shee and raptor? theyre both good, just two different philosopohies, like chevy and ford.
i have ridden both and the shee is a real thrill on dunes and fireroads, etc. But what made me pick the raptor is the type of power it generates...you come up on a hill, ya just give it a little throttle......gear position not as important as a two stroke. i have a blaster for the two stroke fun.....kinda half a banshee!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]
and the riding areas around here, when they say 50" they are these big mean posts, and thats the narrowest 50" i've ever seen!!!!
in the narrow stuff with some wide stiff rear tires is where a rap shines.
anyway, no hostility. I work at HOnda, drive a suzuki, ride two yamahas, and i get along with me.......[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]
go ridin!

 

Something fast and great for trails and dunes

This guy just described a C-Dale, no seriously here is my opinions on the sport quads after trying them all out before I bought my cannibal. Maybe this will help narrow down the different quads you want to test ride for yourself before you buy.

400EX
Great for trails, but don't try and keep up with any big boys

Z400
This is the next step up and it will "hang" with the big boys and with a mod or two it will run neck to neck with a stock machine.

Raptor
Ok drags, top heavy, no good for track racing and the front end wants to be in the air all the time..

DS
never tried it, just did not like the looks of it and the size for trail riding.

Shee
"just hang on and hope the wheels hook up"

250R
Excellent handling on the trails, good for drags and great for dunes from what I have read...(I just don't like the fact that it is old and it is a two stroke) also it is a difficult quad to get the feel for when riding it.

cannibal
Excellent handling on the trails, same throttle response as a two stroke, will pretty much whoop any stock quad on a drag, "don't have know clue about the predator though", also it is a difficult quad to get the feel for when riding it, once you do it is awsome. The only problem is all the damb bugs, mine is back in the shop again, this time for a recall on the shocks.


After test riding all of these stock quads my choices were either the dale or the stock 250r, these two quads are in a class by themselves when compared to the rest. My next choice would have been the Z, because of its handling on trails and smooth power response. When you look for a quad get what feels right for you.

 

well unless you are looking at a cannondale, price isnt really an issue. most raptors, ds650s, and shees can be had around the same price.

a z with a carb, filter, jets and big bore kit will run just a tiny bit faster than a stock raptor. i know because i raced this guy over and over again because he said his z was stock, but he kept inching me out, or just barely losing to me. after 8 or 10 drags he let me in on his little mod secret[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-shocked.gif[/img]

if you want to run out of the box then you only need to look at the raptor, shee, ds, and cannondale line.
raptor and ds are extremely close in a drag, from my experience. the baja doesnt seem to make a difference.
the shee is the old man that you can still buy new. stock it will run between a z and raptor. with the normal pipe, jets, filter, etc, you will be running everybody down in no time.

the predator, kfx700 and the gas gas quads arent even on the market yet so most people done have much first hand knowlege of them. if you can wait a few months, or until next spring, then you could probably get some good info on them.

the final decision is up to you, because everybody will have their own idea as to which quad is better.

 

i agree with tdog
if i couldnt get another 2-stroke i would deffinly get a c-dale

 

The only bad thing about trail riding with a 2 smoke is if you ride seriously technical trails you will work yourself to death working the clutch. Open woods and trails are a blast but the tight stuff like what's found in Chadwick can really wear you out slipping the clutch to keep revs up. The 400EX, Z400, and Raptor all have the torque and capability of just hopping up and over ledge rock and other large obstacles. There isn't really much of an advantage with any of these 3 other than the Z and Raptor both have reverse which comes in handy. There are only 2 open trails where you can get a quad in 5th in Chadwick and they are gravel roads. The Raptor has a 2 to 3 quad lenght advantage over a stock Z here. The Banshee's that ride with us have to run the Raptors and Z's down as they can't hang with us on the gravel due to wheel spin until they get wound out. On the trails it's all about rider ability as the Z and the Raptor will run pretty much dead even until the top of 4th gear. I would have to think the Cannondale would have an advantage in the woods as they have awesome throttle response and will holeshot everyone at the local races. If you have the opportunity, ride everything that interests you. That's what I did. I have rode friends Raptors a bunch in the woods and the Z just felt better to me. The Banshee was out of the question for me because of the tight area's I ride in. Stuff that I can just idle or torque over they have to get a run at so it makes for a harder day riding all the way around. There's a quad out there now for just about every type of riding style and terrain. And they all are good machines and have their place. I've been riding since the 70s and I prefer the tight woods and technicial trails for a challenge and 80% of my riding was on 2 stroke bikes until 4 or 5 years ago.