Are banshee's reliable enough to ride all the time, even if the machine is over 10 years old and a 2-stroke? I can get a used banshee for an awesome price, but I want to be sure that I can count on it to give me atleast a few years of riding. Are there any particular things I should check out first? All help/advice is appreciated. Thanks

 

Owning a banshee, I will say there a bit more maintaince.
As far as being reliable. yes they are, if you take care and do the proper maintance there as good as any machine. They have a unique feel, and still a blast to ride.

If you don't mind premixing.

The aftermarket items are Abundant, you can upgrade dam near almost any part. For less money on upgrades, a large increase of power to price ratio.

Things to look for and or issues I had.
Bearings and front and rear. Alot of play in the wheel hubs.
Excessive chain wear on rollers and guides. Check compression on engine.
Being a two stroke the top end is more prone to damage or wear. The price to fix this is not bad, but not everyone is able to tear apart there engine.

You will go through alot of tires and brakes on the banshee.
Good luck,
My 2 cents

 

First off, depending on what awesome is. If it starts, run, and has no apparent problems I'd go for it. Most times, you do indeed get what you pay for, but deals are always just around the corner. A Banshee is pretty much the same mechanicaly year to year, in other words, very sound and strong machines. As with anything, there are maintenance parts that have to be replaced or upgraded. I've had my 99 for 2 years now and still have not changed the brake pads, but thats a wear item anyhow. I upgraded to the Cascade swingarm chain-slider early last year and just now, after 2 seasons, I need to replace that, but thats more because I run a 12 tooth countershaft sprocket. give us some more information(address, phone number) just kidding. seriously, does it have pipes or any other add-ons? If it is less than $3500 id got for it, but then again I havent seen it, or heard it...The banshee has the best "rush" as far as power delivery feels, and like was said before, the money spent vs. performance gained cannot be beat... I have a weekend of riding coming up, time to get some work done on the Banshee...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

RoostKing...

 

Banshees have been here for a long time and havn't changed (slightly)
sence they were first introduced. Thats a good thing because there are parts o plenty for them. It isn't hard to find any kind of part you would ever need for it. If you have found a good deal on one, check it out closly. take it out for a ride and make sure there are no odd sounds from the motor etc...Ask alot of Questions about it, has it been maintained very well? look at it from all angles i went and looked at a used one for my son and the frame was ever so slightly bent so it didn't track down the road straight. Banshees are alot of fun but they do require a certain amount of maintaince, and with any sport they can cost you a few bucks here and a few bucks there, if the one you have found looks and sounds good it might be worth the price.
Clymore makes a real good mechanics guide if your the mechanical type and can work on it yourself. it is pretty good also if your not so mechanical, lots and lots of real good information about banshees, and how to repair most anything that goes wrong. If all else fails there are alot of people here on line that can be a big help.
Wow did i type all of that? sorry it's so long. Good Luck &
Happy riding Greg

 

Obviously buying anything used there is a risk. Especially 10years old. If you don't like to work on bikes then I'd say no. Especially two strokes. I have several friends who have banshees for several years, and the only time they had problems was because they modified the engine in some way. Top end piston replacements are like oil changes on cars, expect to do it or know that you'll pay somebody good money to do it for you. You can probably go over 5 years on a stock banshee and just lose performance if neglected to do a rebuild. I like to start fresh on pistons that way I have a reference point on when the last time I did it and how the bike was ridden during that time. If you want to play longer buy a newer one, or and older one with a fresh top/bottom end already done for you. Just my opinion.