hey guys im looking for a new quad and i cant make up my mind.
I ride in tight tight wood trails and every once in a while i jump lil 20 foot gap jumps at a friends house. I also would like to mess around in the snow.

I like the kfx because it's automatic, ithas a powerful v-twin, and from i hear, "it's the green beast form hell" but i am not sure about its reliability.

I like the 525 for its quick acceleration and irs, but i hear that their parts aren't cheap and break down often.

Now its the raptor, it has Yamaha's durability which i like and is also a good trail bike. I just don't think the raptor could fit my body (im 6"4' and 220 pounds)

PLEASE HELP!
THANKS

 

The KFX is a great quad for trail riding. Your alway in the right gear and it's a stab and steer ride.
The bad thing is it has K-Mart suspension from the factory. This can be fixed by the after market but it is $$$$'s. They are a heavy ride and you can't just flick them around like a 450. You are a big guy so that should not matter much.

I'm sure your going to hear from the litta fella's that the quad is a pig. Like I said, this quad is not for the little rider. Your not that so don't worry.

About the Yammie. They are a great trail quad and a great all around quad. Nothing wrong with them at all.

I would ride them both and see which one you like the best.

I don't know a thing about the 525 so I won't comment about it.

 

The KFX is a hybrid machine. It really isn't a "sport" quad at all, but rather a 2wd utility quad in sport plastic. Several of my biddies have them, and frankly they are huge ungainly pigs that have limited applications. We have an excellent set of woods trails in the local mountains, and the KFX guys fear to ride there....learn from their mistakes!!!


The primo tight trail quads are the 400EX and Z400, but they are probably to small for you. Of your list, the Raptor is the best choice. If you feel you genuinely need IRS, take a look at the Honda 700XX as well. It is kind of a big pig too, but it does have ground clearance.

 

thanks for the help guys. I currently own a honda 400ex with many mods and the thing is just to small for me. I forgot to mention that i like to get through some thick muck and can the raptor handle that?

 

I agree with recon, stay away from the KFX700..... My step-father has one and I've ridden it many times. It handles like a pig, it is very heavy. And it is not really that fast.... It is quick from about 0-50 but after that it basically tops out due to the gearing of the CVT and it is tough and expensive to change that gearing, no sprockets to swap out.... and they are expensive to mod as well because not everyone makes aftermarket upgrades for them.

If you have a 400ex now I'd stay away from the KFX.... The only people who seem to like them are Ute riders who are looking for something sporty..... My step-father rode nothing but Polaris for years so the KFX was a natural fit for him and he loves it.... But most people I know who have real sport ATVs don't really like the KFX700 very much.....

As far as the 525i ....well IRS is a different animal altogether.....you either love it or hate it. I personally don't like IRS and prefer the solid axle. But they do have the 525s with solid axle so I'd consider that option..... If you do like IRS maybe the Honda 700xx is something to look at as well...

The Raptor700 is a nice all around machine. Good engine, great suspension...... its not the most popular current sport ATV by accident.....

 

thanks for the help ss, im going to buy a new 2008 raptor then from a local dealer. THANKS!

 

You can also put tall tires on the Raptor for more ground clearance, like the ITP Holehot XCT's (23" front/22" rear). They probably aren't the greatest mud tire however.

 

ONE SEC.

Take a look at the Honda TRX 700xx

http://www.atvriders.com/images/hond...-side-view.jpg

Yes it's a 700 with IRS

 

Well dude, you are 6'4" and weigh 220.
That's pretty good in my opinion, but as we say in the south... you're a big feller...

Not saying you are heavy (you probably look like a rail) but you are not 5'7" and 170 lbs and never will be.

So at your size and also coming off a 400EX, my guess is that you are going to invest in suspension, no matter what you get... if you plan to ride hard enough to matter.

So I do not think it matters what you get... so long as you allow for the cost of suspension going in...


All 3 bikes are very nice... and I have to say that I used to have the same ASSUMPTION as many of the others on here about the KFX700.

Facts are, they can say what they want, but they are very powerful and very fast.
Yes, they are too tall and too heavy compared to my KFX 450R... but it's a different kind of bike.

Not long ago, I was browsing some old GNCC pics and saw where a KFX 700 had taken the morning overall. So it is possible to get them VERY GOOD. Suspension work being the major key as it always is... drop the ride height, make it devour the choppy stuff and soak up the big hits despite the extra weight and it's a winner too.


If you think about it like I do, you probably like all these bikes because they are roomy... and because of the better feel from peg-to-seat over the 400EX... and because all of them have much taller tank heights as well....

I'm tall, but not as tall as you... but do still noticee that small feel from the 400EX... In my opinion, the pegs-n-stuff are mounted too high... which causes you to be sitting down with your knees too high, etc...


So what you have to do is break the bikes down a little more and decide what YOU want and what is more important to YOU.

The 525 IRS will deliver superior ride quality, higher ground clearance, and great power, at the expense of more moving parts.

The KFX 700 will deliver brute force, and much reduced specific input because of the CVT, but at the expense of extra weight, which will be more to handle and throw around.

The 700R will deliver excellent power, your typical straight axle sport quad manners, and also a nice fuel injection system. But it is not going to ride as smooth as the IRS or be as easy to fix as a carb if it breaks.


Overall, these are CLEARLY way different bikes, all 3 kind of in their own niche.
So which you should choose depends on what is most important to you.

Myself, I like and respect all 3. And which one I would choose for a ride for the day would depend on where I was going.

 

One thing about the KFX 700 is the amount of mods available. I have had mine a month and I have a new clutch spring and 3 new coil springs and it rides great. I am trying to hold off on the pipe and airbox mods, but it will be tough.