I am really having problems deciding on which sport quad to get. I am looking for a little help so if you have an opinion please back it up with a valid reason (i.e. personal experience etc). Thanks.

ME: I am 5’10” 187 lbs and 29 years old
RIDING: Really like riding the big dunes (Oregon dunes have a lot of trails in the woods also which are fun). I ride dirt trails in the woods occasionally.
No MX or racing for me.

Features wanted in sport quad:
4-stroke
400cc at least
Manual clutch
Reverse
Reliable--I avoid things that are made cheaply and break down a lot or require a tremendous amount of maintenance

I have been looking very closely at the Z400. It has good power and good handling (mostly…see below) but my research on ATV Connection has uncovered a few things that make me a little bit cautious.

Suzuki Z400
Warped rear rotor-Can be fixed with an aftermarket wave style rotor (~$140) or a 400ex rotor will also bolt on.
Cracking and sagging fender supports-Easily fixed or avoided by not jumping after going through a lot of mud.
Headlight glare for rider when standing up (especially when going up hill) -Easily fixed w/ KFX lighthood
Bent rear axle-Factory warranty. Seemed to be contained to first few production months
Improper swingarm geometry? Need more info on this. The guy who posted this subject was racing through desert whoops at about 50mph.
Bolts that mount the plastics to the frame keep coming out.
Cracked frames at front shock mounts and A-arm mounts.

I like lots of power. The raptor doesn’t seem to be plagued with as many small problems as the Z400.
Yamaha Raptor 660
Been said it is too tall and narrow yielding a tippy feeling ride
Some people have addressed this issue solely with different tires (the stock dunlops are pretty soft)
Spacers or offset wheels would also help
Learn to ride it
Bad transmissions
Contained to 2001 models
A lot of power = sometimes hard to keep front wheels on ground or keep rear wheels from spinning
Could be fixed with a longer swingarm or learning to ride it
Starter problems ($150 for part to fix) according to several posts on ATV forums I frequent.

Honda 400ex
No reverse
Air cooled
Good reputation for reliability, excellent handling, and decent power
Have heard that rear axle bearings can wear out after a couple years (don’t know if this is normal on other quads also)

Polaris Predator 500
Fairly new = has no “track record” for durability or problems
No reverse
No bumpsteer (=good)

Cannondale
Too expensive for me

Bombardier DS650
Too expensive for me
Big and wide and can be difficult to fit on tight trails here in Washington

 

Where in washington are you from?

I was debating on the z-400, bought the cannibal instead. Glad I did. An Awesome machine. All you have to do is test ride one, you'll find the extra money [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Im in Orting BTW

 

Im a Polaris fan and want to suggest the predator but myself wont buy one till I know more. I feel the best all around four stroke out right now is the Raptor. The Z400 I feel will be the next 400ex in MX but to me (I dont race MX) 400 4 stroke is to small. You would spend quite a bit of money to get the Z or EX to run with the raptor.
The Rap. feels funny at first because it is narrow like riding a dirtbike. But the people that own one Love them and if it is tippy feeling to you like somepeople say than you already list the ways to fix it. The best advise is to ride them and see which one you like best but if you were to ask me I would tell you to look at the Rap.

 

I was looking at exactly the same options as you, and went with the Cannondale. I also thought it was pretty expensive, but I'll tell you, after whoopin' on the Z400's and EX's in the dunes, I'm glad I spent the extra money. Sure, those bikes can be as fast or faster, but by the time they are, you've put as much money into them (or more) as you would have put into the 'dale. Plus, get a new map loaded into the Dale, and now the sme modified Z's and EX's that were staying even before are eating your roost.

My Dale only cost about $1k more than a Z. That's really not a whole lot. Maybe $10-15 a month if you're financing. In fact, my dealer had a couple Z's that he had put pipes and nerfs on, and was asking more for those than for stock '03 Cannibals.

You're in Oregon, so you don't have to worry about green sticker issues. Find a leftover '02 Cannibal, you can probably pick it up for just as much as a Z. All I'm saying is don't count it out.

Of course, there's no reverse, but reverse isn't a big deal at all in the dunes, as long as you watch where you park and such...

Marc

 

Thanks for the input guys.

Laptraffic,
I'm in the Olympia area.
How much was your cannibal?
Might have to arrange a trip to the dune with you for a test ride [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
Seriously though, is there anyway to test ride one at a dealership?
A long time ago when I lived in eastern washington the local motorcycle shop had a very small dirt area in back where you could test ride but I haven't seen any around the puget sound area (haven't
really looked either though).

Also, where do you ride with your cannibal? Does it do fine in the woods?


Sporty400,
Thanks for the opinion. I like the looks of the predator, but like you, I don't feel comfortable buying something that hasn't had time to work out any "bugs". I am seriously considering the raptor. Today I'm gonna check on shipping costs from Alba. It would be nice to have the pipe, filter, jets already installed so I don't have to deal with that in the future.

Mjollnir,
Did you also get a cannibal? Your right, reverse isn't that big of a deal, it sure is nice though. The dealer here had a Z400 with all the bells and whistles (+$900) which brought the out the door price to about $7350! (msrp+tax+freight+setup+extras like nerf bars skidplates etc).


I would like something that I don't have to modify hardly at all to have alot of power. The raptor fits this bill pretty well as do the cannondales. Cannondales probably handle better than the rap but the power edge goes to the raptor.

Tough choice for me. Every quad is just different, has it's plus and minuses, strengths and weaknesses. This is somewhat frustrating! It was simple enough at the beginning but now that I've taken a thorough look it is getting more complicated. AARG!

 

UPDATE: I just talked with Alba and the salesman I talked with said their cannibal has more horsepower than their raptor. Maybe the raptor doesn't have the edge in the power department like I thought.

 

I bought mine at South Sound Honda. Go in and talk to Marty, tell him Joe Rarey sent you. I believe they will let you ride around the parking lot, tho I test drove a dale in Renton, so I cant be sure.

I'm happy with the deal I got, about 600 off MSRP, not great, but I was happy with it.

If you want a test ride I have a little track at my house in orting, it's nothing fancy but your more than welcome to come up have lunch and try the cannibal out. It's completely stock still. Im home on weekends.

My only minor complaint so far is the rims are pretty weak, I dont know if I got a bad set, but i have dents in 3 of them and thats with less than 3 hours on the bike and no jumping. Talking with South Sound now about the issue. Im sure it will get settled.

And stock for stock I believe a cannondale will smoke a raptor, I havent raced one yet, that's just what I hear.

Takes one ride, and you'll be hooked

 

cannondales are like stock modified machines tho so its hard to compare then to the rest
if you ride dunes why not a shee they respond great to mods and work great in the dunes
if not get a rap once piped jetted and filtered they are a pretty good quad

 

If i were you i'd go with the raptor, its got everythign and more then the z400 plus more reliability. Being 5'10 i wouldn't be to worried about the height. I'm about 5'7 1/2 or so i sat on the raptor at my local dealer, i wouldnt get it because of cash but it was a little big but with the extra 2 and a haf inches you have on me and afer you got used to it it shouldnt be a problem.

 

The cannondales have the power edge over the Raptors, stock for stock. I was beating Raptors in Pismo regularly, and that is with stock mapping. I'm going to get the Speed map put in (free) which is good for another 4 hp I think, plus another 1000 rpm. With a $400 pipe and a blaze or moto map (free), they are good for around 40hp.

The Rap's currently have more mods available, but you said you wanted something out of the box. I think a Cannibal with a Speed Map is perfect for you. Have the dealer install the map as part of the deal.

I got my Cannibal for less than that Z you're talking about, and I'm sure I'd still smoke it. The piped Z's were NO PROBLEM in drags.

I wouldn't worry about Lapper's wheel problems. Us dune guys don't bend wheels like they do in the woods... Mine are still fine.

My $0.02...

Marc