Looking at a new 450 08' .I am a Honda owner but was looking at the Suzuki 450 . I am very impressed with the bike and all the reviews I have read so far .. Nothing out there tells me if there are any negative features I should be aware of . Anyone have some quirks about the bike ?
teflondon

This message has been edited. Last edited by: teflondon,

TDon, I had an '07 KQ 450 before I traded to the 700 KQ. I really didn't have any problems with the 450 other than I ridew with mostly big bore riders and I didn't have the oomph to always keep up. I think the 450 is a great quad but I much prefer the power of my 700. Most people will agree, go big and you won't regret it.

Sure would like to go for the big boy !! But I think the 700 would be the price of a SUV !! The price's have dropped , but still walking out the door for the 450 is around $8,500 . I will look into the $ for a 700 .. I might have to bring a chair with me so I don't fall on the floor ! )

tnx agn
teflon

It's too bad you can't buy down here and take one back. The prices at Bartlesville Cycle Sports would let you get into a 750 King Quad for as little as $6699 out the door. Quite the savings over $8500 for a 450 up there!

8500 is outrageous especailly considering the Canadian dollar is worth more than ours now. I hadn't noticed that you were from Ontario before. My wife is from the Williamsburg area and my brother-in-law lives in Thunder Bay.

I wonder why there is so much of price difference. At colorado powersports you can get an 07 700 $6689 dollars. I don't know how far from the border you are, you could drive down or see if a dealer would ship to you.

teflondon,
Don't do it!
Purchase the big dog. You won't regret it.

The new 750 KQ would be the way to go,...or a new 2007, 700KQ that the dealer has in stock. The price difference between the KQ450 and a 700/750 is something that should be well considered before the purchase.

We have one for the women and the beginners. I consider it severely underpowered but I ride a 750 V twin and 800 Bomb. The 450 is a very smooth bike it just lacks any snap or raw power. It goes anywhere the rest of us do and it has good top end once it gets going. I would spend the extra couple hundred bucks and get a new 07 700 or 800 more for a new 08 750... There are a lot of new 07 700's out there. All of the King Quads have twitchy steering and want to swap ends if you ride hard. The belt bark drive me a little crazy. Whenever you use the rear brake and come to a stop when you go again the belt will jerk and bark.

Hey, Teflondon, got that KQ yet? I bought a new 450 KQ in December. I love the bike. Has plenty of power to do anything except out drag race the big bores. Who cares? I'll take that $2,000 or $3,000 and put it to better use. Also my 450 seems to do really well on fuel compared to the big boys.

I had an 03 Honda Rincon. Man, I loved that bike. The ride, handling are unmatched, but that DANG transmission was a piece of crap. I managed to get 5,000 miles out of it but had to give it up. The is 450 KQ has almost as much power as the 650 Rincon, handles almost as well, it just doen't ride as plush. I would have purchased another Rincon if they would just put the Rubicon tranny in it

went down today and gave them all my $$ , and said i will pick her up the 1st of May ! ) still winter here and lots of snow in the bush , and everything still frozen . don't want to pick it up and not use it , i will loose warranty time . i did order front and rear bumpers ..the plastic seemed like it would break easily ..i do miss my honda rancher..if honda would make a bike with all independant in a smaller cc' i would buy it ..but they don't ..too bad ..the bike is black instead of green like my honda was . i will look at ordering a winch plate and winch soon as they go on sale ! thanks for the info and will let u know soon as i get her home !
don

Congratulations. Hope you enjoy your new Suzuki as much as I enjoy my Vinson!

Congrats Teflondon. I just put about 250 miles on my KQ 450 over the last 4 days in Arkansas and Oklahoma. The more I ride the better I like. One thing I forgot to tell you is the air filter. That paper filiment filter has caught a lot of flack and I was scared of it. Before I took it from dealer had a Twin Air foam air filter installed. It was about $75 cause it has a cage for the inside included. This seems to be a really good filter and is cleanable and re-oilable. Oh, Yea, don't forget the Bighorns. They can't be beat on the rocks and hard stuff.

Enjoy your 450 KQ!

thanks for the advice on the air filter ..I have read alot about changing the filter to k&n , which i do run in my pickup ..i will check on price this week and proceed to order one ..ice just broke up in the rivers and its time for steelhead fishing ! all the reviews that i have read about the 450 are positive . there are a few negatives , but those are personal choices . one item that seems to be a problem is getting to the oil dip stick .lots of plastic to take apart it seems .is this true ?
don

I would stick with a foam filter like Uni or Twin Air. K&N's are for the street IMO.

quote:

Originally posted by TX Camo:
I would stick with a foam filter like Uni or Twin Air. K&N's are for the street IMO.

I agree...U won't gain HP with a aftermarket filter....But, UNI is the Best.........

Since you mentioned it teflon, checking the oil is kinda of a pain. That's the only thing I have found I dislike about the KQ.

I bought a pair of "end cutter" wire cutters and ground them just a little. Works great on those pesky push pins. It stays in my box on the back rack.

Somebody could make a killing if they would manufacture an inexpensive, even a plastic tool to remove push pins.

Another vote for UNI air filters. I have them in each of my three quads and have been very happy with them.

well , i guess i'll be owning a new air filter sometime next week ..priced them out about 70$ for the k&n model .tnx for all the advice thus far gentlemen !! bike arrives on may 2nd ,long 2 weeks till then . chat with u all in a few days .i have heard of people using a hole saw and making a hole to access the dip stick ..i'll wait and see for my self .
don

Good Luck on your new KQ,

That's a good idea about hole in the plastic for oil checking. Sometimes the most simple stuff is starring you in the face and someone else has to bring it out. I may try that.