Just joined and this is 1st post,,,
I don'd have a quad yet but will be buying a new one soon. I ride So Cal deserts, mostly trails. I am not sure I must have a 4x4 but at times it would be handy. The new 450 wolverine looks good but does not seem to be very popular. How is the power, suspension, reliability and 4x4 ability with this unit? Also, how is the auto trans for performance, I want something that moves. The 700 Raptor is also on the short list but I am not sure how it would be in narrow sand washes and slower going on trails. The fuel injection and suspension are gerat I have herd. I have looked at and read about many of the others and have narrowed it down to these two. I know these are apples and oranges to compare. Thanks.

 

You absolutely do NOT need a 4X4 for the desert! You will hate yourself, bashing big whoops all day on a big heavy machine.

A sport quad's tactic is to use light weight, rev, and horsepower, and float along on the surface. On the other hand, a big heavy 4X4 has to grapple for traction. You only need a 4X4 if you insist on looking for the most terrifying terrain, or you want to go rock crawling. Go to any popular staging area in the desert, and how many big, heavy, huge 4X4 quads do you see??? Not many.......

That all said, I do like the Wolverine concept! For most folks, all they need is a sporty trail ride, but many who live where there is mud and snow could use 4X4 once in a while to bail themselves out. But, Yamaha just didn't take the concept to its full potential. The machine is way overweight at 500+ pounds, and is more utility than sport. (The standard for sport quads, is now 350 pounds!) And rubber band drive, well no way..........

The best desert quads are the great trail quads: the 400EX, Z400, 450R, and maybe the Raptor 700 (the DS650 and Kawasaki 700 are just to huge, and should be reserved for really big guys who have no other alternative). By the way, the Honda 450R dominates desert racing! Nine out of the 10 top finishers in the Baja 1000 in November, were Honda's. What does that tell you?????????

 

Thanks for the reply RR,
I am 54 now and getting off a bike I thought I would be able to ride ( KTM 450 EXC) so i don't kill myself. If the Raptor can go slow on trails and tight sand washes and have the traction needed to get out of them then it starts to edge out the others. The attention to details and quality, not to mention the EFI for Mammoth elevation are a few plusses for me. What kind of range would i get with 2.9 gal tank? Is 4.5 in ground clearance OK? How about a taller tire ? Thanks again.

 

Pretty funny! I'm 52, and just getting back into dirt bikes. Long time quad rider, but haven't been on a dirt bike since I was a teenager. We had a set of utility quads that we rode in the mountains (places like Bishop/Mammoth), but I am selling them off to finance some bikes. Just got a CRF230, which I will ride for a while, then hand down to the kids. Then, will probably get something like a light little CRF250X for myslef.

I have no personal experience with the Raptor, but any of the bikes I mentioned will provide a fine, comfortable ride. All are extremely capable machines, and I can get by on a sport bike for even some pretty technical mountain riding where one would think you needed a utility. I like the Z400 as the best all-around ride there is, and I prefer the 400EX for slower, more technical trails. And, for the open desert, the 450R is the bomb!

You can get a desert tank for any of them (my 400EX has a 5.3 gallon tank!), and with a few mods like full chassis and swingarm skids, and some Holeshot tires, you will be all set.

 

Good luck with the bikes. I rode a yz400c back in the 70's. The bikes are different now. Very tall with a high center of gravity. Great power, great suspension but going slow is not an option. Rocks hurt even with pads. I just want to cruze and enjoy the secenery, pack a lunch and take my time. I hit almost 80 on the bike and have no desire to do it on a quad. BTW, put your foot down when you stop and wear all the body armor you can find.

 

On the quad, DON'T PUT YOUR FOOT DOWN. You'll get it sucked under the wheel!

 

Hello!

I'm 35 and rode bikes since I was 5. I just got rid of a kx500 because I was tired of kicking it over. I'd rather just hit the button and go and not worry about falling over.

With that said. I bought an 05 bomb DS650. It's a good machine. Rides well very stable and has plenty of power but it is big. The drawback with this model is the lack of reverse and that's about it. The Raptor is smaller size wise and has a bigger motor at 700cc + reverse.

This DS machine is more designed for open areas, although I do use it on tight trails. The problem it has with tight trails is it's (again) big and wide. I bought this machine for this reason. Almost bought the Raptor but it felt too small under me. The bomba quad also was geared too high for type of trail riding. I dropped the front sprocket two teeth and it's perfect for crawling through the under brush.

If a 4x4 is something you'd like. I would consider the Wolvy 450 too. I think it's probably a good machine. Normally, I stay away from something in the first year of release but I don't think anything on it is of new design. Engines from a Kodiak, suspension from a bruin? etc. I'm considering buying this model as a second quad myself.

 

OK, now I am headed for the rappy. Sounds like the wolly is a sort of, but not good ute or a sport with old style suspension and new plastic. The CVT makes it easy but takes away more performance. It might be better with soft Kodiac suspension, 5 spd, Fuel Inj, Rappy plastic. Can I put 4 wheel drive on a rappy, LOL.

 

There's good article in a recent dirtwheels magazine on the Wolvy. They gave it good remarks. I live in Illinois so desert riding is not my speciality but I know with the 2x4 I can go thru most places and climb anything I want to climb. Can't climb everything and deep mud is out but its still fun.

 

I was considering a 450 Wolverine for my self. I was at the bike shop on Friday and there was a used one there.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img] I haven't seen a new one yet, and there is a used one?????? The bike was stickered in California, so someone bought it, moved up to NW Washington and traded it in. I can't figure how that would have worked in Cali, but not up here in the trails, that we have.

My good friend works there so, I am going to try to get the scoop on this quad. I will not buy one though, until I understand why it was returned to the bike shop.

I sat on it, and moved it around. I am 6 foot and about 260. It felt very small and not real stable. I did not ride it, but the paved parking lot usually isn't a real good test ride.