Why The Warrior Fights On
#1
08-02-2002, 12:07 PM
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Some time ago, I posted an inquiry about some of the sport quads that seem to be under the radar now, so to speak. Namely, I mentioned the Yamaha 350 Warrior and the Honda 300EX. There were several responses and generally the opinion was that they were good machines for trail riding, but not the top choice for racers. However, there was one response that stuck out in my mind. One well-meaning critic proclaimed the Warrior a “turd” and denounced it as a good choice for today’s sport ATV riders.
With that in mind as well as a recent article I’d read comparing the two quads, I took the opportunity to test drive a 2001 Warrior that was on display at a local business. In all its years of existence, I’d never had the opportunity to ride one so this was to be a treat. As I looked the machine over, I was impressed by it. Despite the fact that this is essentially the very same machine that appeared some fifteen or sixteen years ago, it’s still a great looking machine. Its fun, rugged look may be in contrast to the racier and more aggressive designs of today, but it’s still an eye-catching design in my book.
My intention was to find out, within the limits of a parking lot, if this machine could still make a good enough impression on a first time buyer to sell itself. Having recently rode a Honda 400EX and Raptor 660R, I thought I might be able to at least tell how the Warrior’s fun factor compared to the other machines, though I knew from the beginning that it would be much less powerful than the other machines. Also, I wanted to check out as much as I could if certain other features were as bad as I had read. For example, one recent magazine article I’d read ranted on the Warrior’s reverse gear, that it was not convenient enough. I had to see for myself.
The lady that accompanied me to the Warrior, a 20-ish blonde with stunning eye appeal, handed me the key and said “Take it for a spin, if you want. It’s quite peppy for such a little four wheeler.” I wondered then what she’d been used to riding, but I declined to ask.
She just had one more bit of information before I climbed aboard. “Now that one has a clutch. Did you know that?” Yes ma’am, I know. Like a motorcycle.
I inserted the key and turned it. I hit the starter button and the Warrior engine immediately fired up. There was no warm up period of rough idle, it simply turned over and fell into a perfectly smooth idle. I stabbed the throttle and was surprised at how quickly it revved. It sort of reminded me of my experience with the Raptor, though I knew it would be nothing like the Raptor when it was rolling.
I eased out on the clutch and headed toward the back of the business where there was just a little bit of room to ride. I stabbed the throttle to see how it accelerated. It certainly wasn’t as fast as the 400EX and not even close to that of the brutal, wheelie-popping acceleration of the Raptor, but it was no slouch either. The Warrior charged ahead, and though its front end became noticeably lighter, the front wheels never actually left the ground. I sped to the back of the lot and though I didn’t really have ample room to try it out, I did manage to squeeze in a few shifts and I got a good feel for how it handled.
Once I reached the end of the lot, I decided to try out the so-called horrible reverse gear I’d read about. As I had figured, there was nothing to that claim. It was as simple to me as shifting the Raptor into reverse, the only difference being that the Raptor’s reverse mechanism was a **** located on the right front fender as opposed to the lever located on the Warrior’s right side. On the Warrior, you obviously have to place the switch back into forward position afterwards, but I noticed no great inconvenience or problems with the Warrior reverse shifting procedure. In fact, the only shifting problem I had with this machine was that for some reason it would not go into neutral.
When I returned the Warrior to the sales lady, I had to drive it over a curb to get it back where it had been previously. Instead of the harsh bump I expected, I was pleasantly surprised when the front wheels seemed to float over the curb without transmitting much feel to the handlebars or the rest of the frame. I felt it when the rear wheels crossed the curb, but it was barely a bounce.
The “model” was grinning at me when I climbed off. “I told you it was a peppy little thing, didn’t I?” I returned the key to her and we discussed the Warrior a little further before I left. The Warrior looked pretty good overall, but the handlebars and clutch lever bore telltale signs of a previous rollover. That, with my inability to shift into neutral, was the only flaw I could find with the machine. I promised to give it some thought and return if I decided to consider its purchase.
I’m no expert on ATVs. In fact, my background with them is very limited. I can’t give anyone any racing tips or tell anyone how to get more horsepower out of their machine. I grew up riding motorcycles, but I did manage to keep up with each new machine as they were introduced. For some reason I was much more interested in reading about ATVs than I was the motorcycles I spent my time on.
Last year, I found that my interest in ATVs was returning. Though it had been many years since I’d even given them much thought, I began purchasing magazines and scouring the web to get back up to speed on what was happening in the ATV world. What I learned was both sad and exciting. Some of the wonderful machines from yesteryear were gone, some long gone, but there were some really exciting new machines available to take their place. The furiously fast two strokes had begun to be replaced by much larger displacement four strokes.
To my surprise, I discovered that the Warrior and Banshee both were still being produced and, aside from the obvious color changes, were nearly identical both mechanically and visually to their original models. I was amazed that neither of these machines had received significant upgrades to keep them on par with their competitors. Engine-wise, the Banshee could still hold its own, but both machines had fallen far behind the others when it came to suspension and handling design. But, I guess that’s what the aftermarket is for.
Back to the Warrior. There’s obviously a reason the Warrior has been around as long as it has and remains basically unchanged. It’s still a great quad, just like it was back then. The only difference is now there are other quads available that have more power, handle better, and have better suspension. The Yamaha does things well; others just do them much better. But, it is nonetheless a commendable feat to produce an ATV that has spanned three decades as a great seller and a reliable, fun machine. And, the Warrior is probably one of the best bang for the buck quads a beginning ATVer can purchase today.
So, why is the Warrior still around after all these years? The reason is simple; Yamaha got it right the first time. Their formula was better than good. It was and still is what a large number of people want. And I don’t know a single person out there that wants, or even likes, any kind of turd.
M.A. Lochala
August 2, 2002
With that in mind as well as a recent article I’d read comparing the two quads, I took the opportunity to test drive a 2001 Warrior that was on display at a local business. In all its years of existence, I’d never had the opportunity to ride one so this was to be a treat. As I looked the machine over, I was impressed by it. Despite the fact that this is essentially the very same machine that appeared some fifteen or sixteen years ago, it’s still a great looking machine. Its fun, rugged look may be in contrast to the racier and more aggressive designs of today, but it’s still an eye-catching design in my book.
My intention was to find out, within the limits of a parking lot, if this machine could still make a good enough impression on a first time buyer to sell itself. Having recently rode a Honda 400EX and Raptor 660R, I thought I might be able to at least tell how the Warrior’s fun factor compared to the other machines, though I knew from the beginning that it would be much less powerful than the other machines. Also, I wanted to check out as much as I could if certain other features were as bad as I had read. For example, one recent magazine article I’d read ranted on the Warrior’s reverse gear, that it was not convenient enough. I had to see for myself.
The lady that accompanied me to the Warrior, a 20-ish blonde with stunning eye appeal, handed me the key and said “Take it for a spin, if you want. It’s quite peppy for such a little four wheeler.” I wondered then what she’d been used to riding, but I declined to ask.
She just had one more bit of information before I climbed aboard. “Now that one has a clutch. Did you know that?” Yes ma’am, I know. Like a motorcycle.
I inserted the key and turned it. I hit the starter button and the Warrior engine immediately fired up. There was no warm up period of rough idle, it simply turned over and fell into a perfectly smooth idle. I stabbed the throttle and was surprised at how quickly it revved. It sort of reminded me of my experience with the Raptor, though I knew it would be nothing like the Raptor when it was rolling.
I eased out on the clutch and headed toward the back of the business where there was just a little bit of room to ride. I stabbed the throttle to see how it accelerated. It certainly wasn’t as fast as the 400EX and not even close to that of the brutal, wheelie-popping acceleration of the Raptor, but it was no slouch either. The Warrior charged ahead, and though its front end became noticeably lighter, the front wheels never actually left the ground. I sped to the back of the lot and though I didn’t really have ample room to try it out, I did manage to squeeze in a few shifts and I got a good feel for how it handled.
Once I reached the end of the lot, I decided to try out the so-called horrible reverse gear I’d read about. As I had figured, there was nothing to that claim. It was as simple to me as shifting the Raptor into reverse, the only difference being that the Raptor’s reverse mechanism was a **** located on the right front fender as opposed to the lever located on the Warrior’s right side. On the Warrior, you obviously have to place the switch back into forward position afterwards, but I noticed no great inconvenience or problems with the Warrior reverse shifting procedure. In fact, the only shifting problem I had with this machine was that for some reason it would not go into neutral.
When I returned the Warrior to the sales lady, I had to drive it over a curb to get it back where it had been previously. Instead of the harsh bump I expected, I was pleasantly surprised when the front wheels seemed to float over the curb without transmitting much feel to the handlebars or the rest of the frame. I felt it when the rear wheels crossed the curb, but it was barely a bounce.
The “model” was grinning at me when I climbed off. “I told you it was a peppy little thing, didn’t I?” I returned the key to her and we discussed the Warrior a little further before I left. The Warrior looked pretty good overall, but the handlebars and clutch lever bore telltale signs of a previous rollover. That, with my inability to shift into neutral, was the only flaw I could find with the machine. I promised to give it some thought and return if I decided to consider its purchase.
I’m no expert on ATVs. In fact, my background with them is very limited. I can’t give anyone any racing tips or tell anyone how to get more horsepower out of their machine. I grew up riding motorcycles, but I did manage to keep up with each new machine as they were introduced. For some reason I was much more interested in reading about ATVs than I was the motorcycles I spent my time on.
Last year, I found that my interest in ATVs was returning. Though it had been many years since I’d even given them much thought, I began purchasing magazines and scouring the web to get back up to speed on what was happening in the ATV world. What I learned was both sad and exciting. Some of the wonderful machines from yesteryear were gone, some long gone, but there were some really exciting new machines available to take their place. The furiously fast two strokes had begun to be replaced by much larger displacement four strokes.
To my surprise, I discovered that the Warrior and Banshee both were still being produced and, aside from the obvious color changes, were nearly identical both mechanically and visually to their original models. I was amazed that neither of these machines had received significant upgrades to keep them on par with their competitors. Engine-wise, the Banshee could still hold its own, but both machines had fallen far behind the others when it came to suspension and handling design. But, I guess that’s what the aftermarket is for.
Back to the Warrior. There’s obviously a reason the Warrior has been around as long as it has and remains basically unchanged. It’s still a great quad, just like it was back then. The only difference is now there are other quads available that have more power, handle better, and have better suspension. The Yamaha does things well; others just do them much better. But, it is nonetheless a commendable feat to produce an ATV that has spanned three decades as a great seller and a reliable, fun machine. And, the Warrior is probably one of the best bang for the buck quads a beginning ATVer can purchase today.
So, why is the Warrior still around after all these years? The reason is simple; Yamaha got it right the first time. Their formula was better than good. It was and still is what a large number of people want. And I don’t know a single person out there that wants, or even likes, any kind of turd.
M.A. Lochala
August 2, 2002
#3
08-02-2002, 02:09 PM
That was the longest post I have ever seen in here, but well written.
I have read 18HP a couple times for the Warrior.
It held its own for a long time, but I always wondered why Yamaha never improved the handling. Little things like the weak clutch and goofy air cleaner should have been fixed a long time ago. But I guess while its still selling, Yamaha figured why change it.
The motor is about bullet proof, and the rest of it is overbuilt and strong. Just down on power and handling. Not bad for a 16 year old quad.
I have read 18HP a couple times for the Warrior.
It held its own for a long time, but I always wondered why Yamaha never improved the handling. Little things like the weak clutch and goofy air cleaner should have been fixed a long time ago. But I guess while its still selling, Yamaha figured why change it.
The motor is about bullet proof, and the rest of it is overbuilt and strong. Just down on power and handling. Not bad for a 16 year old quad.
#5
08-02-2002, 10:33 PM
I've never understood the weak clutch thing. My Warrior has been used and abused since late 1997 and is still running the factory clutch. It was ridden alot until I got my Raptor. Now my kids abuse the clutch too and I think it's finally due for replacement. All in all I think it would handle alot more abuse than my Raptor would. Warriors are tough critters. Leave it stock and you'll never have any problems out of it.
#6
08-02-2002, 11:09 PM
man malochala are you a writer you should sennd that to dws or something. i find that the warriors handling/suspention is good only at low gears but at higher speeds of 3rd gear and higher they dont hold up the way i would like them to. the tires also prove to be a problem time and time agian(no traction/roll easy). but i will say it is a tough machine after a few roll overs and incedents with a few trees i can say nothings happened to it except a dent in the bumper. the price should be lower sence you can get a high perf. quad in the 400ex for only $700 and now with the newer quads out it will def need a lower price
#7
08-04-2002, 05:38 AM
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#8
08-04-2002, 02:10 PM
I have to agree with the toughness of Warriors. I bought mine new in 87 and beat the dogsnot out of it until about 92 riding an honest 8 hours MINIMUM every weekend. It never left me on the trail once. The only problems I had with it came from the chain tensioning procedure, the holes stripped out in the bearing carrier where it bolts to the swingarm. And as for the weak clutch story, I didn't have to replace the clutch until 98 when I dug it out of the barn for my wife to ride it. I guess it dried up or something from sitting unused for 3 years because it worked fine when parked before I went in the Army.
#9
08-04-2002, 02:18 PM
The Facility
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#10
08-04-2002, 02:51 PM
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