Time for me to vent a little bit. I can't believe how many posts argue about which quad is the fastest in a straight line. This happens in all the forums, but happens more in this Yamaha forum due to the raptor and banshee "is faster than everything" arguments.

Who cares which is faster in a straight line? Isn't there a reason they put suspension and knobby tires on these ATV's. Isn't there a reason they call them all terrain vehicles? They were not designed for just riding in a straight line or for top speed. Doesn't anyone every use the brakes, turn, go over rough terrain, or jump? I can see this would be a priority for those people who sand drag or hill shoot at the sand dunes, but how many do this? I know a banshee and raptor will beat a 400EX in a drag race, but who cares?

For those who want to argue about true performance I can't think of another better indicator than national level harescrambles or motocross racing.

GNCC harescrambles represent woods riding that the vast majority of quads are used for. At the pro level there is no restriction to 250cc so the banshee is allowed. In the last 10 years I have only seen one banshee that has been competitive against the sea of 250R's. Now the raptor should be much better at woods riding than the banshee due to the lack of low-end on the banshee so this year maybe the raptor will make an impact.

In GNC motocross one would think the "open" class would be dominated by the screaming banshee. There are a few that are competetive, but at the races I have attended in the open pro-am, open A, and open B classes there is only a total of about 3 or 4 banshees against 30 or 40 big bore 250R's and 400EX's. And most of the banshees are not winning. Now this year with all they hype about the raptor we will see how they fare now that the displacement limit has been bumped to allow the raptor in the open class. But I will make a prediction right now - a raptor will not win the championship and probably will not win a single race.

The banshee is a screamer and the raptor is a great all around quad. But why not let the racing results show which are the best true HIGH PERFORMANCE quads.

Oh, by-the-way, the local MX tracks I race at do not have a displacement limit on my class. So I will be racing against the raptor and I can't wait to see how many show up.

 

It,s just a bragging rights thing. It,s like the snow cross races only the Ski-doo MXZ models compete and win for SKI-DOO but the MachZ is still there top dog for search and destroy riding and looking for victims on open lakes, even though it will get lapped easily on a snow cross track.

 

I agree...straight line acceleration is a bit overdone in these forums. One reason why is because it's much easier to prove acceleration and top speed of a particular ATV than handling and riding ability (which go together since a good rider can make a tank handle much better than the average rider). Riding ability has to be guaged to get a reasonable assumption. Considering this is the internet....with people only typing at the ends of data lines....it seems logical that whatever is easier to prove will be discussed more.
In my opinion, it seems most average riders (probably 95% of people in internet atv related forums)that don't race are more interested in acceleration and top speed than a dedicated racer....which is why we see these topics so often.
In any cross country series, the rider will have much more influence on the outcome than the machine that he/she is riding. Do you think Bill Ballance or William Yokley would be atop the standings with a $25,000, highly modified, race ready Banshee or Raptor? I'll bet they still would!

 

What gets me going is all these posts about how a SPORT ATV beat this Utility in a race. Well Doh .. The sport is supposed to faster. I didn't buy the Kodiak because I wanted to race I got it because it was a nice all around machine. Like the recent Wolverine vs. Kodiak thread, The Wolverine is going to have a high top end because that is what is was designed for. What I think is that all the ones that are bashing the other brands just isn't happy with what they have and need to put the others down the make them feel better. Well all I have to say is GROW UP.

 

After he beats you in a race you then ask him for a pull off and drag him around ,or go through some mud run were the Wolverines 23" tire will hang him up.Every quade has it's advantages and disatvantages.

 

You talk like it's a strange thing to "brag" about being the fastest. It seems to me that us Yamaha people are hardly the only ones. Have you heard of this little organization called the NHRA? Or why would someone buy a Corvette that transmits every bump in the road directly into your a** instead of a Cadillac for the same price because it rides better? Some people like to go fast. Speed freaks. Adrenaline Junkies. Men have always been competitive in nature about being the fastest. The people who complain about it are normally the slow ones.


Bandit99
'01 Raptor (Blue)
'74 Pontaic Trans Am
'99 Polaris XC 600 SP

(All fast!)

 

Actually in racing, especially at top class levels, rider ability is typically very close among participants - the differences in machine or machine setup can cause you to win or lose.

That's why those guys ride $25,000+ Honda geometry machines & not Banshee's, LT250R's, LT500's, Tecate's, etc.

In the Beginner, C, and somewhat in B classes - there are usually much higher variations in rider ability and that's why you may see a Blaster rider smoke a 250R, etc... Of course this is all relative to the particular series, but you get the idea....

 

I am a utility rider and i am one who has to have a good top speed, i am not racing, but on big long straight roads or trails i am not getting left in the dust, i like to be able to keep up with anyone no matter who i am riding with, with my grizz i would go riding with a 400 ex and we would be way ahead and have to wait for the 300 suzuki for a while, i just love top speed(i am not giving up four wheel drive though)

 

I have to agree with you Bandit. What else are we going to talk about on these forums if it's not which quad is best for this thing or the other. Having informal drag races with your buddies is what motorsports is all about.
We like to "race" through the trails as well, but that's much more subjective, and the depends alot on rider courage as well the machine performance.

As for the Kodiak vs Wolverine thing. You'll notice that I never once said that the Wolverine was a better utility quad than the Kodiak. We were discussing which one was sportier, and I was defending the Wolverine against a Kodiak owner who said his quad was quicker than Wolverine.

Anyway, if you really don't care which quad is faster, go buy an Arctic Cat 300 and ride it to your heart's content. I'm sure you'll be very happy.

 

There are some riders that are clearly better than others in any given series or class. A good example is a column I read in a recent atv mag (I can get specifics if you wish) stating that Yokley's "race action" atv was dyno'd at 38hp and he was shocked. How many guys in the pro class are only pushing 38hp in last years GNCC pro class? Realistically, he was probably the only one...and was still running in the top of the standings. Anyways, my point is the rider has a much larger influence on the outcome of the XC race than what he rides (assuming that his ride is "reasonably" matched with his competitors rides).
With the $25,000+ quads out there....none run exact "Honda geometry". This is "racer geometry" that's been designed by the chassis experts that focus on racing and handling, not sending quads down the assembly line for the general public.