Well I had pretty much decided on the Grizzly but now I'm not so sure. From what I've read the Trans. on the Grzz is one of the best of the belt versions, but I'm concerned about the strenght of the rest of the drive train. I also think I would prefer fuel injection.
This is a tough decision.

This will be my first ATV. I'll use it for fun mostly but I could see it getting used for work in the future. Also I'm 6'1" and about 290 lbs.

Please help.

 

I would wait on the King Quad for awhile until the reverse problem is addressed. I own a 2004 Grizzly and it's a little dated now, but a very solid quad. The mechanical issues have all been worked out and performance is still very good. So far in over 1000 miles it's cost me $32.00 in maintenance, not including oil changes. My wife has adopted the quad so I was shopping new quads. I thought I was going to buy the KQ, but there are too many things I just don't like. I hate the floor boards for one. They are set up like a sport quad with no support other then the foot pegs. The racks are very small and the limited RPM in reverse and the off idle hesitation are just a few of my issues.

 

i got a 05 griz. and i love it. the only bad thing so far is that reverse is to high of a gear but other than that its awesome. I just put 27" mudlites on it and it looks sweet too. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] It preforms awesome in the mud, the locking diff is great too, nothing is stopping this. Ihadnt had any problems with the belt slipping and ive been through so thick and deep mud. I has plenty of power also, Im a big guy too 6'4" about 250 and i have no problems towing me around, I got it up to around 60 MPH but my friend who is alot smaller than me had it up to 68. When I was looking at the grizzlys i wasnt quite sure about the auto tranmission but its good , it shifts really smoth, no problems. But overall its a great machine and you wouldnt be sorrry if you got one.
well good luck[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

With the serious problems with the KQ regarding the reverse gear and all associated ECM swapping, bearing replacement, warranty extensions, non-warranty extensions and everything else I think it would be stupid to buy a KQ at this point. Maybe in a year or two when they have truly fixed the problems but not now. I'm sooooo glad I didn't buy one. I feel sorry for those that did and those that will without knowing of the defect. When they get the bugs worked out it will most likely be an excellent quad. One of the best ever probably.

Given the choice between the Griz and the KQ I would get the Griz in a heartbeat. The Griz had some teething problems but they seem to have all the bugs worked out and it is a solid quad from most reports.

I'm leaning towards the Brute Force but the Griz is next on the list. I need to ride both on the dirt before I know for sure. Arranging that has been difficult. Dealers need a loaner quad. One you can take home for an afternoon or day (with proper collateral of course) to get a better feel of the machine rather than just a spin around the parking lot or across the grass.

 

I'm like Curls, I had a 04 Griz but my wife claimed it. I like it so much I bought a 05 Griz. We're hoping that if we keep them together they will mate and give us 125's or something.

 

650 Cat

 

Okay Bluethumb, Why the 650Cat? What does it do better than the other machines? To be honest I hadn't even considered the Cats, because nothing about them stands out to me.

Maybe I missed something.

 

even with some of the first year bugs i would go with the KQ they're standing behind them very well so far at least they have been for me but if you're looking for a sporty 4x4 the King is King Grizzlies are awesome i ride with 5 of them but as far as sport performance they can't touch a king even though a grizz could pull one backwards i still love it

 

The Grizz is a tough quad. Good power and very reliable. I am a Polaris guy and everything from the sp500 ho and up are also great. But I would definately try the Brute Force 650 and 750. The Bruteforce is ALL power. This thing pulls hard all the way up. Other then the Sp800efi I have never ridden a ute with this much power. The KQ has tons of power but I dont trust it with all the problems. Try the BF you wont be dissapointed.

 

eh i don't know how reliable the griz is.. look for my post in yamaha forum, an 05 660 griz just snapped his axle at the cv boot at 500 miles, thats not something i would be really impressed with, and i was watching him, he just went up a normal hill when it snapped