i am a snowmobiler who is now getting into atv's. a friend of mine that has gotten me into this has a Honda 300EX and and older 250. i have been riding the 250 and really enjoy it. still not as fast as a snowmobile, lol. but i am looking at buying an atv next spring and i am curious which one to get. there is not a big price difference between the 450R and the raptor. i read one magazine article that compaired the Honda 450R against the Yamaha YZF450 - both of them had the factory performance kits on them. it said that the yamaha had more horsepower and a little better handling but it takes more work to drive it you could get more tired on it. they said the honda is better for the trails. also thinking about the honda TRX400 or the YZF450. now i would like to get into the jumping part of this sport and some racing but just for fun against friends. probably do more trail riding because of what friends have. one has just the 4x4 kind of atv and the other has both the sport and the 4x4 (4x4 for his wife). for the same money you can get a 660 instead of a 450 (according to prices that yamaha and honda have put on their websites). so i am curious to see what people think is better and what they prefer. now if i can't save up the money then well just have to deal with it then. any suggestions and information would be greatly appreaciated. thanks.

 

Well I think the Raptor is better for trail riding, because it's more comfortable and has reverse. The YFZ is a hard accelerator, it's more of a track racing quad, also the R. The raptor has a torque motor and a slow rever. Also, your size may help you decide which one to get. Either way, your heading the right way with these quads.

 

I pick the 400EX for tight trails. It's maybe the best trail ride there is! The motor doesn't mind being luged down and ridden slow, and it mods up pretty well when you want to. It jumps very well, and handling is excellent.

I'll inject a machine here that you should consider......the Z400. It is basically a 400EX with more motor. The motor is more revvey than the EX however, and doesn't like to be lugged down as much, so it isn't great in the really slow technical stuff. Lots of power, jumps well, and handling is excellent.

The 450R engine REALLY likes to REV! In stock form, it's my choice for the desert and fast, open trails. It is geared tall, and likes to get out and run. The chassis has excellent trail handling, but you would need some gearing changes to turn it into a trail machine.

Raptor is tall and tippy. The stance is narrow and the weight is up high. But, that motor will pull to the moon! Only place I would ride one is in the dunes,and even so, I would have to spend $$$$ for wider a-arms and axle.

The BEST ALL-AROUND MACHINE you can get, is the Suzuki Z400!

 

Read THIS THREAD. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

the more reading i do the more i hear that the raptor is tippy and has a narrow stance. reverse would be nice and the yzf450 and the 450r do not have them. i just like the performance side of what those machines offer. but i can always put on some aftermarket things to get more perfomance if i need to. have also heard good things on the z400. have been reading other posts in forums and people like the z400 for what it offers. have not ever actually seen one or sat on one so i will definitely have to go to a dealer and look and get some info from salesman. when i bought my snowmobile i thought i was made fun of for having reverse. well i am so glad that i have it because it comes in very usefull - except in the mountains too deep. but at first moving a 500lb machine is ok but as day goes on it gets heavier and heavier. so that is why i am leaning twords a machine with reverse i think. the raptor, trx400, or z400. also need to sit on each of these and drive them if i can. only atv i have ridden is my friends older honda 250. so that may make my decision too when i sit on them and see how they feel. thanks again for responses.

 

People on here tend to overemphasize the Raptor's tippiness, I owned mine for half a year and barely even notice now. But the Z400 is a good machine too. So you really can't go wrong, maybe the price you can get it for might have a influence.