Troubled kingquad,
Your post caught my eye since I grew up in Norway (live down at Hamilton lakes now). Just wondring if you ever considered an Arctic Cat? I've got 2 and have been very pleased so far, they seem to be very well built. I've got 05 a 300 with over 800 miles and a 05 650 V2 with about 650 miles. If you have any interest in a Cat you could let me know, I'd be happy to discuss the positives and negatives or you could take a spin on the 650 to see what it rides like.
And if you have no interest, that's fine to. I think that all the major manufacturers make excellent bikes now, but every once in a while someone will get a lemon. Just bad luck with your King Quad.

 

Hey there,

Nice to see someone in my local area looking into these posts.

I have considered an Arctic Cat. After sitting on one I found the handlebars are to low for me. I am 6'1" and felt like I was a giant on the bike. They may have changed now, it has been about 4 years since I have looked into them. I just don't know if I want another belt drive machine. I know that Cat and Suzuki have the same type of clutch, or belt system wich is better than Polaris, in my opinion. When I bought this KingQuad last year I wanted a spare belt,but I was told I wouldn't need it. I found out now that the price of a Suzuki belt from our local dealer is $160.00. I did get a belt made by Carlisle now for $58.00.

I have been a Honda man since 1982 when I bought my first ATC,(185s),and have been upgrading and acummulating. I currently own 5 ATV's. One 1996 Honda fourtrax 300 2x4,a 1998 Honda Foreman 400 with 27x12x12 vampires all around,a Warn 2000,K&N filter,re-jetted carb, Supertrap IDS-2 pipe, Highlifter lift springs,and a Moose 60" County plow, a 2002 Suzuki Ozark 250,a 2005 Suzuki Eiger 400, and my latest , 2005 KingQuad 700. I do like the look of the King,and the ride is also very comfortable. But I would sacrafice this for a more dependable unit. This is the only ATV I have ever had any problems with. Maybe once I get it back with the rebuilt engine,and clutch,I may never have any more problems. Time will tell.



05' KingQuad (Red)
ITP Mudlight XL's
Warn 2500

 

As far as the original question goes, I beleave if you look in the owners manual you will see that Suzuki recomends inspecting the belt at the 600 mile interval and recomends changing it at 1200 miles.

 

Hey CC1999. I see you list your 04 Twin Peaks 700 in both your column of current bikes and with your past bikes, as stock bore then and now as the FST overbored 800. It's as though it became a whole 'nother separate machine after the rebore. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]
Not trying to fluff up your list of quads, are you? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] (like you need the numbers...)

ps. The Polaris 800 doesn't look to have stayed very long in the fleet. Is there a story? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

TroubledKQ,
I hadn't realized that your engine was being rebuilt when I posted earlier in this thread, you have a right to be upset. There is nothing worse when you get a new ATV and it lets you down, ecspecially when it costs in upwards of $7K...the filter on a machine this expensive should work and work well. It really makes me think twice about going back to Suzuki for my next purchase.
I haven't experienced any of the problems you've had except for the dirt getting through the filter...it's a tiny film but hey it's enough to worry me. I got a Uni filter but I don't know if I'm to late and it's that fear of not knowing that bugs me all the time. That fear has driven me to a conclusion of possibly selling my KQ, there's just to much money involved not knowing if my engine will start puffing blue smoke...but I haven't made my decision yet.
Just curoious, did Suzuki cover the cost of your engine rebuild. Oh yeah I'm sure you know this but when your rebuild is done be sure to get a Uni filter.

 

There is no fluff here. They are 2 differnt machines. I had originaly bought a Blue twin Peaks back early in 04 and bought another one just for my big bore project. My 2nd one had 0 miles on it when we pulled the motor and made it into an 800. It was a good thing because it took right at a year to get all the kinks worked out on the BB Twin peaks. It was built to jack with the sport quads at the dunes. Other than a few test miles when we were trying to resolve all the issues we were having early on in the project, it has never been ridden anywhere but the dunes.

The Sportman 800 was bought to try it out, It was a nice machine. I think they made some signifcant quality improvements. I liked it on the long rocky trails of Colorado, I was pretty board on it riding anywhere else, it just didn't have the fun factor or sporty feel or abilities the Prairie/Twin Peaks have. The Bomb came out with a true factory 800, with a IRS design like know other touted to be able to play like a SRA but ride as smooth as the smoothest of IRS machines, and more power than any quad in production. So far, 4 months into having the new Bomb, I have to say I have not been disapointed. It has been just the best machine I have ever had, and prior to the new bomb, the last quad I said that about was the Prairie's.

 

Thanks for the info. That's a whack of quads you've had personal experience with!

 

I have been wheeling for 25 years, and still loving it. My Dads been at it for about 10 years now, and my brother who is still into the sporties has been at it for 15 years. If I added there machines into my list it would be something. We still swap around on each others machines when we go riding together, So my expeerince exceeds my list by quite a bit as far as real seat time out side the dealers parking lots and helping both of them maintain there machines. My dad has the KQ700, a prairie 650, he had a BF750 that met a tragic ending. He has had several others over the past 10 years, He is still waiting on his new Red 800 max to come in. My dad is still POed about his KQ leaving him standed up in the mountains with less than a 100 miles on it last summer when the ECM shot crapps. Thats where I read that about the belt life and maintinace schedual, that manual was out of my dad's KQ.

 

Toyeboy,

Suzuki is suposed to cover the engine for me, but not the clutch. My Dealer said he would eat the parts and labor for the clutch since I have spent so much money there and he does not want a bad reputation. The ATV is 5 months out of warrenty. I know the bike was using oil, but could not see much smoke through the exhaust, but after 100 miles on the oil, it was almost a quart low. I will have a UNI filter when I get it back. You may want your dealer to look into your engine for you. Mine could see the dust on the butterfly in the air intake after the filter.



troubledKQ
05KQ Red

 

That's a bunch of bull. Someone's trying to sell belts when they don't have to just to get your money.
I have almost 900 miles on my 2005 and my friend has over 1300 on his.
We did start having some problems on this last trip. His would kind of stall when he'd give it the throttle. Mine had a squeak when you'd put it in gear. We ride in a rather dusty area.
We took the clutch/belt cover off and found a BUNCH of real fine dirt inside. Like flour. We checked the filter on the air intake tube for the transmission and it was in bad shape. FILTHY. After cleaning the clutch, the filter and blowing out the air tubes both the intake and exhaust, we put them back together and glory be. Both bikes ran like a champ. No squeaking and no hesitation when you hit the throttle. We ride hard and fast. No one told us about this filter so it hadn't been cleaned since we bought the bikes in March of 2005. It will be cleaned at least once a year, maybe twice.
As far as don't ride it like other atv's. Ride it like you stole it. We have a friend that rides with us and he has gone through one Yamaha and two Honda's to our one King Quad. And he found out that when a Honda transmission goes out it's big, really big bucks to have it fixed..
So have fun and enjoy.