Its all good. If you don't have reverse it changes where you ride...sometimes. If me and my buds go out ridin and someone gets stuck we just laugh and make fun and go pull them out. I am sure I will get a lot ribbin out of them when I need to back up but I enjoy going forward much more.

 

If Hi-Performace snowmobiles don't have reverse (and they are much heavier) why do quads need them? If you have ever been powder riding in deep snow with a sled, you know it can be a real pain getting it out. But they make do without reverse.

 

The Yamaha 600 V max has reverse.Snow machine also ride down well planned out groomed club trails with no chance of a surprises in store for you down the road.Quads head down these same trails in the summer and anything can come up on you,not only is reverse handy but a chain saw is a good idea too.

 

The V-max isn't a performance machine, the SX-R is..no reverse.And the sleds designed for riding "off groomed trails" are the mountain or deep powder sleds, they are made to run off trail deep powder runs and deep snow hill climbs and they DO NOT have reverse and weigh 150 to 200lbs more than your atv.They are ridden in deep snow that would be comparable to a mud pit that never ends, why, because the average snowmobiler isn't as lazy as the average atver.If you want reverse, fine thats what you want, but it is a performance reducing feature.If a manufactuer makes an atv with reverse, it won't be made for maximum performance.So if comfort is more important to you than performance buy your reverse equipped quads and don't try to pass them off as high performance.

 

Mountain sledding and powered snow riding is lucky to be 5% of the sled riding done,the other 95% is trail riding in woods.I can see reverse as no big deal in the wide open desert also but tight woods riding is done much more than that.We have thousands of miles of sled trails here and you would be hard pressed to find powered snow unless it was some dull farm field were reverse is not needed.I would call the Raptor a lot more high peromance than a 400ex and it has reavese.If the 400 ex has no reverse for weight conserns, I would think dropping the battery and starter motor would be easier to live without than no reverse.Electric start sounds odder than reverse on a serious performance quad to me.

 

If I had to nail myself down to one discipline, it would be snowmobiling, so please don't attempt to tell me about it.Powder riders do not represent only 5% of the sledding sales, why would there be so many models available, most of the snowbelt here in the states has huge powder areas where there are no real trails,Reagardless the powder sleds aren't equipped with reverse and it is beacuse sledders are more peformance minded than ATVers.The Raptor does have more power than the 400EX, but it was built more as a trail bike than a high performance quad.I look at it as the "ultimate Warrior" not a replacement for the Banshee or meant to be a racer or high performance, that is why it is equipped with electric start and reverse,Comfort adding, weight adding performance reducing features.

 

5% would be lucky ,there is 350,000 registered sled in Ontario and even more in Michigan and Wisconsin near by.A moutain sled with it,s paddle track,and atomatic altitude jetting would be usless around here on the packed trail system.Unless you live near the Rockies what would be the point in owning one, the big lugs on the track would not last long on the trails.I bet Alaska and British Columbia do not have 350,000 sled compined so virgin snow riding is a small percentage of the sport.

 

Hi all !! If a 400EX had reverse how much do you think it would weigh?
Lbs baby Lbs!!! jerky

 

Then whats the electric start about ?You only use that at the start of the ride while reverse is used through out the ride.

 

That's awfully big air for no helmet!