Best sport Quad.. Newbie ??

[pat2724]

Hello Newbie here my name is Steve and I am from Syracuse,NY and I am thinking about trading my snowmobile in for a quad. I never owned one and about 15 years ago I had 1986 CR 250 dirt bike and loved it.
Now am married can not get dirt bike so I was thinking about the 400ex or 400 LtZ Suzuki or Wolverine 450 4x4. I like to go fast and hit jumps and throw some roost.

What do you guys think?
Anybody on here from Central NY?
Trails in CNY?

Thanks
Steve

[ride_red666]

id get the 400, its the most reliable and best handling quad. and its a honda :D

[bh2285]

400ex no dout

[jason43050]

get the 2005 or newer 400ex, cause it has reverse. reverse comes in real handy and you'll be glad you got it.

[pat2724]

This may be a stupid ?? but why is the Honda 400ex air cooled and all the other quads are liquid cooled.

Thanks
Steve

[bozz]

YES why is that. How much more would it cost for them to make it water cooled? it would only make it more reliable i dont get it! there are three yfz's in are group two 05's and one 06 ridden hard and alot' With no trouble at all awsome Quads! with the smaller quads you will be looking for more power just get a 450 honda or yamaha and be done with it' thats my opinion!

[rooster_20]

400ex newer or older you cant go wrong!

bozz

YES why is that. How much more would it cost for them to make it water cooled? it would only make it more reliable i dont get it! there are three yfz's in are group two 05's and one 06 ridden hard and alot' With no trouble at all awsome Quads! with the smaller quads you will be looking for more power just get a 450 honda or yamaha and be done with it' thats my opinion!

What????

[SicRipp83]

The 400ex is a great machine iv owned two i would get any thing else unless i went up to a 450. the 400ex is a older style motor, originated from the xr400 dirt bike. athough its freeair dont let that make you think it will not run with the liquids, iv run down kfx's and Z's like its my job. i think that the honda is put togeather way better than its compition, the motors are bullet proof i would go hond all the way. im from the utica area and have been looking for another 400ex too, but good luck people in this state want stupid money for them.

[ilpadrino113]

Its good to see someone else from CNY, i'm from cortland area. There aren't many trails to ride unless you go up north, we go up to lewis county quite a bit in the summer, we mostly ride snowmobile trails once the snow melts away and before the ground thaws and the farmers start plantin. Seasonal roads are a lot of fun to ride too. The power line access roads that cut through the woods are probably the best choice. Can go for miles without worry of cops or tearin up farmers fields. Laws are kinda strict but if u stay to dirt roads you shouldn't have a problem, most cops don't care if u ride on them and will only stop u if somone complains and they only tell u to take it easy around the poeple who called so they don't get called out again. And i would definitely go with the 400ex, great power, awsome reliability, responds really well to aftermarket parts and and suspension is awsome. Ya quads are expensive in CNY, it sux, i would definitely go to penn. or Ohio to pick up a quad, way cheaper down there.

[cds]

If you go to Ohio to purchase a quad, make sure to shop around a little bit. I know of at least one dealer close to the eastern Ohio border (who shall remain nameless) that has higher prices than many of the "inland" dealers. They do lots of out of state business. I don't think that they are trying to gouge customers. I think that they need the money to house and support their tremendous inventory.

I love my 2001 400ex. It has firm enough suspension for control at high speeds and jumping, but it's not so stiff that it is punishing to ride. It is reasonably fast, sturdy, and stone-cold reliable.

I like the acceleration of a quad with more motor, but the suspension on a race quad can be punishing for recreational riding. For me, the ex is a good compromise. LOL, I sound like my father!

[underpowered]

Originally posted by bozz
YES why is that. How much more would it cost for them to make it water cooled? it would only make it more reliable i dont get it! there are three yfz's in are group two 05's and one 06 ridden hard and alot' With no trouble at all awsome Quads! with the smaller quads you will be looking for more power just get a 450 honda or yamaha and be done with it' thats my opinion!

It would cost quite a bit to redesign the motor to be liquid cooled and it would not be worth it in the long run. as far as reliable, in a liquid cooled engine, there are just more moving parts and more things to go wrong. IMO you cant beat the 400ex for reliability. It has been more reliable than any of my friends Z's or 450's. as teh old school technology actually works better in some situation to actually keep the motor cooler than a liquid cooling.

I say get a 400ex. they are pretty bullet-proof and are tried and true. Plus parts are everywhere and fairly cheap. upgrades are endless and easy to come by as well.

[jason43050]

Originally posted by pat2724
This may be a stupid ?? but why is the Honda 400ex air cooled and all the other quads are liquid cooled.

Thanks
Steve the more you add the more maintanence you got to do. and the more that can go wrong. they would have to redesign the machine. plus it isn't going to over heat on you, unless you got it jetted way off. if you going to trail ride get the 2005 or newer for the reverse. my buddy's got a 2000 400ex and complains constantly about having to get off the quad and pull it out! i laugh at him and put mine in reverse to piss him off lol its so funny!

[Randy H]

i ride up in tug hill
we have a place up there
deffinaly go with the 400ex...
very awsome quad..
and can go pretty deep in water too:)

[miller821]

Ex all the way, but this is the 400ex section so if you ask in the z section i'm sure they'll say z all the way. There just lying to you though, so go ex all the way.