Early liquifire or later?

[Popcorn popper]

Theres a couple reasonable priced liquifire sleds around here reasonably priced. What do you guys prefer
The older or newer. One is a 81 with kawi power the other a 78. Which way would you lean? I do like looks of 78 more but the 81 they say is alot quicker. The 78 they want extra 1000 bucks. Thoughts guys?

[Matt]

I question the "reasonably priced" and "extra 1000 bucks". It might be worth over 1000 if it's mint, but that's high. Then I wonder how much the 81 is.

The 78 I had- and I've heard this from others too, started easy and ran well every time. It was surprisingly fast too. Kawasaki Liquifires tend to be more temperamental. However the horsepower of a Kawasaki Liquifire is another level.

[AirborneX4Special]

I prefer both....

[Popcorn popper]

These to are basically restored. 78 3500cdn and 81 is 2500. However there’s another clean 78 for 1500 that would need a little love.

[AirborneX4Special]

Are the 78's 440's?

[Popcorn popper]

78 is 440 yes. Both are 440

[jep_800]

I think it comes down to a preference thing... The 78's were a lower build number so they're not as easy to come by. The 80' to 84' were essentially the same sled, with upgrades over that span, but the 78' is pretty unique to that year. I think for the early generation of Liquifires (76' - 78'), that's the one most guys prefer. It's got a bigger sled feel... stable, but plenty of power. The 80'+ are lighter, nimble, very quick and fast sled.

To me, it comes down to which do you like better? Both have high marks with the Deere faithful.

[harleysportster]

It depends what you want out of them. The 78 and 81 are 2 completely different sleds. As stock the 81 has more rear suspension and hp. As Matt said, the 78 is more reliable to keep running. I own a 78 and I am not afraid to ride it on long distance trails. The 80 lig I had was a different story. I couldn't keep it running and it stopped running on the trail more than once. I have since sold it.
Feel free to ask model specific questions.
Good luck.