well i do have high hopes for this quad. i think this will be a great one. it looks like the stabilaty is is going to be great. well i have 4wheel atv action mag. and they had a shoot out with the cannadal and rapter well the rapter wasin't much better than the the cannadal in every thing. drag,hillclime,track exc. and i also know the z400 is just about 40hp (39.4) and tha 400ex is abot 28hp (27.6). so it basicly will eat it bad! and it will also beat the cannadal wich means its compotion will be the 660r. well thats about it!

 

I think the z400 will be the modern day 250R honda. Just look at it and you can see that it is a well thought out hi-performance quad, what i have noticed is as follows
1. The radiator sits low down in the frame which will give the bike a lower centre of gravity that= better handling. Look at where the raptor radiator is, it is to high in the air throwing the weight up near the fuel tank =not good for handling.
2. The z400 seat height is nearly 3" lower than that of the raptor.
3. The z400 engine will rev all the way to 9000 rpm with about 40hp, the raptor will only rev to 6500-7000 rpm max with about 38hp stock.
4. The z400 weighs about 30lbs less than the raptor.
5. The z400 is about 2" wider than the raptor.

One thing i dont like on the z400 is the stupid chain adjustment bought back from the dead quadracers, this set up is very bad in that it can throw the quads rear axle alignment out if not adjusted properly.
THIS IS A VERY GOOD QUAD[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

Check your facts, joedif...

The Raptor redline is 9000rpm and you do NOT know what the power output will be of the Z400. Nobody short of Suzuki of Japan does.

BTW- for $500 the Raptor can easily be made to make 50hp. It is called the CT Racing pipe kit. I have one. The thing rips.

 

A pipe kit adds 12 hp?

I think the new suzuki is just what the sport needs. However, what difference does it make if it has more hp than the raptor or if it handles better? The raptor is an awesome machine and if I owned one I know I would be happy with it. Bottom line is that the new zuk give us more choices so we can find a machine that suits our riding style best. Everyone gets so defensive about bashing but if you are happy with what you ride than why do you care what others think? I know I don't.

 

the verdict on the z400 is still out, but from what i've seen on the DRZ the hop-ups are already out there to make it reliably fast.

i wonder what it'll take to run nitromethane in this new one?? [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

I actually think that I might like the Z400 over my Raptor for a couple of reasons...

1) wider stance and lower seat height
2) 400-class engine (I would like to race it)
3) hop-up potential
4) I like Suzukis

I just wish that it came stock with an aluminum subframe (would weigh at least 5lbs less) and Ohtsu OE tires (not those crappy Dunlops).

and yes, jmoney45, CT Racing's pipe kit adds about 12hp. Yamaha has the Raptor so choked down it is unbelievable. If I went further and added a cam and high compression piston, I'd be looking at close to 60hp! But as it is right now, the suspension has a hard time keeping up. Next on the "to get" list is a set of TCS front shocks and a TCS rear conversion. I think that I will leave the a-arms and swing-arm alone. This quad won't be a racer. I will eventually regulate it to second quad status after something more race worthy comes out. I don't think that Honda will be outdone by all the others. I'm not counting on Kawasaki to come through like I had hoped and if this Suzuki LT-Z400 is what everyone hopes it is, maybe that is the next machine that I will get.

 

actually i think it MIGHT have an aluminum subframe. i was lookin at the pic of it today and noticed a removable subframe that wasn't powdercoated like the rest of the frame. it coule be just stainless tho but i doubt it cuz even that won't keep rust away for long on a quad.