I have been thinking about getting a 250EX just to play around on i am not looking for all out power just something to slide around on and make it a bit more difficult on rough terrain but my question is would it be just as good to get a HL unlocker for my rancher and a HL perfomance kit instead of buying a 250EX my rancher has stock tires and will probably always keep them so what do you guys think?

 

I have both so i can tell you from experience that they are both great on the trails.....i have a Rancher TE so i know what its like in 2wd and it is very fun to ride...the sporttrax feels alot smaller and lighter, quicker steering, etc obviously but the rancher is a little plusher and smoother in power delivery...if your into cruising in wide open areas where handling is not an issue, the rancher feels more comfortable....if your in winding trails the sportrax is better, but dont get me wrong, they both are great in those areas...i havent drag raced the two yet because im really just breaking in the 250...my guess is that they are even through about 40, then the rancher will pull ahead on top...any other questions just mail me...

 

One complaint I have about the 4X4 Rancher is that the steering fights you a little at low speed. I ride a lot of desert hardpack, so I think that makes it even worse. Does the unlocker really free up the steering completely? Is an unlocked front end just like a 2wd? Anyway, the 2X4 Rancher is a way more fun bike than the 250. For me at 5'7", the 250 is on the small side, and the suspension is tight and choppy.

 

Really? I find that they both have their strong points, just depending on what you use them for....I think the Rancher is actually easier to ride because you don't have to put as much body english into the turns and it is just smoother all around...i'm 6'1" 170 and i find the 250 size ok...

 

Eric-As a new 250 owner, do you think the 250 pushes (understears) in turns? All the magazine reviews mentioned this too, but I havn't seen anybody except me mention it here in the forum. I cured this by changing the stock tires to Holeshots (22"XT front and 22"XCT rear). This also cured the slight tippiness that the bike has.

Last weekend we were doing some rocky stuff, and I didn't want to ding up the aftermarket ITP rims. So, I put the stock tires back on and I have to say that the thing was HORRIBLE!! I mean, sometimes I would turn the bars and NOTHING WOULD HAPPEN! Add to this the bikes tendancy to wheelie a little in the low gears, and you sometimes have a bike that is uncontrolable. Again, I ride desert hardpack, so that may be a big factor. Just wondered if this was your experience??

As for size, we were climbing some VERY steep sketchey hills yesterday evening. On the 250 I have to scrunch down and really pull the bars into my chest and lean over hard to keep from doing a wheelie. On the 300 I have to do this too, but to a much lesser degree. On the 400 I can just kind of stretch out, lean a little forward, and the bike just sails me up the hill!! The difference is that the 400 is the right size, and the other bikes are small.

 

I think both are great machines but I know more about the 250ex. If you are not too small for it then it's a great machine. You have plenty of usable power, it can wheelie very very good, jump better then most quads, is good on tight trails, and is also good in the mud because of it's clearance.

 

Well I am 6ft about 200lbs 250ex sounds pretty good does anybody have experiance with the HL performance kit on a 2wd Rancher ES

 

I find that weight positioning does wonders for handling of two wheel drive quads, especially the 250....sitting on the seat casually and turning the bars hard you won't get as quick of a turn as you'd expect, but if you put a little weight on those front tires and turn it turns FAST...yes it does push slightly but i don't think it does anymore than my RancherTE...again, that's just me....i ride hilly, wooded trails with sandy dirt...contrary to what u said, i find this to be the most controllable quads i have ridden....its soo light you can just muscle it if you get in trouble...just my opinion tho

 

Eric-Thanks. Over the years, I think I've probably ridden every one of the popular sport bikes that have come out (I own all the current production Hondas), and I've never seen any other bike that understears like this one does! This is really a surprise to me, because Honda usually gets EVERYTHING SPOT-ON. This bike is intended for beginner or small adults, and intermediate kids. These are two groups that need a bike with very neutral handling. Like I said, I cured it with a (expensive!) change in tires, but most people aren't going to do this.