That was not an apology.

 

Quad-man, In Stock trim the YZF is very reliable as any 4-stroke. Any engine you build will require more maintance, highly modified 4-strokes are actually less reliable than a modded 2-stroke. Yes stock to stock a thumper is more reliable than a 2-stroke, but you start tweeking and they start loosing ground on them.

Also, the YZF is faster and more advanced than Cannondales, that engine cought everyone off-guard and they are still trying to catch up. Yes the Cannondale appears to be a very advanced engine, but in the bike tests the YZF beat Cannondales engine.

I've ridden a WR 400 powered quad and it is fast in stock trim, and a friend of mine is building a Leager's YZF426, so that thing will fly. The way I see it, Harold Goodman runs a bone stock YZF400 (Only porting, pipe, and filter were added) and his quad smoked Doug Gust's fully modified 400EX at Red Bud...

Sickman

 

Very well put Sickman, are you an Alice In Chains
Fan perhaps?

How have the YZ400F Motors done as a collective whole when put into a Quad Frame and Raced?

I have not followed ATV Racing closely
My Bad.

I think if the Yamaha is dethroned as the #1 4-Stroke, the Champ will come from either the
Husaberg/KTM or Honda camps.

What do you think, Sickman ?

Great Day
Y2K

 

Like I said, a stock YZF will beat a modified 400EX, so YES they do very well in a quad chassis. On the muddy track last weekend, that stock WR400F kept up with my TRX330R, partly due to me not having the lower gearing needed for the tall tires I had to run. But still it's a bone stock engine and it runs pretty darned well. So well in fact I thought of getting a 400EX as a practice quad so I don't have to ride my 330 all the time, but instead I may just build a YZF quad as a rider sometime.

As far as who will build a better engine, who knows. You know all the big manufactures like Honda and so on are working on new engines to try and catch up. Who will do it who knows, there may be testing of a future engine as we speak somewhere, I don't know. Personally I'd like to see a new 250R from Honda, because like I said before, you build a 2-stroke they gain way more than a thumper and are actually more reliable.

Sickman

 

I whole-heartedly agree with you that Honda should build a new, updated TRX250R. Where I disagree with you is your comparison of a dirtbikes' performance to that of a quad. That is apples and oranges.

 

AlaskaTRX, I didn't compare a bike to a quad, the WR400F was in a full race quad chassis and after the race the owner let me take it for a quick spin to see how I like it. It didn't have the grunt and low-to mid power of my 330, but that thing keeps pulling on the top-end like crazy. I used to only ride 4-strokes but got away from them due to the expense of building them. But I may soon own one again (I won't part with the R though) because The YZF motor can be left literally bone stock and beat stock 250R's and fully modified 400EX's, I know I've ridden them all... If you were talking about comparing both the Yamaha and Cannondale when tested as bikes as apples to oranges, well it seems to me that if the engine in the bike is faster and a little more advanced then it will probably be the same outcome in a quad chassis. The YZF has 5-valve head nobody else does, the Cannondale is more advanced than many also, but it still doesn't have the torque and horsepower combo that the YZF does (And yes the Cannondale bike was tested against the YZF and the others so I know the YZF has more power).

Also the YZF is very light, the WR quad weighed 320 pounds wet, thats less than my R. Even with the aluminum frame, the Cannondale quad is said to weigh in at 350 pounds dry, so more when oil, gas, and antifreeze is added. Thus a YZF will have a greator power-to-weight ratio also.

I'm not saying the Cannondale isn't or won't be a great quad, I'm just saying that the YZF powereplant is still more advanced than any other at the current moment. My sponsor says he's getting a Cannondale when they come out, and like you, he talked to Cannondale himself at the dealer convention. Not only that but he has known about the quad for at least a year now, because his brother is a pilot and flew Cannondales owner on several occasions last year and he told him what they were working on. Also, maybe I will ride a Cannondale when they come out, but that has yet to be seen. The owner does want to watch a race at our local track this summer, so maybe they will sponsor a team or something, I don't know.

And one more thing AlaskeTRX, I never ment to put you down or anything in the previous post, but you did say a quad could be built from concept to finish in a year and a half, that's why I said that is not true, because I didn't know you were being sarcastic about it in the way that they gave competition a heads up. BUT, only a week ago you criticized Cannondale for telling the public too soon for their own good in your oppinion, whereas now you are talking as if the Cannondale is the greatest thing over the Yamaha, eventhough you have no clew as to what Yamaha is working on, or anyone else for that matter, and have yet to see any power readings on the Cannondale vs the Yamaha. I do know it will be Honda Geometry with the Banshee look (as I found out early last year), but how far it is built stock, as far as race ready or not I don't know yet. Then again what are the other manufactures doing? I don't know, I guess we'll find out someday.

As you first thought (And was critical of), now the other companies know what they are doing so they will work a little harder to release a new model that may beat the Cannondale. But it sure seems to me that Cannondales early heads up must be working on you as they wanted it to on potential customers. As my boss is doing and many others will probably do, if you know that this all new high performance quad is coming out, then why waste anymore money on older quads (Then want to keep it) when you can wait a year and by a brand spanken new one ready for the track or trails (as it seems you are now seeing it).

Hmmm, somebody in marketing must know something to have you convinced there quad is far superior to anything else when you have yet to see any horsepower readings or ridden the quad yourself.

Instead of getting mad at others for their oppinion (even if you don't like it) just take it into consideration and if you don't like it fine. Also you say that the 250 suzuki won the titles this year, yea so (The YZF is the most advanced 4-stroke, but it still has to compete with the 2-stroke, so it has it's work cut out for it), I thought you were talking about the 4-stroke Cannondale ripping, I didn't see the Cannondale winning anything, whereas the YZF has had a strong showing with plenty of wins early in its existance. Thus that brings you to the conclusion that the Cannondale is the far superior engine and/or bike. Thats a new way of looking at it I guess, I'll stick to the facts myself...

Sickman

 

Hate When That Happens

 

Darn it Anyway!!!

 

One thing for sure, it will be tough to choose between Kawasaki's KXF 250, Yamaha's YZF 400/426, and the Cannondale 400. I guess now we'll know what the bike guys go through

87 Banshee
99 Banshee