What's goin' on?..I was thinking about getting a '02 Banshee, '02 yz250, or a '01 cr500 while they're still out. Would a YZ 250 have any competition against a Banshee?- if not, the Banshee will be out of the question. But, I think I'm going to get the 2001 Cr500 they have one at my dealer for 4,999. Or is the CR500 too much power for woods riding? Anyway, maybe someone can help me out on a good decision. Thanks

 

I love my banshee. But a good rider on a 250 will smoke a banshee for sure(at least on a track). Same goes for the 500. Myself, I would not want the 500 for woods riding....too much engine.

 

cr 250 definitly great hill climbers

 

Theirs no competeion between bikes and quads. Bikes got his won hands down. What i can tell you is. my buddy and i bought machines together. i got a Raptor he went with a CR250 ( super sweet bike by the way. aluminum frame looks awesome) anyway. i get about four times as much riding in then him. the trails around us are brutal.( they don't call it "The Granite State" for nuttin ).

He now has resorted to paying $25 to ride track in the next state. 4hr ride there and back.(no thanks). i can't wait for the winter to come the trails i ride start right in front of his house ( bye,bye ).

My point: A bike may be faster. But what good is it sitting in your basement. you need to think where and how you plan on riding.not how fast. it's the man that makes the machine. Machines can be modded to go faster.

Good luck with your purchase.

 

no question about it the 250 with a good rider will beat a banshee on the track or in a drag. you cant go wrong with either bikes you choose.

 

If you can afford it I would get both. I started off on a little dirtbike in 1969 (Honda Mini Trail 50, folding handlebars as standard equipment). Then in the early 70's I started seeing these Bikes that looked like they were on three big *****. They looked like fun but I stayed with dirtbikes till the 90's. The CR500 is going to be quite a handfull in the tight woods. I can easily stay ahead or right with a CR500 in the woods on my KDX200. By the way kdx's 200's or 220's are bullet proof. The CR500 you have to worry about the violent hit it has. Not me on the KDX200, I can put it in second gear or third gear and concentrate on beating you and staying with the flow of the woods. In the woods you can only go so fast before a tree comes out and bites you. Now out in the open or climbing hill thats where the CR500 shines. The CR500 reminds me of the Banshee only with 2 wheels. I had a CR500 for a short period and didn't like it, but that was only because of the conditions that I rode it in. If I lived out west I would still own one. Now at our place my KDX200 is king even over the more powerfull Raptor. A good Dirtbike rider will more than likely win over a quad. I tell you though I am not giving any of my Quads any time soon. I just can't do much work with my dirtbike. The Raptor thats a whole different story for later. Chet

 

Bikes have the potential to go faster in certain types of terrain, like dirt, tracks, trails, jumps.
Bikes are more work to ride.
Bikes fall down a lot more.
Quads are way better in sand, mud, water, and rocks
You can go farther on a quad, and take lunch with you, even on a sport.
Quads are harder to transport.
The difference between a Hot Quad and A Hot Dirt Bike is less than the two riders abilities. The fastest machine out there is the one with the fastest rider.
Whoever is a better rider is going to be faster, quad or bike.
Where you ride is everything, the right machine in the right terrain is FUN-FUN-FUN. The wrong machine in the wrong place is agony.

 

I was torn between a bike or a quad not too long ago and I'm glad I chose a quad. Sure a bike like a cr250 or 500 is faster, more agile and better for showing off; but you can go more places and cover a LOT more ground on a quad, and land owners won't wanna shoot you for destroying their property. I get my money's worth and WAY more use out of my quad than ANY of the guys I know with bikes do.

But that's just my opinion.......

 

hmmmm... It's interesting, but not surprising that most folks on this board favor a quad. After all, this is ATV Connection. However, I've been thinking of swapping over to a bike and am just a little curious about some of the statements.

First, how do you figure that you can cover more ground on a quad than a bike? I did a little research and on just one bike, the KTM 300 with a less than 3 gallon tank, it looks like they are getting from 60 miles per tank in tight wooded harescrambles to 100 mpt in desert type terrain. Of course, if that isn't enough, you could put on an enduro tank and go even farther. That's a two stroke, start comparing something like a Honda XR400 and it will have a farther range.

A bike is more nimble, thinner and can climb hills better as stated, so how can you go more places with a quad?

Really, the only downsides that I see with a bike is that you have to work a little harder when riding (I need the exercise) and they don't do as well in mud or snow (I don't like to ride in either).

The upsides for a bike are many. Most modern dirtbike motors from 5 years ago are more advanced than the quad motors of today (exception of the Cannondale), much higher HP/Weight Ratio. For example, the highest published hp to weight ratio is for the Cannondale. It ends up with about 1 hp pushing 11 lbs of machine. A typical 2-stroke like a CR has about 1 hp pushing about 5 lbs of bike. It's a simple as saying most bikes have lots more power with about half the weight.

The suspension on most modern offroad bikes is barely approached with a quad with high end shocks like Elkas, Custom Axis or something of that nature. Even at that, a bike with equally skilled riders will demolish a quad in most all terrains.

There's lots more, but to finish this off and quit rambling, a bike usually doesn't tear itself to pieces like a quad will when you wreck it. Usually at worst, bent subframe, bars and levers where a quad would destroy A-arms, frame and etc..

Okay, fire away I know my comments about this are comparable to some of you people in the eye (not taken so nicely).

 

Raptoryfm660r
funny you mentioned a KDX200. thats the only bike that will ride with me in the woods. i ride it ocassionaly and think it's a fun machine.

Bash
good points. i agree with most of them. However there are two things i would point out. when i ride with bikes. they're the ones asking to turn around because of gas or fallen trees, mud, water. it's to rocky, the sand is to soft. in the spring, the puddles are to big or it's to muddy. it's all of that or...do you think i could take your wifes Warrior.

Like i said. i ride four times as much as my friends with bikes. Keep in mind i'm reffering to the summer months. comparing a full year would be even more ridiculous. by the way, that KDX is in my shed and that's where it stays.