i would like to know what everybody perfers beace i am in the market for a new quad ..... i mainily go through some mud , trails and hills, not really ganna be used for raceing........and which of the two is more reliable, has more power, tell me what you think about the 2 machines ...........thanks

 

i know you are new so welcome but this question has been asked soo many times since 2003, when yamaha and honda started talking about 450s! yamaha released theirs that june, honda followed that december /jan 04 time frame.

if you want mud i would not reccomend either. they are just not mud bogger machines and will likely overheat (and get stuck) if you putt through the mud and get the cooling sys clogged up with mud.

if the trails/hills are faster then you would like either.

 

Both quads are excellent choices although I suggest doing more research in other sites/forums that are specifically dedicated to these machines specially with concerns regarding component failure and reliability issues.

At this point, everything is relative powerwise, handling, ergonomics, etc.

Better yet, try to test ride either machine for your own seat of the pants experience before dropping your hard earned $$$$$. Bottomline, you will not lose with either.

 

In my opinion they are BOTH track and open trail machines.

I tried both and decided on the YFZ, but not by a great margin overall.

I'm an old-school guy and when it comes to performance and handling... the YFZ just has it.
This bike is sick man...

The 450R I liked the looks of better and stuff. I liked the kick-start option if you wanted it too.
I just felt it was weaker on the bottom end (probably gearing) and had a "push" in the corners the YFZ didn't.

But like I said, I'm old-school and found the YFZ to be the closest thing to the old Honda 250R.

In hind-sight though, the YFZ is too much quad for the tight woods.
It's high-strung and more power than you need...
And when you set it up for track... you notice the width too...
So it's better to stay close to stock width unless you never ride anything tight.
And while the handling is sharp, unfortunately so is the ride.

So the 450R might make a better trail quad (?) but it would have to be re-geared.

Reliablity wise, I'm going to pick the YFZ (another factor in my decision) because I had no trouble, and I have heard/read that the periodic maintenace is something to consider on the 450R. Frequent valve adjustments, and of course shorter life than other Hondas. But that's hear-say I guess.

Aside from the tight trails though, I really liked the YFZ for fast riding. Not too much shifting because it has the guts and it's hard to beat unless you are on a long run. But at the same time, I found it a little easy to stall when you are trying to take off easy, and I didn't think the top end could afford dropping a tooth.

So I myself would like to see a YFZ chassis with the same handling, a better ride, down a tooth on the gearing, a 6th gear, a reverse, and maybe even a 'trail' engine between the 350 and 450 instead of the race engine. A no-question bullet-proof engine that needs nothing but fluid and filter changes...

So I guess that in the end, if you want to race, these 450's are the way to go. Any of them really. But if you want a sport trail machine, I thing there are more practical choices.... and which one is right for me is what I'm pondering now myself. Probably one of the 400's or one of the Raptors.

 

I like the YFZ for freestyle jumping and play riding, but not so much for any type of cross-country work or even trails.

The R is a great cross-country machine! I don't like it for really tight trails though, because its engine really likes to rev so you have to do a lot of clutch work on a tight trail. I prefer the 400EX for tighter, semi-techinical trails.

Sounds like you need an all-arounder. Take a good look at the Z400....it's the best all-around machine out there!

 

I believe reconranger is right. Also try to consider the z400 and even the ole tried and relaible 400ex for they are very comfortable in the trails, woods and hills. Plus, they are considerably cheaper and relatively lower maintenance bikes.

 

Yeah, that's sorta what I am saying.

When it comes to REALLY AGRESSIVE riding, the 450's are a gas man...
And on the track or open trails, the YFZ is for the thrill-seekers.
Even a guy like me who loved the rippy 2 strokes can get a thrill out of them.

And when you are anywhere that there are speed limitations, like open trails, tracks, with curves, bumps, humps and jumps...
Well, it's really hard to beat the YFZ...
My two buddies with 450R's took a spanking.

But like coming out of a trail head into a long opening like a field to cross into another trail section.
Well they would run me down and spank me in that opening if they were close coming into it.

And like I said, the clutch and shifter work is not real high on the YFZ setup.
Way less than the 450R and a little better on the bottom... but it doesn't have the top-end.
But you aren't clutching and shifting near as much in the middle while ridding... as it will pull on through real well.
So it's good in that respect... mine was just set up too wide for the tight woods.

HOWEVER, when you get in a real techincal spot, or you are taking off on a hill, or trying to take off easy, etc... well then the machine is a lot of work like the 450R is. Easy to stall. Like places where the bottom of the trail is a downhiller into a big friggin ditch. 1st gear work where you have to feather it through.

With the Honda, I think this could be addressed by dropping a tooth or two, but on the YFZ I just don't think the top end can afford that. And although the YFZ setup is a handler for sure, it beats the crap out of you too. A good ride made me sore and tired... beat up.... which is something I wouldn't notice if I was 10-15 years younger... LOL.

Anyways, though they have their differences, in a way the result is sorta similar. I'm a woods rider in the eastern mountains when it comes to trails. Some of them are open rough logging roads, and some of them are tight woods just squeezing between the trees. In the end, on a 450 in this setting you are putting a race bike in the woods. OK I guess if you are teens to early twenties... LOL. And overall, it's the same reason that even back in those days I would sometimes jump on the 250X instead of the 250R/LT250 or Quadzilla. When you are not going to run highway speeds, no use in all that.

Ironically, the real wakeup call for me came a while back when I spent my whole trail riding day on an old wore out/ragged out 300EX. The thing needed a TON of TLC to say the least. But I had a friggin ball on it, and was not tired, worn out, or sore afterwards, and didn't wake up sore the next day either.

So I'm looking really hard at the 400's (Z400/KFX400/DVX400) and the Honda 400EX since the addition of reverse.
And maybe the Raptors too... something with a little more than a 300EX... and something more practical than the 450's.

I don't know where I'm headed on that, but I guess a big division will occur when I decide rather or not I want liquid cooling or the simplicity of air cooling... or if I get a chance to ride them and decide based on that.

 

Yep, that's what I'm getting at... and all that sounds good to me...

Comfort, guts, and asking little of me beyond oil changes and simple maintenance... and no worries about the possibility of major things.