After several trips down to the sand dunes with the guys, I have decided that I am no longer satisfied with riding on the back anymore. I am ready to buy my own four wheeler so I can actually ride with them. I have only riden by myself once on a friends kfx400. I really liked it but before I buy one I wanted to know what the best four wheeler for me would be.

I want it to ride on the sand dunes and maybe eventually on some dirt tracks around my area. I want to be able to keep up with the guys, but it is my first quad, and I am not experienced at all, so I need something that I can still handle. I like either the raptors or the kfx400. What do you think?

 

Well sandchick, it all depends. There are so many factors at play here, that what may be a perfect machine for a novice, may in fact be a slug for an expert. That leaves us in a position to go to the middle of the road.... Also, we don't know your size.. and that can affect the characteristics of any machine greatly.

At this point of your learning curve, I'd go for something in the 350 to 400 range. I would also highly consider going used versus new, as you might find that your skills outgrow the first machine quickly. I'd stay away from the high end sport models though, until you have some seat time under your belt. They can and do bite you even if you are paying attention... especially in the sand.

My personal choice is a warrior.. or the reborn updated version called the raptor 350. It is a proven design, handles well under all conditions including sand and trails, is fast enough to keep up with the boys under all but the most extreme high speed banzai runs, and doesn't have any bad quirks. They are cheap enough that even if you buy a new one, you will probably not outgrow it's capability for a long time, if ever. They are one of those machines you always keep around for your friends to ride when you graduate to something more radical... I have an old warrior and a raptor 660.. and I still prefer it to the raptor for trail riding. (that may change when I get the new raptor 700) But I will still keep the warrior for my daughter and son in law to ride when we go out.

You will spend your time riding, and not fixing one of these... They are pretty much bulletproof and have reverse.

The Honda 400 is also a nice machine with a respectable reputation.

 

KFX/Z/DVX would be the choice of the 2. Warrior/Raptor's lack of power really shows itself in sand and that's one place you do not want to be underpowered. Lack of power leads to rolling down hills.

 

That would be my first choice, the Honda 400EX.

 

Yes it is not going to stay with a banshee, but for a novice looking tfor a cheap and reliable ride to learn on, it at least won't get her in over her head. Learning to keep momentum up is a lot more beneficial than the stab and grab that some machines call throttle response. Just a safer transition machine... Also, I doubt that she will be left walking back to teh trailer on one... they just keep ticking like the eveready bunny...

Like them or not, the warrior/Raptor350 has been the most successful machine in sales to date.. and pretty much invented the sport class when other companies were bailing way back in the brown shoe days of the sport. I think a lot of us old geezers like myself would argue in it's defense judging by the hours of enjoyment spent on one. Like I said before, I prefer my warrior to my Raptor 660 on trails as it is just a whole lot more stable. My big bore can be a handful at times if you are in the woods and making quick turns. The 660 gets more traction, and I can't slide it as well for some reason. It may be my riding style.. but for me the warrior works.

I can't wait until I get on the new 700 to see if it can knock my warrior off it's pedestal.. but with my focus on moving to GA soon, I doubt it will be any time soon.

 

DB, all I'm saying is that it is underpowered for sand. I'm not bashing the Yamaha 350. You wouldn't buy a 350 ute for hauling heavy loads and you just don't buy a warrior/raptor 350 for sand. Just not a good combination.

From my personal experience on both machines, the 400ex is much more forgiving and easier to ride than a warrior despite the extra power. Might be a good option. Though if I were going to pay the same either way, I'd just assume have the Z/KFX/DVX. The liquid cooling and extra power would be beneficial in the dunes.

JMO.

 

Yeeah, you are probably right.. I have no experience on one of them... so I have nothing to base it on. I don't get out in the sand very often to know the difference... something I am going to recitify in GA... as my new home is surrounded by sugar sand..

 

Probubly not. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

A banshee would be my first choice for a sand only quad. If i was buying a quad.

 

A 400ex with the too-light front end is not a good fit for a beginning rider. Understandably, more power is needed to get around in the sand, so one of the other liquid cooled 400 variations should work very well.

 

My first atv experiences were on ATCs, so the EX doesn't seem all that light to me. All relative I guess.