Guys,
It's not really mine. It's my girlfriend's. She had a Trailblazer & wanted something lighter & smaller.... and faster. So she just bought a 2001 yellow 400EX. This is great, now I have 2 awesome quads!
I must change my signature....

 

Cool, she should be able to keep up with you better now then on the TrailBloater.

 

indeed....
The TB is a great quad, it's just kinda slow. Her biggest complain was it was too big & bulky. For what liitle she has rode the EX (lots of rain) she seems to like the feel of it much better. She just needs to get the clutch thing down. She seems to really like it. She thinks she has a real racer now
Now everytime I go to ride by myself I'll have a hard decision. EX or DS ????

 

Yeah, the thing about a 400ex is that the 400ex haters will say it is underpowered but if you spend time on the 400ex you will find it is the quad you can ride the hardest and you can take it to the edge, the DS has soo much power you might back off in the woods, Well your a DS rider so you should know better than me, but the 400ex is one of the best quads to ride HARD.

 

Exactly, My brother had a 400EX for awhile. The EX is so easy to ride I think it hides it's power well. My friend has a '99 400EX. Last time we went riding we raced a couple of Banshees. He hung with the fastest Banshee until about the Banshee's 4th gear. And the Banshee had Mudshark tires on the back so he got out of the hole as good as the 400. It's sad how the mags say the 400 is underpowered just because the Raptor came out. The first time I raced a Raptor on my DS I was kinda worried, I'd read how Dirtwheels says the Raptor is so powerful. Yamaha's own ad says it devours the competition. Needless to say I was quite pleased with the outcome of the race
I think the 400EX is probably the best all-around sport quad for 8 out of 10 riders. Yes you are right in the woods it's easier to take tight corners on the smaller, nimbler EX, but not enough of a difference to bug me.
Before I used to bug my girl about riding, the last 2 days she is the one getting the keys & asking me
I think this quad really makes her want to ride!