Actually, The DS650 is a great Baja/Desert racer. I would feel much more comfortable on the DS at high speeds.

MX

for mx get the z400 baja the raptor or baja and drag racing the raptor

these are my opinions

In a drag race between a stock raptor and a stock ds, the raptor took it up to 3rd gear, but after that the ds slowly but surely pulled away and got in front by about 10 bike lengths.....

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOR................. You can wait (if you can wait that is) for the predator 500. go to www.predator500.com It looks pretty sweet. I dunno who makes it though, probably palaris

Get the raptor since its the fastest out of the Z and the DS and u can make it wider and put some mods on it and the Z will have nothing on it

Faster does not mean better or more fun. It can mean harder to handle and spending more time in the trees [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I have a raptor and its good in the trails if u put a smaller front sprocket on it. its still good without the front 12 tooth sprocket but a stock raptor is a little high geared [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-disgusted.gif[/img]

I owned and raced a raptor for about a year. The power was great after I piped and rejetted, but the handling was lacking a little. It turned very well but felt top heavy because of the location of the radiator. It wasn't bad but you could feel the weight especially off of big jumps. Tracking through the whoops I never felt comfortable aboard the raptor. Other than that it made for a great dune and trail machine once you widen the front and rear.

I now have a Z, and I'm almost completely satisfied with everything but the low end power. Coming off a raptor you can understand why. I just installed a full Yoshimura exhaust system on my Z and it made a big difference. It now has more power everywhere and runs real strong for a 400cc machine. What I feel is the biggest difference between the two is the handling. The Z will turn circles around a raptor on an mx track with equal riders aboard. The weight difference is only 30 lbs. between the two but the Z feels a lot lighter. The lower center of gravity makes all the difference in the world when your jumping and hammering through the whoops. The midsection is narrow and it's extremely easy to move around on. By the way, the Z is the absolute best shifting sport quad ever produced. My 250r's shifted great but the Z is just better.

You can add more power to any machine , but when you have a great handling quad right off the floor your ahead of the game big time. Having the fastest machine in a straight line doesn't mean squat when you throw in jumps, turns, whoops, etc. Rider skill will alway's prevail. If it was me I would get the Z. I'm not saying this because I own one, I just feel it's a better ride stock for stock. I am not brand loyal.

I'm just waiting patiently for the VOR to come out and I'll be satisfied. Just my opinion on the two.