One thing about the King Quad is the fact that it's steering is quite light. The caster is set, by design, at about 1.6 degrees. Most atvs are set at about 5+-... while that helps to ensure the wheels return to "straight" when driving, it makes the steering heavier. Suzuki decided to make the steering lighter...but that also makes the steering somewhat 'twitchy' or I've even heard of a few guys saying it can go full turn right or left, pulling the handlebars right out of your hands if you are not holding on. This has not happened to many riders, not to me for that matter, but it has happened, especially if you only holding on loosely and on rutted up trails.

To get rid of the twitchiness, there are a few ideas. One is a permanent solution to the problem. It is a modification to the front A-Arms. On nyrcoatv.com, there is a guru by the name of Demijohn. He has personally given me permission to reprint his "Demijohn Castor Mod" here. It's involved, but is a permanent solution that changes the camber effectively to where most riders tend to want it.

1) Gather the tools and material that you will need for the job. Including but not limited to: 3/16 inch x 1 ¼ inch flat steel stock, grease, small selection of metric socket and wrenches (8mm -17mm) something to cut steel (hack saw will do fine), a couple of medium to large metal files, a good square, drill, drill bits, a bench vise (very useful), a couple of large wire ties (or something to secure the front brake leaver), brake fluid (dot 4), vernier calipers (accuracy is very important), torque wrench, something to remove the ball joints (I will post a photo of the tool I used), long flat end punch, hammer, needle noise pliers, some blue locktite, Phillips screw driver, and most important of all a copy of the service manual (you will need to torque the bolts back to factory spec).

2) Jack the front of the King off the ground.

3) Remove the front wheels / tires from the bike.

4) Squeeze the front brake handle about half way and secure it with a large wire tie (to keep all the brake fluid from draining out of the system when the banjo bolts and removed).

5) Have a small container ready to catch some brake fluid that will spill out from this step (a small cup will do). Remove the bolts holding the brake line in place and free the brake line from the holder on the under side of the A-arm. Slide the brake line up through the A-arm and out of the way.

6) Remove the safety pin from the nut that holds the nut on the bottom of the ball joint. Then remove the nut, lock washer and washer from the ball joint.

7) Use the tool to pop the ball joint loose. If any grease squeezed from the rubber boot then you will need to use a needle attachment on a grease gun, to replace the grease in the ball joint boot. Be careful not to damage the boot and to keep you fingers safe during this step. When the ball joint releases, it might pop loose at the last second.

8 ) Loosen and remove the bottom shock bolt, while holding the A-arm so it will not fall.

9) Loosen and remove the long A-arm bolt on the upper A-arm, at the rear of the A-arm.

10) Now, remove the A-arm to a table or bench so you can work on it a little easier.

11) Remove the rubber end caps / bushings. Be careful that you do not drop the washers out of the caps.

12) Slide the shinny center rod out of the A-arm. Keep it clean and nearby. You will be cutting down this item.

13) Using the vernier calipers measure the thickness of the flat stock that you will be cutting to make the shims for the front of the A-arm.

14) Using the long punch and hammer, I removed the plastic bushing from the back / rear of the A-arm tube. Moving the punch around and not trying to kill it, will prevent you from destroying the bushing.

15) Transfer the measurement of the flat stock to the rear portion of the round section of the A-arm. Refer to photos but it will be the short section of the tube. Make sure to scribe the line all the way around the tube. I used the tips of my calipers to scribe the line on the tub of the A-arm. Measure three or four times and cut once, is a good rule to follow here as well.

16) This is where a bench vise will come in handy. Using your tool of choice cut the shaft short of the line. Be patient this will take some time to cut all the way through and be accurate. I used some masking tape to make the line easier to see. I did not use it as a cutting guide. You will need to file the material down to the line. I used a small woodworking square to make sure I was staying square with my filing. The end of the tube must be kept square. Be sure to clean all the metal dust from inside the shaft. I used my air compressor for this and a long strip of rag on a drill.

17) Now, it is time to put the plastic bushing back into the A-arm shaft. Apply a little grease to the bushing. I used a woodworking clamp to press the bushing back into place.
You could be very careful and use a rubber hammer to tap the bushing into place. While being careful not to damage the bushing. Now you can measure for the inner shaft size.It should be .005 inches longer than the A-arm shaft with the two bushings installed.



18b) An added note here. Make sure to ease the edges on all the cuts that you make. Therefore, the sharp edges will not damage the plastic bushings. You can use a fine metal file for this, a flat file for the outside edges and a small round file for the inside edger. I used a de-burring tool for this and it works great. Fine grit sand paper could be another option if you are careful.

19) Now you can slide the shiny shaft back into the A-arm shaft (apply grease to the length of the shaft and the inside of the bushings).

20) Replace the rubber end caps. Make sure that the washers are still in the caps.

21) Now, set the A-arm assembly aside in a clean, safe place.

22) It is now a good time to measure for the spacer that you need to cut from the 3/16 flat stock. You will need to cut this a little over sized to begin with. I used my vernier calipers to measure the size of the area where the front bushing was located when the A-arm was on the bike. I then used an air grinder with a cut off wheel to cut the shims a little over sized to start with. Using the bike as a reference, I continued shaping the shims until the fit correctly. I rounded the backside of the long edges of the shim to match the contour of the area of the A-arm mounting bracket, where the shim will have its new home. Then I marked the centerline of the each shim (you will need to make two shims, one for both A-arms), placed the shim in the mounting bracket, and marked the hole. This is just for reference to the location of the hole that you need to drill in the center of the shim. Then using a drill, (I used a drill press) and staying on the centerline, I drill the hole for the bolt. I cleaned up the shim and applied a coat of glossy black for metal. Let it dry while you continue on the other side or while you take a break for a soda and sandwich, (I let mine dry over night).

23) If you lost any grease from the ball joint boot, you will need to replace it before you re-install the a-arm. I had to get a grease gun needle for my grease gun and slide it between the boot and the shaft of the ball joint. Then I squeezed the air out and cleaned up the excess grease.

24) Continue on the other side of the bike, with the same process as before. Just make sure of which end you are going to be cutting of the A-arm.

24) Putting it back together! Once the paint has dried on the shims.

25) Take the A-arm assembly to the bike with one of the shims. Slid the A-arm into place and put
the shim into place (you may have to flip the shim over to line up the bolt holes, I did). Slide the long bolt in from the rear and replace the nut. Torque to spec. using the service manual guidelines.

26) Put the shaft of the ball joint into the hole and replace the washer, lock washer, nut, and the carter pin. Torque to spec. Refine to the service manual for all torque specs on the bike.

27) Replace the lower shock bolt and nut. Torque to spec.

28) Run the brake line back through the A-arm and fasten it to the clip under the A-arm. Replace the bolt in the side of the A-arm. Snug up the bolt (this is the only bolt that I used any blue Locktite on, the rest of the nuts were self locking)

29) Replace the banjo fitting to the brake caliper with one washer on top of the fitting and one between the head on the bolt and the fitting. Torque to spec.

30) Now, you will need to referrer to the service manual on bleeding the brakes. Very important to get the air out of the lines.

31) Once you have both sides complete. Replace the wheels, and torque to spec.

32) The best step of all, go ride you new King Quad.

Yes you can do this ,but i had a problem with driver's ball joint and that sucker wouldn't pop for me .. so i went with option 2 --take the bolts out and turned the aarms ,measured 3/16 of a inch and hacked ,right on the spot, installed my 3/16 washers ,greased and put back together.. no big deal just take your time and you can do this mod.. outcome is frigging awesome ,steering is way more positive and no more twitchy steering.. this is mod well worth doing,,any help i can lend a hand to just let me know..

Great advice...thanks for sharing!

MeYammy
Are you basically saying that without this mod the Suzuki's do not steer as well as other atv's?

Nope. Without the mod, they actually steer lighter and easier than most ATVs in the same class (except for power steering ones of course).

Suzuki wanted their bigger bore ATV to have easy handling characteristics...it's a tough balance between bigger/faster/more powerful AND still being able to handle the thing. The way they set up the caster, at 1.6*, it makes the steering lighter than more other ATVs in that class (who's caster is set at closer to 5*).

All that I'm saying is that some people find the light steering a bit unnerving and some go so far as to say it's 'twitchy'. Well, going over rocky or rutted up trails with only one hand on the handlebar, you won't be in control if a tire catches an edge and goes full turn one way or another. It's more likely to happen with a caster set to such a low degree as the KQ, BUT will also be more likely if you are not holding on and controlling your ATV.

It's not happened to me ever. Not saying it won't, but it will most likely be more a result of me not holding on properly than due to the low degree caster.

The VAST majority of the KQ owners never have performed any kind of steering mod, and never will. And the VAST majority of KQ owners will never have the steering ripped from their hands either.

However, some people prefer the stiffer steering that you get with the 5* caster, gives them a more 'in control' feel over the ATV. I can't blame them. I wish it was a higher degree caster and felt a touch firmer, but it's not so big an issue that I would perform a caster mod. For that matter, when I upgraded to the KQ, it was from a very light steering Kodiak 400, so I really didn't know any different.

I considered doing the mod, but not because it was something I felt in the steering when I rode, but more so because people were saying "there is a problem and there is the fix". It's not a problem for me, nor for thousands of other KQ riders out there. But, if you don't like the lighter steering, and want it to be firmer and feel more in control, the caster mod shared by Demijohn is spot on, fairly easy, and most effective. I shared it (with his permission) so that those who may wish to firm up the steering would have a fairly easy option to do so.

Hello MeYammy,
Thanks for the thorough explanation. I have had the wrist snapping experience happen to me while riding in deep ruts, plus I have the Bear Claw Tires which as you know have the aggressive lug on the side that loves to bite into hard terrain.

The combination of the tires and castor would do that. Hang on tight

Yammy