DarkRider

Thank you! Been busy with other life stuff too and just a lot going on. Can't wait to go on my first real ride with it now

Thank you. I actually bought the oil and filter to change it, but it appears to have been changed quite recently. The previous owner also did brakes and shocks as well, so I'm pretty sure it's good for now. If anything, I might check up on it in the spring and see how it's holding up.

Well I thought I'd post an update on this, as I had some idling issues and the torn boot. The past two Saturdays, I got some help and we got all the issues sorted out. And there really wasn't much wrong to begin with, but here's what I tackled: Torn Boot: Turns out all the front boots were torn. Both my dad and I were so excited to get this thing that we really didn't look certain things over too well. I don't seem to be having any problems with the axles acting up, so I got both inner and outer boots and we replaced those. Went pretty smoothly! Idling Issues: One thing that threw me off with this is that the service manual shows a picture of a thumb screw in a very accessible place on the quad, which I couldn't find anywhere on mine. It turns out mine doesn't have an idle cable, but instead has some kind of hex screw. I'm not sure if this is a replacement carb and that's what it came with, or someone just decided to replace the cable with a screw. It is EXTREMELY difficult to get in there, there's no room at all for your hands to do anything in there. Finding a tool to get in there and on the screw by itself... it's a pain. However, we did eventually get in there with a 1/4" ratchet, extension, and universal. I believe the socket size is a 5.5mm. We couldn't get the socket on perfectly, but it was enough to catch and turn the screw. Got the quad warm, made sure the choke was off, and adjusted the idle to a good spot. Clutch adjustment: Now i know I already mentioned this one being taken care of. We haven't had to do anything with this since the first time, but I'm just nothing it in here as the third main issue Now I say past TWO Saturdays because I'm a dummy. The first Saturday we set out to fix these issues, I only thought I had one measly boot to replace. We got to the garage and saw that all the front boots needed replacement, so we didn't even bother with it, and I had to order the others. Secondly, I bought an idle cable for the carb, so we worked on that after realizing we had to delay the boot replacement. After taking out the carb, replacing the screw with the cable, and completely wrestling the stupid thing back in there.....the quad wouldn't start. Turned over fine. We triple checked the carb connections and it was pretty obvious, the cable was the only major change. So we had to take the carb back out, put the screw back in, wrestle it back in there, quad started fine. SO... since this is way too much work for what I was trying to accomplish, I figured the easiest thing to do was figure out a tool to get in there and adjust it properly. If I was dying to have an idle cable, I could have bought a brand new carb off ebay that includes one, which I think the cable I bought will probably work with an aftermarket carb. But this thing runs great and I wanted to stick with "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". So no new carb. So anyway, that's when we got down there the second Saturday and got everything done right. Boots replaced, and the idle adjustment with the right tool. and now we know the socket size required. Took it out the following day and the idle is great. When I first got the quad, it was shutting off on me a bit, more so on declines with the nose pointing downward. Now... no issues at all, even on major hills. Clutch seems to be fine, I was able to back up some very steep hills as a test. Now I can finally enjoy this thing, and it really is a blast to ride. Small and agile, yet it'll go nearly anywhere. Barring any unforeseen major mechanical problems popping up (engine, clutch, trans), I am definitely feeling this is worth it despite the age.

Hey thanks so much for this info. It's going to be quite a while before I can get around to this, with all my other stuff going on. I'm going to come back to this info when I get a chance to work on it. Thanks again for this good info!

Yes I agree. A lot of the ones I've seen in this price range are usually pretty beat up, missing the battery cover, etc. This one definitely isn't perfect, but everything works and the new shocks really help. It does have quite a few miles on it, but the frame seems to be in great shape. Still a couple pending issues too. The front left CV boot is torn, and needs replacement. No clue if it's going to result in replacing the entire axle which is a problem. They don't make axles for it anymore and so they're pricey on Ebay. And the idle is still a bit of an issue. It wouldn't idle when warm, so I turned it up and that seemed to help, but still seems to not want to idle at times once it's warm. It seems irregular, sometimes it will be fine for a little bit, and then I'll hear it get really low. If it doesn't shut off, it will take a second and go back up. So not too sure what's going on there, but one thing at a time!

Thanks! With that fixed and not seeing any major issues, I think I definitely god a good price on it.

Quick update on the slippage. Turns out there is a clutch adjustment that's really easy to do. A help full YouTube video How To: Suzuki King Quad 300 Clutch Adjustment by Schneids15 describes and shows the process. Only issue we ran into is that the screw had resistance at any depth. In the video, it's supposed to be easy to turn with your fingers. It wouldn't turn by hand even after backing it out quite a bit. After testing a few times and putting it in gear, we removed the cover again and it was turning much more freely by hand. Not sure if the wheels had to turn a bit or what, but after that it was smooth sailing. Turned the screw just until it met resistance, turned back 1/8th of a turn. Tightened up, reassembled, and I'm having no more issues. Reverse works regardless of 4WD or 2WD, and High, Low, Super Low. Tested it over the same rock I used as a test before, which it couldn't get over. Just wanted to share that in case anyone else has a problem. I think I've read that this usually doesn't fix this issue. Glad I got lucky! We'll see how long it holds up...

Thanks for that info! I'll have to check out that site. Although I'm running into a possible potential big problem. IT seems to have a lot of trouble going uphill in reverse with certain gear configurations. I wonder if this is going to foreshadow transmission problems in the near future. I don't have an owner's manual at the moment, so I don't have a way to check proper use of reverse. But this is what I've noticed so far: High - 2wd - It tries to move in reverse and just stops. It will move just a hair and stop. Low - 4wd - Does just about the same as above. Low - 2wd - It will go up the hill but I do hear/feel what seems like slippage or hesitation. I didn't test Super Low yet. If I could get some insight from anyone that owns one of these, that would be great. It does seem like possible trans issues to me, since out of all the quads I've owned in the past, none of the 4WD ones ever required me to take it out of 4WD just to get it to move in reverse.

Yes it seems to run fine, sounds fine as far as I can tell. We had to turn the idle up which seems too high at first. But once it's warm, it normalizes. I'm trying not to bite of more than I can chew at once. I still need to get the torn boot replaced. These are fun little quads though.

Wow, thanks for the reply. It's cool to get a perspective on that. I take it the good stuff was getting pulled so the workers could have it for themselves?

Believe it or not, I've had good luck with Pledge. Spray on and wipe in a circular motion, and do this for the whole surface. It makes the surface very slippery in general and things tend to slip off of the surface. I think this helps to prevent scratches for the same reason.

This is something I'm extremely curious about. Has anyone ever attempted to buy a quad (or any other vehicle) from an impound lot? I've always wondered if this could be a bargain, or a waste of time. Google searches do turn up some helpful results. Looks like the state of NJ holds auctions online which I'd be a bit hesitant about. My online searches haven't really turned up any results of anyone buying an ATV this way. I'd be really curious if anyone tried this, or knows someone who has. I've actually found a couple pages with online auctions for my state, but none had ATVs.

I'm also trying to get a service manual here that I can't get anywhere else. The community is very friendly though and I'm trying to make informative posts. 6 so far, this is number 7. I'll get there eventually haha

I've owned quite a few brand ATVs. I've only purchased used and never got one brand new. Yamaha Honda Suzuki Kawasaki Polaris I have to say my top favorite has been Yamaha. They're well designed, well made. I'm going to make a list detailing my experiences with each. Keep in mind sometimes you just have bad luck, which I recognize. Make Model Year Sport/Utility Condition when purchased The Good The Bad Additional Comments Yamaha Warrior 2002 Sport Excellent Plenty fast for the woods, reliable, electric start, simple, no real electronics to worry about, has headlight Not great for rough terrain, Getting to reverse is a pain Never really had any issues Yamaha Warrior 1999 Sport Excellent Same as above Same as above Same as above Honda Rancher 350EX 2002 Utility Excellent Ultra reliable, nice digital display, it’s a HONDA A wire in the back is prone to being pulled out by brush in the woods, causing reverse to stop working. Easy enough to reconnect. Electronic shifting can be prone to issues if the angle sensor has problems. Full time 4WD and no option to switch to 2WD. Yamaha Wolverine 450 2009 Sport 4x4 Practically New Push button 4WD, light, reliable tried and true Yamaha engine, Ultramatic transmission has Park gear (one of my favorite things) Very little storage, easy to tip over, plastics have very little reinforcement and are prone to stress marks, wasn’t really as much fun in the “sport” department. The 450 didn’t seem as powerful as you’d think. Polaris Scrambler 2001 Sport 4x4 Fair AWD at the flip of a switch, powerful and fun AWD hubs seemed to always stop working, kind of a pain to work on, each hub needs a special fluid which can be prone to leaks. Hubs seemed like they were made of cheap metal. Replaced rear hubs twice with brand new ones and they wore out VERY fast (possibly underlying issue?). Chain drive in the back and AWD hubs in the front means you have more to go wrong and more to worry about. Yamaha Grizzly 660 2005 Utility Good (with baggage) All of the reliability and advantages of Yamaha motors and the Ultramatic transmission, plenty of power, well designed push button diff lock that doesn’t let you engage until 4WD is engaged I had problems with mine that I think are all to blame on the previous owner. I’m certain I’d probably have nearly no issues to report had it not been for that. However, the physical size is to be noted. If your trails frequently require squeezing between trees and narrow areas, you may find yourself constantly looking for alternative routes with this one. Polaris Sportsman 500 HO 2000 Utility Below average AWD at the flip of a switch, powerful and fun Cam shafts are prone to wear, had to replace with a steel one. The plastic racks and bumpers are prone to breakage and expensive to replace, had similar AWD issues as the Scrambler. In defense of Polaris, I definitely bought both of these from abusive owners and never had a chance to own one that was respected. This could certainly be the reason I was seeing more issues than normal Kawasaki Brute Force 750 2005 Utility Good Tons of power, easy access diff lock (just pull the lever), good ground clearance, slightly more narrow than a Grizzly Lot of common quirks: Bus connector goes bad, stopping battery charging. Two cylinders means more complicated to work on. Carb is more complex to work. Air/fuel mixture screw is difficult to access, adding coolant requires ripping off the front rack and plastics, common KEBC issue throws 2wd/4wd code, limp mode is a pain to disable, prone to starting issues and log cranking, guzzles gas, by design, the 4WD sometimes requires you to roll a fair bit to engage it. If you are already stuck and in 2WD, you either need to tow or winch out, otherwise you’re going to slam it into 4wd trying to get it to engage. If this happens with Yamaha, for example, if 4wd doesn’t engage, you can very gently tap the throttle to allow everything to sync and 4wd will engage. Suzuki King Quad 300 1994 Utility Good (for the year) Lots of drivetrain/gear options (2WD/4WD/Diff lock, High/Low/Super Low, 5 speed semi automatic), reliable, small enough to fit lots of places yet a tank that can overcome quite a bit, quite a nice storage compartment right behind the seat, not as many electronics as a newer quad and less to go wrong. This is probably an unfair ding, but having a foot shifter can occasionally be a disadvantage if you get caught up on a rock in gear, and the engine shuts off. It’s not as simple as turning it back on and continuing on. Newer quads with the shifter up top avoids this. The idle screw is a pain to get to (at least on mine) as you have to reach all the way in from the other side, there’s barely room for your hands, and you can burn your hands if you’re trying to get a proper idle adjustment while the engine is warm. Only had this one for a very short amount of time, so anything can change. But these seem to have good reputations.

Hey everybody, Just curious on some opinions on my recent buy. I'm a big fan of the drivetrain and transmission in the Suzuki King Quad 300 and QuadRunner 250 4wd models. I've been wanting one of either model for quite some time, and recently picked up a really nice shape one for 1500. I just wanted to get some opinions on whether you'd be more hesitant to get something this old, if there are newer options that are comparable. Also just keep in mind this is coming from someone not super mechanical. Key factors: Engine doesn't appear to have any leaks Had to replace the battery for $100, no biggie Front left CV boot is torn (not yet sure if the axle has damage) Starts right up with the tap of the button every time (so far) Idle was a bit low and was shutting off when warm. Adjusted the idle. Now it will only shut off occasionally on a hill if I'm not rolling or giving it gas. Has a Harbor Freight Badland winch with a wireless remote (brand new, tested and working) Has brand new shocks and brakes Shifting gears and changing between 2wd/4wd/diff lock/high/low/super low all seem fine. Rides pretty good, tight steering, takes the bumps pretty good as I have pretty rough trails. Brand new tires Over 2000 miles, that's quite a bit, but it seems well cared for. Plastics are almost all there. It's really only missing a small bit of the black mud flap in the rear. Has minimal stitching in the front, and it's got the usual scuffs. All of the lights work just fine (Neutral, Reverse, high and low beams) Tested the charging system and that works And I think that's just about all I can think of at the moment. It mostly seems to be complete and all there. I was a little hesitant about getting something that old, as parts are always a concern. Looks like most parts are available, but axles seem to be hard to get if you want something brand new. I really wanted a 2000's model but I couldn't pass up the price.