First a little background... My wife and her parents have been duners for years. They grew up with 40hp VW rails and old school ATC's. My wife currently rides a 85 Kawi Tecate ATC and I pretty much stick to my rail. Chenowth 2LW frame with mid travel and 220hp Suby Turbo.

Last trip out, I broke a CV on my rail and got a bit more bike time. With very little ATV experience I am having trouble deciding on what I want to get. We headed off to comp hill at Dumont. Started off with a new Honda 400 quad...not very exciting. Then a few trips up on an 08 Honda 450 quad, much better! Last but not least, a few trips up on the wifes 250 2-stroke ATC. The 250 and 450 Honda both really felt good. I really liked the 2 stroke riding experience, but prefered the control and supsension of the 450 Honda. So the wife suggested a Banshee, 2 stoke manners and quad suspension.

The bike will see mainly dunes at Glamis and Dumont. Not a trail bike, no heavy desert use...mostly sand.

I have never ridden one and dont know anybody with one. Not sure if its the right bike for me or not. Just looking for suggestions and tips. I am looking to get one in Jan or Feb!

 

I will leave this up to the sand riders but do wanna say welcome to the form and wanna add dont forget about the big bore quads such as the Raptor 700 or a DS 650 as they can do it all!
Here is a vid of a Turbo Raptor 700R you might enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...fuaCZo&feature=related

 

I have never liked the Shee much, but have to concede that the sand is where it is at its best.

Got to say that all my couple dozen friends who rode Shees for many many years, have all gotten rid of them and are now on 4-strokes....take that for whatever it's worth. Should have no trouble finding a used one, with everybody selling them off....

 

I've never ridden a Banshee but I ride with a couple of Banshee guys. They definitely seem to be in their element in the sand. Though, I have noticed that they are also quite the gas guzzlers. Seems like they are always having to head back to camp for gas, while the rest of us 4-stroke guys can make it most of the day without refueling. Of course that could be because of the on/off nature of riding a Banshee. Riding tached-out all the time will tend to use a lot of gas.

 

Another thought... How bout a Suzuki LT500????

 

Listen to your wife, the banshee is a wonderful choice. I have many seat hours on a banshee and I own the Suzuki 500 (1988). They are both great fun in the sand. The banshee has litterally unlimited hop up potential, but it is spendy. Remember you have 2 cylinders watch over. The "Zilla" will have much better handling and a broader power range.

As stated above banshees use a large quantity of fuel, my banshee buddies can only go about half as far as I can riding at the same pace.

Both quads are in a pitiful state of tune stock so sort yourself with an exhaust system right away and there are years to shy away from.
The older banshees have J arms and handle kind of funny (even more so than the newer ones)
In 1987 the Zilla had some teething issues (flywheel issues and only 6 head bolts so head gaskets were an issue) if you want a zilla get 88-90 and the problems are not there. I have loved mine and it has been nothing but good to me.

Pick your riding style and choose.

If you are in southern California then you are more than welcome to check mine out if that will help you.
That and my buddy has a banshee with a stroker kit,pipes, cool head and n air box that he loves to show off.

 

Thanks This Guy!! Looks like I am sold on one...