i had no idea there was so much into purchasing an atv. i've been reading thru the forum for some ideas, but i'm still not sure of my decision (i'm leaning towards the 400 atvs). i really don't know what to budget. this is all new to me. i've only been riding a few times on a friend's polaris 250 something. on the street it seemed pretty weak. i know that i'm not supposed to ride on the street, but there are a lot of people in my neighborhood who own atvs. i'm sure that i'll be racing them every now and then.

i'm 6ft, 175lbs, 24yrs old, i'd love to use the atv for everything. riding in the forest, dunes, racing, jumps, camping, hunting. any recommendations? auto? semi? manual? sport? sport ute? 2 stroke? 4 stroke? etc...thank you very much for your help. (that yzf450 looks pretty dang nice :-)

i'd also like to get one for my wife also. she's 5'4", 109lbs (she freaks if i round to 110 :-), she wants to cruise and ride on trails. i'm worried that if she gets too powerful of an atv, she'll lose control. any recommendations for her? thanks also.

quality and reliability is a must. i'd like to keep these atvs for years. i don't want to have to fix or work on these every weekend before i go out riding. some maintenance is fine, but i don't want to be wrenching all the time. thanks again.

 

Dunes, racing, and jumping points you toward a sport bike. Where hunting and camping points you in the ute direction. I will outline what I chose and why:

You can see my list of bikes below. I live in the arid southwest (you probably don't). We ride a wide variety of conditions (open desert, dunes, trails, bolder strewn mountain roads). Probably the only thing we don't have is serious mud or snow. To cover all the bases, we have both sport and ute bikes. A sport bike is always going to be more fun (unless it leaves you stuck in the mud or snow). You need to decide if your traction conditions require 4X4 or not.

My primary requirement for having the utes is a need for high ground clearance (more than any other single factor). My personal feeling is that ute development has gotten out of hand. The bikes are just to big and heavy. (Once you reach a certain size/weight, you might as well have just bought a Jeep.) That is why I don't have anything bigger than a Rancher, but thankfully I don't NEED anything bigger than a Rancher. You on the other hand may need to haul heavy loads, etc., and require something bigger. I also prefer Honda, because it mounts its engines sideways--just common sense!

As far as transmissions, my philosophy is that simpler is going to always be more reliable. My first choice is manual and my second choice is autoclutch. And, these leave the rider with the most direct control of the power.

 

For you I'd check into something like the Honda 400ex. They have good power, and are probably the most reliable machine, besides the 250r (also Honda), but they're two strokes, and for you doesn't sound like you need the power of that (more for racing on tracks and stuff). Or if you want more of a sport utility you could go with the yami wolverine, they're nice and reliable bikes you can definitely use for snow, mud, and recreational use, (about 60-65mph stock). For the wife, I'd get one either like the Honda Rancher, or maybe even a wolv. too.

 

oh incase you didn't know the ex is a 4 stroke, and the 250r is the 2 stroke. kind of unclear on that

 

thanks guys...

i live in arizona. i think i'm wanting more fun factor than actual ute usage. brb

 

4 stroke would be nice for the sake of convenience. can i use the sport atv for some camping use as well? i think i've narrowed my choices down (with all your help) to the...
z400...400ex...kfx400
do you recommend anything else? what are the price differences between these? which are easiest to mod? reverse would be nice. lights would be nice also.
do any of you ride these on the street? i heard that there was a lot that you had to do to make them "street legal". it would be nice to ride these to friends houses, that live nearby. thanks again for all your help.

:-)

 

Z400 is a great bike. Does everything well. I am going to take a good look at the 450's once they have been out a while and the bugs are worked out. My ultimate desert bike would have an XR650 engine, but Honda didn't come through.

When you say camping, do you mean carrying gear??

 

not carrying gear, but having fun in the forrest and exploring. i really like the specs and the looks of the z400 that you have...i'm really considering that one...thanks for all your input and help. :-)

reconranger...if you don't mind...could you explain why you chose the z400 over the 400ex? pros and cons of each? thanks again.

on either of those...would you pick up a 2004 model or 2003 model (if i can get a good deal since the new ones will be coming out soon).

 

Either the Z or the EX are great woods bikes. With some mods, they are good open desert bikes too. The Z is the new and improved 400EX. Slightly better suspension and handling, and a way better motor (dual over head cams, water cooled, high reving, etc.). Sure the EX motor is very reliable, but it is old tech. Do a search, because some peole have had problems with the frame cracking (not me). Rumor was that the 04 frame would be different, but nobody is sure at this point.

I handed my old EX down to my daughter, and hope to be handing my "old" Z down to her soon, if the 450's prove to be viable in the desert.

 

Based on your "All around" requirement the z400 would be a great bike for you. The mods are plentiful if you want to gain HP, the reliability is great for general purpose riding (If you were taking huge jumps then the frame strenght could be an issue), handling is very good, and having reverse is handy for the woods riding. Nothing against the 400ex, but the Z400 is just a better bike IMO.