I bought a King Quad this year after much anticipation. Great bike...no question about that. However, I really missed the smooth ride of the Vinson. I just bought a used one with 51 miles on it. Happy. The ride on the Vinson is unquestionably smoother than on the king. In fact, I have ridden the King a ton this summer and I noticed a little lower back pain after long rides. No doubt it was due to the independent rear. What would be the best of both worlds for me is to see a King Quad with a straight axle! No complanits about the independent...just seems a whole lot smoother on the Vinnie. By the way...I accidently bought a Yamaha 450 Kodiak......no competition. I cannot understand why someone would buy one of those when a Vinson is almost the same amount of money.

 

I havent ridden a king yet but i have a vinson and a ltz400, and riding the vinson after the z is like riding on my easy chair it is so soft and smooth i can ride all day no problem no sore butt. After a long day on the z i am worn out, you have to use alot more body english and energy, i am totally happy with both, i was a little dissapointed that when i bought my vinson i should have bought the king for the 600$ more but the salesman was trying to get rid of the 04 and didnt try to sell me a king, still happy with the vinson, great bike, just wish it had more *****,

 

Pastor,
What do you mean you accidently bought a Kodiak? Do you just mean you wish you hadn't or something else?

 

I tried to find a used Vinson all over the northwest...nothing. I saw a used 03 Kodiak 450 and bought it. I was blown away by the differences between the Yamaha and the Suzuki. I thought that the yamaha was like going back in time. Once I located a used Vinson, I dumped the yamaha. It truly is amazing the differences between the two. it is hard for me to believe that so many people are missing out on the Suzuki stuff. It is just plain superioir in multiplied ways.

 

On my first quad purchase coming up here, I heavily leaning towards the KQ. I wouldn't mind saving a little $ and going with a manual Vinson to eliminate any dealings with having a belt. Just not sure if I want a 500cc, although that is plenty of power for my first quad, I know that at 6'5", 255lbs that I will grow into it FAST.

My one question on this post though is that I thought the ONE advantage of IRS was a SMOOTHER ride?? I thought it wasn't as good taking fast turns or hauling but on a "normal" trail ride it absorbed more which in turn offered a better ride?? I'm confused. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Dont get confused, a straight axle will beat the hell out of you compaired to irs. I have never been on a vinson so I cannot speak to how it rides, but I have been on plenty of other straight axle machines and there is no contest. I would never go back to one. They are alot of fun to ride every once in a while but my friends with straight axles get left in the dust when it comes to rough rocky areas.

 

KingMe, thanks....I thought Pastor had to be wrong on that.....that is the ONE advantage IRS has!!!!

 

Wrong....about what? Nobody qualified the type of riding that was described on the original post. I have done a ton of riding on everything from mud to talus. The Vinson is STILL smoother. I own both bikes and can tell the difference. However, that doesn't mean that IRS does not have its strong points. obviously, riding styles and terrain will dictate this. Overall, the Vinson is the best machine in the sport/utility class. That is. in my humble opinion. The straight axle on the Vinson is virtually un noticable until you are traversing major rocks. Of the two machines .....the Vinson gets my nod.

 

Another advantage that IRS has over a straight rear axle is that you keep all 4 wheels on the ground more. This is a HUGE concern in rocky terrain.

 

I also have not ridden a vinson and i'm sure they are nice machines, but to say that a straight axle compared to a IRS machine is much smoother is, in my opinion, nuts!!! I own a 2003 rubicon, different from a vinson of course, but a straight axle none the less. I also own a king quad and i swear i will never buy another straight axle machine ever again. The difference is night and day when it comes to the ride! I ride anything from rocky trails, mud, flat trails, log roads and you cannot beat the ride of a IRS machine! Once again, this is my opinion.