Posted: 5/31/2009 8:38:30 AM EDT
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Plan on geting a Quad, Been reading reviews on both bikes and everyone where i look seems to be 50/50 on people saying there a good bike and people saying there not. Been looking at the Yamaha Raptor (660 or 700), Yamaha Banshee, and Honda TRX700. Does anyone own any of these bikes and what would do you suggest i buy?
Edit: Or is there something else i should look at? |
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If it is your first sport quad I would get a Honda 400EX, Kawasaki KFX 400, or Suzuki z400(same bike as the kawasaki). These can be had for reasonable money and can still hang with the newer bikes most of the time from my experience.
I had a Raptor 660 a couple of years ago and while extremely quick and torquey, it set up very high and didn't like to take jumps near as well. Unless you are a bigger guy, then I believe it would be better then the ones I mentioned. It is the ultimate wheely machine though. The Banshee is an awesome bike, but has a pretty narrow power band, and most of them I have dealt with are very finicky, like to foul plugs, and are hard to start when it's cold. They can also get away from you very easily because when they hit the power band they scream. They also go through top ends quickly as compared to their four stroke counterparts. The 450's from Honda, Suzuki, and Kawasaki are somewhat of a step above all of these IMO. (more money as well, but fuel injected) |
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It all depends on what you are going to use it for.
Sport Utility suits me just fine on the farms, on the trails, on my trails in the water... there are times you need four wheel lock / or anti slip fwd, and a wench on a sport utility can take you almost anywhere.. Had buddies I had to pull, help lift back to the river bank. Speed isn't everything, neither is jumping. Three people I know regret their dession buying a sport type atv, and have traded them in after a year...(if that even!) It all depends on where, and how you are going to use it. |
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If you got the dough..Can Am Renegade 800. selectable 2WD/ 4WD and it fills the void between a 4x4 utility atv and 2WD rip your face off machine..at the very least go take one for a spin at a dealership, you'll piss yourself. And they're V-twins..they sound BADASS.
http://www.can-am.brp.com/en-US/models/renegade-800r/base-package/key-features.htm |
The trx250r might be just the thing
I've got a Yamaha Blaster that i used when i was a kid. Got a 2003 KFX400 (same as LTZ-400 and DVX400) that I ride almost daily. And a 1986 Honda TRX250r that i'm rebuilding from the frame up. All great machines I would recommend to anyone Or you could get yourself one of the 450s, they'll haul edit: forgot to mention they only built the 250r from 1986 to 1989. There are aftermarket frames built in the 90s and 00s, from Laegers racing and others. You can get the stock geometry or modified. Benefits of the aftermarket frames are they use tube steel instead of square and they made several subframe components removeable. Many of the parts for the 400ex, 450r and 250r are interchangeable. Many people use brakes from later models and fit them to work because of the advancements in braking. People usually go with a +1" or +2" swingarm and A-arms for better handling. the 250r powerplant is pretty good stock, and people usually put on larger carbs, pipes etc. 310 bigbore cylinder kit from ESR is pretty popular. Aftermarket clutches are nice and many have swapped in a CR250 ignition for better spark. Tough call as to who's the king. Many like the 450s done up with autoclutches. Hard to beat a good 450 in the mx's when they stay in 3rd all the time and can focus on the driving while the 2stroke guys are shifting up and down. But then again when you pin that throttle on the 250r, it really rips Wikipedia article on trx250r done up 250r vs banshee - youtube |
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I ride a banshee. I like it because I'm about your size it's just freakin comfy. It has a nice padded seat and decent ergo's. No, it's not a 450 on the track, but it will smoke them on the dunes mod for mod. If you get the banshee prepare for 2 stroke disease, it's like BRD for your quad, and no other quad has quite the same following. Think 10/22: not the best .22, but LOTS of upgrade potential. |
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I come from a MX background, turned sportbike freestyle rider. I dont particularly care for utility fourwheelers, as a 'toy'....great workhorses, but I'd rather throw a plow on mine, than hit the trails, so if you like deep mud, the following is going to be useless info. I've had my share of atv's, love em, but just feel more at home on 2 wheels (and for the past couple years, one wheel). So YMMV, but coming from a 'tech' from an MX shop, this is what I've seen, experienced, or bent wrenchs on.
Stay away from the 01 Raptor. Tranny issues, and One Way bearings on the starters are huge known problems, and huge money pits. The 700 fuelie raptor is a huge step up, and probably can be had pretty cheap, if used. Great trail machines. Gobs of torque, the later model 600s or any of the 700s are reliable, and reverse is nice on the trails. Certainly not the 'ideal' wheelie machine though. 400ex. tried and true. not the fastest outta the bunch, but the motor is what is also in the xr400 dirtbike, and about as reliable as they come. If you can manage the awful clutch on these, THIS is the machine you want for wheelies. Dry sump engine with the oil pickup far back in the motor, you can stand these on end for days, without having oiling issues. Banshee.... my favorite fourwheeler, ever made, period. Its a monster. Its a handful. It's down right frustrating in tight trails. It's not for everyone. That being said, a set of aftermarket pipes, airfilter, TORS eliminator kit, and a good set of tires on these machines, and its an absolute ball. Something about that light-switch style powerband and the scream of a twin cylinder two stroke is just something to die for. All you boys that grew up on the RZ350 streetbikes know what I mean. I've trail ridden mine, I've jumped them, I've wheelied them, and I've even ran one in a mud bog competition (coming out 1/10 slower than a prarie 650 with nitrous). They do fantastic on fire-roads, and open trails/fields/ect. If you got room to let them scream its a ball. How the power comes on is like no other, and a 4 stroke just cant match the snap. The suspension doesnt care for high jumps...it's old and outdated. the 450s (yfz, trx, ltr) are pure bred race machines. I can honestly say I hate them. They suck, their horrible in my opinion. They are extremely high strung, and have all the bad of a two stroke, and all the bad of a fourstroke combined in one neat package. (Heres where someone says they're trx450r has been running 3 years without even checking the oil). Just like the bikes they got their engines from, they use a shim underbucket valvetrain. Which is fantastic for high performance....if you keep an eye on it. Unlike your 5.0 liter mustang, as these motors run, they wear the shims down, beat the valves into the head, or otherwise. This causes the valves to become too tight, rather than too loose. Soon enough, your valves have officially kicked the crap outta the cylinder head. They rev to the moon, and with nearly no piston skirt, accelerated wear is a given. We would do 3 to 4 top ends per race season on a 450 dirtbike. And no, in most cases racing is not that much harder than 17yr old Billy down the street, that hammers his 450 in the sandpits every weekend, and forgets to change his airfilter. the power comes on like a two stroke, and wants to scream. They are killers at the track...nothing can hang with them, the suspension is phenomenal right outta the box, and they are a blast to take to the track. I cant stand them in a sandpit, or trails. I get tired of no torque, and stalling frequently, with hard hot-starts. ds650, trx700, vforce...... big engines.... big weight. Maybe if your looking for a stone solid trail machine, that you dont need to jump, or be the fastest, these are great. my personal choice out of these would be the vforce. Put it in gear, and go. Tons of torque, Great for those who want fast, but dont want all that nonsense of a clutch and shifting. Plus, any monkey can ride wheelies on these for days at a time. automatic tranny, and tons of torque. cover your rear brake, and you'll look like a hero. Thats my 2 cents. Dont meant to ruffle anyones feathers. In reality, they are all fine machines compared to what was available in days gone by. Thats just how they rank in my book, if it were my pennies to spend. |
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Quoted:
I come from a MX background, turned sportbike freestyle rider. I dont particularly care for utility fourwheelers, as a 'toy'....great workhorses, but I'd rather throw a plow on mine, than hit the trails, so if you like deep mud, the following is going to be useless info. I've had my share of atv's, love em, but just feel more at home on 2 wheels (and for the past couple years, one wheel). So YMMV, but coming from a 'tech' from an MX shop, this is what I've seen, experienced, or bent wrenchs on. Stay away from the 01 Raptor. Tranny issues, and One Way bearings on the starters are huge known problems, and huge money pits. The 700 fuelie raptor is a huge step up, and probably can be had pretty cheap, if used. Great trail machines. Gobs of torque, the later model 600s or any of the 700s are reliable, and reverse is nice on the trails. Certainly not the 'ideal' wheelie machine though. 400ex. tried and true. not the fastest outta the bunch, but the motor is what is also in the xr400 dirtbike, and about as reliable as they come. If you can manage the awful clutch on these, THIS is the machine you want for wheelies. Dry sump engine with the oil pickup far back in the motor, you can stand these on end for days, without having oiling issues. Banshee.... my favorite fourwheeler, ever made, period. Its a monster. Its a handful. It's down right frustrating in tight trails. It's not for everyone. That being said, a set of aftermarket pipes, airfilter, TORS eliminator kit, and a good set of tires on these machines, and its an absolute ball. Something about that light-switch style powerband and the scream of a twin cylinder two stroke is just something to die for. All you boys that grew up on the RZ350 streetbikes know what I mean. I've trail ridden mine, I've jumped them, I've wheelied them, and I've even ran one in a mud bog competition (coming out 1/10 slower than a prarie 650 with nitrous). They do fantastic on fire-roads, and open trails/fields/ect. If you got room to let them scream its a ball. How the power comes on is like no other, and a 4 stroke just cant match the snap. The suspension doesnt care for high jumps...it's old and outdated. the 450s (yfz, trx, ltr) are pure bred race machines. I can honestly say I hate them. They suck, their horrible in my opinion. They are extremely high strung, and have all the bad of a two stroke, and all the bad of a fourstroke combined in one neat package. (Heres where someone says they're trx450r has been running 3 years without even checking the oil). Just like the bikes they got their engines from, they use a shim underbucket valvetrain. Which is fantastic for high performance....if you keep an eye on it. Unlike your 5.0 liter mustang, as these motors run, they wear the shims down, beat the valves into the head, or otherwise. This causes the valves to become too tight, rather than too loose. Soon enough, your valves have officially kicked the crap outta the cylinder head. They rev to the moon, and with nearly no piston skirt, accelerated wear is a given. We would do 3 to 4 top ends per race season on a 450 dirtbike. And no, in most cases racing is not that much harder than 17yr old Billy down the street, that hammers his 450 in the sandpits every weekend, and forgets to change his airfilter. the power comes on like a two stroke, and wants to scream. They are killers at the track...nothing can hang with them, the suspension is phenomenal right outta the box, and they are a blast to take to the track. I cant stand them in a sandpit, or trails. I get tired of no torque, and stalling frequently, with hard hot-starts. ds650, trx700, vforce...... big engines.... big weight. Maybe if your looking for a stone solid trail machine, that you dont need to jump, or be the fastest, these are great. my personal choice out of these would be the vforce. Put it in gear, and go. Tons of torque, Great for those who want fast, but dont want all that nonsense of a clutch and shifting. Plus, any monkey can ride wheelies on these for days at a time. automatic tranny, and tons of torque. cover your rear brake, and you'll look like a hero. Thats my 2 cents. Dont meant to ruffle anyones feathers. In reality, they are all fine machines compared to what was available in days gone by. Thats just how they rank in my book, if it were my pennies to spend. I agree with you. I've been in the bike industry for 12 years, and have come to the same conclusions except I don't like any year raptors. I'm 6'3", and feel cramped on the smaller machines. The DS is great. If you are a big guy you can throw it around with the best of them. It's also the fastest ATV mentioned. |