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.

Hello, I'm in NJ, so not the same state, but I believe our laws are similar. I believe the best way to get the information you want is always to go directly to the source. If you check out Google and search new york state atv laws, the top results should show the result ATVs: Information for Owners and Operators - New York DMV on the official NY DMV government website. That looks like it details pretty much everything you will need to know. It does mention that ATVs are not allowed on public land unless otherwise noted by posted signs. This is a step up from NJ. In NJ, they just don't even consider allowing it in any capacity. I'd recommend looking over that site to get all your official answers. Hopefully someone on the forum in NY state can chime in with a more "boots on the ground" perspective. Hope this helps a bit.

This may be way too overkill of a question on this, but has anyone using this method done any testing? Something such as treating a boot on one side and leaving the other side untreated, to see if the treated one lasts longer? I know this is probably not really realistic since you're probably not replacing boots at the same time. Just curious what indicators you have to show the boots wouldn't have lasted as long untreated.

It's interesting seeing everyone's stories here! I grew up in rural NJ and I vividly remember exactly how I ended being into quads. I was invited to a 10th birthday party by one of my friends. He had a small red dirt bike, I don't know the model now, but it was definitely a 4-stroke manual. Probably a Honda 80 or 100 maybe? Anyway, he was giving dirt bike rides for everybody up and down the street, and that instantly made me want one. Fast forward a couple years. After two years of bugging my dad to get one, I finally got one around 12 years old. My dad knows how to fix all that stuff, cars, boats, etc, so it was an easy sell. He also wanted to get something for himself too. I got my first bike, an 86 KX80. I really didn't know how to use the clutch or throttle at all, probably not a good learner bike haha. I ended up crashing the thing into our metal shed and putting a huge dent in the side. I wouldn't get on the thing for another 4 years haha. THEN, someone I know got an old used Honda 50 from a friend for free. He gave it to me and while it was goofy riding this thing around, it was perfect for me to learn on. It was a 3 gear semi-auto transmission. I didn't need to worry about a clutch, I could just get on the thing and practice actually riding without fighting the clutch. I rode that thing all over until the trans finally died, which brought me back to the KX80 that was just sitting in the shed. I was also a bit small for the KX when I was 12, now at 16 years old I was taler and less afraid of it, and also started driving. Plenty of things helped me get some experience with motor vehicles in general. From that point, I learned to ride the KX80 no problem and by that time, a lot of my friends were starting to get into riding too. In this part of rural NJ, it was popular since we had easy access to plenty of woods. I remember the days where I wouldn't even call any of my friends before I went out, I'd just show up at the sandpit and most times they were there. Different people sometimes, sometimes we'd band together and look for a few of the other kids and see if they wanted to go with us. No particular plan, just...be there. ANYWAY.. A lot of my friends had dirt bikes, but a couple had quads, and that's really when I started to lean more towards quads instead of dirt bikes. I think my interest in quads was a heavily influenced product of the time. I was just learning to drive, and I was admiring some of the creature comforts that came with ATV's. Having storage to throw a few things, racks to strap backpacks or bags for more extra stuff, not having to worry about leaning it against a tree because none of us had kickstands, electric start and headlights, etc. I think it was just the perfect age where all of that seemed like fancy luxuries and something about it just appealed more to me than the bikes. So at that point I sold my KX80, saved up my measly $100 paychecks from working part time, and got myself a quad that was nothing like what I really wanted haha. Got myself a Yamaha Blaster, bored out to 239 or 240cc, I don't quite remember. I think it was a 1999, I know it had an oil injector on it which was VERY nice. I hated mixing oil and gas for the KX. From that point on, I sold that quad and ended up experimenting with ALL kinds from 2wd sport quads to 4x4's, trying to figure out what I want the most. I had internal struggles between wanting a sport quad to pull sideways all the time and hit jumps, and a 4x4 that would get me anywhere and not leave me stranded. I've mellowed out over the years and settled on 4x4 utility quads, especially for this area of NJ. It's notoriously hilly, rocky and bumpy. It's just more fun to be able to go along at a slower pace, enjoy the scenery and know you've got your 4WD, diff lock, and winch. It's actually amazing and pretty nostalgic to really think back to the "paper trail" of how I got into the hobby and how my preferences shifted along the way. I've never bought brand new, and the used market prices really seemed to have elevated quite a bit since then. I'm seeing quads sell now for higher prices than I bought them almost 15 to 20 years ago. A couple examples: in 2008, I bought a 2002 Honda Rancher 350ES in basically perfect condition, with a plow and extra set of wheels and tires or $2550. I'm now seeing them go for about the same price or higher. I bought a 2009 Yamaha Wolverine 450 4x4 just 6 months into the year of 2009 for $3900. Today I'm seeing them go for usually $4k starting depending on condition. This story was WAY longer than I expected it to be. What a wild ride to really think about how one ride on a dirt bike at 10 years old would trigger a long history of riding, researching, buying and selling quads as I figured out what I like the the most. The people that have come and gone from my life, that I've ridden with and went our separate ways. I do miss those days of being a teenager when you got out on the trails, rode for hours, then stopped and shut the bikes off. The roaring motors died down, silence took over and time stood still. No particular time to be back, just hung out and talked about life for a while, and back to the trails. Thank you to this thread for allowing me to revisit those buried memories.

Hello! I have a 2005 Brute Force 750, so I'm not sure how many differences there may be, but can weigh in on some common things I've had with mine. I'm not extremely mechanical, but I usually get help with any issues I encounter and document my resolutions for future reference. Issues: KEBC (engine brake actuator) causes the display to shows 2WD/4WD to start flashing back and forth Battery no longer charges 4WD doesn't engage right away Quad has gone into limp mode and governs the speed/RPMs Quad turns over and won't start with or without choke Adding coolant the easy way Resolutions: KEBC Issue: I found some very helpful YouTube videos on this, showing you how to clean and refresh the KEBC, and the second video shows you how to test to see if it's working. I will say, after all of this, mine STILL wasn't working. And I ended up buying a KEBC bypass on Ebay. They're a bit pricey, about $90, but I don't think it's worth it to replace the KEBC as they're upwards of $300. I don't consider it to be essential. The bypass is the easiest fix if you don't care about the KEBC, simply remote the seat and plug it in, put the seat back on. As for the YouTube videos, they are titled below. Couldn't find the forum rules and not sure if YouTube links are allowed. These are the exact titles. How to Clean, Lube and Fix loud KEBC Actuator or 4x4 Actuator: BRUTE FORCE or PRAIRIE KEBC Actuator - Checking to see if it turns after you clean/lube Battery No Longer Charges: If you have the service manual, it will have a troubleshooting guide for charging problems, a multi meter is required. In my case, I believe I started with the battery and worked my way through testing and the point of failure was the bus connector. I had already replaced the rectifier and tested the stator successfully, and the only thing left in between was the bus connector. Search YouTube for the title below on how to remove the bus connector, as it's not needed: Kawasaki Brute Force 750 Bus connector fix 2005-2006 4WD doesn't engage right away: From everything I could tell, it's simply a design flaw. After reading a lot of forums, people seem to report that you have to roll the quad a bit sometimes before 4WD will engage. As you can imagine, this can be really annoying if you're driving in 2WD and get stuck. On, for example, a Yamaha, you can press the 4WD button and if it doesn't engage, you can just tap the throttle very slightly to get everything lined up and it will engage. On the Brute Force, I've noticed that yes, it does engage right away sometimes. But if it doesn't engage right away when you're stuck, you'll need to find an outside way out (winch, tow, heave hoe). It's possible to rev it and turn the wheels and EVENTUALLY it will slam into 4WD, but for obvious reasons you don't want to do this. SIDE NOTE: If you choose to get a KEBC bypass, one thing that changes is the that the 4WD turns on instantly regardless of whether it's engaged or not. By default, without the bypass, you can flip the switch to the 4WD position, but the 4WD light won't switch on until it's actually engaged. If you install the KEBC bypass, 4WD lights up instantly, but that doesn't necessarily mean it's actually engaged. My brute force is very loud, and so I can't even hear the actuator. If you have a quieter exhaust and you can hear it switch to 4WD, this may not be an issue for you. Quad goes into limp mode: This could be caused by a few things I think. For me, the drive belt was simply worn out. There's a switch inside the belt cover designed for the belt to switch it to limp mode when it's chewed up and needs replacement. You can flip the switch back to the off position after replacing the belt. If for some reason it's still in limp mode and the switch isn't on, the YouTube video below shows how to reset limp mode manually. This worked for me. Kawasaki brute force 750 belt light reset procedure Quad turns over but never starts: Mine had gotten to the point where it just refused to start, period. It would crank and crank. The only way to start it was with starter fluid. The common consensus on this is that the valves need adjusting. It's a real pain, and you typically have to rip all the plastics off at least for the front ones. My apologies that I don't have a good video on how to do this. I got got some help from someone that knows how to adjust valves, and we did some SERIOUS cheating and got it done without having to rip plastics off. It was a pick your poison type of deal. Do you want to hate life as you tear the whole thing apart just to get to the valves? Or do you want to suffer through doing it uncomfortably, but save time? We ended up putting it on a car lift for the front valves and using extended mirrors to see where we needed to see. I've never adjusted valves before and I wouldn't recommend this if you've never done it. Someone who's done it a bunch can probably pull it off though. Adding coolant the easy way: Adding coolant is a REAL pain. Even my service manual instructs you to basically rip apart the front end, removing plastics and such, as well as a shield around the radiator, just to be able to reach it and remove the cap, and add coolant. We were able to cheat this big time by doing the following: The shield around the radiator is easy to access if you turn your front wheel out of the way. There are a couple of screws (I think 2?) that need to be removed at the bottom. The shield is also attached at the top, but you can leave it connected. After you remove the bottom screws, you should be able to rotate the shield out of the way enough to reach the cap and remove it with your hand. From there, we just siphoned coolant in with a handy $10 Walmart manual siphon pump. You won't have a way to see when it's full other than way for coolant to spill back out. But it turns an all afternoon job into a 10 minute job. NOTE on this method: This method is really only good for adding coolant. If you want to do things like look into the radiator to see if it's dirty, or use a pressure tester on the cooling system, I believe you'll want to remove plastics and have much easier access to it. Luckily for me, I only thought I had a leak, turns out it was pretty much full. I hope this was helpful. Again, I know yours is a 2014 and mine is almost 10 years older, so there are bound to be differences. But I've owned this machine for about 4 or 5 years and seem to just be applying fix after fix, figured I share some of this with the community.

Hello there! I'm new to the forums, but not new to the hobby. Admittedly though, I'm not super mechanically capable. But usually my contributions result in the problems I've attempted to solve via help with the forums and I will post my solutions. Or it I've solved a problem myself, I will post about it and how I solved it. I've owned a lot of used (ever bought new) ATV's from: Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki, and Polaris. From sport to 4x4, and have developed all my biased opinions of each brand. Well that's my intro in a nutshell!