Well its time for a new(er) quad. I started shopping around for some used quads and there are very little around here. Found a DS650 but its a two hour drive from here, and i want to find out if its worth my while to check it out.

Ok so for all you DS rider can you answer me this;will the DS be good in the following conditions

Back country roads
Bush trails
Gravel pits
Mx tracks
and of course mud

I am trying to find an ATV that can almost do a double duty. One day i may be riding with banshees and mx bikes, and the next riding with sportsmans, and big A-Cats.

I kinda like the size of the ds being a big guy (6ft. 240lbs) but its also a very heavy bike(as far as i know) so i am concerned about that.

I know its kinda hard to have a quad thats the best of both worlds, but who knows?

Also any problems with the 01 model ds? Reliability issues?

Went to the local dealer today to see if they had one in stock i could sit on and get the feel for, but they had none...damn

Any input would be appeciated

 

'01 DS had some handling issues. Twitchy steering caused by insufficient caster. Aftermarket upper a-arms solved this. Front shocks (rydefx) were inconsistent, some had excessive dampening, and sucked. Cooling fans usually went out.

All these problems were fixed with the first '02s and Bajas. They were easy fixes on the '01s though, and they are great quads.

I take my Baja X everywhere. There is nothing like it. Every utility is boring. Every other sport quad is a toy. The "toy" sport quads jump better, and handle whoop type rough stuff better. The DS is big, and comfortable. Ride it all day.

 

The two sport quads that would work best for "double duty" for a larger rider are the DS650 and the V-Force. Having owned both, I would say the V-Force would do better in mud and at "bush trails", but that it will really suck at MX tracks. The DS will work ok everywhere, but not as good in the tight woods as the V-Force. The DS also has more power, and is faster on top end than a V-Force.

 

What was the fix for the 01' fan problem.

I still havent fiqured it out. 5 dead fans and 1 thats about dead. Good thing the warrenty has covered them.

 

I think it was the mounting of the fan, the newer ones had rubber bushings in between the fan and radiator and the older ones didn't..?? I could be wrong but I'm pretty sure that's it.