hi all,

i am new to your site as well as offroad. mainly been into superbikes etc. i am now in the market for a quad and mx bike. i have been riding my friends raptor for the past couple of months, and a damn fine quad, but little experience with anything else.

i am 6ft around 200 pounds / 90kg. alot of the riding will be bashing around a rough farm, as well as a 900km namabian desert run once a year/ going to beaches , as well as day runs along rivers. we just purchased a massive property which we are building a track on for our mates to play on, we all have 4 x 4 cars and most have 2 wheelers and quads. its confusing as i know some are better for certain conditions etc. after looking at hundreds of posts here, these seem to be the better ones , i dont want to end up having to purchase again in a few months because i am bored. i also HAVE to make them drool with envy when they see the bike[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] money is not a deciding factor.

i was considering :
honda 450
yamaha raptor 660
yamaha 450
ds 650 baja
poliras 500
suzuki 400z

your suggestions will be appreciated

p.s if you have any experience with the 2 wheelers , wouldnt mind a thought or 2 as well( either yamaha 450 or honda 450 or ktm 400)

 

Welcome to the forum. I also am hoping to buy a sport bike in the next few months and have had a hard time deciding on which one. Right now I am leaning towards the Z400. The reasons are: Most of my riding is done on narrow, rough trails. Reverse will be very important. You can lug around the Z better than one of the Honda's or Yammy's. If I were to live in an area that was a little more wide open, I'd probably go with one of the 450's. Keep in mind that Suzuki is rumored to be releasing 450 around this summer. Might be worth the wait. It is also rumored that the Honda R might be available with electric start for 06. Good luck deciding and let us know what you purchase.

 

thanks chad,

its a very tough decision, lol

i am leaning to the raptor , everyone keeps telling me i am to big for the 450? i dont have the experience to tell if they are right or not? i can get the predator 500 at a good price, leave me with a bit o money for mods? what are the standard mods needing doing first?

 

The Z400 is by far the best all-around machine on your list. It does everything pretty well! Excellent handling and descent power (once you hop the engine up a little). Also very durable and reliable. This (along with the Honda 400EX), is a machines I trust to get me home from a long cross-country ride in the middle of nowhere! Probably not going to make anybody drool, however.

The Honda 450 is a great open country/fast trail machine. It is geared tall however, and doesn't have a powerband that handles tight trails well. I pick it as my ride for the wide open desert. I leave it at home when I ride technical trails. Can be adapted to the track if necessary. Frequent oil changes are best.

The Yamaha 450 is an out of the box MX bike. Great for riding around the track, but I wouldn't want to ride one very far cross-country. Frequent oil changes are best.

I find the Raptor to be kind of tall and narrow. I would have to spend $2,000 to widen it, which makes it a silly choice for me. That motor will pull to the moon though. Great power in the dunes.

The DS......way to huge and heavy. My friends who have bought these, have not kept them very long!

Polaris.......never!

 

thanks reconranger,

ok so its down to a z400,honda 450 and raptor, so if i widen it it should be ok(raptor)?

the problem with inexperience and being a newbie-it becomes a numbers game and i am a victim of hype[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] i cant drag myself away from this raptor and its huge numbers. i will go and test a z400 as well soon.

 

If i were you i wouldnt buy a predator because it is really heavy and doesnt have reverse and since you are new to the sport i bet you will be using it alot trust me LOL....anyway i would either get a Raptor or some of the 400s like the Z-400 and the DVX 400. If you want alot of speed and torque you would want the raptor cause it is a beast. But if you want a fun to ride quad i would go with the Z cause you can do anything on them. REALLY GOOD WHEELIE MACHINE.

 

Hidef

I think you would be happy with the Raptor.

 

been a great response.

going to go and test ride a few today. i dont think out of those you guys suggested(honda 450, yamaha 450 , raptor and suzuki)i would make a bad choice, it seems they are all very good, i would just be compromising in one or 2 areas with one and gaining in another 2 areas.

 

ok, after much reading i have narrowed it down to the yamaha yzf450 and raptor 660 both 05 models.

i am also wanting to get into jumps/slides/wheelies as well. uncomfortable aside will the yzf still perform on trails and dunes/beaches?

 

yeah it will i have a yfz 450 and i lovvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvvve it. But if you want a wheelie machine i would buy the Raptor.........it probably has the most torque out of any machine and one of the easiest to ride wheelies. The plus on the raptor is also that it has reverse..........i had one of them and i loved it as well. If i were you i would go to your local dealership and test drive both and see which is better for your setup. See the comfort of both and how you feel on it cause if you buy any of these and you dont feel comfy then you are not going to be a very happy rider.