When the Warrior came out, sport quads were still very new. In fact, quads hadn't even been out but a few years, period. The Warrior though, if memory serves me correctly, came out at a time when the only other four stroke sport quads available were the 230 Quadsport, the Mojave 250, and maybe the 250X, though it may have even been introduced before the latter two. A 350cc fully suspended quad with electric start and reverse was, to many people at that time, a dream quad. It was an awesome quad then and no one seemed to complain about its lack of power or its inferior suspension as they do today.

Fast forward some fifteen years later and it is amazing the Warrior is still around, especially so much the same as it was originally. Now the general consensus that I gather from this forum and recent magazine articles is that the Warrior is an inferior product, burdened by a weak engine and an archaic chassis. Well, it seems to me that the Warrior only begins to faulter when you compare it to much newer machines with more powerful engines, modern chassis and suspension designs. And even then, in the hands of a good rider, a Warrior is still a competitive machine.

I guess I tend to rant for reasons other than most of the members I've seen on this site. For example, much of the banter I see here, both lighthearted and serious, is very much ego and opinion driven, with little regard to facts of the matter. In all honesty, there's hardly a machine today that's not a good one. And the so-called entry level machines of today are as powerful, if not more, than some of the high end machines of yesterday. And the high end machines of today are downright scary, to first-time riders anyway. A 400cc engine in a lightweight chassis produces a high power to weight ratio, regardless of its namebrand. Let alone a machine with 660cc of thrust.

Anyway, thank you for the compliments on my writing. Fact is, I do enjoy writing. I write a lot of articles and gear reviews for another forum in which I serve as a moderator. That forum is dedicated to the outdoors, hunting and do-it-yourself topics. (I would post a link, but I can't remember if that's against the rules here.)

And biggerisbetter, she was hot! But, so is my wife!! [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

 

Next time I'm at my parents' house I'm going to dig around in my Dirtwheels collection (85-88) and find the four stroke shootout where the Warrior decimated all the others. It had a Quadsport 230, Mojave 250, and I think even a Honda 200X and 350X.
Anyway, the Warrior won due to having the most power and features. I think Dirtwheels was slightly less idiotic back then, they never pulled any stunts like that 'Z400 beating a Cannondale in a high performance shootout' crap that I remember.

 

As good as the Raptor is, does anyone wonder if it'll still be here in another twelve or thirteen years?

 

I have a Prairie 650 and love it. However, I do still enjoy a nimble, sport quad as well. I have found what appears to be a good price on a 98 Warrior, my only concern is that I am 6'2" and weigh 290 pounds. Would that quad be too small for me. Also, would it be as quick as my Prairie?
Thanks for feedback on the strange question.

 

I bought my Warrior for the reliability and price. It was a great priced fun sport machine that I knew would run for years with little to no problems. So far that is the kind of service it has given me.

Our dealer sells these things super fast. When I bought mine they had 5 in stock. I picked mine up 3 days later and all 5 were sold. Not bad for a outdated bike. The Warrior is a great first choice of a sport machine. It was a great choice for me and I really like to ride it. It is probably the best selling 4 wheeler of all time. Hard to change success that Yamaha has had with this model.

I have ridden faster and better handling but my Warrior has been every thing I thought it would be.

Oh Yea I don't like turds either!!!!!

 

MALOCHALA,

Regardless of your lack of knowledge for all of the quads on the market today (not my opinion, you mentioned it in your first post) let me say that you are an asset to this forum and any others that you visit.

I appreciate seeing a well written and honest review from an open minded person.

It's nice to see both possitive and negative opinions of one quad in the same post, by the same person.

My friend has a Warrior and I have had plenty of seat time on it to know how I feel about it, but I still felt captivated to read your entire post, start to finish.

Just wanted to say thanks.

-Josh

 

<< my only concern is that I am 6'2&quot; and weigh 290 pounds. Would that quad be too small for me. Also, would it be as quick as my Prairie?
Thanks for feedback on the strange question. >>



I'm 6'5&quot; 250 lbs and it had no problem hauling me anywhere I had the sack to point it. I don't know how it compares to a Prairie 650, but it would pull my Dad's 99 Grizzly pretty good in a drag race.

 

White,
Thanks for the input, I was more concerned about the leg room, but if you were comfy at 6'5&quot; then I should be OK.

BTW, I noticed you are from Davenport. I miss eating at the Machine Shed. I used to not eat for a day before going there when I would go to Iowa.

 

JLPier,
I'm 6'3&quot; and 255 pounds. Only thing I don't like is that I can't get off the seat real well to soak up some of the bumps. Puts me to high and off balance. Some other bikes are a bit better in this respect.

Can't but notice that you are from Lexington, KY. Do any riding at Livingston?

 

Hey Maniac,
I have never ridden Livingston, because people tell me that it is a drunken free for all, but I haven't been there yet to make that decision for myself. If I get my Prairie back from the shop this week, I may give it a try. (Busted a driven pulley sheave trying to do maintence).

We have ridden Big Rock in Maysville, It was getting really rutted out in the spring and we haven't been back. Mountain Parkway offrodad (MPoffroad.com) in Clay city is the closest to us and is fair riding. HappyTop in Irvine is OK and family oriented, my wife took a bad spill there last weekend.

We also liked Windrock in Tenn. Our Favorite is the Hatfield McCoy trails in WV. Is there anywhere to ride in your neck of the woods? BTW, I live on Harrodsburg Rd in Lex.