We all have new machines too pick from....and thats a huge plus for the enthusiasts. We can pick from old ones too if we like...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img].

 

garyc660R
Cutting corners and being a smart shopper is two different things. You may think of buying used things as cutting corners, but to me it is the way to get things done cheap, easy and right. There are no zip ties or bailing wire on my quad. All brand name items(Durablue, DG, Douglas,ITP, K&N, Wiseco, etc) but, because I hunted on Ebay and other classifieds, I was able to put together a very nice Quad, and after selling the stock parts, I gained back close to 75% of my spending. Unfortunately many people have to buy new, because they dont know enough about a quad to check parts for quality and compatability. Like I said, my $1500 quad, is out there beating on $5000 quads. Also, if you want to discuss reliability, my quad has only failed me once(in the 11 years I've owned it), and it was because I purchased a bad part. It always starts and runs all day long otherwise.

Truthfuly, I damn near was about to go purchase a Z400 a year ago, because my old quad wasn't keeping up. Then I spent $80 on some mild porting(Ebay) and $100 on a new Carb(Ebay) and the next trip out, I was beating piped z400's. So I figured, why spend more to go slower. I'll stick with mine

 

slakerbob...you will never convince them there hopeless.
they sit here comparing PRO's 30K dollar 250r's to our stock ZUKI's and call them junk.
hell if i took my ZUKI bought all leager parts for it,an aftermarket frame ETC ETC make the motor a 330 they would still say it's a POS.
i really think people just dont get it here. its all in how much money you have.
over 3/4 of the readers said they needed reverse and electric start. they swore by the 400EX and the electric start for racing. now honda dosnt put on electric start on the 450R and yammi does and all these lemmings say ""we dont need electric start or reverse"". when winter hits and these kids stay in the house more because of the snow we are all doomed with the BS that will be on these forums.
they sit here saying how reliable the honda is. i guess a 250r never was in the shop for a motor rebuild or anything? i wonder how all the engine companies stay in business then?

 

evhwg
Exactly. People usually are hard to sway one way or another. Often because they havnt tried everything. I have had more than a few arguments about the quality and perfornmance of the 85/86 LT250r with people who have only riden the 87+. So watcha gonna do, I dont know. And your comment about 250rs motors is right, they can be made really fast, but my brother owns an 86 250r and it has had about 4 top end rebuilds. My 86 suzuki has only had one. Also, unfortunately it is about how much money you have. Some people talk about modifying quads in terms of Leager, LSR, Trinity, and I can't afford that(unless it is on Ebay) Over the last two years I have pieced my quad together, and I take satisfaction in knowing that I have only spent $700 on what others would pay $2k-$3k for.

Oh well, in the end, I have nothing but a smile on my face as I am riding in the dunes

 

True
The mechanically inclined are a dieing breed

 

Ding ding ding we have a winner. You nailed that one [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I have helped more people with rebuilds and big bores than I can remember and there were very few who really had more than nut and bolt type experience. Was good to at least see some of the younger guys willing to break a sweat and try it themselves rather than nag mom and dad for the cash to send it to FST or sparks etc.



Thankfully I dont try to sway anyones opinion (well not too often LOL) and I actually enjoy learning from the different opinions and stuff but (and this is a big but) the thing that drives me absolutely frickin nuts is all the mee too's just repeating what they heard or saw someware. Second info and heresay should be required to come with a disclaimer alerting everyone that the info isnt personal experience or proven fact but just BS you heard b4.



BTW how about we wait till the TRX450 gets to the dealers before we compare it LMAO

 

Defenders of the affordable 2 strokes,

You guys are right. You have the quads that make you happy at a price that would make anyone happy. Keep them runnin'! I have an 85 ATC250R in the garage that is a classic. I paid $900 and put another $750 in it. It makes a great dunes back-up. More people are gonna be joining the classic 2 stroke trend now that they are getting more affordable. the fastest quad I ever owned was a Tecate4 that I paid $500 for. I put $2500 into it over the following 3 years and then sold it for $2800. It's like I rented a quad for 3 years for $200. That is a pretty good deal.

 

I grew up in a family of mechanics and I love to do things myself, and to get the best possible bang for the buck. If I had the money, I am sure I would buy a lot of new, nice stuff, but I dont, so I scavenge. I got my quad for $700 because the guy selling it thought it was blown and it wouldnt start. Turned out that the carb was gummed up. I cleaned it and it started on the first kick. I rode it in the same condition for the next 9 years. So that is a case of knowledge and knowing what to look for was an advantage.
It erks me as well, when people have no idea what they are talking about. They talk in generic terms and no evidence, or experience to back it up. I have been riding for over 15 years, owned the same lt250(the one I have pics of) for over 10 years, and have owned and riden most types of quads. I have owned 3 quadzillas, 5 LT250r's, blasters, 250x, 300ex, 250r,and various 3 wheelers. So I have learned a lot about many different quads. All these quads I sold for a profit as a hobby and a way to get some more parts. I enjoy working on them and learning about them.

Hail to the mechanicaly inclined

 

Got to agree with that, but I would really prefer a completely done 350R [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] but just cant find one for what I am willing to pay.

I so much understand where these guys are coming from and know all about that special appreciation of your machine when it was your time and effort that made it what it is and not some banks over priced loan and thats what makes it harder to sell of a older machine compared to a new one.

I dont have a lot of $$$ in my quad (ok thats really relative, there are members who dont even own a quad etc) and I purchased it at a great price about a year and a half ago, but I do have a whole lot of time into it.

The real issue to me is $$$ invested total into your quad and its overall performance compared to the other machines avail. etc. IF you have 5K into your quad total then compare it with new or newer quads around the same price range. I used this method when I was finding some frustration with the problems that this quad had with the original big bore set up, and everything I looked at failed the test. I looked at some excelent quads to (cannondale, raptor, z400, DS650 etc) and what i found was that if you purchased a 400EX for a good price and put a couple grand into it (suspension, freshen up engine) its a hard machine to beat dollar for dollar.

Though what I have seen and the little time I had to try one the new yfz450 is close (so was the c-dale) but if the rumors are true about the TRX450 sharing suspension with the 400EX and you can swap shocks etc then we may have a winner. The one thing that I disliked most about the EX is the air cooling and that is deff taken care of in the new quad. Well time will tell but it has taken quite a while for the industry to surpass a inexpensivly modded 400EX.

 

For the guy that said that suzuki made the first quad, who cares? Ford made the first car, and ford sucks[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]. Now for suzuki to make a good quad they have to copy Honda models. Not only honda, i could see them copying whichever machine was on top. The z400 and z250 were honda copies, and the vinson has few differances between the rubicon, ( i don't want ot hear the differences). This is just my opinion about suzukis, I personally never liked anything that came from suzuki, and find their products to be low quality. I don't have a problem with yamaha, or kawasaki, i would pick honda over them.

About the 450r, it will be wicked, I don't think it will be much better than the yfz, but they will be very close. I read from several people that the yfz doesn't weigh what it is claimed to weigh. Most say it ways around 380 dry.