I'm 16, 125 pounds 5"7 and I've been looking at getting a sport quad for a while now. I've been really hooked on the Z400 since my friend let me ride his a while back and I have to say the 07' looks great in the black, so I was sure thats what I wanted to choose. I've been searching around the forums here for a while now and i'm now wondering if I should be looking at the Suzuki r450? or even the Honda 450r? I've looked at them at the dealers and they both look really good and from what i've read, have a ton of power. All i'll be riding is trails so how are they on the trails for you guys that have one of the 450's? Will they do what a Z400 will do on the trails? helpp [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]

 

First of all how much experience riding do you have? if you dont have much or none go with the Z400 but if your an experienced rider go with a 450 [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

i have quite a bit of experiance from recons, foremans, 250ex's, 400 ex's, sportsmans and z400's i'm wondering if i should go to the 450's, i just wanna know how they do in the woods since i dont have a track to ride at, also the maintenance required of this quad? what do i have to do and when do i have to do it? is a 450 gonna be expensive to keep up on

 

definatly get the z400....i'd only get a 450r if i had a mx track or lots of dunes...which i dont i ride trails...tight trails and i wouldnt want anything wider because it would be a btch to get through..


plus on the 450s you need to change the oil like every 5-10 hours and valve clearance needs to be checked pretty often...if i was you id get a z400 and you can always add parts to make it faster....


maybe wait a couple months and look at the new kawi 450...they look awesome...has reverse unlike the rest of the 450s and arent as wide...looks like an awesome trail quad to me...

 

You are young, light, and not looking to race MX, so go for the Z! It is a great trail quad that is still capable if you ever do some jumping and such. The 450's require a bit more commitment and funding both for initial purchase and also long term maintenance and may not be a great choice for a teenager. I also give the Z the nod if this will be the first quad you have actually owned.

 

The 450's are all rev. They make their power way up in the rpm range. That doesn't make them the greatest choice for trail riding.

The Z is kind of in between. It is probably the best all-around machine out there.

The Honda 400EX has an engine that will lug down, and you can ride it real slow in 1st gear and pick your way through really tight technical stuff.

So, if your trails are open to moderately open, then the Z. If they are really tight woods, then the EX, or at your weight the 300EX would make an even better woods quad.

 

I bought a 07' z400 two weeks ago and i LOVE it...It has plenty of power and handles great. I went out last night in the snow for about 3 hrs with my buddies and we had a blast! Oh by the way I got the black with the candy apple red frame.

 

Hey superotto how tall are you and how much do you weigh, cuz i was maybe thinkin about a Z but its not much of a jump from a 350 to a 400...im leanin toward a 450..