Suzuki putting all their eggs in one basket?

Do you guys think Suzuki is putting all their eggs in one basket with the new Z400 quad? I don't know about your guys Suzuki dealers put around here they are really standing by it hardcore. I asked them how it would stand up to a 400EX and they said the 400EX doesn't stand a chance. I then asked about the Raptor and they said the same. I am not saying that the Suzuki will not be fast but I am sure it will have some out of the box problems just like the Raptor did. If they do have alot of problems then they kind of don't have anything to stand on you know what I mean. They haven't made a performance quad for what something like 12 years? This post is not a flame on Suzuki I just want to know what you guys think. Does the Honda 400EX stand a chance? I think it has at least a chance.

[Sandgod4]

Well it has dual overhead cam, nikacil cylinder, water cooled, four valves, short stroke motor. All this adds up to performance vs the air cooled 400ex. They will do just fine. Yoshimira already has a host of aftermarket engine parts, 432 sleeves, pipes, valves, porting. Yoshi and Suzy are like baseball and hotdogs. You can't go wrong.. Are Honda fans worried, they should be. Don't bash me, I've owned plenty of Honda's.

[Castor-426ex]

i think they will have some probs...
I know that motor came from the dirtbike....but the dirtbike didnt have reverse....I think the raptor motor is also from a motorcycle, and look what they have had to deal with.....Im not saying that the z400 wont be fast... but I dont think that it will be the hype that the dealers put it up to be....besides you know that it will be de-tuned from the dirt bike version, as was the 400ex was detuned from the xr400 ......
I dont think by any means will the z400 destroy the Raptor and 400ex...look at it this way...put all the sport quads on an mx track...bone stock..honda, yamaha, bombardier, ect...they are pretty close depending on the rider....and thats odd because of the difference in displacement...but besides that point..We really wont know till we ride one ourselves

[dabombdale]

they might not have the reverse and tranny problem that the raptor had because maybe they have studied the raptor and have seen what is wrong and made it not like that on theirs

just my $0.02

[RIZZO]

I think it will do just fine from what i hear........can't wait to ride one so i can realy see what it has:)........who know's, it might be poop:o

[hangman]

You can't blame Suzuki for getting excited. What else have they had to get excited about for the last 10 years? I'd say the Z400 will fit right between the Raptor and 400ex performance wise. Will it really be as fast as the Raptor? I don't think so. Will it really handle better than the 400ex? Considering that nothing(except maybe the 250r) ever has, I doubt it. But it will be a great quad, if you give them a year or so to work out the bugs. All the extras like water cooled, dohc, four valves, may or may not make a big difference in performance (look at the Mojave) it sure provides a lot more moving parts to wear and eventually break. All in all, if I hadn't just spent $5500 on my ex last year, I might have bought one, but as it stands, I'll pass.

[EricB]

as far as a dealer standing strong by the bike, unless you know the person personaly i woulnd't take any of the hype. they just want your money, they don't care if they sell you a bike thats going to blow up once you get it up in the woods. they just look at you with dollar signs in their eyes, but then again if you were making comision what would you do? tough call. we have never had good luck with zukis and i wouldn't buy one, i so far haven't regreted purchasing my 400ex once and i doubt i ever will. just like my truck i'll never get rid of it, just rebuild it and fix what breaks.

Edit: thats another thing, honda is smart simple engineering=a tough bike with little things to go wrong, only thing i wish they would have added was maybe a secondary method of ignition, even then, thats questionably worth its weight.

[ATV_MAN]

But just think about it like this the 400 came out in 99 and then suzuki got to work off of that and build a better quad.Everything new will probably better than the one that came before it.But just think even if it is better than the 400 you know honda has a secret weapon coming to which will be better than it.But you cant skip the fact that hond ahas RELIABILITY. Maybe it will beat the 400 on the track today but will it run tomorow?

[Sandgod4]

Hmmmm. Mine showed up!! I'll have it at the dunes on the 11th against a number of 400ex's all modded, a 416 w/ cam and my C-Dale that will be here this week. No brand loyalty here. What am I expecting out of Suzy.....Great handling, decent power, and alot of looking back to see where the ex's are. Oh I'll be looking back at the Suzy when I'm on the C-Dale. Just came off a Raptor and many many 250/295r's. Like I said no Loyalty here just an honest opinion of what I think will happen. Of course this isn't on a track, because a great rider on an inferior machine can beat a lackluster guy on a superior machine, that's common sence. I see plenty of 440's mopping up on the track and if you think the Suzy can't compete once it has all the avenues of aftermarket goodies you're sadly mistaken. My brother and I ralley on our own tracks at the dunes and it will be fun to compare all the areas of all four quads!!!

[XC250R]

The dealers around here say they won't be out until June or July? You say you already have yours?

[Sandgod4]

My brother is at the dunes right now riding his!!!

[Guy400]

With all this talk of unreliable Suzuki's it's got me wondering if I happened to purchase 3 factory freaks. My current 1987 LT250R is 100% original. Only mods are handlebars and an RPM Dominator. The guy that bought my old 1988 LT250R is still running his on only 1 rebuild. The 1992 LT250R that I sold was rebuilt the first time right after I bought it and the kid is still riding it on that rebuild. Let's see, that's 3 Zuk's with a combined age of 39 years and have only had 2 rebuilds among them.

The only X-factor in this equation is going to be the reverse. Hopefully Suzuki learned from Yamaha's mistakes and has that reverse system refined.

[honda350r]

I looked at one at the dealer today.The Z400 frame looks just like a 400ex! At least they copied Honda! Looks great and the price is right too! We will see how good they are or not? The dealer had 5 of them so they are out! Jim

[Sandgod4]

Jim I know you're a two stroke guy, but it is a great quad. It revs revs revs for a four stroke. Handling isn't up to Honda standards, but it will surely smoke a 400ex. Take the lid off, remove the snorkel and rejet the Z & my Cannibal is having fits. The Z is fast!!:huh

[Zero Z400]

I can't wait to get mine!!!!! Hopefully it will be soon. You got me all excited for it now! I'm so sick of riding the 90. But i have all the parts for the dirt bike on order.


Later

[Warrioreater400ex]

hey sandgod...... you say that a stock Z will beat 416ex's???? j/w

[Sandgod4]

My friend has one but I haven't ridden with him on his 416, but I'd have to say yes. Go to atvconnection forum in the Suzuki section and find my post that says Cannibal vs Z-400 at the dunes.

Well I hope Zuki got it right the first time with the Z400 for two reasons (well maybe more).

1) It would be great to have another performance machine out there to compete with the current models avail, and that should cause the other manufacturers to design more performane into their quads as well.

2) I hope they have enough sales to hurt Honda enough in the pocket so that they will put the 450 or what ever they have been working on into production.

It will only be a good thing for everyone no matter what you ride if this new comer is a real contender.

Plus with the short stroke and dual cam set up this thing should rev crazy fast.

Just another .02

[Zero Z400]

That would be awesome if the manufacturers started a little performance race. Then would sport would really start to fly.


Later