OK so I have been teaching my girl how to ride on my YFZ and we are toying with the idea of getting her her own ride.

Would a Z400 be good? She has been riding my 450 and riding it pretty well. And she likes it.

I'm concerned that the Z400 isn't going to handle as well. The YFZ is the king of the tight MX tracks, it's just about impossible to two wheel it.

 

a Z400 would be a good choice ,if she's used to a YFZ I ride mine and the only time I
2-wheel it is on purpose . good handling nice ride .

 

The Z is a little higher off the ground and heavier than the YFZ, so it isn't going to be quite as stable. It handles well, but will feel a little clumsy by comparison.

The Z's place in the world is as an all around machine. It doesn't do any one thing really well, but does all things well enough. It is certainly more at home on the trail, and out of its element on a track. I never liked how mine flew...it always came off the takeoff ramp nose low.

 

Or, you could give her your YFZ, and get yourself a new one. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

Unless she's going to spend a lot of time on the track, the z would be fine.

 

I would take a good look at the new Raptor 250 that is coming out. It is nearly 100 pounds lighter then the Z, which she should appreciate, especially if she is petite. It's not a high preformance engine, but I will bet that it makes up for it in other ways...particularly price! If all you are primarily concerned about is lateral stability, just widen it a little (like with some rims that have a greater offset....).

 

Sounds like the Z is just like it's dirtbike cousin, the DRZ. Does everything well but isn't great at any of it.

I was toying with getting a Z for myself and giving her the YFZ but that sounds like a downgrade!

 

if she likes the yfz i dont think she would like a z400 they are two differnt bikes and cant be judged together if you are looking for less power the a yfz the get the z400 that and the stance between the two is a big change the z400 seems to make you feel like your riding higher then the yfz

 

Is the Z's riding position similar to the Raptor 660? I didn't like that at all and if it's close to the Raptor I want nothing to do with it.

 

they fell pretty close to the same as the raptor
just my .2 worth

 

I would say the z400 would be great for her. Did she ride your YFZ at the track? I jump mine all the time and it seems real good. I like it better then the raptor 660 and predator 500 at the track. I ride circles around that predator alll day long. Its too heavy and anything technical in the track i blast right past it. I can only get the Z up on 2 wheels if i really try, she will slide before it wants to go on 2 wheels. Pavement makes it a lot easier though.


All you can do is go test drive a Z and find out for yourself. If she rides at YFZ for too long she wont want to go down to a 400. If its her first bike I dont think i'd get anything bigger then 400cc. If anything give her your YFZ and you buy a new EFI machine.