First Post, hey everyone new to the forums, ive been searching constantly for the past month or so and ive been on and off this site just never registered, anyway i plan on getting my very first actual atv in about 2 weeks or so and i still dont know what to buy. I started riding on friends quads as much as possible about two years ago until one of our buddies gave us a 150cc SunL... Its still sitting in my back yard and im just waiting until i can get a tow truck to push it off a cliff, it gave me so much trouble its not even worth riding.

Basically im going to be doing trail riding in woods, (no huge jumps or mud pits) and for the winter i plan to stick to marked trails. Im trying to grab something bigger than a 300cc and my price range is around 5k?

I weigh around 150lbs and im 5'8 16 years old, so id be a little big for those tiny 250s although i was looking at the 250 raptor for a bit.. oh and i really..really..dont want a utility quad..like a grizzly..im mainly looking for sport quads at the moment as my parents might get a utility quad in the near future for themselves.

Ive been browsing basically every make and model for all brands. There arent many dealers near where i live that sell quads brand new at a decent price and on the rare occasion they sell used quads they're usually the tinier 250's

I cant say im a pro rider nor do i have a couple years experience, but i think i have enough to the point where if i hopped on a quad it wouldnt take me long to get used to it. So far ive ridden a trx450 in CT at my uncles which was pretty fun, during the winter i went down to my uncles house again and rode around on a 600 Grizzly, which gave me no problems what so ever, in fact i even flipped the thing over myself and walked away to tell the tale (just a red face, no scrapes or cuts), this past summer i rode around in NY on a 600 grizzly again and a 250 recon, the recon is a very nice utility quad but it wasnt mine and it was giving me and the owner plenty of trouble when we got stuck in the mud. Then before the fall i toyed around a bit on my friends raptor 350 and got used to the manual clutch. I think at this point id be ready to try out anything.

What im looking for is a durable quad that will fit my size, has enough power in it to the point where i wont out grow it and look for something else, and where i wont have to bring it back to the dealer to get fixed every other week.

A dealer close by me is selling a raptor 660r for 4,200. it has a few mods on it though i dont know exactly what and they just serviced it. But on the other hand, my step-dad represents a dealer in NY and basically he can cut us a deal, wed be buying a quad at our benefit, minus whatever the dealer decides to jack the price up to, say he gets a quad from yamaha for 5grand then jacks it up to 7grand, wed pay only the 5000, instead of the dealers price.

Hope that makes sense.. the only thing is, the only brand these guys sell is Suzuki. I was looking specifically at the 08 Quadsport 400, its black, which is really nice, brand new, and from looking at the forums people say its a great all round quad for trails and racing. Now they also say that ANY quad is good for trails, which i understand, it all depends on the terrain your riding on and how good of a driver you are. If i could get some input on both those quads (raptor 660r, Zuki z400), thatd be great or even other suggestions, im open to any brand, polaris, arctic cat, they all look great and i dont have any specific tastes, all i want is to have fun on the machine and for it to run well enough where i can go out and have a good time with my buddies

Im getting my license soon so ill also be able to ride on secondary roads, but back to the point i just want a quad that will keep me going for a while, im pretty much done growing so i dont plan to out grow a new quad unless its just really small..

this post probably sounds really jumbled but i hope you all know what im getting at

 

Either the Honda 400EX or the Suzuki Z400. These are good choices for beginner adults or older teens, yet they won't leave an experienced rider bored.

I like the Honda for tighter trails (this engine will lug down), and the Z for more open country (this engine doesn't like to lug down). Both handle great, descent power, great quality, and either will run forever with just basic maintenance!

You mentioned the Raptor 660. Best to skip this one. It is narrow and carries its weight high in the frame, so it is a little tippsy. My friends who bought them, never even kept their for one year.....

Stay away from the Raptor 350 as well. It is a warmed over Warrior tired old design (I know this because I was riding a Warrior before you were born!). Lots of better machines out there.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: reconranger

Either the Honda 400EX or the Suzuki Z400. These are good choices for beginner adults or older teens, yet they won't leave an experienced rider bored.



I like the Honda for tighter trails (this engine will lug down), and the Z for more open country (this engine doesn't like to lug down). Both handle great, descent power, great quality, and either will run forever with just basic maintenance!



You mentioned the Raptor 660. Best to skip this one. It is narrow and carries its weight high in the frame, so it is a little tippsy. My friends who bought them, never even kept their for one year.....



Stay away from the Raptor 350 as well. It is a warmed over Warrior tired old design (I know this because I was riding a Warrior before you were born!). Lots of better machines out there.</end quote></div>

i keep reading on how the raptor is "tippsy", what do you mean by that, does this mean its easy to roll or tip over? elaborate?

and thanks for the input, i was leaning more towards the z400 anyway just because its newer and we could get a good deal on it, on top of that i dont really want to buy a used quad because knowing the dealer he might screw us over and give a quad thats been ridden to death and needs alot of work. The website says that the 660r was ridden for 10 hours, but god knows what the 10 hours was ridden on, couldve been over rocks and mountains or they couldve dragged it through rivers with a rope on the back of a truck..who knows?

Also..how well will the z400 do in the snow? like i said, the trails are marked with tape, and are clearly visible in the winter. But id like to be safe knowing that if i ride this thing out in the bitter cold ill still have a good time with it. In all honesty i dont think itll snow that much this year, not constantly anyway, we never got more than 4-6 inches on any given day last year and that was maybe twice in the entire winter.

 

Yeah, on the 660 they made the axle narrow, and the engine is tall and the radiator up high....so it requires a lot of body english to keep it from 2-wheeling in a tight turn. This doesn't mean that it is unrideable, no it just means that you have to pay attention more....but why when there are a dozen better models out there???

Be aware that the Z got a complete redesign for 09. Fuel injection, new frame, suspension, etc. So, if you are dealing on an 08 or older one, you should expect them to cut you a deal because it is an "obsolete" model.

As for snow, 2wd can be fun (with the right tires) as long as the snow isn't to deep. After that, it will just be a pain! Remember, you only have 4" or so clearance under that swingarm in the back. (Don't believe Suzuki's "ground clearance figures. The measure under the frame not the swingarm, and they will list it as something like 10". They are just plain being deceptive here!)

 

When they mean tipsy they mean that you have to use a little more finesse to keep it on four wheels through the cornors.I myself riding a very tipsy quad I have to shift my weight as I go through the cornors and ride it like a motocross quad to keep all four wheels on the ground.It does'nt take much on a tipsy quad to find your self on the ground after it threw you off two wheeling it through a cornor.If you get a 660 raptor you won't be disapointed you just have to get used to shifting your weight a little more than a normal quad in the cornors.But to start out get a z 400 or a 400ex you won't be disapointed.

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: scrambler400enoge

When they mean tipsy they mean that you have to use a little more finesse to keep it on four wheels through the cornors.I myself riding a very tipsy quad I have to shift my weight as I go through the cornors and ride it like a motocross quad to keep all four wheels on the ground.It does'nt take much on a tipsy quad to find your self on the ground after it threw you off two wheeling it through a cornor.If you get a 660 raptor you won't be disapointed you just have to get used to shifting your weight a little more than a normal quad in the cornors.But to start out get a z 400 or a 400ex you won't be disapointed.</end quote></div>

I think i know what you mean there, my old SunL was like that, i pulled a hard turn and tipped it over and woke up with it 20 feet away from me wrapped in a wire fence, it was fine, nothing wrong with it, it just surprised me. Guess thats what i get for being careless and not paying attention..


Well the only reason i had planned on grabbing an 08 was because it was: A, Black, and it looks really slick with a black color, i dont like the white or the yellow, i dont want to be blinded every time i go to look at my quad, and B: because it was a bit cheaper..with the new parts on the 09 do you suggest just toughing it out and grabbing the 09? In all honesty i could care less about the color, it just means ill have to buy a new helmet.

 

my suggestion would be to sit on all the 400's and 450's and see what one you like the best. i would say that a z400 or a kfx 400 (which are the same quad) would be your best bet and you can def find one in your price range. the dealer by me is giving 07 leftovers for 4600 off the floor! good luck

 

Since you are new to the sport then I believe you were right in liking the Z 400. That is a quad that will grow with you. 450s require too much work to keep in tip top shape and the raptor 660 is a great quad with a very smooth power delivery, I had a KFX (same as the Z400) which ahad a more MX orinted set up and went head to head with raptors all the time. Mind you these guys had way more money into their quads than I could afford, but they were much quicker down the straits and had an easier time of coming out of corners and clearing 45ft table tops. Mind you I was about 215LBS at the time. The Raptor 660 could not catch me in whoops, rough trails or in tight corners. Throwing a Z400 around is very easy and cheap on fuel parts and maintenance.

 

Our New Toys...

My parents bought an 07 LTZ400 (mine) and an 07 Wolverine 350 (theirs)



We got the ltz400 for 4200$








And the Wolvy for 3200$






Grand Total of 8400 Give or take tire fees and drop off fees, there being dropped off tommorow

Thanks for all your help guys, ill let you know how well they ride up here in NY

 

Congrats on the new rides. You got one of the best 400s.