Ok, I've been reading some post that claim 80/90 Mph out of their quad. Cmon now. I have recently performed a test with my Handheld GPS and the fastest quad was a Banshee@72Mph with major mods. My LT is far from stock and only does 59Mph. Z400 off the showroom floor only did 64Mph, 440EX with major mods only did 66Mph. Honda 330R only did 69Mph(over $15k invested).

Even if you guys are getting them to this speed you have to be geared very high or your methods of testing speed are inacurate. All of my testing was done on an abandon blacktop road, not dirt, so these numbers are top speed. Assuming these speeds are true where do you ride, If it's in the dunes than OK. A woods bike doesn't need to go 90Mph, Chances are that you'll never get higher than 3rd/4th gear. Old strip mines or cories would require an average gearing, Not too high and not too low, because there are big hills and long straights.

The reason my LT is the slowest of all listed is because I geared it low, 12/45 w/22" tires(12/42 w/22" tires was stock), for hill climbing. Although I've recently changed my gearing to 13/45 w/22" tires I only expect a few MPH increase.

 

I agree. I always get a good laugh when people say how fast they went. I only have basic mods on my Z and I'm geared down and the the fastest I've been on my trailtech(who knows how accurate that is) is 57. I think that's pretty close though according to your numbers.

 

i dont even like getting topped out i get death wobbles and i would rather ride on a trail or track then a road

 

Those numbers seem pretty low to me. I know a lot of the bigger utility quads will do 60-65. Take it for what it is worth, but I had a 2000 banshee, stock. I had a friend ride it down a rarely used black top, and I followed right behind in my truck. I was running 85 right behind him for 100 yards or so. I wasn't gaining on him or anything, just trailing right behind. The speedo on my truck was right on, too.(At least it and the hi-po both said I was doing 76 in a 70 not long after.)

 

According to my trailtech which has the circumference of my wheel set based on 21.75" x 25.4mm/" x3.14159 (approx. pi) = 1735mm circumference. So given whatever the accuracy of that unit is by itself .. say +/- 10%, on dirt it's going to read slower than actual because of front tire slip.

July 03 Warrior stock gearing on flat @ approx 22°C ran 102.2km/h (63mph) on ashphalt
Oct 03 Warrior stock gearing slight downhill @ approx. 8°C ran 109.9km/h (68mph) on hard packed dirt road.
Nov 03 Warrior 12/40 gearing on flat @ approx -5°C ran 102.2km/h (63mph) on hard packed dirt road.
Apr 04 Warrior 12/42 gearing on slight downhill @ approx. 5°C ran 104.5km/h (65mph) on compacted crushed stone road.

These are in order of first run to last run completed. They are all according to my trailtech with the settings as given above and the measured diameter of my front left tire. The unit was installed last July, so with the riding done since then undoubtedly the tire's diameter has changed slightly .. maybe it's only 21.5" now instead of the 21.75" it was, which would give slightly increased numbers. However, believe it or not, those are my trailtech recorded speeds. They are not all on the flat, and none of them were done in say 300', but over much longer distances .. up to 1km for the 109.9km/h speed for instance.

The problem in determining what the top speed of a machine is comes down to setting standards. As in the ages old debate about the 400EX and Warrior. The EX isn't really that much faster, but it gets there much quicker. So if you set a standard distance of say 500m (500yards approx.) for a top speed run, and use that as a bench mark.

 

thats pretty funny i was dating cop in st helen and she clocked me at 71 mph stock everything on my lt and 80.5 on the banshee both were stock and illk tell ya it was a mile down the road from where we started my lt dont get up therefast enuff but now wif mods it whoops the same banshee i thing those hand held gps might be a little off is it a magellan if so ur bikes off lol j/k
oh and that was going down a hard packed dirt rd (sthelen trail)

 

originally posted by: EigerRider04

Ha-ha, you sure the banshee wasn't in the back of the truck. No way was a stock banshee going 85. I think the bs fairy has been visiting you a little to much lately.

 

http://www.dunereview.com/bansheepics.htm checkthat out and i like beating them lol

 

Cap'n - Your speeds seem pretty low. We took a GPS out with us a few months ago. My 86 LT ran 72, a Raptor w/ K&N ran high 70's, two shees were in the low 80's and two warriors ran high 60's - all on asphalt. I was running 14/42 at the time. Do we need to go this fast? OF COURSE! That's why we don't ride utilities.

 

My Eiger, FACTORY STOCK will go 58 according to the speedo. That's with factory air pressure on flat asphalt. Now, that feels pretty fast to me, I can't imagine going 80 on a quad. That's nuts.