ive been wondering about a few bikes. right now i have an 03 yam blaster. its nice, but i want... no NEED more power. i was looking at banshees and raptors but the more i learned the less i liked. i mean shees are great, but not for anything but dunes really. i need a good dune bike cause thats primarily what im gonna do, but i also need a good trail bike cause i do a fair amount of that as well. i havent heard anyone having any problems with their Zs (Z400 of course) and ive heard that they handle amazingly well. i would like something with a little more power, but im sure theres aftermarket for that, and handling is important. i want to be able to keep up with or beat at least 400exs, and possibly raptors or banshees. what is a stock Z's top speed? (i plan on doing some drags against friends) im guessing it is about like the 400ex at 64, maybe a little higher. and what aftermarket options are there? i know that the z and the kfx are the same bike technically, but has anyone got anything to say about one being better than the other in some way? any help would be appreciated. thanx

 

Thay are the same bike the LTZ and KFX's and the new DVX from arctic cat. Zuki makes all 3 of them. The only thing on my KFX that has Kawi on it is the stickers stuck on the plastic. Aftermarket are you kidding more things out than you can shake a stick at. Big bore kits, all kinds of pipes and mufflers, skids, filters everything man.
Top speed is about 67 or so. Depends on weight of rider, wind, grade of the road, air in the tires.

The biggest problem people are having is the frame cracking at the shock mount. It's not a real big deal just weld in a gusset and your all fixed.

 

"The biggest problem people are having is the frame cracking at the shock mount. It's not a real big deal just weld in a gusset and your all fixed."

!?!?!?

and why exactly does that happen? im about 5'9, 150 pounds, and i dont do any jumps or ride that hard, so im hoping that i wont have to worry about breaking anything. also, what is the best pipe for the z?

 

well i aint never ridden a shee

but i was talking to a guy whos leading the NORA mx championship in the uk on his, he also does enduro, grass track and speedway on it,

fact is the shees been around for ever and its stayed cos its a F-in gooden,

surely your not naieve enough to think that a quad thats been produced for so long is only gona be good in the dunes??

oh yeah the guy with the shee rides in open class and i think that means anything over 250cc 2 or 4 stroke,

 

JohnnySplat, sounds to me that the Z400/KFX/AC would suit you fine. Really, pick a color between the 3 models. Also, do a search in this forum and the Kawi forum you'll see a lot of people have asked the same questions you did, and recieved quality feedback. Search for "mods" too. You'll find the 2 most common problems with the 03 models are frame cracking and axle bending. Don't get overly concerned though - most people don;t have these issues, and the bikes are overall very good. BTW Top speed is between 68-70.

As far as the Banshee, it is a classic, and it does some things really great (dunes, hillclimbs, drags), but even the other things like trail riding, it still does well. I would only recommend that if you don't turn a wrench, you may want to lean towards 4 strokes - particularly the new breed like the Z/KFX, Predator, & Raptor.

 

the earlier z400 had bad frame and very soft axles but the later ones are a lot better they also have better tuned exhaust pipes on theme they are faster than a 400ex and the power is between a 400ex and a raptor the newer z frames dont break, they are really good bikes if you ask me.

 

yeah ive heard a lot of of people bash the z for its frame breaking they make it sound like all you have to do is sit on it and it will snap,

just wondering how severe do you need to be ridin one before anything would go on it??

must admit i quite fancy a four stroke for a bit of everyday riding and keeping the zilla for racing if i ever do race,

the z has only just become available over here in the uk just a bit dubious about a 400cc fourstroke, seems a bit small to me,

 

As far as being able to beat/keep up with 400EXs and Banshees, that won't be a problem. In my group I go riding with there are 4 banshees, 1 of them smokes me (modded), 1 gets me up hills, 1 I'm about even with, and the other I smoke (stock). Also, there are two 400EXs and, well, there's really no comparision, I get them in every way. For a little kicker, I can beat up on stock raptors as well. One guy was getting pretty frustrated with me as I kept edging him out in every little way possible. All I have on mine is a pipe, k&n w/adapter, and jetting.

 

well im sorry to disappoint you suzuki guys, but i think im gonna go with the banshee. i just love that 2 stroke power and the look and accel. ill keep ya posted on what happens, but i think thats whats gonna happen. thanks for the info though.