Too many choices now...anyone near Norwalk, Ohio?

[greatwhite04]

I used to own a Honda 250R. What I loved most about it is the way it accelerated and that I could light the rear tires up like a dragster on just about any surface. I also liked that it was not tippy, mostly because I could bust the rear tires loose at will and slide around any corner. That was 10 years ago! At the time, any 4stroke I rode(200sx, 250x, Warrior) felt dumpy. Well, I sold it(dumb, I know) got married had kids etc. I have always wanted to get back into 4wheelin. Now keep all this in mind.
The big D is over with and I am almost ready to buy a new quad! Yes, the big D and I don't mean Dallas.
Problem is, there are too many choices now! There used to be only one choice...the 250R(may still be the only choice). I am debating a 2005 400Ex, KFX400, YFZ450, Banshee, or used 250r. I love the 2005 Ex new look and reverse but am afraid it won't have the "biz" (that's old school for describing a 2strokes power, acceleration and sound) I am lookin for. A KFX400, may still not have the biz I want, plus, I prefer red or blue, get it. Oooh, the YFZ 450, now that sounds right up my alley...but it costs more and reverse on other quads is tempting. Actually, I am afraid any of these new 4strokes won't give me the rush my 250r did. If only I could test ride one of them. I could buy a used 250r, but uhh, well, it would be a used quad. Banshee? Maybe, I know when I had my R I wanted to get a shee. But I'm not sure I wanna deal with premix, 2 everything, no low end, etc.
Really tough decision I must say. A 400ex may have enough power( I should say excitement factor or biz) but I have never ridden one. Does anyone here live near Norwalk, Ohio and own a 400ex, kfx, or yfz450? And, would you be willing to let a stranger test ride it? Anyone ride at Norwalk Hangtime Park? Me and the kids go there and watch(someday we will go there and ride). Oh, and someone describe, in detail, the kind of acceleration a yfz has. That will probably be what i end up getting. Sorry for the long post, any help will be appreciated.

Now, what would be the best mini quad.......

[trict_out]

sounds like your a 2 stroke man to me, and it sounds like u were in love with your 250r,i would say get ya a pimp 250r and bring back the old days or if you want reverse check out the raptor. I know how u feel there are 2 many qauds to chose from these days.

[300exOH]

It sounds like the yfz450 or the 450r would be perfect for you. The yfz has a hit more like a 2 stroke though. The 400ex will probably feel a little slow to you. The z400 is a little better but it still has a much smoother hit than a 250r or even the yfz450. You could always restore a 250R. It would be cheaper than buying a new quad.

As for the mini's we have an eton 90 and a polaris 90. I like both but the Polaris mini will stomp the Eton in all situations. I have been hearing good things about the Kasea's and the Honda trx90's are a good choice also.

How is that Norwalk Hangtime Park? I have gone past there on my way to Norwalk but I've never been up close to check out the track. Are the jumps huge? Are there any trails? I just live about 15 min away and it would be nice to have a place to ride nearby.

[bradley300]

well, i'd say for "biz" a 400ex or z is out. the yfz and 450r both have biz, and are faster than a 250r. the biz isnt quite the same sheer fact beeing there four strokes and hook up quicker. both are still nice quads and it seems that people coming off 250r's like the yfz better, people coming off 400ex's seem to favor the trx.

my vote is to build a 250r, in case you have been totally out of the industry for ten years and didnt know, 250r's have been dominating the whole time you were gona, in fact this is the first year they havent and that has nothing to do w/ how they perform. aftermarket parts are totoally endless for a 250r.

[greatwhite04]

Yeah, a new 05 YFZ450. That'll prolly b what I get. Or a used 250R, but it would have to be in mint condition with close to stock setup. Will be hard to find that around here. I see an occasional mint 250r on Ebay. That's kinda iffy to me though.
As for hangtime park, I think it is cool. But I only watch the riding. Hopefully I will be doing the riding someday. Practice is on wednsdays 4-8, bikes only. Saturdays are 4-9 bikes and quads. Its a fairly long track, lots of jumps. The only big air I see are by the bikes. The jumps look big to me, but I haven't seen a quad get big air off of them. I have only been there twice on quad nites and the only cool atv I saw was a banshee, looked heavily modded too. I said, "hey kids, that's a Banshee. It's real fast, watch it rip apart the track!" Guess what, the Banshee rider babied the quad, and caught no air! So the kids weren't impressed.
I don't think there are any trails at hangtime. I'm no racer, but I would love to ride a MX track someday. Hangtime Park is the only place I know of around here.

[greatwhite04]

Ya know what! I'm not that close to getting a new quad. But now that the big D is over with, this is the closest I've been, in 10 years, to getting a new quad. Right now I gotta focus on sellin the house and taking care of other financial issues. And by the time that's done, I'll have to choose between the quads I already mentioned AND, a 650EX, a Z450, Kawasaki's rumored race quad, and who knows what else! Cool.

[300exOH]

Cool. Maybe I'll catch up with you at Hangtime some Saturday. I'd like to check it out. Good luck with the "D".

[happyboy]

Or if you are intested in something else that is a little more unique check out the ATKs. Right now you can get a new ATK from Haydug for about $4500. The ATK quads have more power than the cannondales did stock since they moved from a 432cc to 449cc and put on reliability updates. A stock dale with good mapping would beat any of the other 450s in stock condition. Once these have been tweaked at all they would over take the dale in the hole. But with a 449cc dale you will be on fire!!!

If you want to see more on the Dales go over to www.cannondaleriders.com