The 250ex is really a beginner quad to get people into atv riding. Honda hopes that they'll step up into another more expensive quad later. It is a good reliable quad that requires little maintenance. I had a Recon and that's similar if you squint one eye and close the other. (same motor and stuff [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]) I just got to a point where I wanted more. More power for hills, 4x4, and a more comfortable ride. My back and knees hurt a lot less since I bought a bigger machine. I guess it depends on your expectations of the machine.

 

My good friend had one for a wile, before he got a bigger EX [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img] but he and I loved that baby. It went plenty fast, and it was awesome. Of, corse, as a kid gets older he wants a new quad, and he has a bigger quad now, but now that he is married, he is thinking about buying his baby again and giving it to his wife. He liked it so much that he wants anther one...

Its called true love [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

i would get the 300 ex or the new raptor 350 thats what i say got test drive one and make up ur mind

 

Those are nice quads, and here are some links, but if you are in a price limit, then the 250ex is very nice...

Click here to see honda sport atvs

Click here to see the new raptor 350

Those are the links to some nice atv's, but if you are on a price limit, then don't worry about it. Small quads are awesome!

 

Oh, yes. That's the best way to decide.

 

I have purchased a 350 and I am awaiting its arrival at my dealer, I recently drove down to south carolina and got to test one out for YAMAHA, I rode it for 30 minutes and fell in love with it. It is easy to ride, more power than most larger sport quads, the thing tops out at around 68 mph and MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL the raptor 350 handles like a horse in whip. It wheelies through all the gears and braking is cake. The stock parts are race ready, though u would buy a white bro exhaust, like I plan to do. The 350 is the best quad out there if you have 5000 smackers up your sleeve.

 

250 ex are also great quads all around, i owned a blaster and let me tell you I put 5000 dollars into that 99 and dam that thing cant move an inch unless you pushin it

 

I HAVE KAWASAKI VFORCE, MY GIRLFREIND HAS A 250EX. I LOVE THAT LITTLE 250, WE RIDE PRETTY MUCH ALL DUNES. THE 250EX HAS GREAT HANDLING AND GOOD POWER. WHEN WE GET BACK FROM A RIDE, I FIND MYSELF JUMPING ON THE 250 FOR A SPIN.

 

I'm 30 and have a 250ex and a 400ex they are both fun but for some reason I enjoy the 250 more not as much work to ride, and it has plenty of power for just about anything!

 

I rented one in 2001 at Oregon Dunes and while I was happy that I got to rent a quad I could shift (all the other companies had Polaris quads) it wasn't anything special. If you purely trail ride at slow speeds than it is great. But like you said you like to go fast than look elsewhere. The auto clutch severly hampers performance because you can't shift it fast enough. The chassis is no good for jumping or hard riding but it wheelies better than any quad I've ever ridden. Sound's like you want a manual clutch sport quad and that is what you should get. The 250EX really is a first time teenager/wife quad and will never be anything more. Unless you are enrolled in the AARP, you will want more performance. That said, if you just want to putt, it does the job nicely with low maintenance. Plus you could set it up to do light utility work.