are the suzuki z400s any good??

[Sporttrax400ex]

i want to know how fast and and how the z400s handle and if they are relaible???????????????????????

thank you

[Sleeping Catfish]

if i had to do it over again, i would go with the z400. it is only a little slower than a raptor and handles a little better than a 400ex. there will be lots of mods for this bike and with an engine kit you will easily be able to get 50hp. this bike would be great to mod for woods racing or mx. the engine has already passed the test in the dirtbike, and what i have heard from owners it is a great bike.

[Z400central]

yup...might i suggest Z400central.com :)

[freakystone]

It rocks but I, unlike a lot of other Z owners dont want to yell it to everyone. I go to Attica and all I see is 400EX's.

Anyway. I know everyone has read conflicting reports about the Z but it is a true performance quad. It needs to breath and it needs a pipe though. I am on my second Z since my first one was stolen.

My final advice. Dont get a Z.;)

[Crazy4bluEx]

I rode one the other day, an it feels like a highly modded, non bored 400ex imo, but with the engine kit i have heard these things will SCREAM....! they do actually handle like a 400ex, the only thing i dont like about them is the way they look, if you could slide 250r plastic, or find a way to take off that head light it would be the best quad on the market right now IMO....

:o

*K*

[freakystone]

That was perhaps the best, non-biased opinion I have seen a 400EX owner post and I completely agree with what you said.

[Crazy4bluEx]

thanks freaky, im just tryin to tell him how it is, there is no use in lying about how a quad operates IMO, it just makes people even more surprised when they actually get on one.... just like when i first rode a dale, i was surprised because of people saying there almost stock ex would beat it.... lol YEAH RIGHT... dales are quick....but i like the hit up top of a z400..... and the white ones look awesome IMO

*K*

[VooDuu Child]

Both my girlfriend and I have Z's and we have zero complaints so far. They jump with ease and if you are a bit off, they are ever so forgiving. And if you don't feel like dropping a ton of money into a new pipe, well all it takes is to un-cork your stock exaust, rejet, lose the lid and snorkel and you'll be hanging with Raptors no problem. And yes, fitty horsepower is definitely attainable with this motor, so hang on!! I will say though that some people have had issues with their axles, however, we got ours from the first shipment and have no such problems except that mine has a very very slight wobble, nothing I can feel while riding though.

[Zero Z400]

The Z400 is a awesome machine. My frined has a 400ex and i beat him in every drag. He even let this kid w/ a dirtbike ride it, and i beat him and he is a little better w/ the clutch. I don't know about a highly modded ex but a piped one yeah. All in all a great machine.


Later

[bermbanger400]

i am sure the z is a good quad only thing kept me from buying one is the swing arm i guess time will tell on it.if its any thing like the old quadracer they will start falling apart before long.i know this cause i owned a lt250r.guess we will see before long hopefully suzuki did a lil something different on it to get it to hold up.

[eric1]

the z-4oo is a very good quad its only a little slower than a raptor and handles like a 400 but its a pain to put custum grab bars they have to be welded on:D

Well, fullbore's red z plastic looks ok, kinda too ex-wannabe tho, and if u look around/search on z400central someone made a grill out of chicken wire to replace the headlights, looks pretty good, and from what i hear it really performs, and i would get one, but my concern is reliabilty, just like raptor , never buy a first year :)

[freakystone]

Reliability? I am on my second Z and beat the tar out of it. No one I ride with rides as aggressive as I do and the only problem I have had it the spring on the rear brake pedal for the brake light fell off. I replaced and modified it. I weight 220 and jump it quite often. Not even a slight wobble. The handle bars are typically stock weak but I expected as such. As for the grab bar not being easily replaceable, look at an EX... Other than looks due to the fenders, it is not like a Rat-turd.

[suzuki Z400]

I just got a z400 a couple of weeks ago and it is not what all the magazines said it was. I love it but it is just a little faster that a 400ex and a little slower that a raptor. when i do wheelies i can get mine to stand right up and thats with out the clutch. with the clutch it just needs a little bit of gas. and ATV Sport magazine said that you will get more horsepower for less money than u would for a 400ex. it is very reliable and starts right up every time. i havent even been able to use the choke because it starts right up no problem and never stalls. that depends whose riding it thogh. i have also found that it is much smoother than my neighbors 400ex. ridding wise that is.



:huh

[Nausty]

how far can you bore it seeing its liquid cooled? isn't it gonna be a lot more expensive once you compare big bore vs big bore like the refined sparks 465 against a z400 with new motor kits but nothing special? Personally I think z400's are way over rated and nothing but hype. Dragged one and pulled half a bike length away from me in about 250ft and 400ex has the handling advantage.

[Castor-426ex]

im pretty sure you have plenty of room to bore...they prob maded enough room from the water jackets to the actual cylinder/sleeve

Im wondering.. does the z have nikasil cylinder? Im thinking I read that somewhere but Im not sure...

I also read that the head is a problem point when you do decide to do engine mods...weak valves ect...but like most quads you need to take care of that anyways..

I agree with you nausty...i havent been spanked by one yet...
and I ride with two of em now..

I kinda like it...it is a sharp quad..and its got good potential..
Im not bashing it...everyone is already got that covered...haha

[freakystone]

Originally posted by Nausty
Personally I think z400's are way over rated and nothing but hype. Dragged one and pulled half a bike length away from me in about 250ft and 400ex has the handling advantage.



cough, cough, BULL, cough, *****, cough...

If that really happened Nausty, you weight in at 120 lbs. and the rider on the Z is a good 340 lbs, blind and has prosthetics on both arms from the elbow down. There is no way a stock EX will hang with a stock Z. No way. Funny how only a bunch of EX owners make statements like yours...

the Z is no faster than a ex in a drag and slower than an ex in the woods plain and simple. Unless I happened to get a lemon. My tranny is the worst of any guad or dirtbike ive owned. The only thing I see the Z having over an ex is that the water cooling will reduce heat on the leg of a sport rider in shorts. And the engine provides a feeling of speed by the way it revs but it is NO FASTER!

[freakystone]

Let's ponder who you really are mr. imac. Someone who obviously really owns an EX and cant afford to buy a Z. Someone who's buddy bought a he is not whipping your tail. Someone who re-joined (2 posts) just to bash the Z.

oh yea Im a Z owner makeing the statements above. We both were stock for drags and woods laps. We both can ride so dont come back and tell me what a ****y rider I am. I am stating that MY Z STINKS. how everyone elses performs may be different but I am finding that hard to believe because I have now seen even highly modded Z's run against highly modded ex's. Those Z's can win the drags but not the race. They just dont make useable power.

[Crazy4bluEx]

imac- i am almost positively sure you dont own a Z,
*or have ever ridden one* the one i rode felt like a highly modded non bored EX, as i stated previously in this post, it wasnt anything spectacular, but it definitly was faster, now the quad i dont understand all the hype about is the CANNIBAL... i didnt think the one i rode was that fast at all... but maybe it was just me, it seemed really stiff around all the corners and jumps, i will keep my EX... for now...


*K*

check me out at z400central. I have won national gncc's back in 92 so I can ride. That doesnt prove that I am right and you are wrong, just that my opinion is not that of a 10 year old. I have had my Z for a little over a month and the tranny just gets worse. I know a guy who has talked of selling his Z also. Im just posting so people who are in the air about which quad to buy dont make the mistake I made if they plan on riding trails.

[freakystone]

He's up to 4 posts now guys. I think he is starting to build credibility...

this is fun! I dont really care what You think, The only reason I registered was I was snooping around here to see what was being said about the Z over here compared to z400 central, Same **** different place, lol. I just figured Id try and help the guy out with his credibility saying the z is not what its being hyed up to be. He got the usuall resposne that he must not be able to ride, any male that has not been castrated can drag race a quad well enough to tell if one is faster than another by any noticeable amount.

[freakystone]

Originally posted by imac
this is fun! I dont really care what You think, The only reason I registered was I was snooping around here to see what was being said about the Z over here compared to z400 central, Same **** different place, lol. I just figured Id try and help the guy out with his credibility saying the z is not what its being hyed up to be. He got the usuall resposne that he must not be able to ride, any male that has not been castrated can drag race a quad well enough to tell if one is faster than another by any noticeable amount.


If you didnt care, you wouldn't keep posting your BS. Not to mention, Z400Central is new, very new. If you found that site, you would have already known about Exriders.

There are many quads faster than a Z400 but tranny problems. Maybe you should have practiced before you took the jump from a Polaris automatic to the Z. That tranny is the smoothest of any ride I have ever owned. If you would have lied and said axle, bars, maybe even the a-arms (although I havent heard anything), I might have bought it. But come on poser. The stock Z is faster than a stock EX. Quite a bit faster.

You wouldnt happen to be a Honda dealer, p!ssed about having to lower the prices on your 400EX fleet would you? Or maybe you are tired of seeing the back end of your buddies Z.

Here is the back of my old one for you...

[sandman]

hey freakstone i have been noticing everytime someone mentions something about a Z400 that is not favorable you get real defencive about it. are you starting to regret getting 1 or I mean 2. you might as well face it the mags have mislead you. and you stated that no stock 400ex can run with the Z...I sorry to tell you thats not true, a buddy of mine has a stock 400ex and has beaten the z with it at St Joes state park..I am not saying the Z is crap because i like the way they look and ride and reverse is great for people that like to ride trails..Everyone i have met that owns one loves it. But when you say things like your just bashing because you cant afford one and i can makes you sound..... well like a *****.

This is not intended as a flame and i'm not trying to offend Z owners or freakystone.
Everyone has a right to thier opinion so try and respect that..

[freakystone]

Your buddy is a liar! It aint closer than 3 to 5 quads on a 100 yd drag buddy.

My first Z had a pipe, cam/ignition kit, jetting and no airbox... It killed stockers...

But I know, we are talking stock for stock... Again, it aint close.

Hey if you think about it, chances are that it would be highly probable for someone to get their Z and find out about Z400 central at about the same time. I also have known of this site since I got my computer right after I sold my old race quad last fall, that could explain not ever posting hear before. Im not sure why you dont believe me. MY Z IS NOT FASTER THAN A STOCK EX . MY Z IS NOT FASTER THAN A STOCK EX . MY Z IS NOT FASTER THAN A STOCK EX . MY Z IS NOT FASTER THAN A STOCK EX. I find it hard to believe that any Z is _A LOT _faster than other ex's although Im sure that circumstances very and many probably have outdraged an ex. Ive got nothing better to do today so I just thought of a way to prove Some of what Ive been writing, ILL BE BACK. lol

the bill of sale is the pink slip hidden so info is not stolen, owners manual and some other rider 101 book, couple old pics of original 250x on left( cant see what they are though), 88r frame with 250x done up by fst that ran great are on the right. That quad wound up getting a 350x engine, front shocks,rear revalve,graydon belly skid, prm rear skid,twist throtle,the old homemade steering damper from a vw- Denton stabilizers didnt exist yet. Nothing 4 stoke wise has been built yet besides maybe a dale or the new polaris of which I havent rode either ,that could run with that old quad, it was just old and time to pass along. The stack of plaques on left are all gncc's from 2 years and the right stack is all districts from 1 year, The one by itself is a win in 4st. mod at a gncc in 92. I hardly think I did that on a automatic polaris. My quad dont stay where I live most the time so no pic of it. Itsthe white one though. Maybe the white is heavier than the yellow and that is WHY MY Z IS NO FASTER THAN AN EX AND DOESNT PERFORM NEARLY AS WELL IN THE WOODS. Notice I say nothing of how it performs in the dunes or mx track. Also this is just my opinion on performance overall but my drag results are not opinion, they are the results between MY Z and a 99EX that is bone stock.

aughhhh! I forget how to resize pics and still keep "some " clairity.

[Bean]

Everyone i have met that owns one loves it. But when you say things like your just bashing because you cant afford one and i can makes you sound..... well like a *****.

i tottaly agree wit u sandman, freaky has been gettin more and more annoying latly, he is like a catfish/jabber mix, wit all the bad traits, grow up man, i thought when u own ur own business, hav a house, and are around 30ish, u arnt as imature as a 12 year old

[Sleeping Catfish]

Originally posted by Bean

freaky has been gettin more and more annoying latly, he is like a catfish/jabber mix, wit all the bad traits, grow up man, i

what does that mean? the problem is the z400 is considerably faster than a 400ex whether you guys like it or not! the 400ex came out in 1999 and is starting to get outdated! i think in a 250 ft. yard drag a z400 will be more than a 1/2 a bike length ahead of a 400ex, but then again i don't think your piped z400 will come anywhere near a cannibal. the z400 has handling like a 400ex and more power, what do you expect it is brand new for 2003...

its sad that it took both suzuki and kawasaki 4 years to come up with a quad that is only on a level that it is even debatable. My opinion is that they used a engine that produces what power it has at high rpms. I percieve that is what c-dale did but they atleast gave it some real ponies, the conglomerate did not. I will dive into one other subject here now and open just one page of its book. the frame where the upper steering stem mount is at is a joke and WILL BREAK. TIE ROD ENDS WILL BREAK. Oh and once again MY 2003 SUZUKI LTZ400 IS THE --EXACT- SAME SPEED AS A 1999 400EX IN A DRAG RACE!!!!!!!!!!!

[Sleeping Catfish]

Originally posted by imac
its sad that it took both suzuki and kawasaki 4 years to come up with a quad that is only on a level that it is even debatable. My opinion is that they used a engine that produces what power it has at high rpms. I percieve that is what c-dale did but they atleast gave it some real ponies, the conglomerate did not. I will dive into one other subject here now and open just one page of its book. the frame where the upper steering stem mount is at is a joke and WILL BREAK. TIE ROD ENDS WILL BREAK. Oh and once again MY 2003 SUZUKI LTZ400 IS THE --EXACT- SAME SPEED AS A 1999 400EX IN A DRAG RACE!!!!!!!!!!!

pics? 12 posts? sounds like you are just another member under a new name.:p

[Nausty]

Originally posted by Sleeping Catfish


what does that mean? the problem is the z400 is considerably faster than a 400ex whether you guys like it or not! the 400ex came out in 1999 and is starting to get outdated! i think in a 250 ft. yard drag a z400 will be more than a 1/2 a bike length ahead of a 400ex, but then again i don't think your piped z400 will come anywhere near a cannibal. the z400 has handling like a 400ex and more power, what do you expect it is brand new for 2003...

that must mean a 250r would be comparable to a lakota since the 250r is is 15 years old and the lokota is only a few... the z400 does not have the power as you guys talk it up to be and heck even leo was said how much faster it is over a ex when he went to some drags. Plain and simple 400ex has small handling advantage and does even when buying the same stuff for a z its gonna handle better and personally I always ride on small tracks so I could care less about power as long as it doesn't start bogging down. To each his own I guess.

[Castor-426ex]

freaky you need to load that Z up and come to the LBL ride in ky we got comin up soon...it aint that far..haha

im tired of all this z vs. ex crap

so f***** what?

i aint never seen the back of a z on the trails or track....and I doubt I will...who knows...who cares?

[New-400ex_guy]

now lets hear from the 400ex and the Z owner, both brand new quads.

1. the z is faster than a stock ex there is no contest. even with the 14th front sprocket and k&N filter.

2. they handle about the same, i love the suzuki's seat its really comfortable and easy to throw the quad around. the ex has better shock in the back. handle about the same.

3. the z is about as fast as a modded ex, i know ive ridden 5 of em with the pipe, jet, airbox mods.

4. with a pipe, jetting, filter, airbox mod on my z its faster than a stock raptor and shee. rode plenty of stock shee's and 3 stock raptors.

this is all in the dunes btw. i dont right mx, have ridden in the woods once but no tight tech trails, but i will in the winter.

overall the z is the clear winner, but id probly like ex in the woods a bit more since id rather break the honda than my Z :p

[Bean]

outdated?

the 250r is outdated, should we rid of it??? it is the most wanted, most ridin race bike in almost every race class, been around the longest almost, and has more aftermarket parts than any other quad out i bet, but it is old and sucky, i think we should ban people from riding them becuase it was made 15 years ago.

do u know technictly, ur 4stroke, liquid cooled Z is outdated as well, the mojave has the same motor, wit diff cam, port, piston and basic stuff, and it came out the same time as the R, so what are u smoking? a tottaly redisgned, bored out version of the age old mojave, wow JMO

[muff]

Originally posted by freakystone
No one I ride with rides as aggressive as I do and the only problem I have had it the spring on the rear brake pedal for the brake light fell off.

if you ride as agressive as my friend does you would have bent your axle by now, on the third day since he bought it he was already jumpin a 60ft table top and was getting around 15ft of air, i havent scanned in the pictures yet but i will soon, he ended up bending his axle because their axles are cheap, and another time he bottomed out so hard that the brake caliper ended up putting a hole in his exhaust, i didnt think it was possible but it happened

if you dont believe that he's that aggressive look at some of the old big air pics of him on his 300, he is just plain nuts

anyway back to the z400 thing, it beat my friends '00 400ex in a drag race on pavement which has a powerbomb header and powercore 4, 22" all tracs and stock gearing, and a k&n filter and jets, the z obviously beat it off the line but it also beat it for top speed by a couple of mph

my advise, wait for suzuki to come out with a stronger axle of just by a lonestar one, other than that i'd say the z is pretty good, i can wait to race him, i think its going to be the same as my 440 until he gets an exhaust

[Bean]

lol, mabe he is TOO agressive?

[muff]

Originally posted by Bean
lol, mabe he is TOO agressive?

he prolly is, if thats possible

[Sick0]

Ther alright quads. Not as good as every body is saying.

[Bean]

i think dirtwheels hyped it up alot, its a nice quad, but they go off and say it can do this, and jump over the grand canyon riderless, hav only one front tire and ride wheelies, hype dosnt mean anything, jus like a loud piped dosnt mean power

[Sick0]

Thats whats I thinking

[freakystone]

Originally posted by Sick0
Thats whats I thinking

You wanna know what I have been thinking?...

The Z is hands down the best sport quad ever built. Keep your pants on sis, I said sport quad not race quad. But even the old 250R and the 400EX needed major mods to gain the reputation they have today.

I base my statement on more than one thing:

1. Speed.
2. Power.
3. Handling.
4. Price.
5. Mod prices.
6. Maintenance.

Sure the Raptor has better top end, but the Z is a better handler and less $. Yes the Dales are better racers, but you need to shell out some jack to get one and maintenance... Ouch. Yes the Shee will roost on a Z but not everyone rides dunes. Yes the 400EX has a.... uh.... umm.... hmm.... Honda sticker on it, but the sticker only adds about 2 hp anyways.

[Sick0]

I guess you got caught up in all the hype. Raptor has alot more low end than a Z.Do you even know what low end is.

[Sick0]

all the parts are aren't made good. Thats how they kept the price down.

[freakystone]

Originally posted by Sick0
I guess you got caught up in all the hype. Do you even know what low end is.



YEP...

[Sick0]

you know its funny not one Z has beat of the line,
got the holeshot or beat me in a race. I'm not going to say my quads fast because it isn't. I get beat all the time on the holeshot by 400ex and c-dales. I have race a bunch of them too.

[Bean]

The Z is hands down the best sport quad ever built. Keep your pants on sis, I said sport quad not race quad. But even the old 250R and the 400EX needed major mods to gain the reputation they have today.



it will need major mods just as well to get a reputation, and for being "old and outdated" as u call it, the R and Ex are tearing up the tracks of today, and are on the podeum at the end of every race jus about, i dought seroiulsy that the almighty Z or c-dale even will be around 15 years, like the R, i personaly love the c-dale, and will take it 2nd over everything, but the Z on the other hand, is basicly a bigger framed, bigger motered mojave, old as the R too, so we are all outdated and old, lets get rid of our quads and buy something "new" this time

[Nausty]

z has very small power advantage and reverse
400ex is bulletproof and has the handling advantage

400ex is perfect for me cuz I could care less about reverse seeing I only ride mx, don't have to spend 400 bucks or so on a axle made of butter when all in all every see I find costs about 57 58 and the 400ex costs 5100 and don't have to pay for a new axle when you start going big. I guess I don't see how a person can claim the z handles just as good as the 400ex when he rides in the sand. And again the z does NOT have the power advantage everyone talks it up to be, its like half a bike length to 3/4 of a bike length in a 300ft drag. palease

[Sick0]

The LT250r is to the honda 250r as the Z400 is to the 400ex.

The 400ex is built better, design better, bullet proof. I kinda like the Z but it ain't the best quad out there. I don't know really know what the best quads is. They ain't that fast, Made like junk, Cand handles as good as 400ex, and are kinda ugly.

[Sick0]

hey freaky stone

[balla250ex]

My friend has one and he loves it...It is fast and it handles well...I hate to admit it but it appears suzuki has outdone Honda! :grr

[01TRX300EX]

The Z400 is better than the 400EX, plain and simple, just face it guys, the 400EX hasn't been the best since the Raptor came out.

[R-Crazy]

amen 01TRX300EX
The 400ex is an awsome quad. a Z is basically a 400ex with a better, faster motor, little crappier axle, and better material to make the frame. the motor is way more advanced than the EX's. Maybe Honda will come out with a new quad soon, but as of now, the Z rules.

dave