looking into buying a new sport atv. i have now a yamaha warrior. all of my buddies have are raptor 700"s and banshee"s . i want something different. i was thinking either the kawi 700 or the honda 450r. i do want something if not eqivelant to the raptors but also faster. what are my options ? the only thing im unsure of on the kxf 700 is its automatic with shaft drive. ?????please let me know what your opionions are thanks brian

 

The 450r would be a better choice if you're after a pure sport machine. The kfx700 is a lot of fun to ride, but it's heavy, and not as fast or nimble as the other quads you mentioned. The 450r will match them closely in power, and will corner better and soak up the bumps and jumps better than the raptor or banshee.

 

yea it would be nice to take a test ride on one of these before spending $7000 on one

 

That's something that always bothered me too, buying a quad without getting to ride it first. All 3 of my quads were bought used from a powersports shop that let me take them for a test ride around a small field and up the road, which made me feel a lot better about spending the money. I'm glad they let me do that, because I almost bought a damn blaster, but when I rode it I decided it wasn't for me, and spent the extra money on my warrior insead.

I don't really know what to tell you, when the dealer won't let you test drive them, your only other option would be if you knew somebody that already had one, and would let you test ride theirs.

 

I looked at the Kawi 700 before I bought my Raptor. The size didn't bother me as much as not having a clutch. I figured with all that weight and no clutch, I might as well have a utility quad.
At the time, Honda was the only 450 out and I really like having reverse. I use it a lot more than I thought.
Good luck, all the quads you mentioned have their strong points.

 

suzukis 450 is the best sport 450 available rite now but the 07 yamahas are rite around the corner.....

 

have you looked into the DS650

 

no i havent . who makes it . atv are greek to me right now . i have only every been into dirt bikes . however i have always rode atvs.

 

If you race then go for a 450.If you just trail ride then go for a big bore and have reverse.I saw a new susuki 450 drag a raptor 660 this past weekend they are not that much faster.I got to try the susuki out it has awsome handling but if your just trail riding your going to get stuck a lot with those little back tires.I like my 01 raptor but when the tranny blows up It will be a different story.

 

There's a lot of high perfromance quads out in the line up now, you have the Polaris Predator, it's quick, handles good and has reverse. There's also the new Raptor 700's as you know, the almighty YFZ, the 450R, Bombarider DS650, the Kawasaki/Suzuki/ Artic Cat 400's that handle great in trails. And I bet I forget a few more, tell us what kind of riding you do more specifically and we'll match you up with a beast.