I mainly ride bikes, but I want to get my wife an ATV. The problem is I also want to play on it. In fact, I will probably use it more than she will. I have been reading the posts for a couple of weeks and doing research. I narrowed it down to the Preditor and the Raptor 660, but also considered the Z400. I eliminated the YFZ and the 450r since they are mainly race bikes. I will ride it hard on the dunes while she will use it for trails and some dunes. My boys have bikes so she wants to be able to ride with them. The dealer is now telling me the liquid cooling would not be good for her and should go air cooled, ie the 400ex. What is everyones opinion on this?

Next I went through the thread regarding the best place to buy. The best prices were obviously around TN and down south. I am in the West and wondered if I can find the same wholesale prices out here. Has anyone purchased an ATV at those wholesale prices out West?

 

You can save a lot of money by bypassing the dealer and going straight through the distributor theres really no extra fees. How far west are you?

 

The Z is by far the best all-around machine out there. It handles great and has a light feel! Although the stock power is a little mild, there is a lot of latent potentail in the engine that you can get with a few simple mods.

 

Thanks for responding. I live in Utah and it seems the dealers won't come close to what Abernathie and Ritchie sell them for. They just make the same old comments that there is no way they sell them that low.

Any info on the liquid vs air cooling?

 

I don't know why he would tell you air cooled would be better than liquid cooled. Easier to maintain obviously. When you are riding trails, a lot of times you are putting around in lower gears... not much air is going to be flowing. You'll need the liquid coolant. I think the dealer is just pushing you into a bike with a higher profit margin.

The 3 you picked are all great bikes. The Predator does a great job for me on the trails... especially now that the '05's have reverse. Just have your wife sit on them to see how they feel... grab the one that she is most comfortable with.

That sucks about the dealers. I feel your pain, I paid damn near MSRP + Tax for all my quads. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]