Man am I having a hard time choosing a quad. Hoping I can get a hand here.


The boring life story:
I've had only 1 quad and 0 dirtbikes...a 2001 Raptor 660. I'm a bit of a lazy, cautious rider (a wuss for short) so I typically ride in the back of the pack in the trails but I love it nonetheless. I had no issue handling the 660 in open areas but the South Missouri trails were rough for me. High speed, smallish-moderate jumps, racing, all no problem. At the dunes I excelled and is my favorite terrain to ride but the dunes are a far, once-a-year trip.
I never liked the 660, never had confidence cornering it as it seemed top heavy and I hated the transmission.

Bikes ridden (not owned):

85 250R quad
85 250R ATC
Raptor 700
YFZ450
Outlaw 525 IRS
YZ426
Banshee

Budget: Under <$4000

Bikes in my the top 3 and my online research:

--2008 Honda TRX 700xx
Craigslist Prices: $3500-4000
Pro: High tech machine, FI engine, IRS rear for trails clearance-easy on my joints perhaps, good Honda reliability low maintenance with plentiful parts and dealers available.
Con: None that I can find, a bit heavy?
Note: Seems a good all around bike.

--2005+ Kawasaki KFX 700
Craigslist Prices $2600 for beaters-$4000 for clean bikes
Pro: No gear management-easy to ride, reliable with plentiful parts and dealers available.
Huge power, seems to just plow over everything with its heft.
Con: Heavy, wheelies easy, swinger in rear but trails clearance does not seem to be an issue for people.
Note: I like this bike alot but with me at a skinny 5'11 175lbs, not sure I have the upper body to handle this beast, perhaps the power and heft of the bike are enough to just push through tough situations?

--2005+ Polaris Outlaw 525 IRS
Craigslist Prices $3000-3500
Pro:IRS rear for trails clearance-easy on my joints perhaps. Light weight, good power, I can easily muscle this bike around (I've ridden one briefly in the dunes).
Con: Power to weight on this guy may be a handful. Parts and dealers sporadic, IRS bikes are not popular in my area and the dealers have a tough time selling these quads. Parts availability is unknown.
Note: I had about 20 minutes on this bike and loved every second of it.

Now you may ask, why not a 450? A vintage 2 stroke? I like the higher power 4 stroke bikes for straight away speed and the ability to lug around in 2-3rd if I want to. The 450 class bikes or vintage 2 strokes like the Banshee seem a bit low and high strung for me and best suited for racing.

 

Out of these, I have only ridden the KFX, and aKTM525(same motor.) The Kawie may not be your cup of tea as the handling is not much,if any better than the 660. the 525 is an awesome motor. You do realize it is just a big bore 450 though, right?It sounds to me likeyou may be a good candidate for a Z400 or one of the IRS quads.

 

Answers my question about the KFX...

 

Hey this may be a bit late, but I have ridden a 525 outlaw a lot. I loved it on the trails and I loved it in the dunes. I think it handles great and is an all around good bike with power. It was a bit heavy for me though being really small. So, I moved to a KFX 450 and I love this bike more than any other bike I have ridden and I don't even race. I get more power on hills and rocks, and it handles awesome!

 

Did you get one? I like my 450R, but decided an outlaw 525 or a 700xx would be the ultimate machine. I get stuck on my swingarm all the time. I've never ridden the other 2, but the 700 feels front end light and doesn't feel much more powerful than my 450. I like it though.