I have nothing against utes i have fun on my friends prarie from time to time, but they just arent my cup of tea so to speak. i go anywhere and everywhere he goes, maybe not the same route but theres always a way around a huge mud pit. honestly i think you would be more at home on a sport quad for now!

and btw...im goin to the badlands in indiana wed. if anyone is goin let me know!!!

 

Do you guys think that having EFI on my first bike is very important? I really want to start big and grow into it so that the quad I purchase I will enjoy riding and have the pride to keep it for a # of yrs. I know so many bikes are going this route and I wanted your opinion long term if that is something I should include on my first quad.....ex, choosing the King over the Rincon.

 

I don't. Don't get me wrong, fuel injection is very nice but all of my bikes and quads have had carbs and I have had no problems with them. As a matter of fact, carbs have a hell of a lot bigger passages in them and even they plug sometimes. So you can imagine how easy an injector can plug.
Buy what dealer gives you the best service and what dealer gives you the best buy. Also what fits you best. I can't say the last enough.

 

I had a 450r and it was a fun quad. It's not as quick as the yfz but its more comfortable and a better trailriding machine. It'sa little high geared tho but one tooth down in the front will fix that. I had it for a little while and sold it for a kq. The electric start and reverse are nice on the king, but i never found it a problem not havin it on the 450r. It always cranked up first kick. The kq alwayz starts up first time w/ the button tho. I haven't seen a big advantage of the efi yet, other than it cranking up in the cold w/ no choke and fuel mileage. Its just a personal preference of mine. Out of all the big bores I've ridden the king has the smoothest ride, but i won't really say the best b/c its kinda twitchy at high speeds. but it has more power than a rincon, plus it has a locker and low gear. It has a better ride than the brute force but not as much power. I do notice the hesitation in the kq until about 9mph but when u way all the pluses and minuses its not as bad as some make it out to be.

You might want to look into the raptor 700 b/c it is now as wide as the yfz, but has reverse, electric start, and efi, and should have a little more room than the 450r, but i never had a problem and i'm 6'4.

Also if ur waiting to the end of the year u might consider the 06 rincon. don't know anything bout it yet tho.

 

Dr Turbo-thank you for the reassurance of having a carb vs EFI if I end up choosing that path. I am surprised however that Honda is w/o an efi quad...maybe the '06 Rincon will bring that. I will also take to heart what you said about what fits ME the best!

Jus650-thank you as well! Great thoughts and it sounds like I am kind of in your shoes or could be...you bought a 450r and now have a King, both quads I would love to have but can't have both! It sounded like you liked the 450r and I am thrilled to hear that with you being 6'4" ! What made you switch to the King? Jow old are you and how much do you weigh? Your answer here is really going to mean a lot coming from someone who has owned 2 quads I want. (I am leaning towards skipping the sport stage at 31 and getting my thrills on the trails, woods, creeks, some mud with a ute) I'm just curious to hear your story because I know too that when I get experience that I could probably take a 450r (or bike like it) ALMOST anywhere I would take a big bore utility. Look forward to hearing your response and thank you both again!

 

dude 31 is not the end of the world. if you are in shape an take care of yourself you can ride hard well into your 40's. i know several people that do it and beat the younger people all day. but the good thing about riding is that you can go ride with someone older or younger and still have fun.

back to the bikes. me and my fam have owned many differnt bikes over the past 15yrs, mostly sport bikes and i'll tell you that unless i was seriously into mud or chores i would skip the ute. they have come along way from what they were but they are still heavy and cannot compare to the sport bike handling- which is what you need to NOT overlook on getting your first quad. if i was you, id get a raptor 700EFI. they do everything well (im not a mudder so it may not be a top choice for that) the power is smooth and has plenty on tap. you can ride it slow or fast. and it rides like a cadillac (based of the raptor660 rides ive taken). id be careful on ANY bike riding your kids and you definietly dont want a big heavy bike flipping over on you and them. i have a 450R and cant recomend it for a beginner but its not as bad as everyone says, i just think you'd be better off with other features. the power of it is very nice and it is relatively smooth.

but it is YOUR choice, get what fits you and your style. id think you'll be ok on whatever you get coming from a seadoo which has way more power than an atv, but have fun and be careful and dont try anything that you are not skilled enough for...

 

One thing to remember if you get or build the biggest, baddest ute out there is that you aren't going anywhere your buddies can't go. Once you come to an obstacle, what is the purpose of getting through it? Hopefully there is somewhere else to go on the other side. Problem is it may only be a meadow on the other side and then your ute isn't much fun at all. Believe me, I dumped almost 60K into a 98 Jeep Sahara that could go just about anywhere. A 13 year kid could make it go just about anywhere. I had more fun with that Jeep when it was stock as it was more challenging. Too be honest, I had trouble finding challenging places to take it. I was pretty much limited to Paragon Adventure Park in Hazelton, PA. Even going there, I would be bored most of the day waiting on a few select challenges to arrive.

Your 31, get a sport quad. Let your buddies feel big and proud when they can help get you unstuck. You will be full of mud after a days riding but grinning from ear-to-ear. Your buddies will envy you and point out how clean they are. There is nothing more dangerous than trying to fly around on a 4X4 and losing control. A very experienced rider can do it but too many novices end up dead or at the emergency room. High speeds on an IRS quad just sucks (unless you are just going down a gravel road). Take it from someone who started on a 4X4, they are fun to ride but do not come close to the thrill of a sport quad. Keep 2 sets of rear rims and tires. One set would be 20" and the other a set of 22X11X9 Maxxis Razor 2s. Run these in the winter when the trail ruts are deeper and muddier. You will be shocked how much traction you have. It will be rare when you buddies find a place to go that you can't.

my two cents old man. :-) This 41 year old will stick to the sport scene as long as he can. There will be a day that I ride on a 4X4 again but hopefully that is another 30 years from now.

/Jon

 

stocks - I really liked the 450r and had a blast riding it, but nearly all of my friends have 4wd's, and like to play in the mud. I also like to play in the mud as well as go fast. I did play in the mud a little on the 450r but ended up riding alone a lot. I had been curious about the kq b4 i ever bout the 450r but it wasn't out yet and i was convinced i wanted a sport bike. When the kq came out i started hearing good things and reading good things so i decided to test drive one. I really didn't think i was going to like it b/c i had never ridden an automatic that i liked. It felt sporty and light and accelerated good. It wasn't really that i didn't like the 450r I just decided i could ride a lot more and more places on the kq. After i got it i started thinkin i had made a mistake then i rode w/ a guy w/ a 450r w/ a 13tooth front sprocket and i was just as quick on the trails, and i had close to the same top speed but went a lot more places. I am 18 and about 195. and have been riding for about 10 years.

 

i had a 450r(05) great bike for very aggesvie riding, not trail riding , go with a rincon or big bore sport.

 

seems Like alot of people had a 450r....