TRAILBLAZER 400 OR 250? IS IT WORTH $1000-1500. DOES THE 250 HAVE ENOUGH POWER? DOES IT FEEL LIKE IT'S PULLING HARD OR IS IT INADEQUATE? I UNDERSTAND THE SUSPENSION IS THE SAME SO IS IT WORTH IT TO PAY THE DIFFERENCE? ALSO, THE 250 HAS 14 HP AND THE 400 HAS 22HP, FOR ABOUT $350 YOUR CAN GET A PIPE THAT WILL ADD 8HP TO THE 250 RESULTING IN THE SAME 22HP.


OBVIOUSLY I WOULD RATHER PAY $3000 THAN $4000-4500.

ANY SUGGESTIONS?

 

Get the 400
The 250 is a gutless wonder. , Yes for $325 you can add about 8 HP to the 250 (Rittercycle.com).
Pipe a 400 and add about 10hp.
I don't think your HP raitings are correct.
I belive the 400 is rated at 36HP stock. Anyway there is a big difference
Liquid cooling is on the 400 and not the 250
Upgrades are much more plentiful and potent on the 400
While the suspensions on the 2003 model trailblazer have the same travel, the 250 does not get the Rear Fox shock.

 

They are both great bikes. But you will be wanting more power on the 250. The 400 is very quick out of the box and the liquid cooling is a plus. I bought my 250 used for $1600 and put in about $600 into it and it can hang with a 400. The HP on the 250 is 22hp and 39hp on the 400. If you are like me i like the fact that my 250 can hang with the 400. It is by far not a race bike but one of the most capable trail quads out there.

 

If you trail ride in the heat, get the 400 for the liquid cooling alone. That was initially my main reason for getting rid of the 250 I had. It was overheating when our daughter rode with us on her 80. The 250 is a good starting bike, but you will outgrow it quickly power wise and will want more. See if your dealer will let you test ride both and you will find out for yourself. I have nothing against the 250 at all. Just having been there personally I would go for the 400. Bubba

 

I've got 2 trailblazer 250's and like everyone has stated, they are under powered
for a quad its size. If only I had known about ATV Connection forums before I
bought my quads, I would have bought at least one 400 instead of two 250's.
Now, my question to you is, how fast do you want to go? Because the 250 can
do all the same things that a 400 can. I ride mine year around and have not had
any major problems with either of mine. Snow, mud, water, hot or cold weather
it does it all except its not as fast as a 400. My brother has a 400 and when we
ride on trails his 400 does not overwhelm mine. In fact he has a hard time catching
me on the trails. I think the 250 handles better on tight trails but as soon as you
get to open areas, he can catch up. Thats when they were STOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If cash is the problem then the 250 is a pretty good buy. After a few years you can
trade up or just add some mods to it like 2manytoys and myself have. I have a
LOT of money and time invested into my 99 TB. It will hold its own against its bigger
brother (400) all they way up to higher speeds of well over 60 before mine tops out.
My brothers 400 is piped and has HPD's trail porting done so I'm very pleased that
my little TB can hang with his.

 

If you are ever planning on riding in the sand skip the 250 and go for the 400. I have put the performance kit (Ritter cycle) on our 250 and it perked it up but it's still a slug in the sand and yes the 250 has a problem with power fade when it warms up. If you put the same performance kit on the 400 you will have a real powerhouse. I will probably take my loss and trade up to a 400 so my wife can ride the dunes with me.

 

This HP thing keeps coming up. When you see a dyno chart from any particular bike it looks like a mountain peak, kinda rises at first then drops after you get past optimum rpm. When you take a 250cc engine and add a pipe that promises 8hp, that's *peak* hp. Look at the curve of a larger engine 400cc and the *area under the curve* will be considerably more throughout the rpm range of the two engines in most cases with everything else being equal.

 

I bought a 03 TB 250 in August to teach my son how to ride. We both like the bike. But I need a little more umph. I picked up my 03 TB400 today. WOW!!! This things got nuts! If you want power then you need the 400. If money is your concern go with the 250. The 250 has been an excellent bike for us. We ride 2 up most of the time so I can teach my son how to handle different situations on the trails. The bike does great with the weight of both of us. It's no power house but it's still a blast to ride. Since I just got the 400 today I can't tell you a lot about the difference in handling but the difference in power has me grinning from ear to ear! Just remember this: Any bike is better than no bike!

 

I agree with these guys. The 400 is worth the difference. I had a Trail Blazer 250. It is a world of difference riding my 400X. Like they said, the mods can be made to the 400 for about the same money. The mods make alot more noticable power in the 400.