they should drop the 250ex. If you want a 250 based machine... get the recon, same engine and tranny.

 

see ya 300ex. Its been a good bike. Time to join the 250r in quad retirement.

 

Atkins-Why would Honda bring out the 250EX just a couple of years ago, and now drop it, duh! I see thousands of them out on the trail. They have to be one of Honda's best sellers. The expense in producing a bike is tooling up for production. Once that is paid for, the profits start rolling in.

Honda takes years to drop a machine. Nice if they would replace the 300 with a TRX250R (4-stroke), on a 300EX size chassis. Good bike for advanced kids and small adults.

 

Here is my opinion. The 450r was a rush job (a very good rush job) to steal away some of the YFZ sales and shut up some of the publications out there. I believe Honda could have an even better race quad in the works but it wasn't ready for release yet. This is why they just threw together what I am calling the 450EX-R (EX dash R). I have heard from some of my sources that Honda has 2 other high performance quads in the works and they have not been fully tested or debugged. As you know Honda takes a long time to release products so they can test the snot out of them. The 400ex will stay in the lineup until the new quads (05 models) are ready for release sometime in late 04. The now 450r will become the 450ex and the real 450r will be unveiled. I also have been lead to believe that there might be a big sport in the works (something like the KFX). I also think the fact that Honda once again has a factory rider is proof that their commitment to ATV racing is back. What wins on Sunday sells on Monday, all the more reason to build a better quad! Once again this is my opinion...

 

i agree with you on everything you said except that you left out that this is the last year for the 400ex!, next year it will be 450ex, and 450r. Theyll put electric start on the 450ex, and reverse(the 2004 450r) and come out with an all new 450r that has been in the works. Also a 750ex(to beat the 700's already out there), based off of there jet ski engine. Just more food for thought, but only honda really knows!

 

Whatever the future, I hope this marks a turnaround for sport quad R&D at Honda. Since 99, all we have gotten is one utility after another. Even the 250EX is really just a Recon with sport plastic. All the market analysis that you see, shows that there is a surge in interest in sport bikes. Lets hope the payoff is a bunch of great machines.

 

the 450r was not a rush job according to dirt wheels and atv connection. Honda supposedly had the thing so close to release there wasn't time to back off when the YFZ introduced it's 450 with the nice suspension. I think the Honda 450 will have improved features as years progress as opposed to new lines of atv's.
reverse on the 400ex? never happen.

 

I left all that stuff out because I didn't want my rant to go on to long! ; ) We are however thinking on the same level. Any how all this is good for the Sport! Compitition brings out the best Quads and the Best Prices. We all win!!!

 

The word I heard (in one of the magazines) was that the TRX450R was already ready to go LAST YEAR! But, they had wearhouses full of 400EX's, and were wanting to sell them off before the new release, so the suits at Honda said NO. I think they made a big mistake!!

First, they had to offer big discounts to compete with the Z400, and now Yamaha has beat them to market with another 450. Second, the 400 and 450 are in a whole different class (so they don't really compete with each other anyway), and everybody who wanted a 450, already had a 400!! I think they were surprised by the weight of the Yamaha, and may have made some last minute changes to reduce weight (like the kick starter??), but it is probably basically the same bike they were working on all along.

400rider-YFZ with nice suspension??? Have you ridden one?? These things are set up for BIG HITS on a groomed MX track. At low speed and on rough stuff, the suspension is tight and not much fun at all. (I thought I was back on the old Blaster for a minute there!) The geometry of the YFZ is pretty good, and I can see someone offering plusher aftermarket suspension for the recreational rider.

Another thought, the 450's are high revvvvving engines, and they don't like to be lugged down. NOT the best setup for trail riding (which is what most people do). The 400EX lugs down real nice. I don't know about where you ride, but on the trails around here, you rarely ever get into 3rd gear. The 450's just aren't going to fit the average riders style. I think the old 400 will be around forever.