I've been thinking for a while about what is the ideal desert machine. Desert "racers" (like Baja, BITD, etc.) run on courses with buggies and trucks. So, the course has to be wide enough to accomodate these larger vehicles. There isn't really any single track or tight trails to be negotiated. These machines are typically widened front and rear and have tall suspension. They can afford to sacrifice some maneuverability for increased stability. This is the track Bombardier has taken by offering an out of the box desert racer, which is big and wide.

A desert XC machine on the other hand can't afford to be so specialized. A lot of the time desert riding involves technical trails which can be just as tight as the eastern woods. Yet, there is lots of open country where you can ride it wide open, and extra stability is real nice. My solution has been to widen the bike a little, but not so much that you can't trail ride. In the rear, I run ITP Holeshot XCT's on ITP 9" wide rims (offset 3+6), which makes the bike about 3-4" wider than stock.

So, what about power? I did a long desert ride this weekend. More power would have been more thrilling, but it really was never necessary, and in the tight stuff would have been redundant. You can get a real thrill flying down a wash, but eventually you'll hit some whoops and pay the price!!!

 

I can't remember the exact rear width of my 400EX, but it is pushing 50". Not much narrower than your DS, huh! This is TO WIDE for my local mountain single track trails!!! I originally bought the 300EX for my daughter, but then we got the 250EX and she likes it better. So, I am using the 300 as a (ooooh so sweet!!) trail bike, and setting the 400 up for the desert. Next I'll widen the front (a little) and do the suspension, followed by a 440 kit.

In the desert, I mostly ride with highly moded Banshees (older guys who wouldn't be caught dead on a 4-stroke!). Of course they can drop me on the straights, but when we get into the hills or anything technical, they suffer bad while I'm whipping around on the 400. I don't want to modify the 400 so much that I turn it into a "desert sled" though. I need a bike that will do it all: Stability on the straights, but not at the expense of agility on the trails. This is probably the kind of bike the average desert rider (not racer) needs. Yet, most people just ride stock bikes that are best suited for eastern trail riding.

It's great what Bombardier has done, offering an out-of-the-box desert bike. But, I see this as more of a desert "racer" than a recreational ride. I just wish the thing wasn't so big and heavy.

 

I measured the rear end last night, and it is 48.5", so that is 3+ over stock (that's with the XCT's). The 300 is 46" (with Standard Holeshots), which is 2.5+ over stock. I know it doesn't seem like much, but the little difference between the 400 and 300 is enough to make the 300 a much better trail bike! And, the difference between the 400 and DS, is probably enough to make the 400 better in the tight stuff.