I think everyone here had given you some good advice. I have owned a z400 and really liked it. I now have a predator. I had an 05 and now have an 07 Troy Lee. I don't know of any "issues" with the preddy, unless you are talking about a pre 2005....no reverse and horrible shifting. All fixed now and i can wheelie, jump, and haul a**! It really doesn't take much money to make this 500 scream! I also had a 2002 raptor 660 and it sucked! But, they have made many improvements and are definitely at the top of my list, just cost alot! One of the main reasons I have the preddy is that it is by far the best bang for the buck...I bought this 07 new for only 5k last month as the dealer wanted to rid himself of it to make more room for new ones. But figure this....preddy's come stock with douglas aluminum wheels, maxxis razr tires, steel braided brake lines, lifetime warranty on the axle, and fox shocks with piggy back reservoirs for the troy lee edition. I believe the sticker price with all this is even less than the z400! Keep in mind the 08's are now outlaws and come with a ktm525 motor, which is another great improvement.......and increase in cost! LOL!

I'm not going to say one is better than the other because I think everyone makes a really good competetive quad. Most of us are biased because we don't want to know there is a better one out there! You just have to sit on them and get the feel as they all "sit" different and you have to be comfortable on them! Good luck!

 

I don't know what your talking about saying that all Honda sport quads are crap. That's nonsense. The TRX450 is every bit as reliable and fast as a YFZ. The best part about them is they are way comfy for us bigger guys. They have way better ergo's than the YFZ. I'm 6'6" 280 and fit on the TRX just fine. I can't say the same for the YFZ. If you want something fast, reliable, and fun get the TRX. You'll smoke Z400's and KFX700's all day long, esspecially stock for stock. I don't own a Honda, I just know a lot of people that do and they've been great, so I don't have a biased opinion. I would say just get what's comfy for you and does what you want it to. Good luck buddy! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Well, I can't really say anything about the 450R accept what I've heard. Supposedly the engines not too bad, and all newer machines are reliable for the most part, but the Honda suspension sucks from what I hear. Some guys said they used YFZ shocks for an upgrade! And for the rest of the sport quads, the 400ex, 300ex and 700xx, well, they suck. My little brother has a 400ex and compared to a z400, it loses in EVERY category. I pretty much own a 300ex, and it's not horrible, but the newer ones are just, idk, eh. HAHA. Maybe that's just me. And besides, I took a vow to never buy another Honda quad. LOL. With that in mind, that's the reason my only two GOOD options are pretty much a Z or KFX. I have no need to go flying 60-70 feet on a quad, not yet anyway [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img] so I think the KFX would be fine in that aspect. I did get some good advice though, get what I want and what works for me. Well, I want a KFX700. I don't ride in sand, I don't race, and I want that big number I guess. haha. Thanks for the help everyone [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/beer.gif[/img] Cheers [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I don't think you'll regret buying the 700. It is a nice quad and the dual exhaust is pretty cool. I have heard good things about it. Like you said, you don't ride in the sand and that is the only thing I think would suck. Good luck and post some pics when you get them!

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: 330X=]

Yeah, I like to shift too, but it's not gonna stop me from buying an automatic, especially if that automatic is faster. haha. Thanks for the input =]





and dual pro circuits (drooling) =0 haha

nice</end quote></div>

Yea it will be a lot faster going down hills, the kfx700 has no engine braking so it'll run away on you real fast going down hills

 

I'm 6'4", 250 lbs ... if I had it to do over again, I would have bought the Raptor ...

With that said, this is the first sport quad I've ever owned, and the more and more I ride it the the better I get on it.

It's almost impossible for me to jump this thing however, it's like my center of gravity is just way too high or something ... I can't shake the feeling that if I hit a jump it's just gonna wheelie straight up into the air and I'm gonna land flat on my back.

With that said, I've put a LSR +3+1 steering stem on the bike, and it's more comfortable for me to ride, but I've noticed it's slightly more difficult to whip the back end around ... I have to "consciously" lean over the handlebars now, but now that I've realized that I do like the taller stem.

I just put an FMF header and muffler on it yesterday and the gain in bottom end power helped me out a lot riding this thing.

I am also still using the stock suspension calibrations, which I am gonna start messing with to see if I can set it up more for my style riding .... I use this as more of a trail bike.

The reason I would have bought the raptor is just moreso with me being a big guy that's pretty athletic, I don't think having a quad with a significantly larger and fuel injected motor would have really hindered me that much as far as whipping it around trails and dunes ... I mean, if you already weigh 250 pounds what is an extra 40 for a bigger motor and suspension set up more for your style riding gonna hurt?

The YFZ as I've come to find out is pretty much build with the sole purpose of MX in mind, and unless you're gonna be doing that on it, regardless of how big you are, it's kind of a waste of money to buy one when there are obviously better choices out there for non MX riding.

 

Well, I don't exactly know what I wanna do as far as a track and stuff goes. I made my first real jump the other day and it's TOO MUCH FUN. I need something bigger though cause 180lbs on a 250x and a 30 ft table top dont really mix very well. haha. I don't know what to think anymore. The KFX700 is heavy, but its fast, the z400s that i can afford right now are 03s which I don't know if I trust with all the frame issues they've had, and I can't fit on a YFZ, stock anyway. I'm at a loss.

 

get the z dude, for your weight it's the best choice. i say the 700 is too much weight and not enough fun. but that's jus me, i think all sport quads should have at least five gears

 

Well, I think I've FINALLY made up my mind. I went to my dealer today, and hopped on both a Z400 and a YFZ450. The Z was more comfortable, but I'm just gonna wait a little longer and see if I can't get a nice used YFZ. =] They're nasty machines. haha. Thanks for the help everyone, and if you have anything else to say, say it, I'm always listening. Just one last question....... how much maintenance is there with the fo fittys (450s for all of you that can't read [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img])? lol Thanks guys. [img]i/expressions/beer.gif[/img][img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]