Greetings one and all!

I am newbie to the world of ATVs and I am looking for a Sport Quad. So I thought I would post here to get your input.

First a bit of history about me:

Michigan to Phoenix transplant
47 year old with a belly. (caused by sitting behind PCs all day running my IT biz.)
230lbs on a good day!
Mind and spirit of a 30 year old.
The body doesn't always keep up. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Driving history:

Raced Off-Road, both desert and short track back in the 80s & 90s.
Class 10 in the old Mickey Thompson Stadium series,
Class 1/2 1600 class champion in S.T.O.R.E (Short Track Off-Road Enterprises) back in the Midwest.(now known as http://www.corracing.com/2007/).
Class 10 in S.T.O.R.E, also ran the series with my family back in the 80s.
Class 7s and Stock full size in S.C.O.R.E & B.I.T.D -1995 Parker 400 winner.
Never raced MX but did have a 125 Yamaha Enduro in my youth.
In a nutshell, I can read a trail and run the vehicle at it's limit without hurting it.

I'm very mechanical as my father and I built and maintained the race cars, including engines and trannys.


Plans for the the quad:

Desert Trail riding
Dune Riding
Possible MX and TT racing if I can get back in shape. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]
I'm not afraid of speed and would rather have something that is a bit much, and maybe scares me now & then, rather then not enough 'uummph' to keep my fat butt moving.

I am presently reading up on reviews on the various brands, YAM, KAW, SUZ, HON, etc. What I need to know is what brand and engine size should I be looking for? I will most likley be looking at used ones for now. (easier to sell an upgrade to the wife after a year then to go whole hog right out of the box [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] )

How old is too old? 2000, 2002?
What do you look for in a used bike?
What do you stay away from?
How do you know if a 4-stroke is getting tired? Being 4-stroke I assume they should not smoke at all. Should I bring my leak down tester?
How do you tell if the tranny is tired?
Other than seeing the obvious, how do you pick out a tweaked frame, axles, forks?
Should I find one with wider than stock A-arms and axles or is it cheaper to buy a stock one and make these changes myself?
What is 'BS' in the engine modification area?
Who in the Phoenix area are the better engine shops? (for machining) Who do stay away from? (PM me with these if you rather not post in the open forum)
What's a ball park price range I am lookng at?
Anything else I should know when buying a used Quad?

I know there are people in the various camps as far as Honda, Kawaski, & Yamaha. So try to be objective and not just say all Suzuki's suck. Tell me why they suck, in detail. On the other hand, tell me in detail why you like one of the other brands.


It seems that summer is the time people put their quads up for sale. I assume that is a heat thing.


Any and all input is appreciated!!!

 

I whould get a 450 size quad for yourself. The 450 i like the best is the yamaha yfz-450 if you are looking used. If you are willing to by new they just brought out the kawi 450. stock suspestion on this machine is very good. it also has fuel injection. I just bought a 700r raptor and it has fuel injection and i love it.Once you learn of to use the efi when you upgrade the power you dont always go get a new set of jets. it also has reverse which is always nice. The reason i dont like the honda 450 is to me it feels real top heavy. rode one and just was not impressed.

 

boy you asked a whole lot ,so i'll just give my two cents. you need to look at the 450 class of bike as the man beffor me said. infact if you want true speed and power its the only thing built right now worth concidering. you asked of brand and i say honda, my 04 is a rock solid bike even with moderate to heavy motor mods .my bike has a few pounds on some of the newest 450 line up but a dirt race vary rarly comes down to weight or h.p on closly matched bikes .Its more a game of whos the better rider . i allso ride honda because of there track reckerd its a vary relyable bike . as fare as bying a used bike ,i would and did buy a used race bike .Alot of ppl will say not to bie a used race bike for the fackt its been rode hard and in there veiw (beat)but if owend by a true racer it has had ten times the maintnance and up keep that jo blow can or would do,thats leaving out the fact of all the money saved on aftermarket part cost that you will get for pennys on the doller. if u can work on race cars bikes will come esay to you, there nuthing more than an over grown lego set .as fare as checking for ware , listen to the motor for nocks in the bottem end the top end on these 450s make a little more nose than most ppl are comfortable with hearing but thats how most of'em are some ticking is normale . check your front wheel barings, tie rod ends , side to side play in rear swing arm and rear axle if cared for properly should all be tight as fare as scuffs and scrapes go, well how much is to much thats all up to u.There is an endless list of what you can check but that would be a real good start.From here i would say get on afew 450s and see what feels right to you. I hope this has helped ..........

 

Desert quads are my first love! The great desert quads are the great trail quads...with modifications. The Honda 450R absolutely dominates the big desert endurance races like Baja, Vegas to Reno, etc. If you aren't on the 450R, you probably won't finish...much less win. Says something about this machine! It is a great dune machine as well.

From your questions, sounds like you are looking for something used. Absolutely get a Honda 450R if you can find one...ultralight high performance!

Otherwise, any of the high performance trail quads will do. My second choice would be the Yamaha 450. Although I ride my 400EX mostly on semi-technical mountain trails, I can still have superb fun on it in the desert...although it is on the bottom of the heap when it comes to power.

I would avoid the large frame machines like the DS650 and KFX700. They are big and heavy. These machines are 500+ pounds, where the 450's are 350 pounds. That's a 150 pound weight penalty, before you even start the engine! And don't let anybody talk you into any type of utility...they are way lame in the desert......

 

My .02 if your looking at just getting used to Atv's then look at a LTZ400 ,especially if your going to hand it off to your wife or such ,then step up to 450 pretty much any brand is good .

 

yfz450, banshee350 , raptor700

 

I am finding similar input on other forums as well. YFZ 450 & 450R are tops of everyones list.

I do hear some mention that some bikes are more top heavy then others. Is this due to the design of the frame or is it in the suspension?

 

I sure wouldn't describe any of the 450's as being top heavy...and these machines are very light overall to begin with. I do find the Raptor 700 a little top heavy (look how high they mount the radiator in the frame!), and worse yet it has a rather narrow axle.

A good desert quad is a little on the wide side. I do this with wider tires and rims that have a geater offset than stock. It also needs to have a reasonably low profile for stability, but not so low that you are going to bash every rock out there.

 

My bad, I wasn't speaking of the 450s. Just some replies I received mentioned the 600s & up are top heavy.

Found this one, 05 YFZ450, asking $6000:

Awesome YFZ450 Quad, loaded with Lone Star Racing equipment -
DC-4 Long Travel A-Arms,
Anti-Vibe Steering Stem,
Axe Caliber Axle,
Frame Gusset Kit,
6-Point Subframe,
Billet Brake Line Clamps
Elka Quad-Rate Fully Adjustable shocks,
FMF Power Bomb race exhaust,
Air Intake Kit,
New Clutch,
New ITP MXR6 tires,
Hi-Rev CDI,
OMF Beadlock Wheels,
New Rear Brake system,
Factory Yamaha Manual,
Spare Brake Pads,
Extra Oil Filter,
All OEM parts.

He tells me it never has been raced or seen the Dunes. He says he raced Pro circuit here in Phoenix for 7 years on 450R. This was his practice bike to stay in condition. He alos threw in that it has;

Brand new piston and top-end,
Brand new rear tires (the ITP MXR6s I asssume)
Needs new fronts shortly
A full set of ITP Sand Star paddles (front & rear) on polished C-Series wheels that never touched sand.

Two years of 'practice riding' required a new Piston and Top End??? Is this normal? Even though he says it never has been raced, I am assuming it has been rode pretty hard. Which is OK as long as the maintenance has been done.

I haven't priced out the extras from Lone Star but $6000 seems like a fair price. Waiting for him to send some pics.

Assuming the maintenance has been done. Your thoughts?

 

seems like a great bike. just buy looking at the aftermarket parts they might be 6000. the only worries i whould have is it was used to practice racing which to me means that they used it alot and some stuff like the shock might soon need to me rebuilt