My first choice after getting a few mags was the Z400. Every article said it had good power and handled great. After doing alot of research on the internet (forums are great places to find out info) the Z has dropped back to 3rd on my list. The engine was fine and the handling is supposed to be good but there were other problems and their number and type are beginning to put me off of buying it.
I still haven't figured out which one but am leaning towards a cannibal with a raptor in second place.

 

Rode the z in the parking lot, same as the dale. Great bike, just didnt tickle me like the dale. It's all what personally gets your goat, the dale got mine in a big way.

 

It'll be interesting to see what happens when they run a production Predator against the Z. If you want a scoop on the story read on, if not tune out.

The Z400 will win because it is easier to ride, lighter, feels better in the air, has reverse, is smaller, has an axle theat bends like it was made of provolone cheese, and finally because it is Japanese. Not to mention that as far as cubic advertizing dollars are concerned, the Z400 will win because Suzuki spends more than Polaris, Artic Cat and Bombardier combined. Besides they flew the riders over to Japan to test the Z400. Polaris took the cheap route and took them to Florida.

Just out of curiosity, why exactly are we paying money for a subscription to Dirtwheels? They should be giving that rag away for free because of all the advertizing in it. They are fast becoming the "GQ" of ATV magazines. All ads and no substance or articles. I recently took one of their magazines and ripped out all pages with full advertizing on both sides of the page. No kidding, it was about half as thick as it was before. This doesn't count the ads on one side of the page and not the other. That magazine would be 10 whole pages long if it wasn't for ads.

 

I agree Mike. What are we into now the super special niche' shootout? We now have a dune shoot out based on what Alba can provide Dirt Wheels with. I'm in no way nocking Alba but doesn't this seem bizare? I e-mailed DW or ATV Actio once and asked them how they came to there conclusions in there ultimate sport quad test between the Z400, Raptor, Cannibal, and 400ex when all there criteria came up with the Cannibal as the winner and they said "Well in the end I guess that's how we really felt" the test riders they had didn't even agree and aren't they the ones doing the test anyway? It's like hiring a bunch of dieticians to decide what the healthy diet style for the average person would be and having them all come up with the same answer and saying OK but lets tell everyone it's this other choice. The choice that pays all our bills it may be biased but it's a living and we'll stick by it.

 

Cubic advertising dollars...

I like that [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Just a new guy with his 2 cents worth.

The trouble is that we are all looking for something that doesn't exist, like the Loch Ness Monster, Bigfoot, Santa Clause or Smart Politicians. We are looking for a fair and honest shootout based on what each one of us feels is the most important aspect of a Sport ATV. Some want the fastest Quad to be the winner, some what it to be the best Duner, best Trail rider or the best handling. It's a NO win situation. No matter which one wins, 3/4 of the people reading it will not agree with the outcome.

In the shoot out between the Dale & the Z400, I couldn't believe that they picked the Z as the winner. My buddy has a Cannibal and it is an incredible machine, but when it came time for me to step up, I went with the KFX400. Why? Not because of what some magazine wrote but because it fitted my riding style and my abilties better and quite honestly, the Dale was just too much $. In the real world that stupid little stuff matters.

In the Raptor vs Z400 the only riders that could run the numbers on the Raptor were the Pros. Less than 2% of the population can be considered a Pro quallity rider. That leaves 98% of us smucks as average to below average riders. To be quite honest, rider ability means a H**L of a lot more than a mph here and a tenth of a second there in the performance of a Quad.

When I read the Alba Dune Shootout, I thought to my self, how can you beat a Banshee, a DS, a Raptor or for that matter a Dale out on the dunes, where power means everything? At the same time, I have ridden my Kawi in the sand several times and can say that I have no complaints with its abilities. For me it works, for the next guy, maybe Not.

Don't let the Mags get cha all worked up. take them for what they are, a source for information, and decide for yourself which quad fits you best. If you don't you won't be happy with your choice in the end.

There are a Million different oppinions on which Sport Quad is truly the best. Just spend an hour reading these forms and you will see that what I say is true, and everyone is right, how can this be? Just be thankful that we have so many choices. Can't can't can't we all just get along?

 

I have friends with all of these machines and I have several myself. lets get real !! I rode a modified D S this past weekend for quite a while. Smooth machine, very heavy. Now the Cannondale took a last in seating position? First off the D S seat goes up in the back and its difficult to get your but uphill, then the seat widens at the same time. I felt like I was climbing out of a hammock just to move around.

 

Good points RPM

I dont think that a good shootout is a pipedream tho. They just have to establish their grading criteria and stick to them. I think the complaints against Dirtwheels are fairly legit. No one is disagreeing with what dirtwheel's specific observations were, its how they are coming to their goofy conclusions at the end. Yes, it got beat in every category that matters, but we still give the nod to the Z. That's tripe. The individual test results are valid and worthwhile for the most part.

It's a poorly focused editorial staff.

Hey, where in washington are you from?

 

LapTraffic, Who would decide what criteria to go with? Which one is fastest? Which one handles the best? Which one is the better jumper? Under what kind of riding conditions? Are we talking Woods? Are we talking Sand? Is it a tight MX track? is it a wide oupen CNCC style course? Should things like Cost, Reliability, Styling, Ergonomics & Riders Ability come into play? Shouldn't the skill of the potential riding public have some bearing on the final outcome? Hey I'm as much of a speed freek as the next guy. If it's Fast, I'm there. I am a professional Drag Racing Photographer, I get to stand 10 feet away from the fastest acceleating vehicles on the planet. Do I think Speed is important? H**L Yah. Do I think that speed should be the deciding factor for which quad to buy? No. There are a lot who do.

If you set up a test with everyones input as to what should be tested and what shouldn't, by the time the testing is done and the results are given, everyone who reads it would be saying "Yah, I remember those Quads, my Dad had one of those". The best part of it would be that you would STILL have 3/4 of the readers disagreeing with the outcome.

Don't get me wrong, I don't agree with a lot of the results that the magazines are coming up with, I just don't think that there is any way that there will ever be a Shootout or comparison test that will satisfy the masses. Someone has to loose and the looser Never likes loosing.

As far as the Mags testing goes, you have to realize what Suzuki (Yes see I know my KFX400 is just a rebadged Susuki) was trying to accomplish. They were trying to build an all around good performance quad. They weren't trying to turn the earth with mind blowing horsepower, otherwise they would have gone bigger. They weren't trying to build a machine that would soar like a bird, or they would have gone much more agressive with the shocks and suspenssion components. What they were trying to do was to build a good all around Sport Quad that the average Joe could ride. I think they did a pretty good job of it and their sales numbers back it up. Is it the best Quad out there? I don't know, it is for me.

There is a little history to back up the results that we are seeing in these shootouts. Does anyone remember a Sport Quad that Honda made called the 400ex? It wasn't the fastest, it wasn't the most high tech, but just a few short years agout it was winning all of these shootouts and everyone except the Honda owners were crying foul then too. The Mags tend to like Quads that are user friendly. Quads for the average Joe.

I'm from the Longview, Kelso area, where is Orting located.

 

i got a card in the mail the other day, designed to hold my check for a dirt wheels renewal. somehow, it ended up in the woodstove. imagine that. i've had enuf of their BS. and vote with my wallet. i suggest advertisers use a different mag. it's all ads anyway. hell, it oughta be free the ad money theyre pullin down....

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