:** July 27, 2008, 11:01:00 AM »

thats one good thing about the polaris razor. Its a side by side thats no wider then the largest conventional 4 wheelers.

45north · « **Reply #10 on:** August 01, 2008, 09:07:10 PM »

I thought you might like some information about the suzuki king quad line. I know a lot of people that have them and most are the old ones. I have one myself, I bought mine as a repo that came from a native village here in Alaska, and survived, sometimes thats rare. I have owned it for many years 7 or 8 maybe and it is one tough machine. I flipped mine over backwards and it broke the handle bars and the speedo/ odometer and the miles stopped racking up after that but it had at the time 2840 miles and now several years later I would quess it has over 5000 miles. This month I had the carb rebuilt and aside from brake shoes and a few broken axles it always runs... and tommorow morning I will ride it to work like I normaly do at least if the weather is good.
Mine is a 1991 knig quad it says 300 really it is only 280 CC's not fast but runs like a timex. I keep on saying when it dies I will go out and buy a new one, well that might be a while.

HOTWHEELZ · « **Reply #11 on:** August 06, 2008, 08:38:02 AM »

Daniel, if you havent found http://www.nyrocatv.com/ yet there is alot of info for the king quads there. Your 450 will do fine I have 700 love it there are some really good tech tips and overall lots of info

Daniel · « **Reply #12 on:** August 07, 2008, 03:40:57 AM »

Yea, that's a great site, especially for Suzuki owners. I'm registered there but have only posted a few times under a different handle than I use here. The tech tips are great. I learned about the clutch modifications over there.

Take care and nice ride BTW.

Bob_VT · « **Reply #13 on:** August 19, 2008, 03:18:39 AM »

I have the KQ 700 and it is a beast. I own 2 Suzuki's and have zero complaints. (I post on NYROC not in some time but same name)

I own a Vinson 500 too. Modifications to both machines..... tires, full skid plates, winches and front bumpers. The KQ also has a clutch kit, new air filter system, power commander and yoshi exhaust....... I now have 31 hp at the rear wheels.

You will enjoy that KQ good luck with it.

Daniel · « **Reply #14 on:** August 22, 2008, 09:36:58 AM »

Got my new tires on it now, 27" Maxxis Zillas. My son and I are going to our deer camp this weekend to do some riding and some tree stand maintenance. Looking forward to seeing how the new tires work in the mud. I haven't had time to work on the clutch yet, but will try to do it in the next week or two. I've replaced the stock air filter with a TwinAir and installed Ricochet A-arm guards. Need to get a rear rack and a Benz Silent muffler before hunting season.

robert4570 · « **Reply #15 on:** August 22, 2008, 06:09:34 PM »

I've literally owned every model of Honda ATC 3 wheelers since the early 1970's . Had a 300 4wd which was honda's most reliable bike ever and a foreman 450 ....all great bikes with only routine maintance needed. Well all my buddies started switching to AC 650 h1 's and I bought last year as well. I too felt a bit odd betraying Honda after so many years of bullet proof service but I rode a Cat and was hooked .
I wanted automatic , 2-4 wd selection , front diff locker for true 4wd , large 6 gallon gas tank , FIS with almost 14" of clearance AND I CAN RUN 29.5 OUTLAWS WITH OUT A LIFT AND CAN TURN THEM WITH NO PROBLEM , got to love that .
The bikes been great so far and have no regrets .

Bob_VT · « **Reply #16 on:** August 23, 2008, 11:54:00 AM »

Quote from: Daniel on August 22, 2008, 09:36:58 AM

Got my new tires on it now, 27" Maxxis Zillas. My son and I are going to our deer camp this weekend to do some riding and some tree stand maintenance. Looking forward to seeing how the new tires work in the mud. I haven't had time to work on the clutch yet, but will try to do it in the next week or two. I've replaced the stock air filter with a TwinAir and installed Ricochet A-arm guards. Need to get a rear rack and a Benz Silent muffler before hunting season.

Oh yeah get the clutch kit installed! You have everything planned right but I would not bother with the silent exhaust. Been riding for years and years in the woods and the animals really do not care..... your sound does not travel as far as you think. The stock exhaust is fine. My yoshi exhaust is LOUD and if I push the throttle it makes people look.

Bob_VT · « **Reply #17 on:** August 23, 2008, 12:01:28 PM »

Oh.... one more thing. I have Suzuki Front Bumpers on both with trail lights. I really like the lights since they light up the space right in front of the machine..... the headlights tend to overshoot that area and with the 27" tires you want to see at night.

Daniel · « **Reply #18 on:** August 25, 2008, 05:13:50 AM »

Well, the Benz muffler would be as much for my personal enjoyment as it would be for not spooking game. We took both of my ATV's this past weekend and did quite a bit of riding. The Foreman has the Benz and the Suzuki doesn't........yet. I actually enjoyed riding the Foreman more just because it's so quiet with the muffler on it. I'm definitely going to get one for the Suzuki.

BTW, we have an unusual amount of water in the woods for this time of year, so we got to go through some really good mud holes. The King Quad with the 27" Zillas and more ground clearance due to IRS made it through all but one mud hole in two wheel drive. The Foreman with 26" Mudlites (which are every bit as tall as the 27" Zillas) and full time 4 wheel drive got stuck in two or three holes because it got high centered on the rear axle.

I think I'm going to really like the King Quad, but I'm going to have to get a Benz muffler for it.

Bob_VT · « **Reply #19 on:** August 25, 2008, 02:16:55 PM »

The independant rear suspension really makes you change your riding style. My Vinson 500 can be slid through a turn and when the riding is rugged usually one rear wheel is in the air...... the KQ maintains traction and keeps the wheels down.

I love leaving it in 2wd and watching others struggle until I pull them through.

jpred1 · « **Reply #20 on:** August 25, 2008, 02:31:07 PM »

These are close to a jeep , but sure are fun as heck.

jpred1 · « **Reply #21 on:** August 25, 2008, 02:33:04 PM »

It will haul the big ones out too,

jpred1 · « **Reply #22 on:** August 25, 2008, 02:38:00 PM »

Fun for all.

Daniel · « **Reply #23 on:** September 03, 2008, 05:57:01 AM »

I did the clutch modifications this past weekend. I added 1.5mm of shims to the primary and swapped the stock secondary spring for an EPI SZ10. I can notice a difference in low end power, but it's not dramatic. And that's fine with me, I'm not into racing or popping wheelies, I just want a little more low end power for the bigger tires.

Bob_VT · « **Reply #24 on:** September 07, 2008, 04:03:41 PM »

The true benefit is not what you feel..... it is saving the life of the belt!

hillbill · « **Reply #25 on:** September 10, 2008, 04:29:35 PM »

jpred1, good god thats a big ole deer,he is fat as a town dog.did yu muscle him up in the bed or run a winch cable up over the roll bar?

eastwa · « **Reply #26 on:** October 18, 2008, 02:28:21 PM »

You may have seen this pic at Nyroc, but here it is again - 2008 750 KQ
My second Suzuki, I had a 03 Vinson before.
I can't wait for the snow to hit...

markc · « **Reply #27 on:** October 20, 2008, 06:35:27 AM »

jpred1, nice Encore buck! Hope to bag one with my TC this season. Just took hogs with it last year.

jpred1 · « **Reply #28 on:** December 27, 2008, 05:21:36 PM »

192 lbs at the processor. Had to get brother in law to help me load him up. Just got in from missing one bigger than him, I somehow shot through a limb about 2" thick at 60 yds and the deer was at 90 and I have hair on the ground. No blood at all , just hair. Brought in a dog and gave real hard effort to make sure I just glanced him.I should be taking pics now but instead I just wanna give up sometimes. It was getting late and I couldnt see the limb, I need a 50mm pistol scope.