Hi, within the next few months I will be getting a new quad.
I was originally leaning towards a 350 raptor, always loved them, the look, the sound, and I am a fan of Yamaha. The more I read, the more I hear about them being "under powered" or "junk". Is this true?
I am looking for a quad that can keep up with or beat 400ex. I will be riding all kinds of terrains, trails, sand, and jumps. From what I have read, the LTZ400 is the best quad for what I am looking for. The only thing stopping me from getting one is that one of my friends had one and he said it was super slow and sluggish.
I just want a great all around quad, without spending tons of money on upgrades and motor work. Thanks in advance!

 

are you buying brand new? if so don't... take the money and buy a Raptor 700 that's only a year old. I think that's the quad you are looking for.

 

I don't really want that much power. and I would like to get something from the dealer, with somewhat of a dealer warranty, but not brand new. the z400s are $7000 new. I personally think that is crazy, when you can get a perfectly good one in great condition, just a few years older for $3000. I would really like to stay with one of the 4 quads i mentioned.

 

I'd forget about the Raptor 350. I really think yo uwould be happiest with a Raptor 660 or 700 you will find great deals used and they have tons of power.

Also a sport quad that's a few years old drops so much in price for very good reason. They tend to take a **** kicking, people that buy them are usually younger guys with lots of time to spend riding them, they don't have odometers to know how much mileage is on them, etc. ATV parts are insanely expensive, it wont take much to run up a 2k repair bill on a used one. Not trying to scare you off.. but just saying to really check it over, I didn't on mine and got screwed. The mechanic working on mine told me to never buy a used sport quad.. and after seeing my quote to fix up my wolverine I never will again. There will be lots of great deals out there.. just be careful.

Pretty sure the Suzuki and Kawi are the exact same quad with different plastics. The Raptor 350 is just a warrior with new plastics.

I'd never buy anything without 4x4 but to each his own! Also something to consider is the low ground clearance on all of the models you listed, make sure that's going to be ok for the trails you want to ride on.

Another one to consider would be the TRX700.. 2.5 times the ground clearance, IRS, FI, etc. You probably wont get one for 3k, but you would for 4k.

 

I don't really do anything to need 4x4, so that isn't a necessity. Also, I haven't ridden something of my own for 3 years, and that was only a 125 ttr yamaha. I don't really want to go from a 125 trailbike to a 700 sport quad. I would rather gradually go to something that big.

 

Out of the 4 in your title, the Honda 400EX is the best choice. The Raptor 350 is OK but not going to come anywhere close to beating a 400EX. The KFX400 and LTZ400 are basically the same quad, I don't like them because those engines have a poor valve design that will cause the valve to drop if the engine is over-revved. The manufacturer knew about this problem and decided to fix it by putting a pre-mature rev-limiter on them - not exactly a good quad for racing or trying to beat a 400EX.

 

the raptor is a really easy quad to ride, just don't push the throttle in all the way if you don't want to go fast. There is only about a 10hp difference between the raptor 660 and the others, and I'd say the 660 makes more manageable power.

If you can afford it or find a good deal the Honda TRX700XX is the best trail quad you can get.

 

Why do you say the 660 makes the more manageable power? The 660 is fun but it's like riding a live bull. The Raptor 700 has way more manageable power than the 660 because the power comes on smoother and the better suspension setup doesn't feel like the quad is going to tip over like on the 660.

Also why is the Honda 700XX the best quad? How bout some facts to back it up? I don't understand why you're trying to talk this person into a quad that's not on their list?

 

"I just want a great all around quad, without spending tons of money on upgrades and motor work" - That's why I said the 660, the 700 is even better but may not be in his budget. I feel the honda is the best if he can afford it because of the fuel injection, IRS and high ground clearance. The bikes he listed, the 400 suzuki and kawi are great on a motocross track and the 350 is to slow since he wants to beat a 400ex. The 400ex would be decent but after a few months he will wish he got a 700 class bike.

None of the quads he's looking at are great all around quads, the honda would be the only one you could even remotely consider an all around quad. The rest are pretty specialized quads.

He's asking for opionions and I shared mine. My personal opinon is he should get a wolverine or scrambler but he does not want 4x4.. If it was me I'd go straight to the 700 class, if you really can't control the throttle then trade it for a 400... And then waste money on upgrades to make it close to a 700 lol

 

I would not call a warrior/raptor 350 junk, they have been around a very long time and are very reliable. They do feel sluggish to me but I am used to an 80+ HP raptor or a 60HP outlander. Also, there is nothing wrong with buying a used sport quad. Sure, there are those that were beat on but there are also a bunch out there that people buy new then sit in their garage for years and they sell them. Taking a close look at the frame and looking over the ATV real well will show this stuff as well as one that has been properly maintained.

Between your selections I would go with any of the 400's. I have had a KFX400 and had good luck with it, also you can look at the Artic Cat DVX400, it is also the same ATV as the Z400 and KFX400 but with different plastic and generally goes slightly cheaper than the suzuki or kawi but they are not as common.

As for the larger raptors I would recommend against the 660, it is an awesome quad but like raptor450 stated, it is like riding a bull. It is a bit top heavy, very light in the front end and the power it much better described as violent, I wouldn't use the adjective manageble, I have owned both an 05 660 and I currently have on 08 700. If you were wanting something that powerful I would HIGHLY recommend going with the 700. The power is slightly more but the 700 is a total redesign from the 660, nothing is the same from the frame, suspension, swing arm, carrier, or engine and it shows.

If you are riding fast paced trails and nothing needing a 4x4 you would not keep up with a 400 from either manufacture with comparable riders on a wolverie or scrambler, the 400s are lighter and much more nimble.