To anwer your question maddog56 i am 15 years old and have been riding since i was 4 years old i started out on a old 80 quad and then a atc 110 and know i race a blaster for mx and my wolverine for cross country. now i am trying t decide between the foursrokes for both MX and cross country.

 

sounds like you a candidate for a 400ex, z/kfx 400, cannondale, or a raptor. raptor takes more work and parts to make it mx ready, but the other three are great out of the box. the cannondale might be a bad choice, considering the lack of warranty backing associated with the current financial situtaton. the ex and the z/kfx are the same msrp, but the twins weigh a little more, and who needs reverse on an mx track. the liquid cooling might be a real plus though. thats the two i would narrow it down to if i were you, good luck

 

hey maddog56 i noticed that you have a 2003 Raptor and i was wondering how you liked it. well here is my problem is i am leaning toward a raptor or the 400EX i really dont care for the Z/kfx 400. i will be doing quite a bit of trail riding and some mX. i am also thinking about cross country .WHAT do you do with your Raptor

 

the quad has been great, with no problems except for one. the raptor has a safety feature that cuts engine power when the parking brake is broken or not connected properly. I took it back to the dealer, and they adjusted it, it was just like adjusting a clutch cable. some time later, it did this again, so i adjusted the cable, and everything was fine. i have just stopped using the parking brake, and simply put it in gear when i transport it. other than that, the quad has been very fast, and bulletproof. it has no engine or power mods on it yet, and i have beaten many piped banshees, piped raptors and quite a few modified trx250r's. havent been beaten by a stock raptor yet, so some of my success has been due to riding and not machine. i am very happy, and would buy it again. (now that cannondale is bankrupt that is...[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img] )

 

maddog56 what do you do with your raptor do you think it would work for me with MX racing and trail riding or would the 400EX be better

 

i do a lot of trail riding and sand dunes and hill climbing. i also ice race during the winter. i am very happy with the raptor in all of these situations, as it is fast everywhere, and handles pretty well.

On the trails the raptor is great. i have ridden a 2000 400ex on the trails, and the loss in power and throttle response is very noticable. however, the ex has a more stable feeling which helps with confidence. it took me a while to get comfortable on the raptor, because it is a bit taller.

you will have to put a lot of money into either quad to be really competitive, but the 400ex is the better out of the box mx racer. the raptor has the potential to eat the 400ex alive with the right suspension, whereas the 400ex would need at least a 440 kit and numerous other things to match the speed and performance.

its a tough decision between the two, based on your use. if you plan to seriously race mx, then you need to figure out how much money you want to put into the bike after you get it. if you are going to race more than trail ride, and you dont want to blow the bank on suspension, go with the 400ex. it will be more comfortable on the track without modifications, it just wont be as fast. or you could go the other way and start with the faster raptor and spend money on the suspension.

just curious as to what you have against the z/kfx quads? they have exactly the same frame size and shape, same wheel hubs and everything, just the engine, shocks, and plastic are different.

 

i dont really have anything against the z/kfx its just i havnt had good luck with them