Hi All,

First timer here! I am looking to Buy a quad for my 8 yr old son and one for myself. After spending countless hours looking (online, want ads etc..) I think I know what bikes i want for myself and my son. We both have never had quads, however i have ridden friends quads several times. For him, I am leaning toward a Yamoto 150cc ATV. This would cost me about $1500 brand new, and appears to be a good bike from all the reviews i have read. the main reason I am leaning in this direction is quality vs. price, this atv seems to fit the bill. Any comments on this bike from anyone???

For myself I really like the Yamaha Raptor 660cc. I know your all probably thinking I'll kill myself on a 660 for a first bike. But, I do not want to have to go out and buy another bike a year or two later. And quite honestly I love the look of it. I know Yamaha also makes a Raptor 350 or 450 I forget which one. But I am having a really hard time trying to find a used one. Any feedback would be much appreciated, thanks!

 

You won't find a Raptor350 used because it replaced the Warrior350 this year.

If you've never really owned a quad my suggestion is to go ride a few yourself. A Warrior has a manual clutch and a 6 speed tranny, which I've noticed first timers often struggle with at times.

For your son I'd stay away from the Yamoto unless you get a smoking deal. I know someone who had one for his kid and he had quite a few problems with it. Or course that doesn't mean they all have problems. He might be better off on a Raptor 90 or something along those lines. Maybe an e-Ton?

For yourself, like I said go sit on some machines. The Warrior and the Raptor350 share the same engine/drivetrain but they've changed a lot of stuff with the ergonomics. Both are good choices to grow into since there are en endless amount of mods out there for that 350 engine. It's also a great engine for reliability.

If you don't want a fully manual clutch maybe a Honda 250ex or Suzuki Quad Sport 250 would work for you. However both are limited in power and you might grow tired of either too soon.

One great thing about the Warrior is the fact that there are thousands of them out there for sale right now and they are the cheapest sport quad out there for the most part. I bought my '01 for around 3k and that's about the norm.

Depending on your size too. The Warrior is not very good for a tall person, and can feel cramped to a 5-10 and up person.

If your a woods rider, the Warrior is great. I ride and race woods for the most part and the Warrior is great for that. Even hare-scrambles and cross-country is fine. If you want to do any MXing or big jumps a Warrior is not the way to go and moving up to a 400ex would be an option, but they have no reverse. Personally I need reverse, but some don't mind.

Some people will tell you not to bother with a Warrior for all kinds of reasons, the main one being it's an old design that remained basically unchanged since like 1990. But part of that is because it was such a great design in the first place, and although it might see dated in comparison to some brand new ATVs it's still a fine machine.

 

ss97, Thanks for all your input that really helps people like me! I am 5'11 and about 200lbs... So, I will have to go check out some and see how they feel. I have no problem with manual clutch and shifting, in fact, I wouldnt want anything else. I am not a pro, but i do know how to ride and I need to be able to shift myself.

However, I havent ridden one in a few years and will def need to shake off the cobwebs. The Raptor is very expensive as well, I was hoping to spend about $2500. You know as well as I do to get a really nice ATV at that price I will have to be in the right place at the right time to get what I really want. I have been on 200cc quads and i think that after a year of getting comfortable and more experience, I'd be goin crazy for more power and speed!!!

Have you ever heard of a place called Raceway ATV? they are located in NY, and that is where I would be getting the Yamoto 150 for the boy. I have read tons of peoples reviews today and all were very positive. This place is selling it brand new for $1500 and free shipping. I thought that was a decent deal for a brand new bike.

Again thanks for your help and I will keep posting as I get closer to having 2 new quads. Have a great day!

 

If I were buying an off brand model like the Yamoto, personally I would want a dealer within easy driving distance in case I had problems at some point. ss97 might be on the right track with e-ton though. A little better known brand, and they have a good selection of models. I think you will be fine with the 660 Raptor, as long as you respect the power and ride within your abilities. Another excellent choice in that price range would be the 400ex, I see them around here in your price range or very close all the time. A 400ex will be more powerful and capable than the smaller Raptor and (but no reverse.) Good luck in your search. I can't wait for my son to get a bit older so I can get him a quad to tag along with.

 

you should check out the suzuki Z400 thats the one i bought over the raptor , lower priced to .[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

$2500 will capture a pretty nice used 400ex. They are not the fastest or the most comfy but very far from the worst. A beginner could ride a 400 for years before out growing it. Then you could modify it and ride it longer.

I am a Honda guy, but not biased. If I could only have one bike it would be a Z-400, so its not a brand thing. I have ridden quads since 97 and a Raptor is about the only quad I don't like riding. They in my opinion are not fun.

My 3.5 pennies.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Thanks guys. I have an eton dealer locally so maybe I will check them out. Is the 400ex a 2 or 4 stroke? Why is it that you didnt like riding the raptor? The one reaason I was looking at the Yamoto over the eton is that online I couldnt find that "sporty" looking eton like the yamoto has and ofcourse my 8 yr old loves. What do you guys think of buying a quad from ebay? I found a 2002 Yamaha Banshee Twin 350. It has one day and 12 hours left and the bid is at $450... Many upgrades and looks nice too. Thanks again, I'm glad i found this place to get info. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

For your budget I would say you might be shopping for a Warrior. It was my experience that with $2500 you won't find as nice of a 400ex. I looked for a 400ex in my range of 2500-3000 and most of them were beaten pretty well.

The Warriors on the other hand were much nicer by comparison. For a nice 400ex I would say you will need closer to $3500.

Maybe a 300ex? A bit smaller and slower but they handle great and are fun to ride on trails. I did see a few of those for around 2800 in decent shape.

I think at 5-11 you should go sit on a Warrior and make sure you don't feel cramped. Some guys with touchy knees feel the bend is too much. I'm only 5-9 and have no problems on a Warrior.

The Z400 is a great ride but you won't touch one for $2500.

I would say you might just be in the market for a Warrior if you feel good on one. You can find a really nice one for $2500. I paid $2900 after tax at a dealer, and the quad came with a few nice mods already and is in great shape.

If I had 5k for spend I would be riding a Z400 myself. And eventually I'd like to get one but I like you was on a limited budget. And I understand cobwebs since was out of the scene for about 10 years where I didn't own a quad. I rode friends machines a few times a year but that was it. I just got back into it just this summer so the Warrior is the perfect ride right now.

I've had not problems keeping up with anyone in the woods and on trails. I ride with a guy on a Raptor660 and a Polaris Predator all the time and neither can lose me in the woods. Of course when we hit a long open stretch they drop me pretty quick. But what can you expect from a 350 right?

The Warrior is also great for mods. In stock form they are decent, but with a pipe and stuff they will run great. Mine is only a tick slower than a 400ex.

If you do go with a Warrior I would recommend getting new tires and new bars right off the bat. Usually if you buy one a couple years old these things will already be upgraded. The stock tires are spongy and sloppy, and the stock bars are a non-sporty bend.

 

ss97, you have been a tremendous help, I will look into the warrior. I'm hoping that whatever I end up buying it will be a 2 stroke. I have ridden 4 strokes before and they just dont seem to have that get-up-n-go that a 2 stroke has. I am really contimplating making a bid on this yamaha banshee on ebay, but am VERY nervous[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]. I have never bought a large purchase like this from ebay but have used it before. Oh well, I'm sure I will figure it out with time. Thanks again!

 

Two strokes are fun, and Banshees are a wild ride for sure.

Be careful in E-bay, I've had some bad experiences there and others here have also said they didn't have the best luck.

Blasters are also 2-stroke and VERY cheap. But they are a bit smaller than a Warrior and a lot smaller than a Banshee.

Good luck!