I am looking at buying a new quad, and I want one that has AWD like the Polaris or 4wd Diff Lock---how do the Grizzly, King Quad, and Brute Force diff locks compare in the actual operation. I have not had the opportunity to ride any of these yet. I understand the Polaris AWD operation (you just flip the switch) and have test driven the sp800, but I wanted input on these other bikes and then go to the dealers to look. tia

 

Griz and KQ have a pushbutton electric locker. You are either locked or unlocked.

BF has a lever next to one brake lever to accuate the dif lock. You can gradually increase the amount of locking by pulling the lever. You have to hold on to the lever to remain in dif lock, otherwise it will go back to regular 4wd.

BRP has the Visco-lock. Works more like the Polaris system in that it's automatic - no buttons or levers. The 4wd system is different fromthe aPolaris 4wd system, in that you can switch into 4wd before you need it.

Honda has a torque sensing front dif that is supposed to put more power to the wheel with the most traction.

Jaybee

 

Thanks for the info---I already knew about the Honda and I haven't been too impressed with how their system works compared to the 4x4's with the diff lock. I was reading on the Kawasaki website about theirs and that is what prompted the question. I appreciate your help!

 

Problem with the Bombardier and Polaris system seems to be, in theory from reading how they work, that you must start spinning before the locking action in the differential kicks in. This is sometimes too late. If I were serious about mud, that would leave in my mind, 3 machines: the KingQuad, the Grizzly and the Brute Force. Would you rather flip a switch/push a button and not have to worry about the diff being locked until you "unlock" it, or would you rather pull a lever depending on how much lock you want, but have to HOLD that lever as long as you need the extra traction? If you'd rather hit it and forget it, you gotta take the Brute Force off the list. So now you've got the KingQuad and the Grizzly. Well, in complete honesty, the KingQuad is just a Grizzly improved in about every aspect: power, handling, suspension, plus EFI. King is also set up for a winch from the factory, installing is very easy. You can say I'm biased, because I am, but I was in the same boat last summer and I got the King for a reason. Just giving you my insight on this.

 

You have been most helpful. I will look really hard at the KQ, but I can't remove the sp800 just yet---the reason I say that is I've seen those bad boys work in the mud and any delay in their AWD didn't seem to cause any problem.
I was leaning toward the KQ at first until the air filter probs and I got kind of antsy about Suzuki's lack of help. I have seen several people refer to a "lag" with the KQ---what are they talking about? I'm not bashing I just want to know. I really like the size, looks, and power of the KQ and I really think it would suit me better, but I couldn't choose it over the Polaris right now with these questions lingering in my head.

 

MSUbulldog, I've owned Polaris since "99" and have never had a situation where the AWD did not operate as quickly as it needed to. Apparently it is so instantaneous that it's never been a problem for anyone that I've ever known or ridden with. The KQ is a good machine as Redgoblin states, and just as he is biased toward the KQ, I have to admit I'm biased toward the Polaris. Both are great machines. Good luck in your decision.

 

The KQ and the Grizz are the only TRUE lockers (in the Big Bore class).

 

Glad to see a humble and honest Polaris owner without that "my bike is the best and that's all" attitude. You are a rare breed, my friend.

 

Any of the aftermarket air filters (UNI, Twin Air, K&N) immediately upon installation will solve that problem. It's good that you've done some homework and understand the situation. I'm getting the impression you like to ride in the slop. The lag is nothing, I repeat absolutely NOTHING that is going to stop you from having enough low-end torque for anything you may need it for. It is not noticeable at all in slow to medium-speed applications. The only way the lag is even there is when you are at a dead stop or a crawl on dirt or pavement and just nail it. Up until 9mph, it gets going but it feels kind of held-back just a bit. Many King owners don't notice this until after some significant seat time and getting to know their machine's power characteristics. After 9mph, it almost jumps a little bit and really gets booking down the road. This lag was purposely put into the ECM on the KingQuad by Suzuki to protect themselves against the lawyers of amateur, unexperienced riders who may hop on their new King, punch it and flip over backwards and end up in a wheechair for the rest of their life. It is caused by a retard built into the ignition timing. Now, to many this may sound simple to fix, but not when you have EFI. If you fix the timing, you must make the fuel-injection compensate as well, otherwise the fuel pressure goes out of wack. So far, nobody has been able to do this without switching back to carbs. That said, hopefully at the end of this month when Yoshimura releases their fuel-adjuster for the KingQuad, it will eliminate this lag. Yoshimura works almost hand-in-hand with Suzuki and it wouldn't be unbelievable at all because Yoshimura has at times said yes they would fix the lag and no they would not. Even some of their competitors have acknowledged that the reason they are not working on anything is because they know for a fact that Yoshi will fix the lag at the end of the month with this new EMS (what it's probably going to be called, based on the same product for street bikes). Hope I've helped you somehow and I understand you are weighing your options. I just know I was doing the exact same thing not even 6 months ago and I decided on the King for several reasons. I used to be a die-hard Honda rider and loved their reliability and bulletproof craftsmanship. I used to never even THINK about switching to anything else. Everyone gave me so much crap about going to a Suzuki. Well, I haven't looked back and don't see any reasons to so far....

 

RedGoblin
Thank you! Sounds like you've been through what I'm dealing with---I've had Hondas for over 20 years, and I'm doing my first serious search for a non-Honda ATV. It feels weird to be honest. But anyway, I appreciate the info. I won't be making my purchase before the end of the month anyway so the lag fix from Yosh is another reason to sit back and wait. I'm also waiting on info on the Browning version of the Sportsman and it's not due out until spring either.
Again thank you for the help.