Bill, I agree with you, on not stepping on feelings. I have no desire to upset anyone here, or bash their quad.. After all, everyone likes something different... However, at the same time, I feel obligated to give the originator of this thread, an accurate account of the King.. He is obliously interested in one, and I'd like to know that he made a decision, aware of its faults as well as good points.. When I bought my King, I asked people about them, and all I heard was how great they were. I didn't hear any negative remarks about the power, or suspension.. As it turned out, I wasn't satisfied with it... I really wish, I had never purchased it, and gone after the Polaris to start with.. I ended up wasting alot of money, before I got what I was satisfied with..
Alot of guys, may love their King, and overlook its faults, but I like to be the one, or one of the group, that made it across(whatever obstacle we are facing at the moment), as opposed to one of the group, that had to be pulled over, under, or through whatever it was.. I'd hate to know someone else made the same mistake as me, when I could have told him, what he needed to know, in the first place.

By the way, I haven't done a lot of rock hopping with the Sportsman yet, haven't took a trip yet.
But, the few places that we have locally, she has performed well, mostly due to the ground clearance. I haven't had the opportunity to ride an explorer, but I bet you have a good combination, with the power and lighter weight.

 

LOW-GEAR,
I certainly agree with you.Its just that no matter how true a statement that you make,SOMEONE [usually a current OWNER]will take what your saying about a particular ATV in a negative manner.You know,''bashing ect''and they seem to forget one thing?We were CURRENT OWNERS!Who better to get an evaluation of a particular ATV from?Magazine's?Yah right!

You and I both know 1st hand the strengths and weaknesses of the KQ.

KQ users are allmost ALLWAYS either 1st time ATV buyers or 1st time 4x4 ATV buyers and got talked into the KQ from a dealer or a friend that wants to sell his.And after they experience the KQ for awhile,most would not buy another one and wished they had ''shopped around''some more before buying the KQ.

I would suggest to anyone that is intrested in a KQ,go and ride as many 4x4s as possible first,ask as many questions as you can about ALL 4x4 ATVs,my bet is you wont buy the KQ.

Non of the above is bashing,its simply the opionion of a previous owner.Take it or leave it,but at least ''SHOP AROUND'' first,
Bill Ciliberti

 

I recently purchased a 91 King Quad 300 and I had it out this past weekend on some trails that covered all types of terrain. My buddy was riding a 00 Honda Rancher 350. I have to say that all your comments about the King's lack of power when climbing the steep hills are true! I had trouble keeping up with the Rancher. However, on the very rocky uneven hills, where speed was not the issue, my King did a better job of climbing in that instance.
Just my .02 worth! I have found all your comments
to be very helpful.

 

Imho I belive I spend more time ridin my kinq then waitin for the dealer to finish up fixin the sportsman. I belive this is a real issue that needs to be considered. Every time some mag does a shoot out with the sportsman some on it is broke. I have a buddy that owned a sportsman and he recently bought a new Rubi without a single regret. Oh btw his new machinehas been ready to ride every weekend unlike his sportsman. This has been only an observation of mine.

And one more thing: I find it very humbling that the quad I chose to ride is always being compaired to quads in a much bigger price and cc range.

 

RobH, you just said a mouthfull! You rarely see a King Quad getting compared to a machine its own size. Most of the quads that the King gets compared to have twice the engine displacement of a King Quad. Thats quite a complement for a machine that was designed over 10 years ago and that is basically unchanged. If I spent the money on a big bore I would be very disappointed if it didn't out perform a "little 300".

Yamahagye, whether a KQ is for you depends on what you intend to use it for. One thing is sure though, the king is no racer. The best advice I could give would be to consider what YOUR needs in a quad are, then go out and ride as many of them as possible and see which one suits YOU best.

 

MikeR,
your advice on checking out and riding as many 4x4s before making up your mind is sound advice.Maybe a KQ will meet HIS requirements.Maybe he does not need all the extra's that come with the bigger CC quads.

downtown,
I beleive you when you say the KQ is great on uneven/hard/and rocky hills where speed plays no role.In fact,im thinking that this quad would REALLY shine and whip some butt in this type of terrain.The gearing and true 4x4 lock will really help out here.

RobH,
Quit flattering yourself!No one is actually comparing a KQ to a Sportsman!There is NOTHING except true 4x4 that these ATVs have in common.Instead,I think some of us are just telling the DIFFERANCES in these ATVs.Humble yourself by knowing the differance between the two ATVs,and not thinking we are making a comparison.There really is very little these two quads have to compare each other to.
Bill

 

I currently own a 95 KQ. Its a great machine for plowing snow, pulling stumps and slow trail riding. Bill is totally right when it comes to steep long hills the KQ just will not do it. Quite simply it doesn't have the horsepower. I've come down quite a few backwards to prove it. I love the bike but it does have limitations. For slow speed torque I'd put it up against the Polaris or any other 4 wheeler in a tug of war but anything over 2nd gear is wishy washy power at best. Love the bike but its a 300 not a 500cc.

Rob.

 

I CAN'T WAIT TO TRY ONE OF THESE HILLS OUT TO GIVE THE OLD KING A WORKOUT. WHERE CAN I FIND SOME OF THEM.

 

I STILL WANT TO TRY SOME OF THESE HILLS.....

 

My KQ is a '99 M.Y. and I own it. It only has 1,100 miles on it but I ride when ever I can. I kept the Dunlop's on as long as I could due to cost of new tires. I do like to stop and take breaks while riding. One reason, it gets tiring on the King after an hour or so. Two, I just like to stop and relax in the out of doors when I'm there. If I had another quad, more powerful, comfortable, it wouldn't change a thing. I'd still stop for the very same reasons. Anybody can tell you that a big bore is going to get you up the hill, pull better, carry weight easier. Don't buy any quad with a small 300cc or less engine unless you intend to race it, cruise on it, work with it, climb with it, run through mud holes on it, or pull some big over rated, belt driven 4x4 quad, out of a hole with it... Did I miss anything Bill? :0)
Chuck