If Honda comes out with the "650ex" or puts their new secret 4-stroke motor into a high performance quad what becomes of the 400ex? In my opinion the Raptor made the Warrior obsolete, price is the only thing the Warrior has going for it against the Raptor, and if the 400ex can keep up with a Raptor why should Honda come out with something else and make more competition for its own bike? I can understand why Yamaha came out with the Raptor (Warrior is slow and heavy and Yamaha has no real high performance 4-stroke) but really can't see a reason for Honda to come out with another hi-performance 4-stroke, especially when they pretty much own that portion of the market, cause Cannondale is not going to make even a small dent in that part of the market!

 

In my eyes, the way I see it is the old phrase "Bigger is better" But what also comes with that is the fact of bigger is more dangerous. The way I look at it, Manufacturers are just going to keep getting bigger (machine wise) and inexperianced people are going to buy the biggest and fastest machine and think that they are Doug Gust himself until they go over their heads and hurt themselves and then the rest of us get a bad name from the public saying that we are careless and destructive both to the environment and ourselves. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing new and exciting machines but you really have to think about my point of view. Just my 2 cents.

 

Now the question is, "if they keep on getting bigger and badder, how far will they go?"

Dont you think that around 600 would be the limit, I mean think about it. Honda comes out with a 660 or higher, then yamaha comes around with a 700. It's like a pissing match, "well I can **** further than you", "oh ya, well I can **** this color!", heh, so on and so on.

So, how high would they keep on going?

 

A 400ex can keep up with a Raptor?....It can't.

 

Why cant the 400ex keep up..so the raptor goes 75mph..who goes 75 on a track? there is a shootout between the 2 in the new atv action and the raptor won..but the 400ex gave it a fight the 400ex still handles better..because the raptor is supposadly tipsy with the smaller width and it was already stated to improve the handling of the raptor wider a arms will do it...the 400 is lighter and a little more nimble in the air..on an mx track a 400ex will keep up it might not beat it but it will keep up..i myself am not into this bigger is better thing why couldnt yamaha come out with the yzf 426 in a quad that would have been cooler than a 660..whats gonna be in quads 1100cc crotch rocket motors? its getting out of hand.. the 250r was the king 10yrs ago and im sure that little 250r can keep up with the new raptor...i myself am not gonna ever buy a raptor for the fact its too much im waiting paitently to get out of school so i can get my hands on the 400ex because its a more logical machine..i have even heard rumors that raptors are falling to pieces..there was a poker run by my house 7 went in 3 came out..the one guy hit a jump and his front shocks busted another guys machine the wheel fell off...so i dont know im not sold on the bigger is better and probablly never will but if honda would ever get rid of the 400ex it would be a sad day because everyone has to remeber who started this whole new market for sport quads?? HONDA and what machine got the ball rolling? THE 400EX..peace

 

Nobody can **** farther or more colors than me.

 

The Warrior is not slow and heavy but anyways if any quad is obsolete it would be the Banshee people buying the Warrior are generally not loooking for the baddest or they would have bought the Banshee in the first place. when i had my Warrior it was due to the way it rode and the reverse, electric start and 4 stroke motor, I knew the Banshee and 250r and LT500 and 250 would beat me , this was 1987 by the way, I choose it for other reasons than all out speed. and no a 400 ex will not keep up with a Raptor keep eating you eraser off you pencils.

 

YOu just answered your own question, Honda dosen`t have to come out with a bigger and better quad. THe 400 is fine. It has superb handleing and suspention, a 400cc 4 stroke motor and is the most reliable thing out there. Until Honda just is not selling anymore 400ex`s I dont think that they will have to step up to the plate of going 600cc or higher. I wouldn`t if I was them. THey are doing just fine with haveing the 400 as there big boy and with there new personal watercraft line that is coming out they will dominate a new area of recreation.

 

xepathfinder:
So i guess that 1/2 a second means that it was grossly slagging behind... ohh ok... Thanks for setting the standards... You know JACK about sport quads. Get out of the forum, immature "know-it-all even though i don't own either machine" tough guy.. MAYBE if you owned a 400 or a raptor your complaints about the 400 would make sense.

Moron.

 

I agree with a lot of what you guys are saying. The 400EX may not be the biggest baddest quad now but i am still sold on it. If yamaha would have come out with a 426 sport quad like the last guy said then i might think about getting that but a 660 is entirely too big for me. I want to see how big gov't lets them get before they start putting restrictions on the size of the motors. I personally think that a 660 is too big for most people unless you are a pro rider.