Sorry for the double post I posted this in the wrong forum.

I've been lurking in this forum for a little while and would like to get a quad again. The last quad that I had was a 95 Banshee with Bill's pipes, bored .030 over, twist throttle and some other stuff.

I've narrowed the search down to the following: (Please add your thoughts)

Banshee
YFZ 450
LTR 450

My questions are:

Bang vs. Buck
Versatility- trails, fire roads, sand pit, MX
Availability of aftermarket parts
Cost of operation
Reliability


Thanks

 

CE550, welcome to the forums! I have ridden all 3, although only for a few miles on the Zuk. From my experience, the 450's have it all over the Banshee in stock and mildly modded form. They handle much better and are suspended much better. The Banshee may have a comfort edge for trail riding, but they tend to be high strung and a bit more work than the tourquier 450's, so that ends up being more of a wash. If you like the Banshee hit, then the YFZ has about the closest powerband for that, the Zuki is a bit more laid back. Bang for the Buck, I would go with the LT. It costs the most stock, but all you have to do is pull the baffle, air box lid, and install a $40 cherry bomb and that thing rips. It also comes widest from the factory and has harsh but good suspension. You are not going to have a hard time finding aftermarket parts for any of these quads. You could pretty much do a ground up aftermarket restore on any of these. As far as cost of operation, that is probably going to be a toss up as well over time. The 450's certainly need more maintenance than a Warrior, but that Banshee I had was a serious money drain, lol.

 

well id say get the banshee but..... if the 450 is as good as advertised u might want to go in that direction. one because u already have had a banshee might as well try to accel at something else!

 

The Shee is OLD SCHOOL! Its day has come an gone.....may it rest in peace!

The YFZ is probably the best choice of the three for the mixed bag of riding you described.

 

Thanks for the warm welcome and all of the previous posts were helpful. I think that I might check out the LTR and YZF a little more. My Banshee was great but I do remember it being a bit of a bear in the woods prior to the engine mods and my arms feel like jello after a long day of riding...Most of my riding was on trails.

I have read that the '06 LTR had tranny, frame, and engine issues. I can only assume that these are the growing pains of a new model. I talked to the local Suzuki dlr today and he said an '07 would be in the store in a couple of weeks. Pricing was retail on the first meeting. Just curious, but what has everyone else paid for the LTR? (I think the MSRP went up $200 from last year)

I like that the YZF has a strong following and I'm a little more comfortable with a machine that has proven itself to be reliable and well equipped. For about the same money as the LTR the '07 YZF 450SE (more adjustable shocks and funky stickers, maybe some othere stuff that I didn't notice). Has anyone ridden the 07 yet. I've only read that there were multiple subtle changes. Is there fuel injection in it's future?

Thanks

 

Fuel injection is going to be inevitable, but Yamaha has not made any announcements as to a time frame. '08 should see another big overhaul for the YFZ and TRX450R, possibly the LT as well. A lot of that will depend on how the new Kawie stacks up and if anyone else enters the class.

 

I also neglected to add that I'm 6'2" & 190. Is anyone else about this size who rides either the YFZ or the LTR?

I fit on the Banshee that I had but it was a little tight on my friends Blaster.

Thanks

 

My buddy is about your height and hasn't complained much about his YFZ. I have an '05 that I added taller bars on, made mine better but I am only 5'9". The newer ones are taller from the factory. I felt the LTR was a bit more comfy out of the box(bigger) but that is all personal preference though.

 

Welcome!
I had the option of buying any quad and I went with the Banshee because it's the last year for production in the US, and 4 strokes will be around for a while. I hear all of the new 450's are great machines, so it sounds like you can't go wrong. From most of your descriptions of what you are looking for, I still thought of the Banshee: Bang/buck= mod-for-mod the clear winner. Versatility= all I do is woods and trail riding and it's great fun. Maybe not the best suited machine for the terrain, but I wouldn't trade her in. Aftermarket parts= numerous upgrades available. Cost of operation and reliability= I have no knowledge or opinions.