Blaster or 4 stroke?
 

I've only ever owned one quad, though I've ridden a few on trails and mud holes in my area. Right now I have a 250 2WD Quadrunner, I got it for $850 just as a first quad and I love it. I can get a wheelie on it in low range and it's light enough I can throw it around a little, although it obviously isn't made for that and it has a lack of power being a utility 250. So I'm looking into sportier bikes and a blaster really catches my eye being cheap and super light. I've only ever ridden one sport quad and it was a 450 raptor and I loved it, but I'm wondering if a blaster is all-around a more fun quad than say a 350 warrior, or 300ex? My main thought is if I buy a blaster and it blows up 2 months later I'm not going to be broke after rebuilding it, and it's not the case with a 4 stroke. So, are blasters quicker than a 300ex or a warrior? I'm not worried so much about top speed, I'll be trail riding. I also know that mods for a blaster are much more common and cheap.

As a general rule, 2-strokes make 2x the power per dollar spent compared to a 4-stroke as they make power on every 2nd stroke. They are generally lighter, have simple engine designs but have relatively narrow power bands and require top-end refreshes more often...


4-strokes benefit from longer service ware, run cleaner, but are have more complex engines with far more moving parts. They tend to have a wider power band (torque curve).


It's really a preference thing...the machines you mentioned all had long healthy production runs and are all excellent.


As far as cost if it blows up...just search ebay for a blaster top-end kit - complete, it'll run you a whopping $60...pretty much the same for a warrior (although when a 4-stroke blows you usually have valve damage and that can get pricy to fix).


Personally, I'm a 2-stroke fan, but we are a dying breed :P

I love my 300ex. I wouldn't have a junk blaster (done that). A lot of times I leave my 250R home and ride the 300ex.

Maybe you got a lemon?!?!?!?! Known a lot of happy Blaster riders...and a lot of happy 300EX riders as well...:burnout:

I know a happy Blaster rider and a happy ex-Blaster rider but no 300EX riders. Nobody I ride with has a Honda ATV and AFAIK none of them ever did.

"Known a lot of happy Blaster riders"
Maybe they were just at the "dispensary"...:D

Blaster is a great little machine, big bang for the buck! However it is a small machine so if your over 5'8" it is going to feel like riding a tricycle. It also has low ground clearance so trail riding can be a challenge on a rough trail.
Be prepared to do a lot of shifting to keep it in the power range, where as a 4 stroke will power itself out with much less shifting. If your looking to save money the Blaster is a blast, just be prepared for a workout when riding hard.

Blasters with nothing but a stage 1 kit are peppy for only being 200cc, but like Kymco 450i said they're small. If I get on one my knees are too close to my face and I can barely turn the handlebars. If you want more performance from one you can get anything up to 240cc big bore packages.

Welp, with Dirtdevil, Kymko450i, and Jumbofrank having owned a blaster and having wonderful luck with them, I stand corrected. :D

I've never ridden one...personally like my scrambler for all-around riding...it's plenty fast in the open and the 4x4 auto makes it workable in the ugly stuff...and it's a 2-stroke!!!!!!!!!!!:burnout:


In my younger days I always had a manual shift machine...these days I'm too lazy to work a clutch :go crazy: