Hey Guys,

I'm sure this has been asked about a Million times but....

Right now I've got a '98 Polaris Sport 400L and it really isn't that bad of a machine, but it's just not made for Speed. I was looking at the LT500's, but have heard a lot of bad things about them (engine problems, and etc.). I have also heard the same stories about Banshee's, but my neighbor has owned 3 since 1994 with no problems at all with any of them. I'm sure it has a lot to do with the way that you take care of them. Is that the case, or are they really as cursed as everybody says? I would be leaving mine stock except for maybe pipes.

I haven't ever talked with anybody that owned a Zilla, so I really don't know what the story is.

I'm seriously considering buying one, but I want to make sure I'm not buying a time bomb. A lot of the riding that I do is on trails (some fast, some slow, and some really, really slow). How often do they foul plugs? I also do some back road riding where we really get to open them up, and that's where my Polaris falls behind my friends Banshee. It's got a lot of low-end power, but hardly anything up top.

Also, if anybody's got one for sale in NY, VT, NH, or Quebec please let me know. Thanks.

-Josh

 

Hey Buddy,

I had a '87 LT500R and it gave me fit's the entire year that I had it, I couldn't keep that thing running for anything. In the year that I owned it I put three pistons in it and rebuilt the transmission and put two clutches in it. Then I got sick of it and sold it. Since then I've talked to people that have told me that mine must have been a lemon or something because they have never had any problems with theirs. But you know what, regardless of what they say, it honestly didn't make much difference, I miss that time consuming money pit so much!!!!! I've plain and simply gotta have another one. It is hands down the greatest performance quad ever made and I dare say that ever will be made! Once you ride one you just cant go back to anything else, I tried, it can't be done. My advice to you would to be to give old Zilla a shot. They hold their value quite well and if you didn't like it (but you will) you could always resell it and probably wouldn't lose a ton, nothing like buying a new quad and selling it. To be honest with you it probably won't be the most reliable machine you ever own, but maybe it will, who know's, but I promise you that it will be the most fun. Go for it!!!!

 

Thanks Zillaman,

I think that I share the same logic as you. Now if I could only find one around here. I have NEVER seen one EVER. I check the papers every week, and have NEVER seen one in there. Hopefully with the power of the net I can locate one. Thanks again.

-Josh

 

Well, I sold mine to a fella who lived about 1000 miles away. Check out ebay and search "quadracer" or run a search for "motorcycle classifieds" and I'm sure you could find some. He paid about $400 shipping I think, somewhere around there, good luck!

 

Piranha, DO NOT buy a Quadzilla unless you have a great deal of mechanical knowledge or have a close friend (i.e. cheap labor) to perform maintainance on it! I've had my '88 for about six years now and if I didn't have the ability to work on it myself ,and know how to prevent future problems, I couldn't afford to keep it running (especially the first couple of years when I had to make up for the lack of previous care this 'Zilla recieved).
Zillaman500 is a good example of what I am talking about. When you have to replace the same part over and over again in quick succession, you aren't doing the job right the first time. Multiple pistons usually means incorrect jetting or an air leak; multiple clutches could mean incorrect adjustment, oil, or that not all the bad clutch components were replaced the first time. This is of course true of any machine but more prevalent with a two-stroke, high horsepower, older Suzuki. Now that I have tore the big Zuke to shreds, I would like to make one last remark. THE BIKE KICKS *** AND I WOULD OWN NO OTHER!

 

There is a lot of maintenance, like retorqueing bolts, if you want to keep any of your precious hop-ups on and your Zilla together. This isn't some watered-down sport bike. An engine of this caliber rips and shreds, monster power revving away inside the cases. I've had no real problems other than the loosening of bolts from the vibration. The bearings in this motor are 13 years old, pretty good for such a monster. I did, however, replace the clutches, rebuilt the swingarm, and tried to seek out any potential trouble spots. This 2-stroke will differ greatly from the 400 you are currently riding. This machine is a screamer in every sense of the word. I've had my hand grips pop off when hammering the beast and it loves to be hammered. Suffice it to say, if you get this vehicle you won't be going back. The thrill will be in your blood and you won't be able to remove the smile from your face caused by the vicious mauling the 500 WILL lay on any other wheeler.
P.S. If you do get the Quadzilla please be careful of it, especially with other people. There really is a big difference between them and the other riff-raff. My big-time cousin was gonna show me how to ride don't ya know. He being the big 200X master, he hopped on and fired it up. I told him to be careful and he just turned his head. That being said, with a drop of the clutch lever he promptly flew through my kid's swingset. I never did get that swing put back together and NEVER let him ride it again. He ran all the way home to play with his 200X.

 

Hey btodd, I'd like to defend myself if I could. I'm not an idiot. The first piston was old when I got it, the second time it blew a head gasket, (which '87's were famous for) and the third time the cylinder cracked at the rear base bolt (which they are also famous for) creating an air leak. It wasn't "improper jetting" as you say or anything like that. But Piranah, he is right, you better know how to tune and fix these machines yourself or they will cost you a ton. Good luck.

Zillaman500

 

Thanks for the replies guys. I am not extremely machanically inclined, so it would probably be best for me not to try to fix anything myself. I have a good friend that knows a lot about quads and sleds (he's a machanic). He gives me a pretty good deal on labor, but I obviously have to pay for the parts. I'm not looking to buy something that is going to nickel and dime me to death, however if I only have to fix everything once I wouldn't mind. That was basically my question. I know that all quads break no matter what, it's unavoidable. However, does the quadzilla break more than let's say....a Banshee? If it is treated good mechanically, and I check it out after each ride, should it be a reliable machine (even if I happen to be riding slow trails)? Like I said, I hear a lot of people bad mouth Banshee's when it comes to reliability, but I have had a lot of experiences with them and I think that if you take care of them, you'll have no problems. With the exceptions of the occasional "Lemon".

So I'm pretty much down to two quads. The Zilla and the Banshee. I would prefer to have a Zilla, but like I said, I heard they are not reliable. The Banshee is fast too, but they just don't do it for me I guess. The low end on them really sucks, and I don't care for them. I've got my Polaris tuned so I can eat a stock Banshee up on take off, but once we get opened up he smokes me. I'd have to go deep into my engine to be able to get that kind of top end out of it, and then that's just an accident waiting to happen. I know a guy that has a 2000 Scrambler 400 (same thing as mine only newer) and he can smoke a Piped and Carbed Shee on low end and up top. His problem is he has had to rebuild his engine twice in the last month. Oh well, I guess I'm still undecided. Thanks again.

-Josh

 

I have an 87 Quadzilla. I have had my share of problems. You better keep on top of the maintenace that has to go into this thing. I lost 3rd gear about 5yrs ago replaced shift drum and shift forks now if happened again last week. oh well time to split the cases again. 5yrs is not bad. they are know for trans problems. This bike will ratle apart if not looked after. Other than that this bike screams you can go to my site to see my 87 zilla.

http://communities.msn.com/PHILLYQUADADDICTS

 

As to whether you should buy a Banshee or an LT500, I of course suggest the quadzilla. If nothing else, think about how much of a pain it can be to change jets sometimes. There are twice as many on a Banshee.

On the other hand, the Banshee is a quality machine that has stood up for a long time. It is still in production and you can find good used ones easier than you can find a good used 500. The guys who have 500s are from two camps:
Camp 1-Haven't taken care of them
Camp 2-Have dumped lots of money in them and think that their respective 500 is the best quad there ever was.

What I'm saying is that the 500s you will look at will either be pieces of junk (haven't been taken care of) or the guy will want twice what it is worth. Many people will probably disagree with me and thats fine. It is my opinion and it is worth about as much.

By the way I'm from camp 2 and love my 500.