I called my dealer today and asked about the kingquad 500. he says he still cant get any new ones in stock. he said suzuki is currently way slower in providing inventory than yamaha. he said hes already sold tons of 2011 grizzlys but cant get sufficient stock in kingquads. said he's only gotten 2 eps kings so far and they were both 750's. I asked him about prices on the 500axi and he quoted me $7195! i said wth? thats more than they are selling their grizz 550 eps for. he said its about voume and demand right now. hes selli8ng tons of grizzes so he can let them go at significant discounts. I really like the specs on the 500axi but not if it cost more than a 550 grizz.

i asked how many eigers he has left and he said none. sold all 5 of them over the weekend. said he still has several suzuki kingquad 400AS models for $5295. At that price though i think Im inclined to go for the Polaris 500 ho. at least it has IRS, diff lock, and better storage. hummmm?

 

Do ride the Polaris before you make that plunge. Some people like the suspension and handling, and some people don't.

Suzuki has cut back on importing motorcycles, too, as have many brands. I think they are working on clearing a backlog of non-current models.

 

Whatever one you choose be sure to look long and hare at getting EFI! Almost all quads 550 and up have EFI now. You will get your people here that will argue the EFI thing all day long but what it will boil down to is that EFI does work, it does do better on fuel MPG's, and it does make your new purchase much more enjoyable to own! The only Co that cant seem to figure out EFI is Polaris as they have now discontinued it on the 500's but look at any Japanese MFG any you will have a hard time finding any issues with there EFI units!

 

That definately confirms what my dealer said. And also explains why my dealer had all those '07 Eigers in stock at blowout prices. Based on the huge discounts my dealer has been giving on Yamaha's I was expecting to hear the 500AXI priced at ~$6300. But at $7195 I'd take the Grizz 550 instead.

 

Most recent development. Dealer calls me up and tells me he has a brand new 2008 Kingquad 450AXI he'd sell me for $5695. Now I'm really kind of leaning toward this. He'd sell me a 2010 450AXI for $6295. Are their significant differences between the 2008 and the 2010?

Comparing the 2008 KQAXI to the 2011 Grizz 450 I would get:
Advantages of the King:
$200 cheaper price tag.
Fuel Injection vs carb on the GRizz
Larger displacement engine (453 on the King and 428 on the Grizz)
More Horsepower (36.7 vs 26.0)
Larger footprint for my larger body (83x48x48 vs 78.5x44x43)

CONS:? Not sure if there are any? I believe Suzuki is right up there in reliablity with Yamaha aren't they?. I guess the con would be I'd be getting a 2008 instead of a 2011. But both are new with full warranty.

What do you all think? Both have similar suspensions and 4WD systems.

 

I think the Suzuki may be shim valve adjustment, which for me is a pretty significant disadvantage. I'm also not sure if the Suzuki has a centrifugal clutch and sprag clutch like the Yamaha.

I do like the waterproof and large storage compartment Suzuki uses.

I don't think you would be disappointed in either machine.

 

Don't worry about the valve adjustment too much. I just took my 07 700 King in for servicing after 3500 miles and no adjustment needed at all. I think that's the first quad I've ever had with results like that!

 

Looking at this comparison and for the money I would have to say that the Zuke seems like a good deal. But the only red flag I come up with is that the Zuke has a sub transmission meaning that it is separate from the engine. This has good and bad points depending on how you look at it but the biggest thing being is noise. Never have ridden the Zuke 450 tho most quads with sub tranny's usually produce significantly more NVH than ones where the tranny is built in with engine. All in all I would give the edge to the Yamaha in reliability as the 450 has been around forever and it is allot more peppier that what the numbers on paper say!
2008 Suzuki KingQuadŽ 450AXi 4x4 ATVs

 

Thanks for the info. i dont really understand the super technical differences between the trannys and clutches and things like that. it was always my impression that suzuki and yamaha were much more similar than say honda or polaris. but it sound like suzuki uses an inferior valve configuration.

I noticed in the comparison shown in the link above that the suzuki shows double a arm irs while yamaha shows double wishbone irs. whats the difference? is one superior to the other or are they referring to the same thing?

regardless, i need to make a decision soon.

 

I'm pretty sure double A-arm and double wishbone mean the same thing. An A-arm might be a little more stout than a wishbone. When I think of a wishbone suspension I kind of think of a U with a straight metal piece coming out the bottom of the U. An A-arm is usually a strong frame going just about out to the end. I think of wishbone more in sport quads than I do utility machines but I am more than willing to be corrected on this.