My husband and I have been sharing our 2002' Warrior for awhile now (check out my pictures). We mostly trail ride with a little bit of MX and quarry riding. We are tired of having to take turns, so I'm trying to figure out what to get. I'm 5'4 130lbs. We went to Honda Hills (quarry) today and I tested out a friends Honda 250, which felt good, but small and strange. Remember, I'm used to how the Warrior feels. It has both it's pros and cons. I liked the way it handled, but I felt like I was sitting up on a tricycle. The biggest problem I have with the Warrior is that it gets away from me. We ride with a mixed group of dirtbikes and ATVs so I'm used to the speed, but I have to careful. On tight trails, I don't have the upper body strength to man handle it and will end up with it on top of me if I'm not careful. I felt like I was more in control of the 250 today, especially when climbing steep hills, I'm just not sure it's what I need. I want to keep it sporty, automatic would be nice, but semi would work too. I can clutch just fine, just get frustrated with people trying to explain to me how and when to 'slip' the damn thing. Auto start and reverse is a must.

Anybody have any good suggestions for me?

 

Sorry I forgot - it just has to be a 4 stroke.

 

The obvious choice would be a Raptor 350. It should handle better than the Warrior. You could also consider a 300ex or a 400 quad. If you buy a new Raptor 350 or 400, remind your husband that it's for you. It seems like you might miss the power of a 350 if you go to a 250. Maybe a 250 Mojave.

 

I would miss the power a little bit, but I at the same time, I haven't been riding all that long, about two years. I know that I need to have something that I can control and the Warrior tends to control me. That's why I thought I might need to take a look at something smaller. Would the raptor be a smaller quad (physically) and easier to control than the warrior? I hadn't even considered a 400 since it's even bigger than what we have now.

 

Maybe the Honda 300ex would be good for you. Yamaha changed certain things about the Warrior to make it better handling. The Raptor 350 seating is more on a platform and the tires are smaller. Hopefully the changes will make it handle better. Stock the Warrior top speed is around 60/61 mph.
The 250ex is around 51 mph and the 300 ex is around 56 mph. You might fall behind on a 250.

 

Hey Quadmomof2 welcome to the forums...

have you looked at the Suzuki LTZ250 it looks sportier than the Honda 250ex...

its has a 5 speed trans and is also a auto clutch, with reverse and a 4stroke...

btw, great pic from Loretta's GNCC, I've got some on my page from it also..

 

Thanks MikeCer. This seems like a great place to get info and meet new faces. Thanks for the suggestion, I'll have to check it out. We had so much fun at Loretta's. My boys were in heaven getting to hang out with Bill and BJ all day on Sat. We wanted to take them this weekend to GNCC in Sparta, but ended up opting to ride ourselves. Where is your favorite spot to ride?

 

if you feel comfortable on the warrior,,,,have you thought about a larger 4 stroke for the hubby??

If not,,,,,get yourself a raptor 350

 

ya, I bet they really enjoyed hanging out in the pits, I brought my son and nephew and they had a great time, ya I wanted to go also couldnt get the time... right now there's only 3 places I've been, Linton Ky, Land Between the Lakes, and a frineds Place in Dickson, probably the best place is LBL, its a lot bigger than the other places.. have you had a chance to go to LBL.. or out to Coal Creek ??

 

I think you should look at a Z-250. Smaller,reliable, light and sporty looking. You will be able to handle it very well. It will give you more confidence ( no clutch to slip). It will top out at about 53mph. Take one for a test ride, you will fall in love.