I hope the editors of the big 3 magazines read this post. I am so tired of the way you guys do things. Everything is great, everything gets decent stars, etc... In example, A blaster gets 5 stars and so does a Banshee in a different article. How can this be? They are both sport bikes, yet the Banshee kills the Blaster in everything. The Blaster should get 2 stars for lack of power, NO BRAKES, etc...

My real complaint is things like exhaust. It is always subjective. Never is there a dyno chart or a dB reading. Why don't you do a shootout on a pipe for a stock 400ex and maybe a modified 400ex. The way you guys do it sucks!! I read one article and you test the Yosh pipe on Wes Miller's bike. It is modified. Then you do a test on the DMC on a stock bike and say it is a lot louder but gives more power. How much louder, How much power? I feel that the best article I read was the tire test on the 400ex. It gave the weight of the tire/rim, the sliding, traction, pushing, etc... and it compared to everything in all applications. Even the stock tires were tested. Way to go ATVsport. Do a pipe test on the 400ex. There are 2 pages here of people guessing with each other.

 

They dont you do of course.

 

It has been this way since the mid '80s, it will not change.
Sorry...

If they gave the Blaster (or whatever quad) a poor rating, it would be much the same as what happens here. The mag would be flooded with letters from Blaster owners saying the Blaster is the BEST QUAD EVER and should get 5 stars.
They print what the majority wants to hear, and unfortunately the majority is kids who just want to see that their dream quad is faster than their buddies dream quad on paper.

 

Hakmazter, I totally agree! It would seem like the magazines would be the best place to find an unbiased exhaust shootout. Everyone wants to know how they stack-up against each other, but I haven't ever seen it yet. Every month you can read reviews of shootouts between quads; if they can get new quads for a shootout every month, why can't they get some exhaust systems together for a shootout?

I think one reason they don't is that they don't want to lose any advertisers. If they have a shootout and say some of the systems stink, they might alienate that manufacture and their distributors.

However; as somebody already mentioned, if they ever had this shootout they would say all the systems were great. They wouldn't use a dyno or decible meter either.

 

Simple answer. Advertising dollars.

 

Simple answer. Advertising dollars.

 

Exactly,
Those who spend the most in advertising $$$$ get the best reviews...
Note the much hearlded 400Ex... that thing gets more press time that the president and the NFL combined... No slam to proud 400EX owners,its a great machine, but come on.. how many different ways can you look at it.. its getting old quick... Kinda like over-advertising...
Notice the 3-5 pages of DG advertisments in the front of every issue of DW.... Ever heard them say anything negative about DG??.
DW slams Polaris for years for the "rubber band drive" and notice other manufacturers going to the "rubber band" drive after being passed up in sales by Polaris... Only now, does DW start to say anything positive about Polaris....
And why HAVEN'T they tied a stock 400 EX up against the Stock DS-650??? they ARE both the same class machine.... lets get them together and see what happens... no pipe changes, no changes at ALL... crate vs. crate and lets get DW to advertise THOSE results....
Thats not going to happen until Bombardier writes some big checks to the publishing companies......
America revolves around DOLLARS....

 

Mudmachine, RoostKing, slow down for a sec.

Right now all us Honda, Yamaha,....Owners need to reailize that the DS is the next best thing to the invention of the wheel when it comes to massed produced sport atvs. It is in its own class and should be considers in its own class. The banshee and the 400ex are on each others level...but the DS it 250cc bigger than a 400ex and cost $1300 dollors more. I believe within a year you will see yamaha and honda release new quads in this class IF the DS does well. Then we can all get into the my honda, yamaha is better then you DS650 fight.

Mr_400eX

(I have a '99 400ex)

[This message has been edited by Mr400eX (edited 01-27-2000).]

 

Unless it was the pipe attached to the Honda 400EX. Then, although it gets beat by other high performance pipes in 3 outta 4 areas, its the champ. Why didnt Dirt Wheels test the DS-650 against the 400EX stock for stock on the track (chose a race ready 250 R instead.)? We all know why, the DS would have crushed it and really teed Honda off. Cant have that...

RoostKing...

The tire test was awesome!

RoostKing...

[This message has been edited by RoostKing (edited 01-27-2000).]

 

Back in 96 they did two issues on Pipes for the Banshee and two more issues for the Blaster with db and hp readings it was great and I loved my LRD pipe I bought for the Blaster because of the article. They have done it before we just have to convince them to do it.