hello guys I am fairly new to these forums, But I do have a question about the legendary banshee. I have always been a 4 stroke fan but I bought a yamaha Tri-z awhile back and that thing would really get up and go. But it was a peice of crap. I had to work on it all the time. I have rode a banshee but I have never had to maintain on. I was wondering how often the top end needs to be rebuilt, what and if there is any certain problems with this bike, and if I buy 92 or newer bike ( as long as it is well maintained ) how trustworthy are they. I will be honest I live in the country and we do a lot of road riding, I would like something fast , but something I am not afraid to get a few miles away from the house. Any help you alll can give me will be greatly appreciated

 

I think a rebuild is every 5 years(dont quote me [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]) and the reliabilty depends on how hard they were riddin. Banshees have been around a long time and are a pretty bullet proof machine just dont get one from the 80's if you dont like J-arms. A compression check of the cyls. is a good way to figure rebuild. Anything that differs from 10% to each cyl. is a good time to rebuild. Good Luck

 

5 years in between banshee top ends? For any well ridden 2 stroke, 5 years would be impossible on a top end.

If you ride it very often, (a tank of gas a day) Probably one top end a year.
A top end on a 2 stroke isnt a bad job though. Pretty easy.

 

hey thanks a lot for the info guys, If anyone else has any info on the banshee please let me know

 

Well, Ive had mine for a year. There hasent been a time when I couldnt get it to start. If you are good to it, it will be good to you.

-Nick

 

I agree with that statement. I dont ride every day, so a tank of gas a day is out of the question, but I put about a tank a day when I am out riding. I ride about twice a month, sometimes more, sometimes less. I think a top end will depend greatly on how you take care of the machine, run a quality oil and you should have no troubles. I change my tranny oil every 2 months and clean the filters and lube the chain, really no more maintenance then any other quad.

I love my banshees, just got back from a nice day at the dunes.

Bat

 

see guys I would run probably two tanks a gas a week through mine. Down here in Sothern IL we use these for transportation in the evening. I mean like two mile a day. And on the weekends I will ride around on old country roads. do these things get decent mileage? Thanks for the great info

 

Ok ill tell you some things that like to give you trouble and ill give you some tips!

The carbs are a biggy cause they need to be cleaned at least once a month! make sure you do that
watch how you place your filter back on after you clean it cause its hard to seat it right!
Change the spark plugs every 1 to 2 weeks ! the banshee is a plug eater!
Mix your gas 32:1 you dont want to mix it to lean cause you will scratch your cylinder walls after awhile
do your top end every year i dont care what anybody says


and the one mod the banshee needs the most is a 2 into 1 carb cause that dual carb sucks
and get shocks and pipes and a kn and jet kit and you will have a sweet bike

But i will give you one tip i had a banshee and now i have a raptor ill take my raptor anyday over a banshee

 

Mine lost comp. about 2 months ago and its a 97'.

 

I've had my banshee for 8 yrs and have done 3 rebuilds on it. The last I went with the same size pistons just tried a different brand than I had previously used to see if there was a difference. The banshees biggest downfalls are: poor airfilter design(easily remedied with a aftermarket filter and cutting the cage off the stock filter and bolting it to the airbox. The chain adjustment is a nightmare, but once adjusted its not like you need to mess with it anymore unless you buy a cheap chain and it repeatedly stretches. I'm not sure what the guy is talking about when he says you need to clean your carbs once a month. If you put your air filter on right there wont be anything in your carbs to clean out, and if there is stuff in the carbs well the carbs will be the least of your worries. Let's be real here changing the plugs every 1-2 weeks, that sounds like someone that either A) doesnt know how to mix fuel properly and are over oiling the machine or B) doesnt have their bike tuned remotely correctly. I have run the same plugs for months on end with good color on them and no fouling. When I do change my plugs its not from fouling its just to throw a fresh set in there for good maintenance. The banshee does better on low end with a good set of pipes and single carb. You will lose a little top end but its not noticeable to me. It will not have the low end like a four stroke but you can make it better with the right improvements. Like someone else said in the post, you treat your banshee well and shee will treat you well. Mine is a 93 and I have had little problems with it, and have made many improvements on it to make it more rideable to my style of riding. Rebuilding your top end once a year for many is overkill. Check the compression regularly to see if you are losing any over time and you'd be fine. Just remember you'll pay double to do things on the shee, but the excitement is twice the fun! The banshee isnt for everyone but of the bikes ive ridden it's still the most exciting. And the way mine is setup I love it in the woods and the wide open dunes.