i recently sold my Honda 250x because im15 and about to out grow it im ready to by a new quad but am torn between the 05 Banshee or 05 Raptor660 i do alot of trail riding and our family favorite riding spot is deepwater missouri my dad has all the storys about his old quadzilla and said two strokes break down much more than a four stroke would is there any one who would know what would be the best bike for me i know all the specs on the bikes i just want a fast and reliable quad thanks for any help

 

my friends dad just had a raptor 660 he said it wasent that good it was pretty fast but wasent reliable then he had a z400 then gave it to his son(my friend) now hes getting a banshee so id say go with that banshee he knows what hes talking about to hes a mehcanic so yea get a banshee

 

Hmmmm are banshees good? Yeah id say mine would be good if it ever ran right..I have been fixing problem after problem with mine...Ready to sell it..Hope that help ya with a banshee!!

 

i know a couple people that never had problems it all depends on the year get someting new it will run good

 

your dad is not totally wrong. and banshees are good machines. weve had them off and on since their creation; but id say you're better off with the raptor for that type of riding. a banshee is not a friendly trail or mud machine. at least mine wasnt, or none that we had over the past 15yrs were. a banshee is more prone to overheat if it is moving too slow (no air going through radiator).

we have raptor riders in our group and raptors in the family and NONE has had a problem.
you might want to consider a z400 as well. i think youll be happier with one of these.

 

trail riding, raptor takes it, the shee sucks on trails. shees are meant for straight lines and dunes. and raptors are faster and usually quicker than a banshee. and if you had probs with your rap you must not have been taken care of it good cuz my buddy has a 03 raptor and hasnt had a single problem with it. so get a raptor, youll love it

 

It could just be a problem with this rap in particular, but my dad's overheats insanely easily. Sitting still for 2 minutes at idle, or miving less than maybe 10 mph for an extended period of time it'll just go crazy. The heat is really intense on your legs and it sometimes dies when you're working the clutch to get going if its that hot. My banshee has never overheated, it gets a bit warm at times in tighter trails and its happy when I get on a straight and open it up, but it's never given me any overheating problems. Also, I'm considering a Z myself right now, as a second bike, for trails (the banshee can do trails but it kinda sucks the fun out of them).

 

Banshees are extremely good and reliable quads. They don't require any more maintenance than any other quad. However, they don't like the amount of abuse that some thumpers can handle. If a Banshee has been maintained, and the premix has been consistent and the air filter has been maintained correctly, you will have zero problems. Break-in is also very very important with a two stroke, if it hasn't been broken in properly, that can lead to issues later on in the quads life, and end up being someone elses problem. Jetting is also important, as with any other quad out there. Typically, when a banshee begins having overheating problems, there are two main issues that need to be looked at, 1. the crappy plastic impeller, in fact, I'd replace it right from the start to eliminate it, and 2. lean jetting, and that is much more common. People will put on a pipe kit with the recommend jets from the pipe mfg. and they are never right, the quad will be borderline lean which makes it run hotter and causes it to overheat much much easier. If the quad is jetted right and the water pump is working correctly, there will be no more overheating problems than you'd have with a Raptor. Mine has never once overheated, nor has the people I run with, because we know the signs, but many out there don't.

Here is a good thread on Banshee reliability.

I've been running my machine since new, it was broken in properly, and other than greasing and changing the air filter once a week, I don't do anything else. I change the tranny oil once every 3 or 4 months, it doesn't need it, but I do it. I know many many many people who have done the same.

Wilson750, I'm sorry to hear about all your troubles, but that is that quad, and that doesn't represent every quad. There have been Raptors that haven't been maintained right or taken care of and become problematic, and the same with others. It totally sucks to inherit other peoples problems, and it turns something fun into a complete headache, but, that is not customary with a banshee. Like I said, I am totally sympathetic to your troubles, sometimes the best thing to do is move it on down the line and get something else that will treat you better, and what you buy is up to you.

Now, regarding the right quad for your riding application. A Raptor might be the right choice, due to the mud running and trail aspects. You can modify a banshee to have more low end and have a smoother powerband, but stock for stock, the Raptor is going to be much smoother and easier to handle on the trail. But, they're not all that bad on trails if you understand how they make power and ride it accordingly. The choice is yours, I'd recommend that you try to ride both machines before you buy so you know what your moving into and since your 15, the "proper" thing to say is you should be 16 to ride those machines, but I won't tell anyone, just wear your helmet and be careful.

 

just dont sit there and say banshees are junk cause there not there not the best for trails but there one of the fastest quads out there if u get the right stuff done my friends dads killed raptors and zs and just about everything out there so no hes not wrong

 

There great bikes if treated well. IF your lazy, dont clean and take care of your quad get a raptor better yet get a 400ex (raps arent that reliable either). Also for mud they both suck. The shee will leave you and who ever is behind you covered in mud. So there is a positive and negitive. But I only ride trail and once I learned how to ride a 2 stroke I can go faster on a shee then a rap anyday. They sit real low and slide easy. IF you get a shee get a good mid range pipe and it will make it a much easyer bike to ride. Stock pipes choke a shee down really bad.