Im racing next year in gncc and wondeirng what kid of fourwheeler i should buy. What would You recommend? And why?

 

Why not race your Raptor?

Get a Cannondale Blaze, Speed, or Cannibal. If not one of those, the new Kawi, Suzuki, or 400ex.

 

Kevin, I'm in the same situation you are-- I want to race GNCC but I don't feel that my Raptor would be very competitive. I'm not going to sell my Rappy (it is always nice to have a second bike), but I'm planning on buying an '03 Cannondale Blaze. While it isn't exactly what I want off the showroom floor, with just a little suspension tweeking I think that it will be the end all of woods quads.

 

ea but im 16 and don have 11000 dollars in my pocket idont know whati ant to buy? I want a cannondale,and then theres the suzuki with reverse its between those 2. but i dont kno if i like the feel of the cannondale where it gets wide by the handlebars, and dont like suspension feel that people have been telling me about. they dont have many accesories for the cannondale mean while theres tons of them for the suzuki. But then i wouldnt mind having a 400ex with a crf450 engine or yz450f engne in it. I don know what i wnt to do but i think i should hurry up and decided.

 

Hey i am in your boat kid. I was looking for a bike when i was 16 (now i am 17 a long time ago hehe). My family rode Honda so i was going for the 400ex but i also work at a bike shop that sells cannondale mtb and road bikes. I went for the dale becuse dale treats us so good. I took the $8000 i saved and got my Speed and will never go back!!! I spend alot of time changing oil and checking everything but it is time well spent. After i bought her i no longer go out to the movies or dinner or out with any girls. I dont have the need for that I love my dale and could not be happer. THe dale is a bike you can fall in love with. she is the prettest girl at the ball and she can work and clean. But if you dont give her any loven she will leave you....with a blown motor. She is a super model: you have to work hard to get her and work hard to keep her, but she work you hard on the dirt.
Rose are red
Raptors are blue
she will give you a beating and want more too.

Get the dale you will live her with every thing you got. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]

 

If you're 16 and short on cash there's only one choice... The 400EX. Forget the YZF or CRF conversion quads unless you are planning to race MX, these engines have poor power delivery for woods racing, especially when it gets technical... For cross country your money will be much more well spent elsewhere.

Here's the reason behind my suggesting a 400EX. They are an excellent handing, fairly powerful and reliable machine. Reverse is not even a consideration. No matter how much smack talk you hear on the internet, they are competitive with only minor modifications & GNCC results prove it, and can compete at the top levels with heavy modification (which it will take on basically any new quad with maybe the exception of the Blaze).

Next reason - price... A nice used 400EX can be picked up very cheaply because of the perception people have about the new LTZ's performance advantage.

Next reason - replacement parts cost. There's no doubting it, the 400EX costs at least 1/2 to maintain of any other quad out there. Here's a few examples:

Tie rods - $4
Steering stem - $50
Full plastics - $150
Lower control arms (with ball joints, bearings and seals) - $35
Frame - $400
Complete seat assembly - $50

The list goes on and on- and to someone who races, in the long run it makes a huge difference.

The 400EX has excellent power delivery for woods riding and responds well to internal engine mods. There's also no radiator to worry about plugging up in a muddy race. There's a huge aftermarket that makes anything you could possibly desire as well.

In my mind, for someone on a tight budget, there's but one choice. With the 400EX you can spend more money on other stuff (aftermarket goodies, hotel rooms, fuel, etc) and less on initial cost and replacement parts.

FWIW, I own both a Cannondale and a 400EX.

 

Kevin

I agree with 1986atc250r to a point. I just read the new dirt wheels the other day on the 440ex vs the z440. Dirt wheels does have a tendency to let money influence their final decisions on the the out come of the winner, but I feel that in the long run the z400 is the better machine and has a greater potental do engine mods on and have greater HP gains. The cannondale are simply thy best in stock form and why do you need tons of aftermarket hop-ups all this machine needs is a pipe and re-map. Maybe suspension pending on the model. Dollar for Dollar the cannondale is the best buy for a racer with the Z400 second and the 400ex last of the three.

I have a couple questions for you.
What class are you planning on running?
If I was in your situation I would run the stock 4-stroke class with a z400, cannibal, or speed.
This way you wouldn't have to do any expensive upgrades the first year and still be competive with anyone else. The Stock class is an awesome class with alot of fast guys in it.
How much money are you looking to spend on a quad?

I've seen or heard the:
400ex for $4699 in Ohio (new)
Z400 for $5300 OTD in Ohio (new)
Cannibal for $6500 (new)
Speed for $7200 (new)

One other thing I see you are in Ohio, maybe you'll have stop over and take a spin on the speed or even my new quad once I get it (should be getting it in the next couple of weeks). I'm just outside Columbus. I also have a buddy that owns a white z400.

 

I have to disagree with LT. You're putting way too much weight on "potential" engine performance - it's not a critical issue in cross country... My point was - why on earth would you buy a new 400EX? A very nice, low hour used one can be had for $3000.

The z400 is a fine machine, however, OEM replacement parts are WAY expensive.

Tie rod (very common replacement item for XC guys)
z400 - $45
400ex - $4

Frame
Z400 - $1500
400ex - $400

Steering Stem
Z400 - $170
400EX - $50

That's just a small sample. The Z400 has already shown some weak parts that need to be replaced by aftermarket if raced.

The z400's performance advantage stock for stock is very small. Yes, it has more potential than a 400EX, but again, he is not asking about MX racing - ragged edge engine performance is not that much of a concern. Although the z400 has a higher top modified HP level, it is also VERY expensive to get above 400EX max HP levels.

You recommend a Z400 for the stock class yet, that class is still dominated by 400EXs.

I think it would be a mistake at this point to recommend a Z400 to someone for XC vs a 400EX, especially if they are young with a limited budget. Dollar for dollar, you can build a 400ex that will stomp a Z400 in the woods - at this point a 400ex can be made to be a much better quad for a lot less money - and kept in top condition for a lot less money as well...

As far as the Cannondale goes - keeping in mind that I really like mine & I'd recommend one to anyone looking for a good, fast quad all around quad.... Yes, it's a fast & good machine right out of the box - but a stock Cannibal will run at least $6000. Then it still needs tires & wheels (just like any other quad). It needs handlebars and a damper (just like any other quad), and the new ones come with crap shocks, just like the other quads.

Many will also argue that a Cannondale doesn't handle with a Honda. Cannondale's also have a problem with the dead engine starts XC races have. I'm also fairly certain if you gave me a bone stock 400EX and a bone stock Cannibal and put me in the woods, I'd put in faster lap times on the 400ex - the more technical the woods, the greater the difference...

The only real advantage it's got is it's engine and a nice rigid chassis. However, in the woods, it's engine is not an advantage at all. It, like the YZF or CRF engine doesn't develop the kind of power a woods rider needs, it's a good MX engine though.

I understand that many cannondale parts are cheaper than a Z400, but are not anywhere near 400EX levels.

If he were asking about a quad to screw around on the trails with, to race MX with, sand dune, etc... I would probably change my recommendation, but for XC racing I still think a 400EX is an excellent choice (bearing in mind that I am an XC racer myself). Check the results for yourself, 400EX's are doing well in every class they're eligible for except Pro where the custom framed 250R rules.

 

I have seen New 400EX's here in Denver for 3795$ on saturdays. Honda must run specials on saturdays. There are coupons in the paper, im sure there is set up and tax, but it has to come out less than 4500$ OTD.
just an FYI

 

Ok for someone new to the GNCC you not going to need tons of power like what the cannondale puts out. But remember I'm a 2-stroke XC racer that loves the hard hitting power of a 2-stroke in the woods so that's way I chose the cannondale for me. Maybe the best one for Kevin is either the z400 or 400ex. Yes parts are cheaper for the 400ex, but the trade off is lack of performance potental to the z400. Look at the top guys that race (pros) most of them do huge big bores (Chad Duvall's 500cc 400ex) and many others do 440 kits or larger to their 400ex. So my thinking is why not buy a quad that has more possiblities to enhance the performance in the future? That is where the z400 comes in. I'll also say next there will be alot more z400's on the track than this past year. Not as many as the 400ex, but remember the 400ex has been around since 99.

I think the best thing Kevin can do it ride all the machines he is interested in and then pick from them which one best suits him for the amount of money he can spend.