My cousin owns a honda dealership and handle s both. I have a 94 warrior right now.HE s got a 01 400 ex with pipe and tires he d sell me for 2800 or a new 650 for 4800.What do u think.Will i like the 650 never ridden one.Ridden 400 s before.should i empty my savings and get the ds or get the 400.What way do u thik i will be happier with.I ride trails hill climbs and open fields.I like my reverse on my warriro now to.Im aobut 5 10 and 180 is the ds to big or will i like it.THnaks

 

Well ide get the ds650 if i had the money to get it. Rather have the fastest big bore sport quad then one of the slowest 400's

 

well i love my 400ex...thats a good deal for a 2001 400ex with a pipe and tires if its in great shape...the 400ex is great for what your doing..mine i sick on hillclimb and i can fly right up them..also i ride alot of trails and its great for that..i got some mudsharks on my 400 and i have never gotton stuck yet... and where you ride the 400ex would be perfect...yeah not having reverse is a pain sometimes but its not that bad you get use to it quick...the 400ex is pretty light so you can just pick it up and move it quick...you could always put that left over money you have into the 400ex instead of gettin the DS and then make it really sick and fast...also the 400's will last forever with simple maintance and you can put a ton of mods on them.. they have a ton of parts out for them ...i dont know too much about the DS..but enjoy ripping around on my 400ex...

 

its always like this..im sure if you posted this same topic in honda forums everyone would say get the 400 and not the DS...

 

If your cousin owns the dealership ask him or her to let you ride them.Then make your decision.
Both quads seem to be bulletproof with the right maintenance.

 

I have both and I like the DS better. I'm 6'3", 235, and the 400 EX is too easy for me to whip around. It doesnt have the power to make me respect it either. The EX is easy to manuver and handle, but the DS has get out of my way power. Alot depends on your experience, you dont want something to big or with too much power unless you are comfortable with it. How you fit on it is a big factor too.

 

I have had both and can say that they both have their good points. I realy liked the 400 on trails as it weighs less than the DS. I could power slide it and never feel out of control and I never had any problems getting the front end up. It seemed well ballanced. Now having said that I can say that other than the weight of the DS and it being a little nose heavy I enjoy ridding the DS more than I did the 400. One of the reasons is the suspension. After a long ride my body feels less beat up and ready for another ride. Also the power. No comparison. Try them both,I think once you crack the throtle on the DS it will be hard to go back to the 400. This is just my personal thoughts, in the end you do what makes most sense to you. Cost being one of the factors. Good luck as I feel either one of the two will be a blast to own and ride.

 

Do you think its worth emptying all my saivngs to get the ds.I mean i ll be broke if i get it.Also what are u gouys paying fo ryour ds s .Thnaks

 

just get the ds, youll have all the power u need already there then u be spending on mods to get the 400ex equal to the ds power
ds owns the trails(it won the baja 1000) not so nifty on tight trails
it wont let u down hill climbing
its just a great quad
so is the 400ex
but as owner and riden both
i go with the ds

 

Well, here are my thoughts. Check out our site (mine and my brothers). He has the 400, I have the DS. First of all, the DS is big and powerfull. It is not for small riders (not saying you are small). The bigger riders have the body weight to "muscle" the DS around. It's like comparing a Cadillac Escalade to a K5 Blazer. They are both tough, both will go the same places, both great 4 X 4's, but the Cadi has all the new technology, the K5 is kind of, well "old school" (the 400EX has not changes since they came out). At the end of the day, you will be glad you have the Cadi'. It is a MUCH more comfortable, more stable, less work to drive (or ride). They come with all the bells ans whistles. My brother has spent over $4,000 on his 400EX just to get the width, handling and sort of the same ride feel and he JUST keeps up with me, he is no faster. By the way, I am 5'11", 35 years old, and weigh 260 ( I know "a fat boy!"), he is 5'9" and about 180. The DS is right at home in the sand! On the trails, I have found the DS to be wider than all other stock bikes and I end up "riding the edge" of most trails. The DS is built like a tank! Take a look at some of the equipment the DS has over other bikes. One example is the chain and sprockets, they use the much larger 530 chain instead of the 520. Things like this make the DS superior in my view. I love my DS and will never ride anything else!
It is not without it's drawbacks though. The main one being the availability of aftermarket parts, there just are not that many yet. That's my 2 cents. Ge tthe DS. Evertime you see one from now on, you will wonder, "Man that bike is nice, I wonder if I should've spent the little extra and gotten the better bike?".

P.S. - I hope you have aquired a taste for dust (if you get the 400EX) [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

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