My experience racing YFZs and 450Rs in the sand is similar to RAJ's (on the track?).

I have beaten YFZs and they have beaten me. I have beaten 450Rs and they have turned around and beaten me. Depends on how they are set up, who gets the hole shot, and who is riding them (weight and skill). I normally beat Raptors and DS650s (but not always). Most sand racing includes "whoops" at the bottom of the hill, so the suspension plays a significant role there.

My sand racing also includes racing for 2 hours through the dunes, 2 or 3 times a day, day after day. The Predator is the best and fastest for me in the sand, it gives me an edge because of its superior handling and comfort. JMO. (I'm not a young Pro rider.)

As I said before, I think the Pred is the very best for trail riding. JMO. (I own a Raptor and a Predator, and I have ridden both of the 450s numerous times.)

All Stock, the YFZ and the 450R will beat the Pred. The Predator is about 65 lbs heavier with only 50 more CC's. When you start modding them a lot depends on how well you set it up and how much you want to spend.

"If you want to go faster, just bring $$$$."

If you are coming off a Blaster, you will love any of these three. Have Fun!

 

Don't base everything on the Mags. talk to people that ride them beside everyday! If you buy what the mags say you will have to buy a new one every month. One of the larger mags a month or so ago rated the YFZ last and a 450r first and the Predator second. I would buy what you want and feel good about they are all good now and if you buy one that is alittle slower than the other there are parts for all to make it run the way you wish.

I have rode the YFZ and the 2005 Predator and they both run very well. The Predator rides a bunch smoother and has reverse but the YFZ is a little harder pulling on the top over the Predator. If you are going to spend some cash on what you buy I would buy the YFZ but if you are not I would go with the Predator it has very nice wheels, tires, axle and shocks. Me and a buddy both swapped out on a new YFZ and a 05 Predator and we dragged them and he jumped them both as I don't jump and they ran side beside in the drags but he did like the way the YFZ jumped. If you are going to trail ride and not race MX I would really think Pred. but buy what you want. Like I said I would buy what I wanted because I think you can't go wrong as all makes are good now.

 

I agree a lot with what jaycer says about the magazines.
I pay no attention to who they say wins their shootout. What I do read with interest is how the riders say the machines compare in each of the categories being evaluated. It is only interesting to see which stocker wins the straight drag, or which one handles the best in the dunes, or which one is the most comfortable on the trail.
The mags cannot tell you how your body will fit the machine, or how much you weigh. The mags cannot tell you how you value speed vs comfort vs cost vs hills vs sand vs water vs trails vs looks vs etc! And most folks put some mods on their machine, so stock performance is only interesting, not definitive.
But once you understand which type of riding you are going to be doing, then you can look for a machine that excels in that same category of comparison by the mags. An example would be that Dirt Wheels says to stay away from the DS650 on the trails, and they give good reasons for that. This is information that has value. The fact that they rate the stock Predator over the stock Raptor on the trails is only interesting...do you like the Predator is what counts.
Always try to get a ride on the machines you are interested in. Ideally, I like to get a few hours of seat time to really evaluate them. Fortunately, I ride with a lot of folks who have the various different machines and are willing to trade off for awhile.
They're all good.
Good Luck and Have Fun.

 

FWIW, I saw a piped '05 TLD at the dunes here a couple weeks ago. We have a fairly steep dune (Sand Hollow). ANyway, this quad could barely make it up. I was very suprised. I think it made it in 1st at the top; MAYBE second. Makes it about as fast as a Z400 w/ pipe. YFZ is the fastest up this hill from what I've seen, where the 450R is right behind it.

 

I dont know about the 05's but I raced my first race on my 04 this past sunday and took first no problem. I was racing in the local pro hare scramble circuit (2 man team, 1 hour race) with with my brother, he has a 04 400ex, piped jetted and aftermarket air filter. There were only 2 other teams in the pro race and the quads that we raced were a yfz, raptor, and 450r. The the yfz and 450 were a little quicker with the hole shot but after a couple of laps we pulled ahead of them and they couldn't catch back up. So in my opinion the predator was the better bike that day. The only problem I see with the pred on the track is that it is a little heavy for jumping doubles, but other than that it preformes very well on the track.

 

PADZZ - I agree, IME the YFZ is usually the fastest up the sand hills and in sand drags, although the 450R seems to win nearly as often. It usually depends on the rider and the holeshot. The pred is usually very close, and I have beaten some YFZs and 450Rs on my Pred. I can usually get a lead on them going thru the whoops.
The piped 400Z usually can't stay with the piped Pred, so the 05TLD you saw must have a problem. 400Zs will not usually join in the drags with the 450s and the Preds and Raptors. (Same with most DS650s.) They prefer to beat the Honda 400s. JME.
It makes a big difference how the bike is set up and who is riding it.

 

predators are great quads.... lots of power and if you mod it right you can really tap into the engine

 

i think that predators are very underated on the track..... i took mine to a local track and raced two guys for fun for a couple laps and one guy had a yfz 450 and the other had a raptor and i took them both.. my bike was a little heavy on some of the jumps but overall it was great