I was wondering which quad i should get? i do mostly trail riding and free riding, but i will probably hit up the track a few times. what are the pros and cons of each of these quads? thanks

 

Well since I own a z400 and have ridden a friend's Predator several times I can give you my impressions of both.........

If speed is your thing, the Predator is faster.....my buddy and I have raced a few times and we are about even, or he might have a wheel on me, until about mid way though 3rd gear and then he starts to pull away......by the time I hit 5th he's a good 1-2 quads ahead, and the gap keeps growing.....0-60 they are not that far apart but the Pred seems to have a much higher top speed with stock gearing..... My buddy claims his was clocked at 78 (and I have no reason to doubt him) while the z400 has been known to hit around 68-70 at best.

Handling department, they are more different......the Pred is bigger and much bulkier. In the wide open tracks and trails you don't really notice it is a big deal, but in the tighter stuff it feels bigger for sure..... The z400 handles excellent. Outside of the 50" 450s the z400 is the best handling machine I've ridden. It is as good or better than anything out there. It really shines in the woods, as you can fling it through trees and switch-backs and sharp turns with ease. The z400 likes to rev so its not made for rock crawling speeds, but anything in the meat of 1st gear and above and you can just fly around the woods as fast as anything out there. I have no problem keeping up with 450s in the woods.

For riding on a track, or MX, I would definitely pick the z400...... even though the Pred is faster, the power comes on kind of slow and it lacks that explosive power needed for smaller (homemade) MX tracks..... The z400 with a few mods, can snap out of a turn and launch a double with relative ease. It really shines in 2nd-to-4th gear which is where you need power in MX racing. In the whoops and hits, the z400 is light enough to float over everything, and the suspension is very good to soak it up. The Pred has very good suspension too, and works well in the whoops and big hits.

Both jump well, but the z400 is smaller/lighter and feels easier to control in the air. I would give the edge here to the z400 as well.

IMO the places a Predator might be an equal or better choice is in the dunes, or drag racing, or even desert racing/riding...... But for track, trail and general play riding I'd pick the z400.

 

I've owned a predator for a few years before getting what i have now and I have to agree with SS97 i think thats a fare break down. the Z400 i rode i felt the predator would lug a bit better but was kind of slow to rev. the extra weight of the predator can be felt jumping and can be a bit more to throw around on tight trails. on the larger two lane trails and dunes the predator really shines.

 

I agree with those ^ two and one other thing to consider is the Predator didn't have reverse until 06 I believe. Don't know if reverse is a big deal for you, but it is for me.

 

Also, if you are buying a new bike, the 09 Z400 has EFI, which is a nice feature to have.