Bomb guy tried to sell me on how hot the Renegade was when I started talking about replacing my DS.

I can see for trails and climbing but, for the dunes. . . lighter, nimble, etc. are better. . . no reason for a 4x in the dunes. The Renegade in a straight hardcore desert race but, I don't think I would have any fun with it in the dunes.

Really, it is a stupid shoot-out. . . like comparing a Performance hot-Rod with a high-power SUV. . . You aren't going to take that hot-rod to the lumber yard but, you'ld much rather get in the hot-rod for a drive on a tight road. . . They are two totally different applications.

 

I raced my renegade against a new raptor 700 that was piped last week and beat it to 72 mph. Thats pretty darn good considering the weight difference of the machines and I weigh fifty pounds more than the guy on the raptor. I think it would have beat it all out if it was not piped.

 

If I lived in the dunes I would probably choose a DS too. Love my Renegade, but my reasons for getting one was because i got stuck everywhere on my 660 Raptor and was constantly shifting between first and second riding with other people. They were either going too fast for first, or too slow for second. I thought about a 4x before, but I never rode an auto 4x that could give me the same kind of thrill I got with my Raptor. The Renegade is the absolute best of both worlds. Handles pretty well too considering. Last week I was riding with a bunch of folks on different machines and we came to this long drawn out moderately steep hill, and holy crap, this thing ripped it up all the way to the top, with seemingly endless amount of power, and it handled the ruts quite nicely too while ascending. When I got to the top and looked behind me, I kid you not, there was no one else in sight for another thirty seconds at least. In fact a couple people complained because there were huge rocks being thown past them from the roost. At the same time, when it comes to tractoring around very technical rough obstacles, I just put it in low and crawl over them with ease too, and not to mention I rarely ever have to even touch the brakes when crawling down steep sections, the engine braking in phenomenal. My subscription to DW is about to expire and I've decided to boycott DW after reading that ridiculous article. They would choose either a Raptor or a Grizzly over a Renegade for Trailriding. Give me a break, the Grizzly is comfortable and has easy steering, it's also a dog by comparison. As for a 700 Raptor, sure it's lightweight and fun to ride, but seriously, you have to shift it alot, it's far more difficult to ride in tight trails, and it gets stuck a whole lot more than the Renegade or a Grizzly. I guess those things only matter if they want them to in order to spin the article. Can't forget about the whole weighing 800lbs comment. Funny how every other magazine I've read gave the Renegade fantastic reviews.

 

Really, it is a stupid shoot-out. . . like comparing a Performance hot-Rod with a high-power SUV. . . You aren't going to take that hot-rod to the lumber yard but, you'ld much rather get in the hot-rod for a drive on a tight road. . . They are two totally different applications.

I agree Dune Me

Why would you compare a lightweight 2wd Drive manual shift quad to a 4x4 auto quad.
I would have thought throwing in the v-force in the group would be some what of a fair comparison.

They list it 800 pound threw the artical, but still have the weight listed correct in the specs.

 

Well since It was Yamaha vs. Yamaha vs. Renegade, dirt wheels should of automatically had a 2/3rds bias toward Yamaha right? Maybe that 1/3rd negative bias toward the renegade added 1/3rd more weight.

600+200=800 pounds [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Even to blanket say "trail riding" kas379 obviously has some gnarly trails. Most of our trails are dirt or gravel. If I rode rocky trails I would agree, the Raptor, DS or any other fixed rear axel two-wheel drive wouldn't be the choice. Then there are the trails that some of those GNCC guys run. . . no way you are going to fit a Renegade or Griz. on those trails.

DW strikes again. . . put the Kawi in the shoot-out and make it a more specific shoot-out.

What DW SHOULD DO. . . they have what, 10 or 12 issues per year. . . each month have a specific shoot-out and let it be known. . .
1. Sept. - Performance Dune Quads
2. Oct. - Desert Racers
3. Nov. - Ice Racers
4. Dec. - Accessories - what are you buying for Christmas? (Winch shoot-outs, bumper comparisons, Nerf bar comparisons, tires, etc.)
5. Jan. - Side by Sides
6. Feb. - Track Quads - for those that like to run the track
7. Mar. - Mudders
8. Apr. - Hill Climbers / Hill Shooters - Dune Drag Racers
9. May - Utes - classify which is best for tight trails, rock crawls, hunting, etc.
10. June - Maintenance and Performance - What summer maint. should be done, do a performance upgrade on a sport quad - bore + stroke.

Maybe I'll send this in to them. . .

 

That's not a bad idea. Believe it or not, the Renegade really isn't any bigger to fit through the trees. It's a little longer though no doubt. As for me, the more difficult and tougher the terrain the happier I am, however it handles unbelievably well too, somehow I just really doubt a Grizzly handles as well. With the exception of the added weight, which isn't very noticeable, it handles the rough technical stuff as well as my 660 Raptor did. It's more comfortable, more stable, and I don't have to worry about clutching and shifting all the time, or getting hung up a stuck in every mud hole and rut I come across. I can only imagine how much fun a DS650 would be out in the wide open deserts you guys have to ride on out west. I'm so envious. Now if I can only figure out which magazine I should subscribe to since i'm boycotting DW.

 

QUAD Magazine quadmagazine.com
Relatively new publication that was only out 6x/year for the first year (or two?). Now published every month. Photos are beyond anything I've seen in any other mag (like HD or something). They seem to do a good job of it so far. You also get a 2 sided poster in each issue - ATV on one side, Nice lookin' lady on the other. Great for the married guy's garage.

 

I wasn't impressed with this months issue, was looking at it. I was thinking about ATV Rider. I'll have to see QUAD's next issue before I rule it out.

 

The DS handles the trails way better Renegade... but if you throw in some ruts/mud, its no contest. That 500lb wet DS starts to feel really heavy after a while...lol