Who is bombardier? What else do they make? How about Leer-Jets. Have you ever heard of Ski Doo?Gee, there isn't any technical ability there is there. There products are among the highest quality. Unlike yamaha. They are cheaply built and weak. For being a new production year model, they have very few problems. The only people that don't like them are the ones who won't get their heads out of their ***'s long enough to ride one. If yamaha made a quality product, that means every aspect of it, I would have one. The banshee has a motor, but no suspension. The warrior has reverse, thats about it. They really suck. I would love the banshee if it had a suspension. I have had my ds on the motocross track at dyracuse, wi. It is a third gear track, that means not so fast, with large jumps. That equals hard landings. All my friends with 400ex's groan over the jumps because they don't have enough suspension. I've never even seen a warrior on the track, I guess they can't handle it, they stick to the trails. As for banshee's, their was one on the track with me, granted he left when I flew by him on a corner and blasted him with dirt. I guess he just couldn't handle it. Take any machine and stick 7000.00 into it and you still wouldn't have everything the ds has. That means suspension AND motor to all you banshee lovers out there. Straight lines are for wuss's.
CATCH SOME AIR!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You guys know whats funny? You all will probably laugh when you read this but from what I understand you have all these guys ranting and raveing about Yamaha and Honda and then theres Bombardier first year out and getting bashed. The funny thing is that these guys dont understand is that the rotax engines that are in the ds650 is also in the BMW motorcycles as well. So if they bash BMW they sure dont know what there talking about. And also you might as well say that the DS650 is a DS750 because there is already a 750cc
stroker kit for this motor that people put in the BMW. So lets figure this out so even if yamaha or honda comes out with a 660cc bike in a year. So lets say mid summer 2001 then that means that it will be atleast another six months to a year before you will see Mods for this radically new engine and even when you do you will have to beat the 750cc marker so the way I look at it right now all the other manufactures have atleast 1 1/2 to 2 years before they catch up with the BomB. Sorry fellas but thats the truth.

Bomber

 

P.S. Thats if Bombardier doesnt come out with a bigger one first!!!

Bomber

 

I'm pretty sure by now everyone understands that this is the same engine that is in the BMW bike. The BMW bike is meaningless to us as ATV riders and has nothing to do with the DS650's quality or construction. The are 2 reasons most people "bash" it. First, what seems to be a very high user to problem ratio. Second is in response to all the trash talk from DS owners in the forum. This forum seems to be nothing but a place to post problems and talk trash....

Might as well say the DS650 is a DS750??? So what, if there is a stroker kit. Is it free or does it come stock? Almost every performance machine out there has a stroker kit avail....

As far as the new Yamaha (or Honda if one is indeed in the works), they will be using currently produced, readily available engines. Not brand new, freshly designed units (since when has a performance ATV got an engine of it's own?). In Yamaha's case they are using a 660cc 5 valve engine that has been in production for a very long time, click here to see more. Furthermore, the Yamaha will probably be out early this Fall/late this summer as a 2001 model. Yamaha has a very large customer base and doesn't want to be beaten in the dunes, there will be very little "Catching up" to do.... Especially with a small production run bike such as the DS.

Personally, I am not biased toward any of the 650-or so cc machines, I am not interested in purchasing any of them for myself so far. Too big and heavy for my style of riding. I would much prefer to see a lightweight 400-something cc machine that I can compete with in the 250 class, that generates 40-someodd HP and is quick and nimble. Maybe if I rode exclusively in the dunes, my opinion would be different. Currently I am watching the Cannondale with great enthusiasm...

 

You are probably right about the 400EX, but, it just seemed too light duty for myself and I really don't like the frame construction. The front shocks seem too light.

I probably could have bought the 400EX and hopped it up to compete with the DS, but I didn't want the hassle. Who knows, I may still do that. Or, I may get an aftermarket frame based off of the 250R and build my own custom quad.

Right now, I am going to ride the DS more and continue to get used too riding a quad (ex ATC pilot myself). I tried a Mojave and said forget it for many years. I just didn't like it. My 350X needs some brake work and the frame welded by the rear shock reservoir, so I figured since I could afford it, I would try a high performance quad, something new, so I wouldn't have to mess around with it.

So far, the only problem I have had is some cutting out (jetting) and the rear axle hub coming loose.

As I have said before, I was going to buy the 400EX. I waited over a year to get one. I was going through college and I couldn't wait till I got a job that would allow me to purchase one. I went to the dealer and checked it out many times. Then, I heard about the DS and I decided to wait for that one. When it arrived, I checked it out and decided on the DS instead. Did I make the right choice? So far, yes. Would the 400EX been good enough? Maybe, I don't know. If the 400EX holds together and performs better than the 350X, then it probably would have been fine.

The DS feels better for me, though, so that's why I made my purchase.

Yes, I can get very defensive. I come to this forum to find out info on the DS, not hear how great everybody else's quads are and how much the DS sucks when they don't know what they are talking about. So, I fight fire with fire. Mature, nope. Posting impertinent info and comments, even less mature!

Laters,
CRT_Leech

 

Well 86atc250r, you made some good points. I don't know why bomber thinks no one knows the 650 ds engine is used in the bmw on/off bike. It seems like if you are into 3 and 4 wheelers you would be a little interested in the rest of our segment-not a put down. Also, I am not sure why he thinks because bmw uses the rotax engine its got to be good. Sounds like bmw was looking to save some R&d even through the bike is still very expensive. I don't think , however, people in others forums are bashing the ds650 because of our responses to the trash talk. That stuff goes on all forums and it is half the fun of being in these forums. My bike is better than your bike, my master can kick your masters butt -come on people have been doing this kind of stuff since the play ground-probably because its fun. If all these forums were just about technical stuff then why not just read your mannals. Is trash talk immature-sure, but so what ,who wants to be mature all of the time. Mature people don't ride quads(atc's), they wash cars on saturday and watch football all day sunday. They might think they ride quads, althrough. Personally I wish more people ( ds650 people)would write in about the riding they do and the bikes they beat. Well Mr. 86atc250r (what a great bike) I am finished with my babbyling.Hope I didnot offend anyone who rides a ds650.

 

>Posting impertinent info and comments, even less mature!
That wasn't directed at me was it???

Anyway, glad you are liking your DS, maybe I'll get a ride on one soon....

My 350X cracked the frame near the reservoir also, I'm guessing when I broke the swingarm. Had to pull it 4 miles thru very rough terrain with my 250R -- not a fun day...

I can identify with you completely with the lack of a descent new machine for so many years.

On the rear axle hub. If I remember correctly, it comes equipped with tapered roller bearings? If so, be careful setting the preload. Have you tried any Loctite? Another thing that may be worth trying is black electrical tape around the exposed threads in order not to allow the lock nut to work loose (I am assuming from what I have seen it is configured like and works like a Honda)

Wouldn't it be nice if the average age of forum users was at least 20? Same goes for alt.atv

 

Nope, I wasn't referring to you; just the others that have been getting everyone so riled up.

Yea, the crack on my 350x was more like a break, since it completely separated. I didn't even notice until after returning from the Oregon Dunes. I jumped quite a bit, sometimes getting 6-7 feet of air and going 60+ feet of distance. I think it finally gave when I had this really good air off a jump in Oregon. It was about a 40' step dune on the side of a huge dune, which I hit in fourth gear. Launched me what seemed like eight+ feet in the air! I only when about 20 feet in distance and the landing wasn't that hard.

You gotta keep an eye on the engine where it mounts to the frame near the rear shock mount. I have heard of that cracking and leaking oil. It can also cause sloppiness in the transmission and frag your gearbox. There was a picture in a magazine recently with a 350X which had broke in half on the trail and was brought back on the front and rear racks of a utility quad. Such a shame.

I am not sure how the 250r handles the axle hub. The DS had a funky clamp that has a bolt with a nut going through it to keep it in place. Thing is, you have to back the clamp away from the axle to tighten it! Totally backwards to what I have seen for retaining nuts. Yea, the DS is supposed to have sealed double tapered roller bearings, I believe.

The thing that is really ticking me off now, is the lack of tires and wheels. Everywhere I have called, Rocky Mountain, Chapparel, they are all out for a month. They are out of wheels, Scat Track II's, and even the cheaper directional paddles. I guess everyone had the same idea as myself, at the same time J

Laters,
CRT_Leech

 

Well first of all people I am a ds650 owner. I wasn’t talking trash about the bike. I was stating that if another company comes out with a new quad there going to have a lot of catching up to do also if you think that they just swap engines between bikes your wrong. Do you honestly think that a road bike engine would hold up in a all terrain vehicle? As far as I know right now Yamaha doesn’t produce a 660cc engine suitable for this use other than in a controlled environment. The R&D that is going to be necessary for this motor is going to be Phenomenal. Also if you can read between the lines a little, I was trying to say that the option was really nice to know that there was a stroker kit available even before the bike was ever produced. Last but not least remember this it takes alot of cash to have the fastest bike out there so if you got the cash you got the power.

Bomber

 

I agree 100% with 86atc250R. He has hit every point and he makes good points. I prefer the smaller ATV with the 250 to 400 motors. I can feel more stable on them.