OK, I'm a die hard Honda guy, but I broke down and got a Z. The dealer even gave me a pretty good price break, even though the bike is a pretty hot seller! It will need some break-in time before I can give an honest appraisal of the machine. But, those of you who are considering this machine, look for my comments in the future. You can bet I won't BS you!!!

 

Good luck with the new toy. Let us know what you think after you get some seat time on it.

You are about the LAST person on here I would have suspected of buying a non-Honda quad.

 

The Z has this effect on people. It clears their mind of any brand loyalty and brain washes you with its good looks.

 

yah yah bud. you'll love it. wait 'til you break it in....it is an entirely new manchine. she screams........if your axle isn't bent.

 

YZGUY-

what do you do for a living?

 

Yeah, got that first ten hours outta the way and changed the oil. Haven't been able to really put the hammer down myself as we were camping and were riding pretty technical trails.

 

Same here YZGUY, thought I would always ride red, Picking up the
new bike tonight.. Looking forward to it thou. What kind of good price
did you get for your bike?

 

Here are some of my first impressions, after a couple of hours of break-in riding:

This thing corners like it is ON RAILS!! I have never ridden a bike that corners like this. There is one corner in particular where I often two-wheel other bikes, but the Z goes through it like there is a magnet holding it down. Widened 4+ for the desert, the thing is going to be perfect for high speed handling! Handling is quick, light, and accurate. I'm not sure that this is due to the tires or the bikes geometry. This weekend, I will do some tire swapping to see how it likes Holeshots

Low end power on the other hand was DISAPOINTING!! I'm use to the strong bottom end grunt of the 400EX. First gear is fine, but second seems underpowered. It bogs and complains if you try to lug the engine. Hopefully, aftermarket mods can improve this. This is a bike that will have to be ridden REVED OUT LIKE A 2-STROKE (something I couldn't do during break-in), especially for trail riding. It has more of a 2-stroke like powerband, than other 4-stroke I've ridden. I would say it is more like a 250R than any other bike.

 

What about dropping the front sprocket a tooth? $8 may resolve your low end prob.!

 

When I dropped a tooth on the 400EX, it was way to much. The front end was in the air all the time (and at all the wrong times!!). This will be a desert bike, so I want to favor high end anyway. But, even in the desert, you run down washes, trails, and sandy hills, so you don't want to give up to much low end.