For some reason my King has always felt small to me and it's size has never been a problem at all...Probably b/c I came from a Polaris Sportsman. The King with stock tires is definitely one of the most nimble big bores out there I have no trouble getting through tight trails with it and it's easy to just sort of throw around corners and it feels small to me, It's 600lb dry weight is very nice, it's clear that it's lighter than some of the others I've ridden.

The King is really built for the rider to stay seated on it comfortably and ride it without feeling the need to stand up, it handles good enough to stay seated and has a center of gravity low enough to just take turns quickly & without much effort to turn it at all...it's really a comfortable ATV and really built for sit down riding. It also has a very small turning radius.

If you've ever watched the ATV tour races on ESPN 2 in the All terrain challange the KQ does very well in fact it won the last race again yesterday, it's clear that it's very nimble and easy for the racer to throw around.

 

Hey thx for the replies guys, it'll be quite awhile it looks like before I can consider a purchase so I still have plenty of time to review and test ride etc...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] but keep the opinions coming anyways. Right now I am leaning towards: Brute 650i, Outtie 650, King quad 700, Grizz 660/700. These quads are all on the relatively small side and lightweight, with reasonably easy steering. After spending a decent amount of time on my buddies Twin Peaks 700, I am addicted to vtwin power so the Brute and Outtie are really looking good to me. But, I never liked the heavy steering and overall large feeling it had. Thx guys!

Krait

 

Outlander or the Rincon. Between those two I would have a tough time choosin' but I would probably end up with a Rincon because it's a Honda and the Price Difference.

 

Krait,
Here's my experiences. We have owned a Rincon 650, a Prairie 650 and Prairie 700, three Grizzly 660s, and a Sportsman.

The Sportsman rode nice, and ran good, but is so unbelievably heavy that it just wasn't enough fun to ride. Reliability was marginal, and we destroyed the clutch when we got stuck in deep snow. The entire drive clutch needed replaced, not just the belt.

The Rincon was horribly gutless, and had the all time worst transmission ever put into an ATV. It was geared way too high, and also rated poor in reliability. Most of the bolts and fasteners rattled loose, fenders came unhooked from their plastic fasteners, and we had to replace the torque converter and a rear driveshaft CV joint. The Rincon spent more time in the shop being repaired than all of our other ATVs combined. It spent nine weeks in the shop all together, partly due to a terrible local Honda dealer. The new Rincon is fuel injected, and makes marginally more power, but Honda has still not fixed its biggest flaws.

The Prairies were great, but rode stiff and would give you a case of monkey butt by the end of a hundred mile ride. The carburation was also less than perfect, and could never be dialed in perfectly, partly because we ride at anywhere between 2500 ft elevation and 11,500 ft elevation from one week to the next.

The Grizzlys were the best overall ATVs. They ran great, and could conquer terrain that the others couldn't. The Grizzlys overall were the most reliable of the group, with only one broken front axle CV joint in thousands of miles of use. And the CV joint was my fault. It should be common sense to let off the throttle if you have one tire bound up under a rock ledge, and you are in low range with the diff lock on, and you have the throttle wide open, and nothing is moving. I didn't let off, and, BANG, ... busted CV joint.

We just bought another big bore ATV this week, and we got the Grizzly 700. The 700 is a totally new animal compared to the 660 it replaces. It is vastly more refined, with the best handling of any 4x4 chassis I have ridden. The engine is mounted lower in the frame, the shocks are mounted to the lower a-arms instead of the upper a-arms, and the gas tank is mounted under the seat, all of which really improve mass centralization and lower the center of gravity. The tippyness of the old Grizzly is GONE. Fuel injection is nice, and power steering is nice, but the improved handling is the biggest change.

 

Well said...


nice collection...

 

DesertViper - Thx for your comments. Its great to hear from someone who has had extensive experience with several different machines. I really like the new Grizz. BUT, back where I will be moving and riding, they sell for (CANADIAN$$) $11,600. That is a lot, considering the Brute 650 SRA goes for $7800, and the Brute 650i for $8200, and the Brute 750i for $9100. (New). The Kawi dealer sells them incredibly cheap, and has good service as well. So, should I save a LOT of money and get the machine that has awsome power but not so good handling (650i) or rough ride (650 sra), or pay a LOT more and get the machine with less power but better everything else? Also, there won't be any elevation changes either so EFI would only be a benefit in that I wouldn't have to mess with carbs and suchlike when modifying. Its not an easy choice to make. Thanks for the comments guys, keep them coming!

In the Brutes favour, I can still buy one and with the money I save, buy some Works or Elkas and improve the ride/handling dramatically. Would any of you still buy a Grizz/King/Outlander even with the added cost?

Grizz 700 - $11,600
King 700 - $10,800
Outlander 650(non xt) - $11,150 (xt) $12,300
Brute 605 sra - $7800
Brute 650i - $8200
Brute 750i - $9100

Not sure what the Polaris/Arctic Cat/Rincon's go for.

I also heard that the 2007 Brute 750i has the same caster/shock changes the 650i had, so it is easier to steer and might handle better than the old ones. And also might have the 650i CDI that has less retard, making them a bit faster than previous models as well. So now I am tempted to get a 750i, altho I have always said I would never buy a machine bigger than 700cc.

-Krait

 

i think you are right about the '07 750. it is supposed to have the 650i front end improvements and is faster than the '06 750s. if you like fast it should be the one.

i would buy another 650i tomorrow if mine got stolen tonight. i have never used full throttle except on a couple of stright uphill stretches just to see it happen. it still got way too fast. there are guys that like that, tho so the '07 750 will see good sales.

monty

 

Grizz 700 - $11,600
King 700 - $10,800
Outlander 650(non xt) - $11,150 (xt) $12,300
Brute 605 sra - $7800
Brute 650i - $8200
Brute 750i - $9100


By those prices the Grizzly 700 is out of the picture. The price that sticks out to me the most is the BF 650i for $8200, it's definitely a powerful ATV and that is a HUGE price difference between that and the King for $10,800. The King is an exellent ATV but it's not worth $1600 more than the BF 650i IMO, I say either the BF 6501 or BF 750i b/c their power in stock form is definitely above and beyond the Grizz and King and matches the Outty 650.

 

Krait,
The Brute 650 SRA is essentially the same as a Prairie 650. The Prairie 650 we had was a really nice ATV, and although the Grizzly is better it is not almost $3000 better. It is surprising that Yamaha Grizzlys cost so much in Canada, because they are less than Polaris or Bombardier around here. They still seem to sell just fine though, our dealer got five new Grizzlys in yesterday, and by the end of the day all of them were gone (I'm guilty for taking the camo one off of his hands). And our Yamaha dealer is also a Kawasaki dealer, he has had a new camo Brute Force 750i sitting outside of his shop for at least 6 weeks and it hasn't sold yet. Kawasaki's are fine ATVs though, so you may have a Kawasaki in your future.

 

Yeah, quads are lots of $$$ here in Canada. Most Kawi dealers sell for MSRP, so really in most places Brute 750i's go for $10,700 I believe, and 650i's for $9,900. But the dealer near my buddie's place sells REALLY cheap. So yes, I may very well be going for a Brute, either a 650 or 750. Especially if the 2007 750i has the changes that the 650i got for 2006. I just didn't want to make a decision based on price and power alone, there are other things to cinsider but it is a HUGE price difference, and the dealer has great service. Like I said before tho, it looks like I willbe waiting until the spring before buying so I have plenty of time to make a decision and shop around.

DesertViper - I dont know either why Grizz 700's are so much here either.

Montyh - I do love speed and power but if the 650i still has plenty it may be the ticket for me.

Toyeboy - It is a HUGE price dif, and you are right, there really isn't that much better about the King to justify that much more money.

Keep the comments coming guys!

-Krait