ya ill probably test ride a predator, but idk if i would be able to buy a Polaris after having problems with others. And i have friends that have problems with them.

 

if your not going to be die hard racer , get the Z . my one buddy has a 450r , the seat on that thing is so hard that his butt gets beat raw . i do envy his power, but with the trail we ride he cant get a way from me. he's all ways the first to say he's ridden enough, cause his butt hurts.

 

Z400...I was in your situation a little over a year ago...I was riding a Yamaha Warrior(basically same bike as Raptor 350)...
I bought an '03 Z400 and could not be happier...It may be only 50cc bigger engine, but it is completely different technology...
It's damn sure faster, more comfortable and just newer technology(liquid cooled, better valved, etc.) Now my friends
and daugther get to ride my old Warrior's and they can't believe how much more fun the Z is...Good Luck with whatever you choose...

 

hey, 4wheel4food..
I saw in your pictures that you have a friend with a Predator. If you have ridden it please compare it to your Z.. acceleration, top speed, handling, jumping..etc.
thanks.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Hoyt34 darn good question. Just happen to have a couple of buddies who have one or the other.. And ridden both extensively in the dunes of So Cal... So we got 400 cc vs 500 so the obvious is there; but only in lower end torgue (the 500).. The stock Fox suspension is very good for a stock machine.. The stock Z needs help in this catagory; but once purchsed it exceeds the Fox.. (And I don't mean $800.00 Elkas just some $450 Works Pro G W/O res).. The Z will definately hit the rev box before the Pred.... You would'nt think 40#'s on bike weight means much but in this case it can be felt.... Honestly I've seen very few hopped Predators... The few I've seen have less than nominal responce. On the other hand I've seen Z-400 turned into pure runners. Understand I'm a Kawi KFX700/796 +or - a few other mods rider, so if there's a bias it might be in riding style.... This is a bit of a toss up.. Put a few dollarsa in the either bike...I'll take the Z....Hard call...

 

My dad owns a 06' z400 and i own an 06' TLD Predator. He prefers comfort over power, to me its a little more comfortable, but i actually like the feel of the predator better. As far as excelleration and top end, the pred will beat it all the way through, thats not to say it kills it, but it beats it by a fair amount. Handling and jumping.. i dont know if its that i got more seat time on the pred but it feels like it handles better, which may be partly due to the Fox Shox, which are very nice. The shox on the Pred also help it jump/land better. We picked up the pred for $1000 less the z, and honestly if they where the same price or possibly the pred a little more than the z, i would probably still take the predator again, it seems like it just comes with more out of the box. The z is still VERY nice and my dad was willing to pay the extra $1000 for it. The comfort while riding was the most important part to him. I actually think the predator rides good, ecspecially when compared to my old lakota which would beat me to death. All in all you really cant go wrong with either, if you have any questions feel free to ask.

 

The '06 400Z and the Predators go for $5000 OTD in my area. I got my '07 Rapot 700 for $6600 OTD. I figured why not, it's cheaper to get the big dog in the long run. I don't need to upgade in a few years or spend alot of money on hop-ups to make the 400 faster. I could not be happier with the 700R, power to spare. I ride with a buddy that has a Raptor 350 (old warrior/new plastic). He hangs with me on most trails but has to shift none stop, I have so much torque I can spend the entire day in 2nd and 3rd gear on trails and dunes. All are good choices, I too was scared to go back to Polaris after my Polaris Jet Ski was such a Piece of crap but my friend has has no problems in 2 years of riding his Predator.

 

I just wanna throw my 2 cents in here, i know this may seem biased since i own one but look at the difference. LT-R450 over z400. Lighter, faster (i spank my buddies 450r and he's a better rider), wider, better suspension, EFI, center mounted exhaust, Any sport quad is gonna require you change oil, and perform maintenance. I just did mine today and i must say it was very very easy. The thing with the ltr is that you should never have to upgrade it, its already there.

 

idk That Z 400 price is pretty good tho.. [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

I have been thinking of getting a Z400 also. I have the opposite concern of most other people. I'm not looking for flat out speed. I need to know if you can ride it on the slow side without a lot of clutching and/or overheating. I have 2 kids that ride a z90 and a crf50 so about 70% of my riding is with them at slower speeds. Is the Z400 good for putting around with the kids?

Also, they are pretty popular in my area so I doubt if I could find an 06. What is a good price for 07 OTD?