I just finished reading the latest issue of Dirtwheels about the shoot out between the DS650 and the project quad XR 600 and a modified 250R 4 trax. It said that the DS650 is the cadalliac of the three and the 250R is the FORMULA 1 of the group. ( where is the Banshee? ) The 250R is still the king of the race track. Any thoughts?

 

As you should know the Banshee is not a MX quad if you read the article it based the test on a MX track. My thought on the new Bombardier is it is too heavy and to expensive. The onte thing it would be good for is the Desert and you know the king of the desert is the the banshee, well up until the 400ex. It did win the Baja 1000 last year. The DS650 has alot of horsepower but you need it for a quad that weighs almost five hundred pounds.

 

Lets talk about that price again!. If the Banshee was a Honda product "Dirt Wheels" would of added $1000 dollars worth of accessaries to make it competitive. They did it for the un-inspiring, lethargic 400EX. I would of liked to seen the shoot-out done with a set of pipes, tires & airbox
mods done to the Banshee. Remember DIRT WHEELS DID IT!!!

 

Well, if the Banshee were a Honda product, it wouldn't need $1000 dumped into it to be competitive .

Also, HP and going fast are not the Banshee's problem, it is already the fastest of the three, all the mods you suggest increase HP & traction. The Banshee's problem is frame geometry, not easily corrected without going to an aftermarket design based on that evil 250R/400EX design.

As for the 400EX being lethargic and uninspiring, it is only a tad slower than a 250R and the 250R is only a tad slower than a Banshee (stock vs stock vs stock). The 400 has far superior handling to the Banshee, and I think a tad better than the 250R, which means it can be ridden faster and harder for longer periods of time thru the hairier stuff.....

Also, another question I have that has been verified by others is: If Dirtwheels or another mag is going to be biased to a particular brand, what is their motivation, contrary to popular belief, Honda is NOT the largest advertiser. Over the years, mostly Yamahas grace the cover (most expensive) ads, and in many issues a Honda ad is nowhere to be found. Just a thought....

 

Good one Gabe, hehehe

I wish I had a Bomber, a Banshee, and a full-race 330R so I could see for myself, just don't have 23 grand laying around. Can't wait for what's next.

 

Yes you may have to dump a 1000. into the Honda to make it compeative with the "600's" but lets be real now, its a 250cc beating up on 2 600cc quads. Thats got to say a lot for the king of the race tracks. And I always thought that the Banshee was a good MX quad as Yahama claims that it is the fastest of the machines built today. Now before everyone gets mad I am just stating a fact that Yamaha claims that they are the best. A ten year old quad (250R) can and still rules the MX tracks of today. Any thoughts?

 

The 250 was BUILT for MX, the other two were not. Setup all 3 for MX, then do the comparison. Then you can say "still king of race track." I was impressed that even though neither of those were built for MX they still did ok compared to the 250.

 

A DS 650 Raced at our track this weekend, and it got spanked by stock 400EX's and 250R's off the line and everywhere else. It was 2nd to last going into the first turn and the track has over 6 inches of saw dust mixed in, so It supposedly should have an advantage in that loamy soil. Also the 250R tested was a built 250, thus more wheelspin than say a 330R and the track was super loose soil giving the 4-strokes an advantage. Even the magazine stated the R would have been much faster if the track wasn't so dry...

Sickman

 

Lets look at it this way. A new "Bomber" costs about $7500 after tax and all the dealer garbage. If you bought a stock 250R and put enough money into it (like I did this winter) to come out equal in price (just like Dirt Wheels does with its 400ex and Banshee test "Best quad for under $10000") it will blow anything away. I don't care what anyone says about the 400ex or any other model for that matter. The best all around bike that ever was, is and ever will be is the 250R!

 

LOL Gabe... great reply..