[calaski]

As much as I like my Grizzly, it is time to get a new quad. I am keeping the Grizzly for a spare and for the wife, but I am getting the new King Quad... This is a night and day difference in every aspect. I don't know how many of you have had a chance to ride them, but man are they nice. The suspension feels like a Caddilac next to my Grizzly and the fuel injection is such a nice feature. The handling is also top notch.

My whole riding group got the King Quads and I've been having trouble keeping up with them... in addition to the fact that after the ride, I feel like I went about 8 rounds with a prize fighter. I rode the King Quad for about half the ride today and I can't begin to tell how how nice it is.

I know I have a 2002 Grizzly and am comparing it to a 2005 King Quad, but correct me if I am wrong, the 2005 Grizzly hasn't changed much suspension wise has it?

I'll still be here in heart, but I'll be riding the King Quad for the most part soon.

Jim

 

[az426]

nothing wrong with that...whats more fun than having 2 great quads?lots of choices out there for sure.have fun a be safe!

 

[94]

Know all about the king quad, my buddy had 2 cats and bought a brute force for himself, his wife wanted a KQ and loved it, he took it for a few rides and traded the BF with only a few miles on it for a KQ for himself. Rode the KQ for a while, nice ride, made sure he got the right serial numbers so he got the reverse fix with the bearing. We both felt the Griz was a softer ride, and the engine braking was better on the griz, but the handling on the KQ was better than my griz, we were comparing a 05 KQ with 100 miles on it and my 04 griz with 3000 miles on it. Danny

 

[calaski]

Wow, I'm suprised you thought the Grizzly was a softer ride... What rev fix are you talking about with the serial numbers?

As for the Arctic Cat, they all had them before going to the KQ... man were they crap! One literally broke in half... right down the center of the frame, all had big time problems with bent frames and suspensions, and they were bigger (problem fitting between trees sometimes) and harder to steer than the Grizzly and KQ.

Jim

 

[94]

Go to the KQ site and read up about it, had some reverse failures, tried a differn't ecm or something like that, still had reverse problems, the newer ones have a bearing instead of a bushing, all have the fix after a certain serial number.

 

[doolin64]

I find it hard to believe that you were having trouble keeping up. I'm knocking the KQ at all. I like them and came real close to getting one. If they had a plow setup when I was looking for a quad I may have gotten one. But theres no reason why you couldn't keep up. We road 37 miles the other day. We had a rincon, KQ, my Grizzly and polaris 700efi. It was a very brisk ride and we all kept up with each other no problem.

 

[doolin64]

I find it hard to believe that you were having trouble keeping up. I'm knocking the KQ at all. I like them and came real close to getting one. If they had a plow setup when I was looking for a quad I may have gotten one. But theres no reason why you couldn't keep up. We road 37 miles the other day. We had a rincon, KQ, my Grizzly and polaris 700efi. It was a very brisk ride and we all kept up with each other no problem.

 

[calaski]

Well, first, I'd have trouble keeping up on anything... the guys I ride with are crazy. Second, my Griz is an '02 so that may have something to do with it. I was getting beat up bad from bouncing around. My whole body is sore today. I did half the ride on the Griz and half on the KQ and it really was a night and day difference in ride. Like I said, I felt like I was in a Caddy on the KQ compared to the Griz.

I'll have to look into the KQ serial number thing. Is it a recall? I am buying my friend's KQ with only 125 miles on it and they got them in Dec, so I assume it is one of the older ones. Thanks.

Jim

 

[irv]

Check out atvtime or atvfrontier, they are a couple of other websites that i check out. Lots of info in there forums about the KQ, i would definately make sure you get the newer version!! Man i feel for those guys dropping all that coin and then having a problem like that!Suzuki hasn't really helped there situation much and one guy on there was talking about a law suit. Read those and i am thinking that it is still fairly new to purchase one imo? I also would wait to see what Yamaha is going to be coming out with in a couple of weeks?........Irv

 

[robg]

I considered the King Quad but wasn't gonna deal with crappy local dealers or another machine with major problems (the reverse issue). Had enough of that with the gas boiling on my Grizz and also a crappy dealer to boot (same dealer in fact).

I picked up a new Sportsman 800 EFI the other day. LOVE it. Still have the Grizz, still love the Grizz. But my Grizz is so far past stock that it can't really be compared to a regular Grizzly anymore. The biggest difference being the Works Performance Shocks.

Without those shocks, I would say this new Sportsman kicks the Grizzly's butt hands down in every respect. But with them, it's so close that it's hard to really say which is better with the exception of power (the SP800 is so bloody fast I can't really describe it).

So for those of you who love your Grizz and don't want or need another quad, give serious thought to those shocks, and of course good aftermarket wheels and tires. They make a HUGE difference. Add some clutching and you've got a really fantastic machine.

'Course it also comes down to riding style. For fast riding, my Grizz isn't it. I could see why some would have trouble keeping up. But for low speed, heavily technical riding, the Grizz absolutely rocks.

Rob

 

[dknarnd]

Rob's pretty much right except I would say that the Grizz will fly though the wooded trails much faster than the PoPo.

Jim... You definitly want to check into the reverse issue on the KQ. The ECM modification limited the power to reverse and the length of time between uses of the limiter switch. And as stated they changed from a bushing (that was seizing) to a bearing. Another common issue with the KQ is the tie rods are very soft and will bend easily.

 

[calaski]

I bent the tie rod already on the Griz and one of the KQ's bent a tie rod Sunday during our ride. I'll have to look see into them, but of all our machines, the KQ seems to be the best. There were two '02 Grizzly's and one had the boiling gas problem. Luckily neither had the axle problem Beast has had.

I like technical stuff better, but these guys still fly through the technical stuff... too fast for my liking sometimes. Either way, I wanted a second quad and buying my friend's barely used KQ seems like the best bet. I'll have to look into the rev problem, but it sounds like a fixable thing? Other than the tie rod just mentioned, I havent heard anything bad.

What machine isnt going to have problems though... you sell enough of anything, a few people are going to get bad ones.

Jim

 

[robg]

My Grizzly has always had kinda weak tie rods, but they haven't been as soft as I hear the KQ's are. I think I've put three sets on mine in the three years I've had it... it's almost become a yearly ritual.

The gas boiling issue on mine still happens from time to time, so I went back to my pre-04 vented side panels that work better due to the extra vents... til I get around to venting the new ones.

Rob

 

[doolin64]

Rob, how come you don't have those fancy shmancy chrome rims that come on the 800efi? It is a fast machine. I've ridden with one not on one. All quads are great and all quads have their weak links. But Rob, how do you like the one break does all and the funky polaris 4wd system?

 

[robg]

The Camo model doesn't come with chrome wheels... kinda defeats the purpose, doesn't it? I'm waiting for Polaris to come out with a black set of their new beadlock wheels... I'd get those in a second.

The 4wd system works far better than you'd think... even though they say it only activates when the rear wheels slip, that's not really the case... it seems to be able to sense when the wheels should be turning and aren't, and activates anyway (e.g. rock climbing).

The brake lever is annoying; I plan to add a lever on the right-hand side of the bars, even though it'll control all four wheels just like the left one.

Also, the engine braking to the rear wheels is nowhere near as bad as the press makes it sound. All it takes is a little practice with it and it crawls down hills as well as or better than my Grizzly. And I do use it in Low Range with no chattering or skipping around of the back end.

Rob

 

[doolin64]

LOL, the grizzly does love to chatter and clank. If you ever part with your Grizz, I'd be all over those shocks. You've got some sweet rides!

 

[doolin64]

Actually took a ride on my friends KQ this weekend to see what the hype is. We're both running 26" tires. My short little blast on his made me appreciate his suspension. Definately felt like it would beat me up less. Engine wise in terms of performance it really didnt' feel a ton different. Still love my Grizz but the KQ is a nice bike.

 

[calaski]

Yeah, my two biggest impressions of the KQ are:

1) the suspension... just awesome.
2) the engine.... slightly better due to the EFI, smoother.

The suspension is the main factor in my decision. My Grizzly still rocks engine wise and runs great, but it can't compare suspension wise.

Jim

 

[sneutel]

and maybe the KQ can keep it's axles in place!!!

What a win!!!