I agree that the KQ suspension can probably be tuned to be "as good" as the Rincon suspension, but notice I said that nothing would "beat" the ride of the Rincon. This was in response to a post stating that the ride of the KQ was far superior to the ride of the Rincon.

MUDDY4LIFE, I respect your opinion greatly and I agree that other manufacturers are also reliable, but Honda is still the leader when it comes to high mileage reliability and durability. Sure, you may have had a few problems with your personal Rincon, but overall Honda is still the most reliable. Talk to me when you reach 4000 miles on your KQ. I'm curious to see how it holds up. If it holds up as well as a Rincon, I believe I shall purchase one...

 

And might I add, it sure is nice to have an intelligent, civil conversation about different ATV's. On a lot of other forums (first letter H), it seems that the moment you give an opinion about a particular ATV, the discussion deteriorates into a giant bash-fest. Kudos, guys.

 

I've been involved in 3-4 wheelers since 1983 and the old ''HONDA IS MOST'' reliable just dont hold much merit in todays high tech world.

I suggested to my boss and Honda Field Rep back in middle 2002 that by 2006,Honda would no longer be the leader in overall sales of ATV's.

You cannot continue to make a product that is 10 yrs behind everybody else in this bussiness and HOPE that you stay on top.Heck,Honda did'nt even have ''brake lights'' on an ATV until the 2003 Rincon hit the market!

Im just not buying into the ''HONDA RELIABILTY'' stuff anymore.

Im an ATV Safety Instructor and work part time at an ATV Dealership.The Honda Reliabilty stuff is not what it once was.And neither will their sales be.

 

Okay guys I've read enough. Honda use to be the king but it's just not ture anymore and that's something we all have to face. They had a great product but have not kept up with the changes of the market like the rest of the brands. I've road many many machines and have grown up on Honda but for the last few years I've just had enough. I'm sorry to say that most other brands are better than Honda in just about every way. Everyone says that they are more reliable but it's just not ture anymore most new machines are created equal in this department. Yes there will be some things but all in all they're about the same. With out going through every last quad just look at the KQ and Rincon. For the options and price of the KQ it is far better in just about every way. The only bad thing I can see is that this is KQ's first year so there is bound to be a few gliches but even then Suzuki will fix them and you still end up with a better machine.

JMO so no need to slam.

 

In Alaska Polaris is far in front of being number one in sales for ATV's and has been for several years now. I would bet there are twice as many Polaris's sold as any other ATV. Second place would probably be either Honda or Suzuki. The other brands trail by a wide margin.

 

Snowwolfe,

Nice collection of quads you got there. Tell me the truth, which do you prefer the KQ or Sportsman? I'm getting another quad and am looking at the KQ.

By the way where do you ride? Maybe I've seen you around?

You're right about Polaris being the #1 seller of quads with the dealers getting new 700cc machines I'm sure it will cut into their sales some. To me they are good machines but just way to heavy for me and I still can't over that akward shifter.

 

As of 2003,Honda was the leader in overall ATV sales with Polaris being about 13k behind them.

It should be REAL interesting to see where they are at the end of this yr?

My bet is that Honda will soon lose its 1st place marketshare.

 

I respect honda.. However its like they produced the rincon which was top notch for its day without mentioning the tranny issues and just took a long vacation in the development department. Perhaps they moved all there top developers off the utility atv lines to work on there sportbikes or something. Times have changed. People expect more outta there utility quads then just a ride through the woods on a hard packed trail. People nowdays including myself want the best there is to offer. If this wasnt the case then maybe we all would still be happy with our old 400cc machines that were considered top dog for there time in power and comfort. I myself am happy with my KQ purchase. It rides like a dream, has all the power i want and it has started effortlessly within 4 seconds of hitting the starter button even in the coldest weather. I knew before i made the KQ purchase that the rincon was not for me.. Why? Cause the kinda riding i do requires a front locker, and when i took my old 360 Prairie out that has a locker and i litterally show up my buddies rincon in the mud or difficult trails as far as where i can go and he cant i think that pretty well tells me that yeah i may respect hondas, but until they get on the bawl with there quads i better look elsewhere for a quad thats well rounded for any situation i put it up against, mild to wild.. Hey i can recommend the rincon to my dad though. He doesnt like to get muddy or take any difficult trails. It be a good quad for him!! Well i take that back, my old little 360 Prairie would be better. Perhaps if he does get a burr up his butt one of these days at least he got a chance to get from point A to point B of my choosing!

 

Friend called me and told be he test drove the KQ and the TP back to back. THis was on a short dirt road behind the dealership. He was dissapointed with the turning radius of the KQ. Also said the Twin Peaks was faster, but only got to get up to about 40. LIked the looks of the KQ better.
We're always one-upping each other with our toys (ATVs, trucks etc)...LOL. He said he'll proably be getting the BF. Oh yeah, they wanted $7,600 for the KQ (red). Isn't that over MSRP???

 

A little off subject but let me just throw this out there. I ride extreme trails here in Alaska (deep mud/snow, boulders, etc.) and I also ride with a lot of people who mostly have the big 700cc machines. My friend has an old 300 praire and it goes everywhere the larger quads can go. My friend calls it his little mountain goat but it's no joke a great machine. I ride a Vinson and think it has more than enough power to get me anywhere and am not sure why you would want to spend the extra $$$ for a bigger machine unless you just have extra money laying around? With that said I'm in need of a second quad and will be looking at the KQ but only because it's IRS not that I need the extra 200cc's.