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Posted by: Tree Farmer
kclayd, I'm glad you were not seriously injured; you may have received a wake-up conference call for us all.
When I read your initial post on this topic, I thought; watch out! Yet experience appears by far the most effective teacher in this school, speaking as a pupil myself.
For example, the Kawasaki owner's manual says, "Some hills are too steep. Use common sense."
Did I then use common sense? No! I had to watch my quad perform a backwards double (actually, quadruple, quintriple, a lot!) somersault with a half-twist a couple of times before I truly embraced and understood the message the manual writer intended.
Best wishes for future safe riding; Eric Baatz proved to me the King Quad is a capable machine; take its characteristics into account and you'll enjoy many pleasant miles on it.
Tree Farmer
Posted by: Tree Farmer
Good post, Kclayd!
I disagree on one significant point, however.
You said, "MAX6X6
would have been proud of the King Quad, which definitely received its baptism yesterday."
I fear you credit Max6x6 with ecumenicity and tolerance far beyond his capability! Max6X6's credo of "Max uber alles" appears absolute, with no room for achievement by any other ATV, even a neo-amphibious King Quad (whose death he specifically seeks, by the way).
Tree Farmer
Posted by: Howard
Wonder if you where mis-quoted on that shock as that is almost too steep to believe.
Posted by: ecbaatz
I have the 1996 King Quad.
Have made some modifications to improve the use.
1) removed the locking pin to allow differential lock in any range
2) modified the starting circuit to enable me to start it in gear
And a couple of others for fun. If you are interested drop me a line and I can send you the information.
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Eric Baatz 1996 Suzuki KING QUAD Remember the KING Lives!!
Posted by: ecbaatz
I am really sorry to hear that you crashed.
I did notice that you said you were going up a really steep incline. Please note that due to the design of the King it is light in the front end compared to most 4x4 quads
I know you are thinking that how can a 4x4 be light in the front. You have to think of it in a ratio. Due to the engine being so far back in the frame( since the drive shafts come out at right angles tothe transmission) there is more weight to the rear then the front.
There is weight to the front and if you ever tried to jump it you would see that easily. but again this issue concerns the ratio of weight front to rear.
Sorry if I did not explain it real well. However I hope this helps.
Looking forward to seeing how the repairs go.
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Eric Baatz 1996 Suzuki KING QUAD Remember the KING Lives!!
Posted by: ecbaatz
Are you sure it won't be me (grin)?
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Eric Baatz 1996 Suzuki KING QUAD Remember the KING Lives!!
[This message has been edited by ecbaatz (edited 10-24-1999).]
Posted by: kclayd
I recently purchased a Suzuki King Quad 300. It was priced similarly to a Honda Four Track, but it has more features. It can switch from 2 wheel to 4 wheel drive, has three gear ranges, and a differential option. It is the first 4X4 I have had, and it is amazing. I just got back from riding some of the steepest, slipperiest, muddy, rocky, rutted slopes I have ever seen, and I was able to climb them all! They were so slick that I couldn't even walk on them without falling! What a blast!
Posted by: kclayd
Okay, I love my King Quad.
Now, I have ridden it over terrain I never would have dreamed possible. I mean some really, really nasty stuff! I also own two Kawasakis, a 97 220 Bayou (for my wife and daughter) and a 97 Lakota. I was planning on buying a new 300 Bayou 4X4, until I found out how Kawasaki rips off its customers. I needed a new rear shock for the Lakota, or so said the local Kawasaki dealer. It couldn't be rebuilt, because Kawasaki started welding them solid ten years ago. Kawasaki charges $690.10 for the shock! That's right, $690.10 for one stock shock! It is an adjustable gas shock built by KYB (Kawasaki) not much different from any other, except it can not be rebuilt. On top of that, the Kawasaki dealer wanted $100 to put the new shock on! Basically, it just takes two bolts to install a shock! I got the message that Kawasaki customers were suckers, or at least Kawasaki thought so.
So, I checked out the local Suzuki dealer. They also had Arctic Cats. I liked them both, but the King Quad just seemed right for me. I bought one, and as I say I have loved it.
Well, I crashed it Sunday. And, I mean I CRASHED it! I flipped it on a super steep incline. It flipped over. I was tossed off and tumbled and rolled back down the hill for 75 feet or so. The Suzuki, all 700+ pounds of it, bounced over me and rolled about 150 feet until it hit a tree and came to a stop. Uh, oh! It didn't look too good!! My, oh my! The left A arm was torn up, the front rack and left mud guards were destroyed, and the frame got bent (as well as the pedal and shifter). The plastic was bent, too, but after I took the racks off, it regained its shape, pretty much. Somehow, I escaped with scratches, bruises, and abrasions, but nothing serious.
Well, this post isn't about how I did a stupid thing and crashed a wonderful machine (although I did). It is about the difference between Suzuki and Kawaski. After the crash, I drove the Suzuki off the trail and back to my truck, about five miles! Maybe a Kawasaki would have done that, but I doubt it. But, a real big difference showed up when it came to costs of repairs.
The Suzuki Dealer priced all of the replacement parts at a total of $639.33, so long as the frame doesn't have to be replaced. That is over $50 less than Kawasaki wanted for a single, non-rebuildable shock absorber for their Lakota. As I said before, Kawasaki wanted $690.10 for one shock, which is 1/6 of the price for a whole new Lakota! It is also about $420.00 more than the cost of an entire set of four adjustable, gas KYB shocks for one of those big, heavy RVs! Until Suzuki starts gouging its customers like Kawasaki, I plan on sticking with it.
It looks like it will be a couple of weeks until I get my King Quad back on the trails, but I'm looking forwards to it. I sure am glad I wasn't riding or wrecking a Kawasaki!
Oh, by the way, if you are interested in reading my thoughts about the overpricing tactics of Kawasaki, read the topic under Kawasaki entitled, "We are being ripped off!" I don't expect to see a similar topic under Suzuki.
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Posted by: kclayd
No, Howard:
I know its too high to believe. I thought it must be some sort of typo. I got quotes from dealers all across the country over the internet. The best deal I could come up with was $540.00 from Midwest Action Cycle. Almost all the others were $690.10. I even e-mailed Kawasaki, but their reply letter was basically one that said, if they can get, they will charge it. Well, they won't get it from me, anymore.
I really like my Suzuki King Quad and have no inclination to switch brands again.
Posted by: kclayd
Its back! The dealer called and said my King Quad is repaired! I am so happy. I haven't seen it yet. I'm sort of afraid to. Maybe, my formerly beautiful King Quad now looks like FrankenQuad! Well, no matter. True love is more than skin deep. Soon, we will be reunited!
Posted by: kclayd
IT'S BACK!
I'm so happy!!!!
Looks good, too. The Suzuki dealer even put my winch on (promotional deal for $49.99, $75 labor).
ALL THE PARTS AND SERVICE, INCLUDING INSTALLING THE WINCH WAS LESS $970.00. Not bad considering what kind of tumbling it did down that hill.
If you see a very happy man on a King Quad 300, it's probably me!
Posted by: kclayd
The King Quad 300 seems to like swimming! I went trail riding with MyScrambler, yesterday. Well, he has a 12 inch ground clearance with the biggest tires ever made by man, and his Polaris sat at least five feet taller than my King Quad... well maybe 18 inches anyway. Needless to say, MyScrambler took me to every deep puddle or pond he could find. His mighty, modified Polaris loved the water. MyScrambler crossed each body of water with his feet off the pedals, lifted up above the water at rack level. What a show-off! Well, I can't say I didn't get wet. I somehow sensed that my stock King Quad 300 would rather be at home sitting quietly in the yard, gleaming in the sun. I don't know what made me think that. Maybe it was the constant, gurgling sound of exhaust bubbles percolating up through the muddy water?! Well, after what seemed to be the 20th deep (and long) water hole, we made it back. I never had to use my winch, once, which sort of surprised me! MAX6X6 would have been proud of the King Quad, which definitely received its baptism yesterday.
Good riding!
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[This message has been edited by kclayd (edited 10-31-1999).]
Posted by: kclayd
I have read posts about different ATV models. They usually feature technical advantages, or disadvantages as compared to other manufacturers or models. It is easy to get lost in the techno babble - sorry.
I'm doing something different here. I will say only one thing about the Suzuki 300 King Quad. I own one, and the more I drive it, the more I like it. How many other utility ATVs can you say that about?
Posted by: kclayd
Had a blast! This has been a fun week! I pulled two quads out of messes, one in a deep creek, and the other in deep mud. I also winched myself out of a hidden bog (covered with leaves). The King Quad sank about 2 feet into some type of nasty, smelly, dark mud, and not even differential lock could budge me, so I used my $49.95 winch which came with the Quad. Pulled me out and made me a happy guy! One thing, though, it is not real easy to clean up. Nasty!
Posted by: kclayd
Another great thing about the King Quad is the winch special. For $49.95, you can get a 2,000 lb. winch. Installation is about $75.00, unless you want to do it yourself.
I got my winch about 3 weeks ago, and I have had a blast using it since. I have pulled a 300EX out of a mudhole, a Polaris Sportsman out of a stream, and I have extricated my trusty King Quad from a hidden mud bog, and a nasty, murky creek bed.
Another good thing about a winch is it improves your confidence. I hit a big water hole beneath a steep bank, knowing that if I did not make it, that I could winch myself out. It was a no lose situation. If I made it, everyone would be impressed with the King Quad as super quad. If I didn't, then they would be impressed with the way it could winch itself out of a bad situation. Well, I plowed into the deep water hole and hit the bank hard. I had it in Super Low (3rd gear) and Differential Lock, and the King Quad climbed out of the water hole up the steep, slippery bank. Very impressive! (It surprised the hell out of me!)
Take advantage of the special. You can pay for it by taking the ATV course. Suzuki will pay you $50.00 to take the course if you have previously owned an ATV, and $100.00, if you have not. Pretty cool!
[This message has been edited by kclayd (edited 11-20-1999).]
Posted by: kclayd
I'm going to adjust my shocks. The dealer has them set on soft. I saw another King Quad set on the hardest setting, and it must have had 2 more inches of clearance. After riding at Tasker's Gap (Va), I was convinced that those 2 inches would make it a lot easier on the skid plate.
Posted by: dunc_n
"I will say only one thing about the Suzuki 300 King Quad. I own one, and the more I drive it, the more I like it. How many other utility ATVs can you say that about?"
There is one other utility ATV you can say that about. The Suzuki Quadrunner 250 4x4 (king quads little brother.) My dad has one of these and I can't say enough good things about it.
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Duncan Currie
'94 Warrior w/K&N Filtercharger, Jet Kit, Supertrapp Racing Series
Posted by: SCman
Glad to hear you weren't seriously hurt. Quads and parts are replaceable!
Posted by: SCman
Whatever the shape, it's got to be better than a disassembled Lakota. :)
Posted by: BigRed450
My chum has a King Quad and I used it myself. It truely is a very good machine. Another note though, the (comparitably) short wheel base of the King Quad, I find, does help to counter the engine being mounted closer to the rear , but when it decides to "pop up" it happens quick!
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Ride the "WILD" country , South Gillies, Ontario, Canada
