Hi all,
I just bought a new Vinson. I went for my first ride of about 20 mi. the other day. The fuel guage still reads full. Since it's still in the break-in period, I kept it at half throttle or less. It's a killer looking machine.

My impression is that this machine is designed more for sport than utility. There seem to be lots of gear that is exposed when compared to my King Quad. The front plastic CV boot protectors seem a little small and the rubber skid plate seems a little thin.

After opening the throttle, the thing just keeps accelerating. The shocks come from the factory set on the softest ride. It's nice. The steering is very light in either 2WD or 4WD. Contrary what ATV Magazine said, the park gear is a differential lock, not a brake lock.

I ride in the Rockies, usually at or above 6-7000 ft. Lots of long steep climbs, but during my first ride, I didn't really see a need to pop down into the low range. There's lots of available power. This is my first automatic and I'm wondering about belt longevity and maintenance. There's a drain plug to let out the water in case the tranny gets water in it during a stream crossing. The owner's manual says to not go any deeper than a foot. Get real [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] However after looking at the underside, there are some exposed electrical relays. I hope they're well insulated.

I'd like to hear from any Vinson owners and what their experience has been with the machine. Likes/dislikes, etc.

Thanks,
Mark

 

Mark -

Glad you like your bike. I had posted in the Eiger thread, but I don't think you probably read it. I finally found a dealer that let me ride the Vinson, but I rode it back-to-back with a 500HO. To me the HO felt much faster to where I was kind of disappointed with the Vinson. Maybe it will loosen up after break-in. Around here they aren't dealing on the Vinson, so the HO is the same or even less $. That being the case, I will probably get the HO, although I really like the Vinson.

 

Mark I was just wondering what kind of gains in power you find on your Quadrunner 250 4x4 with the mods you have. Is the kit worth the money? Also, do you have any pictures of your supertrapp muffler on the quad? I just can't picture it because the quadrunner has that center mounted muffler. Is the supertrapp in the center too? I am thinking of getting the kit for my '93 Quadrunner 250 4x4 and just want to know what you think.

thanks

 

Duncan,
I noticed a lot stronger acceleration in low to mid power band. It didn't do much for the top end. I don't have any pics, but the SuperTrapp pipe connects to the head pipe and is S shaped. The muffler is on the right center as you look at the bike from the back. It isn't perfectly centered like the stock muffler but more to the right. What surprised me was the weight of the stock muffler. It's heavy. Hell, maybe the weight savings is why I feel like the bike is faster. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] But seriously, I think the DynoJet kit and K&N filter made the biggest difference from stock. That's not to say that you can't tell if the pipe does anything, because you can tell.

Be careful with SuperTrapp. I bought two IDS2 pipes, their logo was on upside down on one of the mufflers; looks really classy...NOT! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] Now I wish I had pictures to show you that.

Mark

 

I'm gun shy of Polaris just because of their past reliability problems, and some of the things I see in these forums. I don't doubt for a minute that the HO is more powerful. I think it weighs almost 700 lbs. That's partly why I got the Vinson. I'll now have to tow 3 ATVs. I'm moving up from a 280cc (King Quad) as my biggest ATV. So probably any 500cc bike would seem powerful to me.

I understand Polaris has done a lot to fix their previous problems, but I'm not ready to jump yet. Even though they (in general) have better suspension, more powerful motors, and are very popular, I haven't seen many Suzuki owners complaining of things breaking on their quads. I like to work on mine and get real upset if something happens while I'm out riding.

Having said that, I've taken a big risk buying a brand new model with no reliability or performance history. I'm hoping the Vinson is as reliable as my other two Suzukis. I also hope when the ATV mags review it, they don't find any glaring deficiencies or problems. I may end up doing an early trade-in.
Mark

 

Mark, glad to hear you like your new quad. A sugestion for belt life. When you're in the hills, use low. Although the motor has enough power to pull it in hi, putting it in low will lower the stress on the belt. lower stress = longer life

Charlie

 

i don't think you guys need to worry too much about belt life. they use the same belts on snowmobiles that are pulling up to 172 horsepower stock.(Arctic Cat Thundercat 1000.) I wouldn't worry too much.