Some people can't go fast enough no matter what they ride .........

My z400 is totally stock .......... except for grips every stock part is still good enough .....

But I ride on trails, and XC, and small MX tracks. I do not need the power to clear a 100-foot tabletop or a 80-foot double, nor do I have that skill ..... so my stock suspension too, is excellent for me.........

I ride with guys on 450R and YFZ450s with full mods, and in the woods and trails they are no faster than my stock 400, in the tight woods it is all rider. But these new sport machines handle great, you can push them pretty hard before they bite you.

But a lot of guys/gals ride in the desert open, and they need a jet-kit and exhaust just to reach speeds that are fun for even the average rider.

I personally have loved quads since the day I saw one on the cover of Dirt Wheels proclaiming "Worlds First 4-wheeler"............. I have ridden dirt bikes with very little success, I've always loved watching the Jeff Stanton-to-Jeremy McGrath-to-Ricky Carmichael-to-James Stewart-to(someday) Ryan Villopoto train of stars to ride on two-wheels ............

But I'd rather watch that, and participate in ATV riding ....... I've always felt comfortable on a quad and like I should be peddling on a bike .......

 

[quote]
Originally posted by: Ozark38
To the original poster, Dude almost everyone I know who started out on a utility as there first quad.............soon ended up on a fast sport quad in no time............No BS!!!!!!!!


I'd agree with this. Another thing that nobody's really brought up is that it sucks to be the only bike in a group of ATV's (or vice versa). Sometimes you just ride what your friends ride.

 

I get a kick out of reading these posts.... And the reference to the slowness of UTE's... Maybe because I've never ridden or raced a big sport quad.... but I lined up with a Raptor 350, a KFX 450 and a Kawi 300 dirt bike and blew the doors off them in a 1/4 mile. My machine has been clocked at 78 mph.... I know sport quads are faster, but how much faster?

 

Slyculprit, the 450's and larger will do mid 70's usually. Raptor 350's are probably 10 mph below that. In a long straight race you might have the upper hand sure. If you beet a 450 bike you must have one heck of a motor in that thing. Personally, I could care less how many drags I win, as I want to be flying down a trail or over jumps. From my experiences, the utes can still move out in those areas too, but I end up waiting alongside the trail for catch ups more when there are utes in the mix.

 

Scooter it's the Brute Force 750, so even stock it's packing a whallop, I think I got it up to 68 mph stock, but it ain't stock no more. I could see where the UTE's would have a hard time on a tight track, most of them don't turn exceptionally well, and even harder to slide them when you have IRS. But it's all in what you have in the terrain is like in your riding area... My cousin rides a Raptor 350 and I spend half my time waiting for him (through the rocks and the muds) and he spends half his time waiting for me ( through the twisting turns and the whoops) Now that is where a big ute slows down, damn I hate whoops. LOL

 

Guess I need to relate my dirt bike experiences. I grew up riding dirt bikes.....and I mean hard core riding! As an early teen I rode all over Baja.....most of the time SOLO. It taught me self reliance like I could never have learned any other way!

When I was in college and graduate school I couldn't afford a dirt bike, so I took up the mountain bike. Later when I had kids, I couldn't get the kids to ride mountain bikes, so I bought them quads so they could ride along with me (lazy little.....). Now and then I would take the kids quads for a ride, and I got hooked on quads! The rest is history........

Actually, last year I did get another dirt bike. Just a mellow little fun to ride CRF230, that I could ride on the tight trails we have in the local mountains. I quickly discovered that the dirt bike left a lot to be desired on a nasty slippery techincal downhills, and the quad did way better than the dirt bike ever could. Sold the dirt bike to my neighbor for what I paid for it, and I don't think I will ever own a dirt bike again (except maybe some day a dual sport for exploring places that aren't quad legal).

 

I own sport quads because I basically ride dunes only. But last year a buddy and I went elk scouting and I took our Raptor up around the continental divide through some real rough country. Worked me to death to get through some of those areas, and beat me up through all the rocks with the solid axle. If I rode up in the mountains around here much at all, it would be at minimum a Polaris Outlaw with the IRS, or possibly a larger ute with IRS.

Decent trails though that aren't all rocky and rutty I'd stay on the sport. Dunes of course no question!! Light weight and tire speed baby.

 

I started out riding quads at 8 yrs old. I have had a smaller ute until this year (biggest is my 85 250 moto-4 yamaha still running). I just now bought a 450 wolverine 4x4 which I love, I can ride wheelies and do anything I want on it. I hunt and can tow a deer out of the woods, race around the trails here. Sometimes on two or three wheels.

I have owned 4 dirt bikes which in Nebraska works out better due to flat land and not riding over boulders like here in arkansas. i can ride them about anywhere but it is just easier on a quad, plus I dont tear up other peoples land as bad with the quad.

 

My thoughts have probably already been mentioned, but I live in FL and there's lots of loose sugar sand. I started out on a KX125, then YZ125, then KX250... then Kodiak 400 4x4, then Warrior, now my Z and that's where I want to stay. They were all good for certain things. The bikes were the best at the track, easiest to handle, and on the trail, I could jump pretty much anything in sight. However, stopping on a trail at a sand pit or something sucked, the bike was pretty much useless. The Kodiak was great for taking a passenger, trails with a large group of people and camping, but I like going stupid fast and getting as high as possible. I just hurt the Kodiak too much. The Warrior was cool, little more what I wanted but the Z was perfect. I have fun on every trail, any terrain, and I can fly at the track. Best all around machine I've owned. That's why! ha

PS- I don't think people mean utilities are slow. Many new models have very powerful engines, but they don't "fly" through the trails as fast because of handling and of course the track is a no go. If I was interested on being super fast in a straight line, I wouldn't be riding a 400. Is anyone understanding our sport quad passion? ha

 

Another thread where someone was asking about tubes reminded me of this.........

Ever change a dirt bike tube out on the trail????? On a quad, you have tubeless tires. It is a simple thing to just patch a tire then jump back on and continue your ride. With the dirt bike, it's usually going to be better just to try and ride it home flat.

And then there are those spoked dirt bike wheels.........

Just some more good reasons to be on a quad rather than a bike!