I had heard about this and then starting to hear others questioning this. And so, I investigated this for myself. I was pleasantly surprised as I am sure you will be. Firstly, apparently it recieved 5 prestigous industry awards that according to ATV SOURCE magazine put the K.Q. through intense industry scrutiny. One of the first things that suprised me was the award given by DIRT WHEELS Magazine...that said and I quote..." This atv (king quad) is one of the greatest quads ever..." They gave the K.Q. atv of the year. Interesting because some were saying that one of the big bore Kawa's got it. Not true. According to ATV Source magazine it was given to the K.Q. To see this article in full go to ATV Source.com Others gave it the award in the big bore classification. There isn't a hint of second rate testing or preferential treatment as some of the critics have proposed. When the Polaris 700EFI got it (last year I think) I never heard anyone question the intentions of the industry experts. When the Prarie got it a few years ago, I never heard anyone say anything negative about that bike. Now that the K.Q. has SWEPT through some of the most respected periodicals in the industry...some are starting to object. Why? I don't know. I sure feel pretty good about the machine in my garage! Ragged...I think you know what I am 'a saying!

 

..and the crowing continues.....next year or sooner....it won't make any difference,as other MFG's will have exceeded the kq..(with little "k")....... and other MFG's will have a reverse that "Works the first time"......


....some of us wonder, if some people have a life.... other than watching this forum 24/7...lol

 

Trail,

What wrong with a little "Crowing"??? People do it all the time with all kind of things... Pastor is just having some fun. Next year or Next month the King may no longer be the top dog... Might as well make hay while the sun shines...! :-)

As far as reverse is concerned.. It works fine the first time, it's that last time that bothers me... LOL

Later,

Hibrass

 

The problem has been that the first time has been the last time for too many.

 

Lep7MM,

I think that is the point of my statement... I own two of them and it is a concern of mine...

Hibrass

 

Ok Here is a just part of the article were they took last years winner up against this years, Shoot out in the May 2005 Dirtwheels Prairie VS KQ. The below is actual quotes from that May 2005 issue.



"Sure the extra ground clearance of the King Quad is advantageous in the ruts, but the Prairie seems to glide over the high spots just as easily. We never ran into any problems with the Prairie getting hung up. Plus with an easier-to-use diff lock control, the front wheel drive could be pressed into service at a moments notice."

"Both machines have equal fuel capacities at 4 1/2 gallons. We found that the V-twin powered Prairie likes to drink more gas on the trail than the EFI KQ does. On a full tank run, the KQ could travel on average, 10-15 miles further than the Prairie. All of that extra fuel usage helps bottom end torgue in the drag races somewhat. In our tests, the Prairie would always have a slight advantage off the line. From a 20 mph rolling start, The P700 would jump to an even bigger lead. About 2 quad lengths were typical. During our top speed runs, the fuel injected Suzuki would always reel in and pass the P700 just before the quarter mile mark. According to our Garmen GPS unit, top speed of the Kawi measured 67.5 mph while the KQ topped out at 71 mph and the Suzuki was bouncing off the rev limiter wanting more speed. Anyway, those speeds are plenty fast for this pair of 600-pound machines."

"THis shootout was a close one to call. Both machines have some strong points and some bad points. On the plus side, the Kawi has great acceleration and a strong motor in stock trim and is very easy to hop up. It has very stable manners at any speed and very predicatble steering as well. The engine braking is far surerior and the comfort level is equal to that of the KQ. On the downside, we would like to see more cargo carrying capabilities. Also a handlebar-mounted light would make night riding safer. A slight vibration through the handle bars was a minor complant on this machine. The KQ pluses included dual storage boxes, dual lighting systems and excellent fuel economy. It probable has the best fuel range in the over 600cc 4x4 class. In the needs-to-be-improved department, the Suzuki's list is crucial. The front-end needs some sort of steering stabilizer or a change in the caster rake of the frong spindles. A caster change will help in high speed stability but hurt cornering. However, the biggest concern is to make the frong end more predictable. We cant stress it enough; anytime a 600 lbs machine makes an unwanted or unexpected move, its spooky. Plus the more weight you add to the front rack, the worse it gets. We would also like to see better engine braking on the machine. Suzuki could formulate some improvments for the KQ and easily make it the best 4x4 quad on the market. However, until we see those changes, the Kawasaki Prairie 700will remain the best 4x4 quad you can buy."

Dirtwheels May 2005


And thats the real story as DW sees it. I have spent some real seat time on both and have to agree.

"the Kawasaki Prairie 700 will remain the best 4x4 quad you can buy."

If you beleave in what DW had say in mach or april when the prairie was not even in the shootout why is it not possable to beleave what DW has to say in May when it is actualy tested.

 

Hibrass,

sorry for the mis-interp.

 

CC 1999...Thanks for the lengthy yet very important article that you cited. However, I must ask ...so what? O.K. the praire is still (according to 1 magazine a "slightly" superior machine). Your point being taken...that does not take away from the previous award that DW gave to the K.Q. as best in big bore class (minus the Prarie), unless they are now being hypocritical toward there previous review. I think you are trying to champion your machine against not just 1...but a host of pro's who cited this machine (K.Q.) as the best for '05. That being said, the Prarie is a great machine as well. No problem here. What I don't understand is why people are having a problem with the K.Q. recieving these honors...maybe they don't like the bike, Suzuki, past experiences or whatever. Let's just deal with it. Next year it will be somebody else. And the beat goes on...

 

No Prob... Just a part of the BBS world.. :-)

Hibrass

 

The point is not try and take away from what the KQ is, I also think its a fine machine but to let it be know that it was tested against allot of quads that had already lost to the prairie, the past winner of many, many awards. that IMO and now that of so called experts you were just quoting in the first post of this thread, that are now going back and testing it against a machine that should have been in the original test. You started this thread tooting your own horn about how great the KQ was and how Dirt Wheels said this and Dirt wheels said that. When in fact the machine was not put up against the prior top awards winner and now it would seem if it had been in the earlier shootout it would not have been given that award this year. I do agree the KQ is a great and inovative quad, but you were try to make like I was enviouse of the lucky KQ owners yesterday on another thread, and that is not now nore has that ever been the case. I just want to keep the facts staight on who is saying what and why. ATV action came back and did a similar test with the KQ beat the out the Prairie by nose and the BF750 landed in 3rd. I know the KQ is a good machine. I just thought this thread was maybe getting a little deep and I thought i would through out a few other facts that may or may not have been known.