wait a minute,you said about 50 hp at the rear wheel?! i'm sure this one will NOT have tranny problem...
probably the clutch/transmission is very accurate and get great efficiency from the whole clutch(max power to the track!),but it can have some more hp at the crank as well too...
a stock banshee have about 39-41 hp at the rear wheel,if they get it not detuned this thing will rips for sure...

 

DennisC

Went riding today. I got to finish my ride again on my stoneage (1999) Honda 300 while a gee whiz Artic Cat with all it's advanced features gets loaded up on the trailer so the rider can go wash the radiator and see if that's why it's overheating. Second ride in a row I've seen that on an different Artic Cat machine.

My Honda has less technology, but I get to ride while others fix. Honda's giving me what I want. I have not gone riding once this year where I didn't see a malfunctioning late model Artic Cat or Polaris.

I suppose one of these days I am going to have a major malfunction with one of the Hondas while out riding and then I'll have to eat crow. But it hasn't happened yet, so keep telling how I'm being duped by Honda. Maybe I'll catch on.

 

horsepower wins brags, torque wins drags............
whats the torque

 

Let me start by saying I'm not a Honda basher. I am not brand loyal to any manufacturer. I've had good luck and bad luck with about every brand so far. If I do seem upset with Honda then I probably am. After owning a 250r, I know what Honda is capable of manufacturing. I've always liked Honda because of their dependability. I still ride a modified Banshee but have been lately riding with a different group of guys, so I went to the 4wd market. I purchased the Rubicon without test driving others. Then later I went riding and rode a buddies Scrambler, I liked it much better. I know everybody's different but to me the Rubicon is terrible slow, the brakes are awful, and full time 4wd stinks. Then I test drove the Prairie 650 and bought it on the spot, its awesome. I can still hang with all the 2wd sport guys on it. It's what irk's me is that I know Honda has the ability to make a killer machine, instead they've went the other way. Look at the changes all the other manufacturers are making. As far as the 300 foreman goes it was a great four wheeler. My dad still has one, but when it comes to trail riding it doesn't keep up. I hope Honda wake's up and surprises us all with something new! Whatever you ride have a great time!

 

They will complain about the no reverse for sure.

 

Dennis,

Not trying to start something. I guess all I'm trying to say is that if I was after features and performance I would probably go with something other than Honda. I'd probably buy the Kawy 650. If I buy with reliability in mind, I will go Honda. I'm just starting to appreciate the low tech approach which some criticize Honda for is a plus when it comes to reliability.

 

I hope it at least makes the front cover of the mag. at least one time. Hell...the Z400 was on the cover 3-4 times!

One question. What compelled Polaris to build a kick-butt sport quad and forget to install reverse in the tranny? Kinda makes me wonder.

'96 Scrambler with HPD mods.

 

No-matter how good it is.....it will take a beatingcome judgement time.

 

I don't get the reverse thing either. What the heck were they thinking? Maybe the '04s will have it.

Being a loyal Polaris owner, I would seriously consider the Z400 over the Predator. A little less money ($200), a lot less weight (45lbs), and reverse looks pretty good to me.

 

O.K. guys,

Here's what's going to happen. The Predator will get rave reviews in their first tests (minus the bashing about reverse). Then it will go up against their favorite Japanese quad in a shoot out (of course they can't just do the shoot out first) the Z-400. IT WILL LOSE!!!!! It will be some inconsequential thing (they'll never let us forget about the lack of reverse on it) like the weight or the fact that slower riders can go faster on the Suzuki, or some other dumb reason that is really no test of a sport quad. Have I neglected to tell you guys how many times I have gotten into REVERSE gear drag races on my quad? Yes, reverse is indeed a true measure of performance on any high performance machine.

The real reason is the fact that the Japanese companies spend a ton of advertising dollars in their magazines. It wouldn't be a good idea to P.O. your biggest source of income, so of course Polaris will never get a fair chance in any test. Not to mention that the aftermarket companies will virtuallly ignore this quad (like the plague) and not produce any high performance parts for it (because they're tooled for metric). It seems like the Suzuki wasn't even out yet and there were already compaines making aftermarket goodies for it.

Again, it can be the most revolutionary quad since the 250R (much like the Cannondale was), but it will ONLY be a runner up for quad of the year. Sorry Polaris, again, but you don't spend enough advertising dollars with us for us to make you "Quad of the Year".

This, of course, will apply to only the two "Hi Torque" rags. Have no fear, the truth will come out in ATV Sport, who I consider the "Gun Tests" of ATV magazines. Frankly, I think they should give away the two "hi torque" rags like brochures. They only seem to be like advertizements for the "big four" Japanese companies.