Let the Bashing begin!!!!!
#41
08-10-2002, 11:48 PM
i ride a Z-400 and ride with people with polaris's all i have seen from polaris is problems a trailblazer's elctric start doesnt work and the scrambler my friend just bought it and blew a piston(yikes) no i do like the sporstman but that is the only polaris i like and would still rather mave a foreman sorry but polaris need to do a little more r and d
#42
08-11-2002, 12:28 AM
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<< DIRT WHEELS IS A GREAT MAGAZINE >>
hindelk,
Uh, what planet have you been living on? Perhaps you missed an earlier post of mine where I stated that both "Hi Torque" mags routinely refer to the Polaris 700 motor as a "low tech, pushrod design". However, they constantly refer to the Honda ute motors as OHV or Over Head Valve motors. No where have I ever seen them refered to as low tech, antique, or old fashoned like they do with the Polaris motor. Yet, Honda uses pushrods to actuate the valves in their motors just like Polaris does on the 700(and now 600). All they ever do is to praise Honda for using that design because it keeps the weight low in the motor and thus lowering the all important center of gravity (like a one pound cam shaft will make THAT much difference on a 600lb. quad)
Gee, if that alone doesn't prove bias, I don't know what does. Still, no where do they mention that the Polaris 700 has the most powerful motor in it's class or that the reason it won't keep up to the (for now) class leading Prairie is because it weighs 140 lbs more. I wonder why they don't do that? COULD IT BE THAT THEY ARE BIASED? Maybe, read on.
The shoot out that they did between the 400EX, Z-400 and Cannondale was a joke. O.K. so the Cannondale had the superior suspension, so it had a faster motor, so it handled as well as the Z-400, so it posted faster lap times, that's no reason to give the shoot out to Cannondale. Why, because slower riders posted faster lap times on the Z-400? Give me a break. The real reason is because SUZUKI SPENDS MORE ADVERTISING DOLLARS IN ONE MONTH THAN CANNONDALE EVER WILL. That's the reason the Z-400 won the shoot out.
My favorite "buzz phrases" from the Hi-Torque include "torquey motor" (has no horsepower, all it has is low gearing), "firm suspension" (the frame moves more than the suspension does) "class leading" (because we make our own clases, the Japanese and everyone else)etc. I can go on, but you probably get the point I'm trying to make.
As far as the "pre-production" Z-400, those machines were carefully gone over by Suzuki technitions long before the magazine writers even got there. Heck they were probably brand new. They were essentially "ringers". The Predator that the "Hi Torque" people rode probably just got done touring the country. They were probably the ones I and others have seen at our favorite riding areas. Since the machines were considered "used", instead of factory prepared "ringers" I wouldn't be surprised if the shocks seemed a little tired to the test riders. Here's a little known fact. At one time Polaris refused to give these guys test quads because of the bashing they did of their brand several years ago. Almost never does Polaris send "ringers" to the magazines, sometimes they even go out and test someone's used quad. The Japanese manufacturers are known for this. They'll wine and dine the editors, let them ride specially prepared machines, then imply they had better recieve a good review or the gravy train will stop. HMMM!
It has been said here many times. The Predator isn't going to be for MX, but XC. In cross country racing, there is no engine size limit in the pro or production classes. Why do you think that guys like Bill Ballance run their 250Rs with displacements ranging from 250-330ccs. DUH!
#43
08-11-2002, 10:59 AM
The Predator won't find its' way into the 250 class for sure, but it will race against Raptors in the open class, and unless the Raptors have a lot of mods, it will beat them. The open class is, well, wide open. And a lot of places and races will end up putting all the ATV's together anyway.
....How do you compete with a 320 lb, 20,000 trick 250R? You don't, you go up a class, and race there. Who's gonna beat a Predator in the open class, even mx? A trick Raptor is going to weigh just as much.
.......Bottom line here is that a very small percentage of Raptors are raced, and very few seriously. Most riders don't race. Most Predators will not be raced. Most Predators will be ridden on trails and dunes. Some will be raced seriously, and they will do fine, some may end up sleeved down, but more will end up bored and stroked...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]
....How do you compete with a 320 lb, 20,000 trick 250R? You don't, you go up a class, and race there. Who's gonna beat a Predator in the open class, even mx? A trick Raptor is going to weigh just as much.
.......Bottom line here is that a very small percentage of Raptors are raced, and very few seriously. Most riders don't race. Most Predators will not be raced. Most Predators will be ridden on trails and dunes. Some will be raced seriously, and they will do fine, some may end up sleeved down, but more will end up bored and stroked...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-cool.gif[/img]
#45
08-11-2002, 07:01 PM
most places don't even have a restriction on engine size, they're all local events, no money is won (only the pro's win that) or at least nothing that you could live off of. the fact is that very few people will race the predator, competitively anyways. (i've only seen 2 DS 650's at the track, and does that mean that it's not a good quad? no, it's a great quad. people will buy it to ride the woods or the dunes, or whatever they want to do. i just hope it'll be as good as they say it is.
i never noticed the bias in the mag until i read the article on the z-400 vs. the c'dale, that wasn't even worth reading. the quotes have already been posted but one that wasn't was that they said the z-400 was cheaper, so it won. i think money should have no influence on the winner. so are they saying the z-400 would beat a $25 000 250R, just because it's cheaper??? HOG WASH
i never noticed the bias in the mag until i read the article on the z-400 vs. the c'dale, that wasn't even worth reading. the quotes have already been posted but one that wasn't was that they said the z-400 was cheaper, so it won. i think money should have no influence on the winner. so are they saying the z-400 would beat a $25 000 250R, just because it's cheaper??? HOG WASH
#46
08-11-2002, 09:51 PM
Holy cow Rincon,you and I agree on something.Let me know if you think the paragraph below is correct and logical,at least as far as DW is concerned.
Remember how inexperianced riders posted faster time on the Z compared to the dale.Well I am sure a real rookie would post faster laps on the 80 than the 400.So that,in addition to it lower price the 80 wins the shootout.
Remember how inexperianced riders posted faster time on the Z compared to the dale.Well I am sure a real rookie would post faster laps on the 80 than the 400.So that,in addition to it lower price the 80 wins the shootout.
#47
08-11-2002, 09:58 PM
#48
08-11-2002, 10:32 PM
#49
08-14-2002, 08:47 PM
<<
Knowsalot said that behind his dealership they raced a Rincon and a p650 they tied, but when they reved them up a little with the brakes on, on the line, that the Rincon beat the p650 by a quads length. >>
i dont really trust that info u have. i find his so called "test drag" a load of bs. like hell a 650 cc single cylinder, with un-even gas buring/distribution over a large cylinder with one traditional carb, out acc. a 650 V-twin with two cylinders, twin downforce carbs, with even power, even gas distribution/burning. a load more grunt (with one piston firing, while other is on intake stroke) get beaten in a drag with the engines revving or even being tied.