Z400? 400ex? Raptor? Dale? Pred?

Im lookin to get a new quad...which one of these do you think is the over all best? Im leaning towards the Z....and since this is a honda forum....i know im gonna get biased opinions..But im lookin for a duner sometimes, trails sometimes, and flat out hauling. No racing at tracks or anything...Thanks! btw-anyone know any good Z400/zook sites? thx!

[Sleeping Catfish]

www.z400central.com

get the z400, sounds perfect. if you're not racing do not get a dale.

[Zero Z400]

If u can afford a dale i'd get that, not sure about the predator yet. But i wouldn't get it first year, the Z400 is a great machine but will be beat down by the Dale.


Later

[freakystone]

For what you plan on doing, get the Z. At $4954 OTD you can mod the heck out of it. My Z that was stolen had yoshi cam/ignition kit. larger carb, full yoshi exhaust, and tire mods and it beat two Cannibals I ride with. Not by a lot but it beat em. Dragging or trailing.

[Sleeping Catfish]

Originally posted by freakystone
My Z that was stolen had yoshi cam/ignition kit. larger carb, full yoshi exhaust, and tire mods and it beat two Cannibals I ride with. Not by a lot but it beat em. Dragging or trailing.

:huh

[Sandgod4]

Get the Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz!

[Nausty]

z doesn't have near the power that most people say it does. Barely more than a 400ex like 3/4 of a quad length in 300ft.

[MxDale71]

Dude, I think you've already answered your own question for yourself.

Your name, and you askin for a good Z400 site, pretty muchly means that deep down you really want the Z400. If that's what you really want, what does it matter what we think. I'm not trying to sound like I don't want to help, but you need to buy what makes you happy, and it sounds like you really want that Z, and you know that if you buy something else, you will always wonder if you should have bought the Z instead. Just buy what you REALLY want and then you won't give a rats @ss about what other people have.

[racin 400]

Get a DS they are fast wide as a mother and they fun the supsesion is great the seat is very soft.liquid cooled with a extra cooling fan.My opion is get the DS.:)

[AlaskaSpeed]

Originally posted by freakystone
For what you plan on doing, get the Z. At $4954 OTD you can mod the heck out of it. My Z that was stolen had yoshi cam/ignition kit. larger carb, full yoshi exhaust, and tire mods and it beat two Cannibals I ride with. Not by a lot but it beat em. Dragging or trailing.

My opinion is that this guy is full of it and has the ONLY Z400 that can beat a Cannondale in a drag race. This is not going to happen, at least not once he wakes up............

You have spent far too much time with that burning paper bag on your head, spend some time with your kids and keep them from writing on each other......:D JIM

[Crazy4bluEx]

I dunno... jim... im not taking freaky's side completely.. but i think if you put the big bore kit on that Z... it would be one of the fastest quads you COULD mod, and it wouldnt be like a ALKY shee...*as far as reliability* i do agree with the fact that a STOCK Z feels like a piped, jetted 400ex...but a UNCORKED Z i bet is quick, not to mention if you put the big bore on it...

*K*

[airheadedduner]

Originally posted by Nausty
z doesn't have near the power that most people say it does. Barely more than a 400ex like 3/4 of a quad length in 300ft.
but:rolleyes:..............it is a quick revving motor. That counts for alot in the dunes which is why 2 strokes are king in the sand. The Z is a better duner then the EX.

[01TRX300EX]

Nausty, when will you learn, the Z400 may not be much faster than a 400EX, but it is still faster, no matter how you cut it, with equal riders and equal mods, the Z400 is better, live with it, heck the Raptor and C-dale are better to.

[AlaskaSpeed]

Originally posted by Crazy4bluEx
I dunno... jim... im not taking freaky's side completely.. but i think if you put the big bore kit on that Z... it would be one of the fastest quads you COULD mod, and it wouldnt be like a ALKY shee...*as far as reliability* i do agree with the fact that a STOCK Z feels like a piped, jetted 400ex...but a UNCORKED Z i bet is quick, not to mention if you put the big bore on it...

*K*

We aren't talking about a machine shop getting a hold of this guy's engine, he said he beats Cannondales with a pipe....must be "the magic pipe".
I have said it before, if you want to go into the Z400 or any other quad and bore it, etc; then you are going to be in a different league than a stock for stock comparison. I have no doubt that someone can pour a bunch of money into their stock Z400 or any other quad and end up with a faster quad than the Cannondale is, but stock for stock, you have to admit that the Cannondales are king for now.
I don't believe that the Z400's were meant to compete with my Speed directly, more intended to take market share away from Honda and the 400EX.
I have won enough holeshots on the starting gate against Raptors, Banshees, 440EX's, 265R's etc to know that my stock Speed is more than enough to put a piped Z400 back in it's place...............JIM

[Crazy4bluEx]

well said jim.....
i really would like to ride a SPEED with shocks.. and all.... i havent gotten to get seat time on a dale yet... but they seem REAL fast from the way people talk about em...

*K*

raptors are alright ,400ex are to slow and Z400 just suck and Dales are fast but expensive I don't know about the pred I think the DS650 is a better choice

[Castor-426ex]

ok here we go....

a 400ex is too slow huh? this is getting old..

the z just plain sucks? you rode one?...cause the way you post its like youve rode every quad out there:rolleyes:

so you are partial to the DS? well They are good quads...I love the baha.. but if that ds of yours is stock you aint got much on any modded 400ex.. haha its funny..stock ds and stock raptor are almost even in a drag, top speed...ect..I dont like trail riding them..but thats just me..they are a tad bit wide for me..and not to mention heavy...they take time to get adjusted to..i guess i havent had enough chance...

It is all about what you want...

the 400ex is proven...and the aftermarket has it covered...pretty much anything you could want outta that atv...can and has been done...and then some....

The z seems to be good so far...a little more high tech...but Id wait for the second production year...sure its the same motor as the drz..but the dirtbike didnt have reverse...and im sure the z is gonna have minor bugs...it already has with a soft axle..

if you want a cannondale be ready...you prob havent rode anything like it...ive never had a quad jerk my arms nearly out of socket before..its awesome...its just like revving a 2 stroke...but it thumps...
they require a little more maint..than normal...you gotta keep an eye on everything...its an out of the box race quad...what do you expect?

umm and a piped 400, or a piped z aint gonna beat no dale..unless the dale rider is in some sort of trance...or just drunk...or he is fred flinstone trying to footwork his way down the trails...

[roostin_dale]

If you ride just average look into a 400ex or Z400......if you ride really hard get a c-dale..they are made to take abuse

[freakystone]

Originally posted by Alaska_400EX


We aren't talking about a machine shop getting a hold of this guy's engine, he said he beats Cannondales with a pipe....must be "the magic pipe"...


Jim, That isnt what I said... My Z was piped, jetted. no air box lid and had a yoshi cam and ignition kit.

My new Z is just piped... No the piped Z wouldnt beat a Dale. But my old one did... Repeatedly. My old Z read 41 and 43 on the dyno. The piped Z was 32. Yes rear wheel dyno.

Go back and re-read the post Jim.

[freakystone]

Originally posted by TRX250ex18
raptors are alright ,400ex are to slow and Z400 just suck and Dales are fast but expensive I don't know about the pred I think the DS650 is a better choice

I highly doubt you have ridden any of the quads you listed but someone you know, someone you admire, maybe your boyfriend had a DS and now you want one.

I ride with the same group of guys pretty regularly. Here are the rides:

2 - Cannibals - one with HMF with moto map, one stock
1 - Speed - moto map
2 - 400EX - one is a 416 piped, one has cam and pipe
1 - Raptor - CT pipe
2 - Mojaves - one piped and jetted, one stock
1 - Bomb DS - piped
1 - Blaster - bored 40 over and piped
1 - Trailblazer - stock slug
2 - Banshees - one stock, one piped with a boost bottle
1 - LT250 - modded all to he!!
1 - Z400 - piped, jetted, 2" rear wheel spacers, yoshi cam and ignition kit, no air box lid (STOLEN)
1 - Z400 - piped (for now but not long)

The modded Banshee and the LT250 beats all the Dales in 150 yd. drags by 2 to 5 quads.

The 416, the Raptor, the stock Shee and the DS hang with the Dales in the same race. All depends on who gets that holeshot.

The piped and jetted Mojave is less than a quad back of the 400EX stock.

The bored Blaster beats the stock 400EX like a stray dog.

[honda400exrider]

i wouldnt get a raptor for the dunes. the have descant power and *****, but not for a 660. there real high center of gravity takes alot of fun of riding it. i dont think it is a real good dune quad. if u werent gonna jump, i would get the bombardier. if u wanna a nice quad with descant power, get a 400ex. if u wanna a lil more added on to that get a z. the dales in my opion seem like real expensive quad, that also takes fun out of it. paying over 10k on a quad, when u ride wud b like, "o ***** if i F$uck this up im screwed to he!!, i still have to pay that 10k+ loan from the bank. for people who have alot of mone, (not me) i would get them, cause they seem to b the head of the pack know, but having a lil but cheaper quad ables u to purchase a quad and then make it a dream maching, which is what i would do.

[YLW400]

Just my opinion. Every time I go to a track and see a Cannondale, they are getting pulled off of the track. No flame intended to any owners of these machines, but they constantly sound like they are going to fall apart, missin and poppin. Seem like a very high maintenance machine. If you want something you can hop on and ride any time you want. Go with an EX.:o

[AlaskaSpeed]

I have only seen my Speed at the track racing every weekend, but it has held up since race season started in April; and it has NEVER missed or popped. Fuel injection is a wonderful thing. Maybe those other Cannondales you see have exhaust leaks due to owner neglect of maintenance?
I loved my 400EX, but it was lacking in power and I didn't want to get into building an air cooled motor, just my preference. Hands down my Speed is the best quad I have ever ridden, it puts a grin on your face each time you stab the throttle..........JIM

[Sandgod4]

Got my Moto remap w/ Graydon pipe. This thing revs quick, like a 250r. Wow what a difference.

[Sleeping Catfish]

Originally posted by Alaska_400EX
Maybe those other Cannondales you see have exhaust leaks due to owner neglect of maintenance?


the old pipe was defective.

[suzukidzrider]

i have owned almost every sport atv,except for the mojave/raptor.every bike has its own quality and has its certain thing that sticks out from eachother,but if to base things on modified and stock quads racing is stupid,every owner wishes and claims they have the fastest bike,the raptor is a bad *** bike,in stock form,but is too tall and narrow,but it will give the most h.p output when modded and most bikes wont run with it,its got cc's
the ds is nice but too heavy and even with the steering fixed its too big,and the motor lacks in power output for its size.
i got the cannondale when it first came out,worst bike i ever owned,stiff,everything went wrong,so i dont have anything to comment on with that bike,but it does have a good high-rev engine,
the older 2strokes hall ***,they always will,and i love everyone on them,even though they break alot.from the lt500r to the blaster.they break and i got tired of fixing them,
the honda 250r is king of performance,nothing will run with a tricked out r..bottom line
400ex great bike,and its not slow..put a 440 kit and hold on
now the new suzuki z-400
people are claiming its not much faster then a ex,wrong
this thing is fast and put a big bore kit in it,it will beat a craptor

they have been testing it against everything,but halted when compared to the raptor is power department but not by much
and remember its a 400cc

but it seems to be shinning at everything you can throw at it,that what makes it the best bike out now,the other big names need to see what suzuki did and yamaha come on and give us the426 quad already and honda where's the crf400r quad???
and polaris well,they did just build the predi,,,and it looks mean..the future looks good and thank good its going to the 4 strokes

[MxDale71]

Yeah, the 01 FX400's did have LOTS of problems... that was not a good quad to won. Personally I wouldn't buy a first year model anything... especially if it was that companies first quad to ever make.

P.S. The major problems have been fixed, and a few bugs still come out of a few here and there, but so far, I haven't had any problems that I couldn't fix myself in less than 10 minutes (and I am NOT mechanically inclined). Most of my "problems" were caused by stupid *****, like me forgetting to hook up the fuel line and wondering why it wouldn't start :o :huh. Please don't laugh at me for that one, I laughed at myself plenty for that one. Gawd, one of the fuel lines is at the front of the tank and you have to take EVERYTHING off to get to it (plastics, seat, and a set of cross bars over the tank, and then unbolt the gast tank). Well, I changed my spark plug once (did a lot of starting and stopping which fouled the plug) and put everthing back together, and my quad would NOT run worth a crap. I was like, "Oh HE// NO!!! I just bought this quad and now it won't run right?!?!?!?!" and I retraced my steps and STUPID me, forgot to hook up the front dang fuel line! I felt like a complete dumb @ss.

[suzukidzrider]

i do **** like that and i am a certified tech,it happens and it is always the stupid little thing you overlooked.

[Crazy4bluEx]

I rode a cannibal this weekend, and i will say that it is quick, but i dont think i would give up a 416ex for it... it doesnt have any CRAZY power that everyone talks about.. i dont understand..
it was quick... but a powervalved 330r is way out of its league...
imo...

*K*

[Castor-426ex]

ride a speed....or a cannibal with a remap..everyone ive played on was awesome...but ive never dragged anything with em