On the contrary, Dirt Wheels IS the best source for this discussion. You see your taking the article out of context. For example, and I quote [Volume 20 Number 3 March 2000] Dirt Wheels

"DS is a champion in the sand dunes. It jumps, roosts, and rails like no other production quad and is the undisputed king of horsepower and speed."

Also...

"However, with around 48 horsepower, the stock Bombardier was right in the same range as a highly modified 250R engine which typically puts out 45 to 50 horsepower."

And Finally...

"When the first lap times were being tabulated, we were all surprised how close these three radically different machines turned out to be. Pro racer Jimmy Stephensen (who races both two and four strokes) out of Las Vegas logged in some of the most consistant lap times and his fastest laps are as follows: 1 minute 19 seconds on the 250R, 1:21 on the Honda XR600 Project Quad, and 1:22 on the Bombardier DS650. That's pretty close for lap times that long. Also considering that the Bombardier is the only strictly stock machine in the shootout!"

We're not saying the DS is the fastest / best bike in the world! But to compare apples to apples and oranges to oranges. Put a stock 400EX next to a DS650 and wave "Bye bye" to the Honda.

Face it, the owners and the media both have the same opinions, whereas those that have been beaten by a DS have the opposite...wonder why???

 

Hey Chris, I am still laughing about you saying that you would rather have a modified Blaster over a DS650!?!?! Your joking right? Please tell me you are, I can understand if you only weigh 95 pounds the blaster would fit you better than that big bad DS.

Matt '99 Scrambler RCR Stage1

PS I bet you could also mod out an Eton, that sounds more your speed and size.

 

Purely for resale value, I would prefer a DS over a Blaster.

 

Mr. Sucker,
Don't get personal now...it's an ATV forum not a Jerry Springer forum. You must be depressed over there in WA...did it stop raining and did all the sheep go home when you opened your garage?

Sure I know what a CRT is...Cathode Ray Tube...I bet your head is either the size of or shaped like one....sucking lips and a huge head...what a catch you must be for all those Grunge women over there.

Now back to ATV's...I currently own a '99 400EX and a '00 Banshee (both of which will either beat or hang with the "Yellow Submarine"

Drop the Chalupa...some Mexican for you!

 

As far as getting personal, you are the one that started trying to make fun of people and is spouting your opinion about something you clearly shouldn't be. As far as Jerry Springer is concerned, he's about the dumbest low life there is, except for maybe you...I haven't decided yet, why don't you keep talking. :-)

Well, now you are having some serious delusions of granduer. The 400EX gets dusted by the Bomber easily, I know I have ridden with them. The Banshee can will get slowly left behind. Top end: see previous posts, there is a 5-10mph difference between the DS and those two other slower atv's that you mention. Suspension: about 30-50% more on the DS. Looks: something different and fresh instead of the retread 400EX and the same Banshee that there has always been.

As far as depression, I have no reason to be depressed, since I purchased the correct ATV and not made the mistake of buying the wrong one, TWICE in your case!

Good luck with your rice burners, you'll need it.

Do everybody a favor, and go to the Hondo and Yamahahahaa forums and tell THEM how lucky you are! :-)

Laters,
CRT_Leech

 

Good points...I'll give you that.

5-10 MPH difference depends on the rider..a good rider will cut that waaaay down!

The only thing you forgot to mention is the tremendous weight advantage the DS has over the "rice burners". If you like big things (big women, big feasts, etc.) you've gotta love the DS, with its 40% weight increase over the japs.

 

Now you're talking, Mr. 450sHeavy

 

YES I DO OWN A 400EX. THE DS DOES HAVE MORE POWER THAN MY EX BUT I CAN PUT THAT $1500 DIFFERANCE IN THE PRICES AND GET AFTER MARKET PIPE, FILTER, BORE IT OUT AND IT WILL BLOW AWAY THE DS. AND IN ALL THE MAGAZINES THE 400EX BEATS THE DS IN EVERYTHING EXCEPT SPEED. THE EX HAS A WAY BETTER SUSPENCION THAN THE YELLOW SLUG THAT SITS UP WAY TO HIGH. AND I HAVE NEVER LOST A RACE AGAINST A DS B/ I'VE NEVER RACED ONE YET.

 

chris- here's your chance I will be at flat river(st joe) may 13 & 14. I think you might change your mind in person the way the bike feels to ride is unexplainable. got to try it first hand.
If you cant go that weekend e-mail me I will be there quite a bit

 

40% weight increase???? The difference between 460#'s and 386#'s is about 16%.

I am not into big things. When you put a real frame together for an atv with a large displacement engine and high horsepower, with a foot of wheel travel, you have to make everything stronger, hence, more weight. They could have, and probably should have gone with chromolly. But, that would have raised the price substantially more and increased production time and development costs.

The frame on the 400EX is down right horrible. You should not expect a section of frame to be very strong when you weld right at a bend. Look at how they bent and conformed the frame parts, then welded them to other frame sections. Looks pretty half *** to me. You want straight sections, with fish-mouthed cuts welded together.

I still say that Honda took the path of making it cheaper and faster so they could flood the market with a passable atv instead of top performer. The Microsoft approach. Be a top seller by not having the best out there, but selling the most.

Same with the Banshee. They have had twelve years to improve it. Have they? No, except for the misguided upper J-arm idea.

OH! I keep forgetting the cutting edge, industry leading, high tech graphics they change every year. That really increases the performance and value, doesn't it! It sure increases the price by $2-400+ every year.

Oh, hey Chris400EX on page two. $1500 in your 400EX will not "blow away" the DS. Considering a 250R with $10,000 in mods can only beat it by 2 seconds on a track that took it 1 minute and 19 seconds to complete. Even a custom XR600 powered race quad (probably at least $10,000 or more) only beat it by 1 second. They didn't have a 400EX out there, I wonder why? Maybe they didn't want to lose any Honda advertisements J Both these quads weigh about 100#'s less, since they are in racing trim. So, what's their excuse!

You don't really think that the 400EX is better than those two do you?????

Spending $10-25,000+ (see the article on the Yamahahaahaha 426 powered race quad, $25,000) for a custom atv, investing all that time and effort or buying a DS for $8,000 tops. Tough choice!

Oh, buy the way, the caps lock is next to your "A" key.

Again, let me stress, the atv YOU choose, is your choice. Different people need different sizes, displacements and engine types. Some prefer two strokes over four strokes, etc.

The DS had the features I wanted in a well put together package that feels comfortable to me.

Some people don't mind spending money for a quad that won't be around in a couple of years. I like to get my moneys worth. I won't be spending money to buy long travel shocks, longer trailing arm (or a replacement for the stock 400EX breaking), replacing cheap aluminum front spindles (400EX), boring and tweaking the engine (shortening the lifetime dramatically!), buying aftermarket tires and wheels (except paddles) and taking the frame in to be fixed and having cracks welded (or replacing it entirely with an aftermarket one, again, 400EX).

Nope, all I have to do is deal with a few first time production quirks, fine tune the suspension and jet the carb.

If it wasn't so childish, I would suggest to all the DS owners that we go flood the Honda and Yamaha forums with messages on how wonderful the DS 650 is! Give them a little of their own medicine! :-)

Laters,
CRT_Leech