yamaha gizzly vs Suzuki kingquad

NDbowman

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Looking at getting a new atv. Have it narrowed down to either yamaha grizz or suzuki kq. I think they are both great atvs but curious if anyone cares to offer their opinion on either.

Not many dealers for suzuki atvs around anymore. Looks like either Mandan or Mobridge.
 


SDMF

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1st thought would be which has a dealer close enough for service and is that dealer good to work with.

I have an '08 750 KQ. Friend has an '07 700 Grizz. I think his machine rides better and just seems smoother overall. Power seems same/same.

I did have my KQ refuse to start one AM when it got really frosty. Something in one of the modules must've frosted up because it started up just fine once the frost burned off.

I bought the KQ because a friend was the Suzi dealer. If buying today since I live in Fargo, I'd buy a Yamaha because the Suzi dealers are just too far away, or at least they were last I looked.
 

TakItEz

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I owned a Grizzly 700 for 4 years with zero issues. Well built and plenty of power. The only thing i replaced was a battery.
 


Chas'n Tail

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I own a 2016 Grizzly 700. I'm not gentle with toys, and its bulletproof. No experience with a Suz. so can't compare for ya, but I am very happy with my griz.
 

Migrator Man

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I would go with the brand who has the best service dealer in your area. Both are good machines.

Is either better starting in the cold? That might make true decision easier if you ice fish especially on Winnipeg.
 

snow

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I was on the hunt last spring to upgrade my honda foreman 450 after 18yrs bullet proof rig only had 1100 miles on it used on the farm (plow and ice fishing mostly,wanted air cooled engine at the time cause buddies with polaris liquid rigs were worthless in the cold and high altitude cold blooded somebeeches would'nt start below 10 degrees w/o jacken around with it plus I wanted a solid rear axel to handle my utility trailer,narrowed down to yammie and honda back then,yammie had a few more upgrades that honda didn't offer like locking front diff plus the machine appearence on yammie was rough not a good design and the yammie was liguid cooled so no regrets honda it was put two starters into it(rebuilt) to cheap to buy new starter,incase of battery failer honda had "pull start" on they're rigs which came in handy when battery went flat.

so fast forward to 2019 whatever I bought had to have powersteering ,fuel injection and accessory for front mounted plow,honda had aluminum frame(still do) making attaching the plow a bitch,mid mount bracket underneath quad to attach said plow,not a big deal usually but after knee surgery needed a change just for the plow,last winter re attaching the plow in march got stuck on my back attaching the damn plow for 30 minutes,felt like a turtle laying on my back....

So I looked at can-am polaris and went in for a new honda rubicon,dang thing had'nt changed since the mid 80's,little cycle place here in minn had all models including susuki on hand which wasn't on my radar,after pricing out these other rigs including honda Iwas confused,sales guy said "what about susuki?" well after some research and how susuki re-invented a proven quad in the 500 and 750,test driving a couple different units I landed on the 500 king quad,powersteering is great to have an option still on most units,fuel injection is also great fuel recommended is ethanol free super,put a warn winch on for the american front attach 60" plow replaced winch cable (which will fray and break with heavey duty 4" 7000lb strap that won't fray or break plowing like cable or synthetic rope,upgradesd factory wheels/tires to 14" rather than doing a lift,reduces top end of 65mph but i don't trail ride she has plenty of balls still had her up to 30+ mph,my avg speed on my old honda was 5mph at best.like the locking front diff option rear shocks have 5 load sets,comes pre factory set at #3 plenty rigid for my trailer lots of storage put flat aluminum racks on front and rear for dog n stuff,just a great rig also added hand warmers and thumb warmer on this rig

polaris and can-am had to much plastic for my liking plus friends with polaris always have belt issues pulling stuff or when they put tracks on,in my old age I'm lazy plus not good with wrenches,hell my tool box has duct tape,bailin wire,couple screwdrivers, a wrench and hammer,if I can't fix something I buy new.

just a few thoughts...oh susuki reinforced the quads frame too so shes plenty heavy duty and rides smooth.
 
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7mmMag

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I have a 2016 Grizzly and love it. Its light, maneuverable, and comfortable to ride. It has plenty of power for me. I haven't had any issues with it and Im not very easy on it. I recommend a Yamaha but I also have no experience with a Suzuki.
 

NDbowman

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The reason I like suzuki is I remember when arctic cat atvs had suzuki engines. They started good in the cold and were a bulletproof engine back then. They were also very quiet back then. The Arctic cat I have now is a 2014 550 which has arctic cats own engine, while its been good its loud as hell, makes being on it very annoying.

Dad has a yamaha 700 grizz that has over 10k miles on it. Its been pretty trouble free, except its power steering kicks on and off. While I like the yamaha i find it not as easy to service as an arctic cat. Its not bad just a little different, more stuff to remove to clean the air filter and things like that. I'd probably get used to it though.

3 things my atv must have is power steering, lockable front diff, and also flat foot rests like a Yamaha or arctic cat. Can't stand the raised foot pegs on a honda. Sometimes you gotta stand when going across rough ground and those raised pegs are tough on my feet.
 


Kurtr

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Looking at getting a new atv. Have it narrowed down to either yamaha grizz or suzuki kq. I think they are both great atvs but curious if anyone cares to offer their opinion on either.

Not many dealers for suzuki atvs around anymore. Looks like either Mandan or Mobridge.

Who sells Suzuki in mobridge
 

5575

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Always been a yamaha suzuki fan, hell suzuki invented the quad I believe.
But I certainly wouldn't overlook can-am.
As a matter of fact I may be buying a used 650 with hardly any miles on it this week.
I dont think you can go wrong with any of them now days.
But it does seem like when you go to repair shops they are full of Polaris units.
My buddy owns a dealership, they wont even take them in on trade. They've just been burned to many times selling used ones that turn out to be p.o.s.
 

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