Hello i am 15 years old and i am 6' 4' and about 185 lbs. I've never owned an atv or dirtbike before. Money is not an issue in my desision. I seem to like the trx 450r the most, i just seem to be partial to that one but i hear good things about the yfz450 and kfx400 so i'm not sure what to go with. I'd be doing trail riding almost all of the time. what are the advantadges and disadvantages to all these models.

 

the kfx 400 has reverse the 450r and yfz don't.the honda 450r and yfz are more race quads.a newbie like you should look at a ex 400 or the kfx400.then when you learn better riding skills and quad upkeep later on then upgrade to the 450 sizes.

 

How long have you been riding? I guess not long if you never owned one.

In that case I'd look at something like a Raptor350.

 

I think you are a good candidate for one of the 400's. They have great handling and plenty of zip for a new rider. A 450 would work too, but the only thing you are really gaining is power and better suspension, along with a higher price tag. For trail riding the 400 will be a great choice. The added benefit is you get reverse. You are big enough that lifting a race quad won't be much of a problem, but since you're a new rider, you'll be lifting a bit more and would appreciate that reverse no doubt.

 

Yes but i do not plan on getting another one for a few years so i want the best one so then when i'm at the 450 level i will not be dissapointed with the one i have. I'm the type that would rather work for a few more weeks and get enough for a 450 that will suit me for as long as it runs than work for a couple weeks shorter and get a 400 and then replace it later.

 

you'll end up hurting yourself and then you mite not be able to ride at all. so go with somthing smaller to start out with. most of us on here did.

 

Buy a good cheap used KFX/Z/DVX. Put the money you save away. Now when you bend an axle you can upgrade. When you feel you need more power you can upgrade. Same w/ suspension. You can even buy some of these parts w/ little use for a good savings. An Athena 434 kit and Yoshi 450 kits will give all that you could want or handle and will easily beat hopped up 450r'sand YFZ's.. One thing to keep in mind is your size..Another is you can't add reverse to the Honda or Yamaha for ANY amount of money.. Be smart about your money and it can buy you alot more than you ever imagined..

 

"You'll shoot your eye out kid" - Christmas Story [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]


Here's my bit of advice... based on the fact that you will be mostly trail riding. Avoid the MX bikes. The quads you need to be looking at are the ones with reverse. Z400/KFX400/Raptor/Predator/etc. You will need reverse much more than you'll need the extra quickness of the MX bikes.

 

Jedimike is right on with this. I was in a similar situation, but for my wife. I usually ride a bike, but wanted a quad for her. I wanted to get something that I would also enjoy if I wanted to ride it instead of the bike at times. She would be mainly trails, but I would be dunes. I was battling between the Raptor and the Predator. The 450r and the yfz are race bikes out of the crate so I avoided those. After I researched it and kicked it around for a couple of weeks and found the cheapest deal, I decided to go with the Troy Lee Predator. I was in the dealership one last time and was talking to the dealer and going over the situation and he told me I ought to look into the Z400. He said I would not be disappointed. He said he likes the Predator, but the Z felt more comfortable and he felt like he was a part of the machine more so than when on the Predator. He got them both out for me and I did a test ride. The Predator did feel a bit more spunky, but I felt more in control with the Z. It just had a better feel. My wife liked the orange color, so I ended up going the KFX 400 since it is the exact same machine as the Z. We took it out over the weekend and my wife loved it. I even rode it a bit and it has all the power and spunk I needed to play around on.

 

If i was u being 6'4" i would look into the raptor. I have a friend that is 6'6" and he looked like a clown on my 400ex and did not fit well on my friends yfz450. he ended up with a raptor and fits as well as a tall man on a sport bike! I think that they are the ultimate trail sport bike and it is easy to make them super fast when u get ready for that.