After some guy wrecked into my Polaris 400 Sport last Saturday and bent the frame I have begun parting it out and am considering buying a DS 650. I went and looked at a Baja and Cannibal to get some ideas of how big they are and how they look in person. The Bomb looked sweet and I would definitely pick it over the dale. Although the Dale is probably quicker in the woods and a flat out drag race, it just looks cheap to me. It is more purpose built(racing) than the Bomb. The Bomb felt great sitting on it and I have heard it is a very plush ride. Does the rotax engine have a counterbalancer? Basically, I want to know if it is a smooth engine. Does it respond well to head porting? I have some head porting experience but I haven't seen a rotax head so I dont know if there is much casting flash or a bad short side radius. Is it hard to handle for a 5'4 #150 guy? How long does it take to rejet? How does the braking compare to other sport quads? Here are the pros and cons from what Ive heard can you guys elaborate more on this:

Pros;
great suspension, plush and lots of travel
plnety of power (big plus in my book!)
wide and stable
Should kick the dog poop out of my friends stock 400ex
A used one is right in my price range

Cons;
No reverse
big and heavy
may not fit on my current trailer.

 

Its all a matter of personal preference, I'm not gonna slam any of the other bikes, but I will tell you about the DS.
All of your pros you listed are correct.
The cons on the other hand, I differ with. I never could understand the no reverse debates, its no big deal. Just ride smart, not backwards. It is heavier than other quads, but its not that big a deal either. Once in a while, if you have to turn around with no reverse, it weighs a little more so a small guy may have more trouble if its a tight trail, so try picking it up and pushing it around at the dealer to see if you'll be cool with it.
It is well built, very reliable, and yes, there is a counterbalance and it is extremely smooth for such a torquey motor. The torque is amazing, especially after you get a pipe, filter and proper jetting. Several companies offer head porting for the DS, so it must respond well to it. Top end mods cost you more than others, 'cause its dual overhead cam - two to buy instead of one. With simple bolt on mods, nothing internal, she'll drag with a 'dale. Only con to a DS is that the dominators tires are worthless. You can't beat anything with them unless you're on pavement, that's why it quickly developed a reputation as having a weeker holeshot than the Raptor and 'dale, but with the right tires (radials), pipe, and jetting, she'll run with the best of them all.
You're smaller than most DS riders, so best if you can ride one and try it out before buying, but my guess is you'll love it...

 

Jetting is quick and easy. After you do it the first time, replace the stock phillips head screws with cap head (Allen) screws then keep an allen in your tool box for quick changes.

Don't know about porting. For some reason, most people go to a high compression piston and different cams rather than change the porting. Not sure why.

I am pretty sure about the counterbalancer. It does vibrate a bit but, it is a large displacement single cyl. I would expect that. The engine does like to be kept at about 5 grand RPM to produce the most power so with those R's you will feel the engine more. I don't see this as an issue.

The quad is easy for smaller guys to handle as well.

The quad will lighten up (or feel that way) once you put a pipe on it.

 

as far as the head goes - casting flash- not too much, shortside radius no sharp edges, nicely radiused, I had my intake tracts enlarged 4mm and the valve stem guides almost removed to allow better flow- did similar work on th exhaust side with larger valves and seats, haven't had the head flow tested but there is definately more air moving thru it- I figure every little bit helps. Have fun with yours.

 

Thats exactly what I plan on doing. I'm anxious to see what kind of power I can get out of this thing naturally aspirated. As soon as my Mustang sells I'll have the cash ready. Whats the best rear tires to put on this beast to get a good holeshot?

 

The DS is a sweet bike but as far as the cannondale being built cheap or looking it, I don't have the specifics but everthing is race ready, the steering stem... swingarm...handlebars...shocks are all top notch. If you are talking about the cannibal, I do think the plastic and handlebars make it LOOK on the cheap side, that is why I got the speed. What kind of riding do you do, that might be the deciding factor.

-Josh

 

Rockey, depending on what you are doing, the best tires to get your holeshot are the Ohtsu Radials found on the Baja DS (and 2003+ regular DS') or some 22" ITP HoleShot tires or similar. There are several varieties of the 22" Holeshot style, I'm not sure there is much difference between them.