I'm going to be buying my first quad soon and I'm having trouble deciding which to get... I'm looking at either the Yamaha Blaster '04-'06, Raptor 350 '04-'05, or a Honda 400EX early 2000's. They are all relatively the same price and within my budget.

I live in the deserts of the southwest, specifically Las Cruces, NM where summer temperatures are regularly in the high 90's and low 100's (if that matters much for air cooled engines?). Most of my riding would be on hilly desert trails, curvy dry riverbeds and hilly water runoffs, and some steep hills of both hard pack and occasionally loose sand. I'm not too worried about drag races or track racing, just want a good reasonably fast quad to have some fun with, maybe get into a little jumping later.

I've been doing some research on all the quads I listed, and I'm getting a lot of mixed opinions on reliability... With the Blaster, some people say it requires a lot more rebuilds a lot more often, although cheaper to rebuild than the 4 strokes. Some people say the Blaster rarely needs rebuilt... With the Raptor, alot of people say that engine is damn near bulletproof... I want something that will be reliable, as alot of my riding will take place alone miles from home, so breaking down and having to walk and/or push the quad home isn't something I want to do!

Any and all opinions would be appreciated!

 

400ex or Raptor has my vote. My 400 has never left me walking and probably never will. The 400 engine is dated technology, but a proven reliable work horse, it was used on the XR400 for years. Honda has air cooled technology down, as far as keeping it cool just make sure to stay moving as air cooled motors need airflow to stay cool. Never had troubles with overheating on mine, I've ridden my Harley Davidson in 100 degree weather and never had troubles with it and Harleys run hot. Thing I've always hated about water cooled engines is you always run the possibility of blowing a hose or puncturing your radiator out on the trail, that happened on my old KX250 and that was a long push back to camp.

 

Engine wise all of these have great reliability when left primarily stock. Exhaust/intake mods are fine, but big bore kits and high compression may shorten rebuild times. The Blaster and Raptor are both 80's chassis/suspension technology. They are capable and great to start off on but maintenance is a little more tedious. Your abilities will outgrow these two quicker. Being a 2 stroke, the Blaster actually has good potential for power(pretty tame stock.) The suspension will need to be addressed in tandem to keep a safe ride though. The 400EX has the best suspension, handling, and most stock power out of the bunch. My breakdown:

Blaster-- If you are smaller and/or think you may eventually want to build something with good power but stay reliable.

Raptor 350-- If you can find a good deal. I wouldn't spend much in mods on one, but rather look to upgrade when skills and budget allow. Look at Warriors also, as those are mechanically about as identical as you can get and generally cheaper.

400EX-- If you are looking to jump or ride fast this is the best starting point of the 3. Chassis modeled closely to the legendary 250R and will handle better than the other 2 stock. Better suspension and more travel makes this a better jumper.

My final consideration when buying used is condition over model. Given the choice of a ratted out 400EX and a minty fresh Blaster/Raptor, I would choose the better condition. Actually, I would just look for a better 400

 

400EX - reliable, comfortable, fast, good suspension and brakes. You cant say all that about the other two.

 

Thanks for the replies! I'm a pretty small guy, only 5'6" and 130 lbs, so even the smaller Blaster should be acceptable for me. I would really like to get the 400ex but those are in the very top of my budget it seems, around here they seem to run about $2000 - $2200 for a 2000 or 2001 model. I'll definitely keep my eye out for a good one though if I can find one! The Raptor 350 is probably going to be my likely choice though, as they seem to run about $1500 - $2000 for a really nice '04 - '08 model. Buy if I can find a REALLY nice Blaster I may also go that route, as they seem to run about $1000 - $1500 for an '04 - '06 model.

 

There is a certain satisfaction to staying within budget. At your size, all of these could make a good choice. If you are leaning toward the Raptor still, don't forget about the 300EX either. Better handling plus some of the standard maintenance things like chain adjustment are easier. These should be similar in price to the Raptor. I would actually love to pick one of these up for riding with my the kids vs using my high strung race quads. The 300 is a great starting point.

 

Thanks I'll look around for those 300ex's too. Anyone have any opinions of the '00 - '04 Raptor 660? Surprisingly those are also around $1700 to $2000 around here. I did a little bit of research on them so far and it seems like people say they're too top heavy and unstable? I don't particularly care about having the fastest quad on the block, I'd rather have a good reliable stable moderately fast quad instead of a super fast unstable quad.

 

The 660 is noticeably more top heavy and tipsy than something like a 400EX. Crazy torque and true open class power on this one. The front end likes to come up a little easier than some are comfortable with. To me these are a bit reminiscent of the old three wheelers where you really need to use proper riding technique to ride fast. If you could find one that has wider aftermarket axle/a-arms or could at least budget some wider offset rims this might be OK. In general, I would not recommend a 660 for a new rider. The 400EX will handle better and is a well balanced atv for a new guy. If you can hold out and save up a few $100.00 more that would open up the Z400 market(she also has a Kawie and Arctic Cat sister, same quad just different plastics.) The Z has a chassis VERY similar to the 400EX, but with a more powerful, liquid cooled motor.

 

I just sold a 2002 blaster, pretty heavily modded. It was ok, very fast. The suspension is stiff but it is agile and light. I have a 1993 warrior and had a 2003 400ex, I prefer the warrior. It's more reliable, has reverse (some years of the 400ex don't) and has good weight distro. The suspension is softer and makes jumping more stable. It's air cooled and just runs.

 

Yeah I was originally looking at the Z400's as well, but then after doing some research a lot of people have problems with those engines dropping valves. One guy was even a mechanic at the dealership and said 90% of all the Z400 (and sister bikes like the Kawie) that come in for repair are due to dropped valves. He said the valve retainers on those engines is the worst design he'd ever seen.