I am so with you on that... but now that I have gotten past that half century crisis... things that I did when I was younger are starting to haunt me.. and some of the memories HURT a lot. They say "PAY BACK is HELL-O " I am living proof...

And just who the heck ARE these "They" people anyway.. I'd like to give them a piece of my mind.. but unfortunately, I have given away so much of it already, that I can't seem to find enough to go around any more.... Maybe that explains why my hair is falling out too... Smart people these "they"

 

True. In my day, they started us out on 250's.

Tecate, 250r, quadracer..... [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-tongue.gif[/img]

 

In all sincerity, I think it's a darned if you do, darned if you don't situation. You buy a smaller quad, you tend to give up width and suspension (which translated means worse handling). I just believe a little more power is the lesser evil. And CAN be a good thing in certain circumstances.

 

Yeah, if the power that the machines make today were equal to the ones we had when we were young I'd agree, but these little bullets are so much faster now. Suspensions have gotten TOO GOOD. Tires are like cat claws, and people get hurt on them at an alarming rate. Maybe my perspective has changed over the years.. my hope is that everyone ease into the sport safely, and without the horror stories and war scars to show for it... Of course they won't be much fun around the camp fire with nothing to show for it, but I suspect they will be thankful when they are still able to walk without a cane when they are 50. Unless of course you LIKE pain, and shelling out real dollars for surgery and emergency room visits... Then you get to join an elite group, such as ours eh?

 

i'll add another .01 or .02.
I think she's better off with a KFX/Z or 400EX instead of the Raptor 350. The 400 machines are something she can grow into. The 350 is something that I think can be grown out of fairly quickly. I saw it happen in our group.

I have a KFX, and I've always had Honda blood. From what I've read, the 400EX is a little more friendly to just putting around in stock form. I had an XR400 dirt bike that I just sold. I will say that's a bulletproof motor. I also just put a 13t countershaft sprocket on my KFX to make 2nd gear more usable on the trails.

I love my KFX, but she may be more comfortable on a 400EX, as it sounds like it may be a little better suited for her - with a little smoother power delivery.

I considered the TRX400EX before buying my KFX, but there were several things that put me on the KFX:

I'm 6'3. I did feel more cramped on the Honda than the KFX. Also, even though the manufacturer specs on the web sites are almost identical, the Honda sits about 2.5" lower than the KFX/Z.

The battery on the Honda is exposed to the elements (look under the left rear fender). The Z/KFX battery is under the seat.

While you're looking at it - go ahead and try to take the seat off the Honda and put it back on. It's a real PITA. The rear plastic comes off with the seat.

The Honda has a storage tube near the rear grab rail. The cap on the end is pretty loose and I can see it coming off pretty easily and you losing whatever you have in there. That's easy enough to remedy.

I could have gotten the Honda or KFX at the same price (leftover '05), and with the above factors, I ended up on the KFX.

They're both great machines. Have her go sit on them both, and compare them. Make your decision from there.