Our EX has a K&N and pipe. It is geared (down) 1 tooth larger in the rear (so that will slow it down a tiny bit). Straight down a desert wash (no rider skill involved, just point the bikes and pin the throtle), a stock Z will walk away from the EX, until the Z eventually disapears from sight, because it is so far ahead!!!!

 

I second that

 

wow i am impressed. i usually stay on the honda forum. the posts we get in there are like the z400 will beat a 400ex by 75 bike lengths in a 100 yard drag.(over exagerating a little there) but all except one i think were really cool about it saying the top end is a little better and that is about it. that is about all i have noticed. i havn't had the chance to race any with my new mods yet but we will see. ok now this is a little out there but i really like the white plastic a lot better than the yellow.

 

a piped z will beat a piped ex, a z with a cam and piped will beat an ex with same mods and so on. you shouldn't compare a piped to stock. it should be piped to piped, and so on.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Perhaps I am confused, but wasn't the Z400 pretty much produced to compete with the 400ex? Of course it outperforms it, it was designed to from the start! Yet it's a testimony to the reputation of the 400ex that it's used so often as a "guide rule" in ATV comparisions. I still think I would buy the 400ex over the Z400 if only for reliability issues. But then, I'm not one to need the fastest bike on the market.

 

HUEDOGG-My point was that a STOCK Z will beat my PIPED EX!!! I usually ride with a 400EX, DS650, Raptor, two Shees, and a vintage Warrior. My piped Z can hang just fine with the big-bores.

 

Cannondales never win an overall shootout in the mags because it's has too much power for the average rider. I saw an issue of ATV rider where the Z and KFX won and they said the Dale would have won if it had a more user friendly powerband. If you like performance and speed the Dale will be enough for most people. A 450 kit for the Z will get it close to a Dale. SOmetimes on tight trails the Dale can be tough because it likes to be revved and some clutch action is needed. I think Z's and KFX's are really nice but if you ride a Dale, just drop the hammer and hang on!!

 

too bad the suzuki z400 won the shoot out because the suspension, shifting, and overall it was better. the cannondale might be a little bit faster but the z400 still won. I think the suzukis look better then the cannondales. and the cannondales are way overpriced. If i was gonna spend that much money i would buy a banshee and put a big bore kit on it and aftermarket stuff on it.

 

When I was looking to get a new sport quad I test drove a z400 and a trail rode a 400ex . They are very nice quads and I dont think the average rider who doesnt want to spend alot initially will ever regret buying either. Then I rode a raptor and a cannondale speed. Wow ,My grin was much wider on these two so I decided to compare them both in detail. They were the same price at $6,500. After seeing all the many extras the speed had over the raptor I thought the raptor seemed a bit pricy for the standard technology it sported. And if I upgraded the raptor with rebuildable premium shocks and wider a arms which the raptor needed for what I would be using it for I would have been several thousand over the speed. And I still wouldnt have had the Tag bars and super cushy gripper seat and the abilty to crank the power up from 33 to 40 horse with just a $200 slip on and a few minutes with a laptop. The Dale is by no means over priced it is just a higher priced . I guess its like having a best sports car shoot with mustangs ,camaros against vipers and corvettes and saying crap like "well the viper and the vette were cleary winning all the performance catagories and declaring the mustang the winner because its easier to drive and was much cheaper than those OVERPRICED cars." My only regret is not waiting a few months and getting the moto because now they can be had for about what I payed for my speed. Im just not a status quo kind of guy. I apologize for getting off topic.

 

If you got a good deal on a Cannondale and it fits the type of riding you do then you made out. Guy here paid $3000 more for his cannondale then what a z cost and constantly compares his bike to the Raptors (which cost approximately 1800 less) the Z's, and 400EXs. One of the KFX owners decided to get his KFX race ready and put on elka's, engine kit, cams, the works, cost him approximately 2200. The cannondale has nothing on him on the track, the z is all over the cannondale in the sand, and on the trails and drags its really rider determined...I know a drag is straight shot...but they tell me one rider would get beat switch quads and lose on the other machine. Everyone that was awed by the cannondale at first are now totally impressed with this race version KFX. The cannondale owner is frantic about parts now that c-dale is bandrupt as he said his dale does requires a bit of maintenance. The owner of the KFX says more time on maintenance is required now then compared to stock, but not that much.

My point being...it is hard to compare corvettes to mustangs as you put it...if it cant be said the mustang is better because it handles well when the vette outperforms it. On the same set of rules you cant say the vette that cost 8k more is better either. Match them up dollar for dollar and compare...put 8k in the mustang. Same goes with quads...in your area if you can get a good deal on a c-dale that brings you within range of the Z and it cost you more to hop up the Z for the type of riding you do ... cannondale would be the pick. Met I guy at Jericho the last weekend that traded his cannondale for the Z because of the recent problems with the company. Says he wanted to wait for the new Yamaha 450 but couldnt. Their entire riding crew had Dales and Z's...looked pretty wicked. Anyway, several good quads out there.... the underlying rule in my opinion is the best bike is the one you can get the best deal on to have it fit the riding you do. The best quad in my daughters opinion is the ozark and not a raptor...a guy that races up sand mountain would argue that one to death.

I believe the hit on the Honda's is due to the lack of nothing new and the fact they are usually the highest priced machines (rincon comes to mind...more money less power)...but with them dropping the price of the 400ex in this area I still think its a competative machine...my thoughts anyway