I want to replace my 2nd quad that my girlfriend and friends ride. Right now I have a '99 Kawasaki Lakota 300 for them to ride. It is pretty slow and doesn't get around in the sand at Silver Lake very well. I was looking into something better & more powerfull.

I currently have a '00 DS650 and I like it a lot so far (I am not really into jumping and I don't ride at any tracks) so I am not really afraid of how heavy the KFX700 is and so far I really like the low-end torque that the motor has over the Banshee I previously had. A plus for the KFX700 is that it is automatic because my girlfriend hasn't ever ridden anything with a clutch. On on the other hand, having an LTZ400 would be more fun for friends and would also be fun for me to ride if I switched with my friends while riding BUT either my girlfriend wouldn't ever ride with me again or she would have to learn a clutch.

We ride about a 50/50 split of trails and sand dunes and aren't seriously hard riders. We are all 30+ years old and ride for fun, not really to see who can out-do who.

I can get an '04 KFX700 for $2200 (or less) or an '03 LTZ400 for $1950 (or less). Both are in very nice condition. I say "or less" because I haven't haggled with them yet. The LTZ400 is within 10 minutes from me but the KFX700 is about a 5 1/2 hour drive. I am trying to decide if I really want a KFX700 before I take the drive.

What do you guys think? Just don't start a bashing war between these quads (or my DS650 for that matter). I am just looking for real world reasons why one or the other would be better for the type of riding that we do.

Kevin

 

I have the KFX700 and am really happy with it, my friend has the KFX400 that I have ridden some and it also is a great quad. You should be able to teach your girlfriend the clutch fairly easy, at least I was able to teach my 11 year old to ride one without to much trouble, just took about 30 minutes and he had it down. I would probably lean towards the 400 since it is so much closer. It really is a toss up. Either one one suit your needs just fine. I am sure there will be someone along soon telling you how the 700 is a POS heavy pig, but you already ride a large heavy quad, so you know what they are like.

 

The Z is a sweet little machine, and the KFX is a huge pig that is more of a ulitity than a sport quad! Should be an easy choice for the little lady......

I can teach a kid to shift a manual in half an hour. Should only take like 2 hours for a 30+ adult!

 

Unless your girlfriend is a bute and a total spaz, I would get the 400.
The 700 is a serious quad for bigger riders just like your Bomb.
It it not ment for little Honda ridding fellers. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

<div class="FTQUOTE"><begin quote>Originally posted by: DoctorturboIt it not ment for little Honda ridding fellers. [IMG][/IMG]</end quote></div>

Light and fast....no lard ***!

 

IMO, I would go with the Z400 for sure! I think the KFX700 has it's place and is a good machine, but the Z is a blast to ride and more versatile. My wife rides one and she loves it. She previously had no idea how to ride a clutch but it didn't take her long to learn and now she's addicted. The Z is also really light and easy to ride which is another benefit for the lady. For the money, the distance to travel, and the benefits, get the Z for all the right reasons. You already have a heavy pig like me, now you need a light one for a different experience when you want to whip and toss something around. Having a Z and a DS is a perfect combo, go for it!! Good Luck!

 

I am trying to work out a time to go look at the Z400 within the next couple of days. If it wasn't for the fact that my girlfriend hasn't ever driven a quad with a clutch there would be no question that I would choose the Z400 (or something similar).

I am by no means a large guy (5'11", 175 lbs) but so far I love my DS650. It was a great upgrade from my '89 Banshee. The idea of a lighter, smaller 2nd quad is appealing because I can chose which one to ride based on how I feel like riding that day. In the sand my DS650 is awesome but it is not that great in tighter trails and REALLY sucks when you come to a dead end (mud pit or log or something) and have to try to pick it up and turn it around. That happened to me about 8 times within 2 hours this past weekend. Does the Z400 have reverse? I think it does but I am not sure.

Recently I had a chance to take a short ride on an '04 Honda TRX450R. I didn't really like the feel of the quad and it seemed to have too much of a "2-stroke type" powerband. I will say that it is very fast but just not really the right quad for me. For sand dunes I would choose my DS650 over the 450R anyday. I am guessing that the Z400 is a bit different than both of those yet.

Do you think that if I can get the '03 Z400 for $1800 it would be a good price? That is assuming it really IS as good as the photos make it seem.

 

Yes the Z400 has reverse which is awesome IMO. I wish my DS had reverse. $1800 for a Z in good shape is a steal, buy it!! And once again, the clutch shouldn't be a problem at all. She probably won't like clutching at first but once she gets it down, she'll be addicted [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Take a good look around the shock mounts on the z. The 03 models had the weak frame issue. If it was just ridden normally, shouldn't be a problem. But if it was ridden pretty hard, then the frame might have some cracks.

 

OK, I will check those out. From the photos it doesn't look like it was beat on.

How comparable is a 400EX to the Z400? There is also one of those within a 1/2 hour drive from me that is in the same price range.