I am looking to buy another atv and just sold my z400 and i am wanting something a little bigger. I am considering a predator troy lee edition or an outlaw, I want to know if they are a good buy and what to watch out for, is there specific years or editions that are bad? and should i get independent rear suspension or not. I mainly will be trail riding.

 

The Outlaw has the strong Ktm engine and was only made a few years(2006-2011) and valves are easily adjusted,compared to the Predator which is an entirely different engine that uses shim under bucket system for adjusting. Both require frequent maintenance (as any sport atv does) You can get different opinions,BUT if you can find a clean Outlaw for a good price I would go for this one just because of the motor and suspension. I've ridden both at the shop(no real world riding experience) but the Outlaw was originally introduced at about $10,000,but the price was soon dropped, and when Ktm and Polaris split prices went down even more. Plus it could run off and leave the Predator. As far as year models,owners should chime in on this with their opinions. OPT

 

Most people hate polaris sport quads.. 90% of the people who bought them dont know anything about sport quads and bought them because they say polaris ..

polaris quads cant hold a candle to honda,yamaha,suzuki,kawasaki,can-am sport quads... they might keep up or beat one in a straight line but after that its all down hill ....

watch moto cross and xc racing ... dont see many polaris there ....

 

The guys I know that had them loved them. I've never ridden one and I don't know anything about them but if you want one and find one in good shape for a good deal, I don't see any reason not to get one. What kind of riding do you plan on doing?

 

My brother and step father have '06 Outlaws 500sand they love them. The IRS really is nice for multi purpose riding (we ride sand and trails). My bro in law has a Predator and loves it, the only thing the Outlaw is better than the Pred in is clearance. I have an '08 Outlaw MXR 450 (sweet KTM engine) and it screams (I am comparing it to my TRX 450R), it keeps up just fine stock and is very light and comes with nice shocks etc.. I love my TRX 450, but those Outlaws are good bikes don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

2008 Polaris Outlaw MXR (KTM) Walk Around - YouTube

 

Here's my bro jumping his '06 Outlaw 500 IRS

Juston Jumps the Outlaw at Sand Mountain, UT - YouTube

 

ok heres the thing. your z400 has the same power as the 500 motor that polaris throws out there. so u wont see any difference on the trails. now the 525 engine from ktm which is really 510cc has about 20 more hp stock mind u. so make sure the engine says ktm or forget wasting your money upgrading.

 

my brother in law has a 05 Honda TRX 450, jetted, and exhaust.. when racing on the beach my 100% stock 06 Outlaw 500 was able to slowly pass him.. what he really liked, was electric start and reverse that his bike doesn't have. Now he does have Sand Stars on it, so going up the dunes he destroys my stock tires.. but there's very few places that he can go, that I can't..

 

The 400Z is rated at 35 hp The 500 Pred is 42hp it does not use the 35hp 500 SOHC of the Sportsman or Scrambler, its a different DOHC, Compression Ratio 10.8:1 motor with a larger 42mm carb that makes more power.

Lots of people think the 500 Scrambler and 500 Preditor share the same motor.

 

Lol. The 525's are also notorious for blowing up if you rev them. Thats coming from my cousin who races quads (#2 in the nation a couple years ago). The 525 makes 50 at the crank, predator makes 42, plus the predators respond extremely well to pipes and intake improvements (you can get about 12-13 hp just from an hmf muffler and hot seat intake). My Predator 500 is bone stock and will pull the front up by itself rather easily and does 76 on gravel. Buy a 525 if you want to have the slight hp advantage but be rebuilding every couple years, I will stick with the 500 which will take an absolute **** pounding and have no issues.