You definitely won't be left behind in the trails with the KQ, it can handle dirt roads & bumpy roads just fine. But I've heard that if you go too deep in water though water will enter the belt housing and cause the belt to slip...I think the KQ's intake is lower than the handlebars but you can go above the tires in the water just fine. And the EFI is great on mine.
The KQ does have light steering...But the steering isn't a problem for me and I go 60 mph+ a lot and I never hesitate...like any ute you just have to keep your hands on the handle bars and don't make any quick sharp turns at high speeds.

 

The steering on the KQ is fine. What people are so used to is a heavy front end 4x4 UTE steering and the KQ is not that. The KQ has a very smooth and light steering ... almost like your riding a sport quad feeling. I love it because at the end of the day, you don't feel like you were riding a heavy machine.

 

I own two KQs and have to put in my 2 cents. My first one had some funky steering habits, very light and any bump or small rock jerked the handlebars from my hands and then the ATV would swerve sharply. My brother noticed this as well. I ordered a steering stabilizer from Denton racing but they took so long to manufacture one that I gave up on them. I put Maxxis Bighorns on it and it steers fantastic. Now, I just bought my wife a KQ and I drove it first to see how the steering was on it before putting any tires on it. Funny thing, it steers like a dream! I don't know what the difference is between the two bikes but it is very noticable.

I have a friend that bought the BF a week before I bought the KQ. We ride together all the time. He loves it. When I was buying I was able to test drive both at the same time under the same conditions. I had my wife ride both as well. We both agreed that the comfort level on the KQ was much nicer. The steering was much better on the KQ. The BF was awesome in a straightaway but I could not get it to powerslide at all and it pushed very hard when cornering. The KQ was able to power slide and cornered very well. I really like the EFI on the KQ as we ride from 2,500 to 10,500 feet regularly, sometimes in the same day.

Bottom line is that after testing both the KQ was the correct machine for me. BTW, my friend and I were riding last weekend and found a huge snow drift at the summit of the trail. It was flat across and at the end it was a 15 to 20 ft straight down drop to the trail. My friend went first. When he hit the bottom (90 degree angle) there was a loud clank and clutter. Upon inspection he found that his front differential housing had broken. it was a hard hit, but nothing you would not expect an ATV to be able to handle. I then had to do the run down it and was a bit fearful about the outcome. Bottom line is the Suzuki hit hard, jammed my wrists and leveled out without any damage. Kawi is going to fix his bike under warrenty but his confidence is shattered. He has ridden Kawis since the 70s and is stunned and the poor quality on this one.

 

I am not sure that I have a mechanical answer on the steering issue of the K.Q. I do know that there were alot of other guys that also felt that it was "twitchy" at higher speeds. Possibly a bigger tire would have minimized it. It does have a sport feel to it. All in all, the K.Q. is a fine Quad...and probably one of the best in class. There were just some "bugs" that i felt needed to worked out. This is absolutely a Quad that is worth the money when comparing apples to apples.

 

I have a 05 KQ and have not had any problems with it. It may be a lil slower on top end than the other big bores but it has more torque. Suzuki makes 2 bikes in this class. The KQ (single bore) and the Twin Peaks (V-twin) So if you want a twin, look at the twin peaks. It has the same frame and suspention of the KQ with a diff. engine. The issue with the tie rods are they would bend under certain condition, so there was a factory recall issued. I have not had mine replaced and have not had any problems. Lets put it this way, There is probly not as many places to run top speed as there is for low end power. I have had mine at 72mph and it is not that the bike seems loose at top speed, it is because of the tires at that speed. Low pressure, high rotational speed, weak sidewall tire (most atv util. tires are not made for these speeds) eqauls a loose feel at high speed. I would recommend a KQ to anyone. It is not called the King for selling purposes, it truely is the King of quads. Its good to be the King.

 

ok guys, I do appreciate a lot your comments. Where I live Suzuki has a very low after market value so I want to make sure it will last for a long time. I had no answer on the 0-9 mph thing that was designed for innexperienced riders, could somebody please explain a little and how to fix that?

Also, been used to a polaris, steering is an issue. I do like heavy feel on steering because on rocky roads, the handlebars will align themselves with less effort. I've never ride a Suzuki before so I don't know what it feels like, but I've tried the rincon and other hondas. I really don't like the steering on them since you have to fight the atv to stay on a straigth line because has a very light steering, feels like the bike doesn't want to go straigth. Is it the same feel you guys explain here?

 

The steering issue is with all Kings and is not limited to twitchy "light" steering. There is also the potential for the bars to be ripped out of your hands if one front tire comes in contact with any obstacle and the other tire does not. This is caused from the lack of positive caster and front end alignment is a big factor to the twitchy steering. The King comes from Suzuki with about 1.6 degree of positive caster and the caster mod increases it to +4 degree of positive caster. A Tech tip to fix both problems can be found on the NYROC site. The caster mod to adjust and correct the caster and the front end alignment is needed more on the Kings that have had the tie rod recall. All kings need to have the caster mod and followed with an alignment. IMO
These steering problems are not hard to address and a lot of king owners will never think anything of them. I noticed the twitchy steering only after the tie rod recall but the bar whip was a problem for me from day one. Not anymore and i would buy the King over any other ATV on the market. IMO
Thanks
David

 

Pound for pound, dollar for dollar, the 750 Brute Force is a good pick.