Well its time for a new(er) quad. I started shopping around for some used quads and there are very little around here. Found a DS650 but its a two hour drive from here, and i want to find out if its worth my while to check it out.

Ok so for all you DS rider can you answer me this;will the DS be good in the following conditions

Back country roads
Bush trails
Gravel pits
Mx tracks
and of course mud

I am trying to find an ATV that can almost do a double duty. One day i may be riding with banshees and mx bikes, and the next riding with sportsmans, and big A-Cats.

I kinda like the size of the ds being a big guy (6ft. 240lbs) but its also a very heavy bike(as far as i know) so i am concerned about that.

I know its kinda hard to have a quad thats the best of both worlds, but who knows?

Also any problems with the 01 model ds? Reliability issues?

Went to the local dealer today to see if they had one in stock i could sit on and get the feel for, but they had none...damn

Any input would be appeciated

 

I have put in quiet a few hours on the DS. The bike is big and heavy (a bit top heavy), making it not the best trail bike. This was built to be a desert machine, not a north woods trail bike, and certainly not an MX machine. 350-370 lbs. is the standard for sport bikes now, so anything over that is way out of line!

 

i ride my Ds in the woods here in east texas all the time and have no problem, just wish it had a reverse. it sets high but doesn't seem to tip as easy as some of the others. the best thing is it's like riding a sofa, very smooth riding and plenty of room. the mud is a defferent story. the DS does good until i hit some of the deep stuff. most of the trails around here have been cut out by lifted 4x4 quads and my DS high centers everytime. don't do any mx tracks but i wouldn't think it would be that great at it because of it's wieght.

 

im similar size (6'2 230) and love my DS. Before i got it was right when the new YFZ's and 450r's were coming out...i rode both of them (put a lot of time in on the yfz) but it just wasnt for me.... i rode my friends 00 ds for a few hours and new i thats what i wanted.
I do 60% woods riding, 30% dunes, and 10% field riding. Ds has a slight disadvantage in the woods with its size and no reverse, but i havnt found a trail here in illinois i couldnt get through yet... (although some were tight...) as for mx... i ride tracks and jump mine a lot. The thing i lvoe most about mine is the suspension, you can land sideways on one tire and it will soak it up for you. Not really trying to push you one way or the other, but i def suggest you go check it outj....have you ridden the other new sports out? (or are they even options?) the main thing i didnt like about the new sports, is how small and uncomfortable they were for me. (my smaller friends have a blast on them...
just test as many as you can and then go from there.

o, and as for reliability issues...dont know of any really about the DS... just look around the engine and make sure there are no leaks (if they didnt lean it there would be dust/dirt collecting) once you ride it you will be able to tell if it has a major problem.

 

i ride in upstate ny and there are spome insanely steep hills with giant rocks hidden on them, not always as funas you would like to think, the ther trails are bupy logging roads, and althoug i have never ridden a ds i can say it wont be comfortable. not many people in town have big bore sport atvs but those that do, ride there ***** off or buy the more trail friendly models, like the 400ex or even a raptor, you may want to look into a machine like the wolvy, it wont be suited for mx riding but with a 4-2-4 switch and a pipe it may hold its own... no to that shee. im also (6ft one inch. 240lbs) and find bigger utility sport atvs more suitable. imo.
buy whats cheap or buy whats fast but only buy it if its cheap and fast... that means your going to look around at alot and see some very different machine, but the righ one will come along. good luck

 

IMO the ds is great for every thing you said except mud. I'm short 5'6" so when you take a 500lb quad stuck in the mud with another 100 of mud on the quad. that thing gets heavy and I'm to short to get any leverage on the grab bar. you sound big enough to handle it thow.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I'm with roost never met a trail too narrow for a ds, I don't know about mud that depends on type of mudding, all I can say is nail it and hope for the best because if you get stuck there better be a 4x4 handy. Mx, only the brave mx a ds. BUT for a all around quad for anyone over 5'8" or 200 lbs. or both, the ds is down right comfy, all day. A raptor is way too small for me at 6'2" 200 lbs. so what else is there? No matter what anybody says there are no 4x4's that are sport machines. My riding bud has a polaris pred. and that MAY be an option, but they handle very differently, so you really need to beg a ride on some different quads before you take the plunge

 

yfz would be better in trails because of reverse but to me it to small for my size so go for the ds or try out the z400

 

lol, yfz dosnt have reverse!

 

Based on that statement alone,,,,I would say Polaris Scrambler 500.

The DS is a great bike,,,But dont expect to keep up with the utilities when the mud gets deep or you have to start rock climbing.