450r not as comfy as 250r atc

[Dippy Dawg]

whats up with that? I'm 6-3 and I feel cramped on my 05 450r and if i slide forward and ride my knees get sore from bangin on the machine. my old (i stil have it though)86 250r atc is so much more comfy, so is my 350x and even my old 250x fourtrax.

anybody else notice this? never heard anyone on the forums cry about it so i figured I would!!!!!!!

my other complaint is my 450 hangs up on rutted hills that my old atc just flys over no questions asked, I think maybe the skid plate or something on the 450 is the culprit but want reliability and don't want to go aftermarket and conduct an experiment to see if it is true or not.

the other obvious complaint is the 450r is not geared right in first and fifth gear. goes too fast in first and too slow in fifth. the gearing is all wrong on it.

other then that no complaints, more or less just wanted to vent a little!!:D and no matter what I am happy that honda did something after a long,long wait for us oldtimers. guess I'm lucky enuff to have gottten in on the old bikes and still young enough to enjoy the new bikes but confused as to why they missed the mark on a couple of things?

[gbcap]

there is more for you to feel cramped on a 450r over a 3 wheeler.

ground clearence is all about tires. did you have different size tires...and not just what it says on the side, the actual measured height. some 3 wheelers wehre shaft driven...so that would help ground clearence.

i do agree with the gearing. it isn't the best. but it can be helped with different sprockets.

[Dippy Dawg]

the 2 r's have the same size rear tire, actually none of it makes much sense, guess ya just need to ride the 2 machines and the differences are there. kinda like a sore thumb

[trick250r]

they re did the tranny ratio on the '06 :D

[speedracer350X]

I'm an old ATC fan myself, broke down and bought a 400EX about 3 years ago, my 350X is just getting tired. It took some getting used to 3vs.4 wheels. It seems you can be a much lazier rider on a quad( not as much body english), but I won't lie to you, I do like to hill climb much better on a quad,more forgiving in the ruts vs. a 3 wheeler. But you're right, I'm glad I had the opportunity growing up to start out on 3 wheels. It makes me appreciate what I have now. I'm only 5'10", so I can imagine it does feel a little more cramped an your 450. Guess you'll just have to adjust to it.

i hear what you're saying.
the 86 atc rode like a dream. so plush.

my dad has a 250x that is completely stock, other than an extended swingarm. and i swear, that thing rides and handles so much better than the 450.

regardless, i still love the 450. and, i too, am glad they finally came out with another true race quad.

[roundsy]

have you ever rode a yfz?...and as it was stated earlier, the gearing for the 06 is a lot better

[Dippy Dawg]

Originally posted by roundsy
have you ever rode a yfz?...and as it was stated earlier, the gearing for the 06 is a lot better

yeah, I test rode the yfz the day i bought my honda. my dealer sells both. I really liked the yfz but I'm a Honda guy. you know how that goes. i heard the 06 is better. I think these days they will be upgrading the wheelers every year to keep sales up. Half the crap we don't like on em is done on purpose IMO. just another tactic for them to keep sales up.

They did this crap on the 85/86250r atc's too. 85 had a really hard seat and then the 86 had a soft seat. they just engineer problems into the machines so they can make easy upgrades the following year to keep sales up from year to year. I see the same crap in snowmobiles, motorcycles and even cars and trucks.

It sucks but it is how they make there money.

[yamaha91]

yeah, try bigger tires, ground clearance pretty much sucks with 20's or under

[Dippy Dawg]

Originally posted by yamaha91
yeah, try bigger tires, ground clearance pretty much sucks with 20's or under
I've got some taller tires, might have to try them, the thing that sucks about going taller is that the rear won't slide as well. I should try tires and different gearing. just to see

plus, big balloony tires look kind of silly.

[Jonas]

1. You feel cramped.
- your 6'3', your tall. They built the quad for the average rider. Just get an aftermarket set of handlebars that puts them much more forward and up. I'm 6'1' and always change out my handlebars on my quads to my most comfortable position. This will help out alot as far as feeling cramped. If they built the quad to fit you then the 5'9" or less guys would complain. You have to set it up for you. As far as cramped in the legs. They have to keep the center of gravity as low as possible ofcoarse on a "race quad". You can get pegs that lower the foot position an inch or so that will help.

2. Your knees hit the tank.
- Ya, mine hit as well. I wear Thor "Force" knee guards when riding and it takes care of that. They wrap around the side of the knee to protect against knee slap from the tank and to protect my knees in a crash ofcoarse. Personally, I find it very useful to use the wider tank and my knees when turning during aggressive riding. I've learned to use the tank design to my advantage.

3. Hangs up in the ruts.
- Get taller tires that work better for your type of riding. Again, they are trying to create a low center of gravity. Many others wouldn't buy the thing because it would be tall and tippy if they set it up with alot of ground clearance stock.

4. The gearing
- I'm not too sure about "too slow in fifth", but many agressive riders and racers love their tall first gear, it makes for less shifting when racing. When riding on a motocross track or fast trails, I like to be able to shift down to first gear and not be slowed down too much. If you are more of a trail rider then just change out the front sprocket, it takes about 10 minutes. This bike likes to be reved so don't be bashful to rev it up and use your clutch a little more than you may be used to. It may be that you just have to open up the motor a little more and add some power. This will allow it to more easily pull first and increase your speed when accelerating in fifth.


Honda or any manufacturer for that matter, will not make everyone happy with one quad at a "reasonable" price. Yes, it can be refined, but there are at least two perspectives to everything. This quad was built as a race quad. Honda's performance bike in any catagory (sport, dirtbike, or quad) is designed for racing and going as fast as possible around a track of some sort. Have you ever raced a quad around on a motocross track for instance that had a really fluffy seat? The seat can get in the way. Most people buy a race bike such as this because of how it performs. You and me as the customer need to add the comforts to it that meet our needs. Hope this helps.

that was a very good response.

[CHEVYZ]

Originally posted by force
that was a very good response. I thought the same when I read it.