School me on Banshee's

[yernkie]

I have been a 4 stroke rider all my life (mainly Honda's). I have been speding more time at the dunes this year and I have found that dune riding in truly my passion. I'm going to pick up a "dune only" quad this winter (I will keep my 400ex for trails back at home), and after seeing hundreds of Banshee's at the dunes I figure there must be something about them that everyone loves. When I ride at the dunes I ride trails, climb hills, jump, no drags because I don't find it very entertaining. How does a stock Banshee's suspension compare to a stock 400ex's? How reliable is a stock bore Banshee with pipes and reeds? Are there any years to stay away from (or years that are better than others)?

[Hondamaster5505]

Originally posted by yernkie
I have been a 4 stroke rider all my life (mainly Honda's). I have been speding more time at the dunes this year and I have found that dune riding in truly my passion. I'm going to pick up a "dune only" quad this winter (I will keep my 400ex for trails back at home), and after seeing hundreds of Banshee's at the dunes I figure there must be something about them that everyone loves. When I ride at the dunes I ride trails, climb hills, jump, no drags because I don't find it very entertaining. How does a stock Banshee's suspension compare to a stock 400ex's? How reliable is a stock bore Banshee with pipes and reeds? Are there any years to stay away from (or years that are better than others)?

As a kid whos father has a banshee, i am very knowledgeable about them.

1. Stock suspension isnt as good as the 400ex's. But unlike the 400ex, when you come to a turn, you can just nail it and it'll slide right around a turn effortlessly. I still manage to get alright air out of it, and more than the 400ex because i cant jump my 400ex. (typical bucking problem) I weigh 200 pounds and already had it about 3ft in the air no problem, it can do more.

2. Stock banshees are a lot more reliable than people make them out to be. My father has shaved heads, fmf pipes+silencers, jetting, boost bottle, and pro-lite pistons. He averages about 55hp when it was dyno'd, and you can get a good 2 seasons out of it.

3. As far as hillclimbing and trails, the banshee is king of the hill. My father weighs 300 and change, yet it pulls him up steep *** hills. They are by far the best hill climber you can buy. As far as trails, they are pretty good. Not like the 400ex though. If it's tight trails, i recomend lowering the front sproket form the stock 14 to a 12, if they are wide open, leave be. I am providing a picture of one hill climbing.

4. There are virtually NO changes from 87-present day. The only difference is in 87, they had j-arms instead of a-arms. Which isnt nessessarily bad. But make sure you hear it run, because banshees tend to take a beating and make sure it doesnt need to be rebulit when you buy it. Average rebuild is a lot cheaper than a four-stroke. Usually around $200-220 for a piston/gasket kit, and bore/hone job.

Hope i helped you out. Good Luck!

[yernkie]

Thanks for the info!

[djguestone]

The banshee's powerband will just grab ya & pull ya!!
It's power that everyone loves & that's why everyone has em..
Go with the Banshee, It's the perfect sand toy. A compression check will tell you alot about the topend & how much life it has, you may want to run one if buying a used Shee. I love my Banshee & everything is an easy fix. Currently going thru a top end rebuild.

[JDMThoughts]

I own both. And it to put it nicely, a Banshee has the power to rip your arms off if modded correctly. It only takes a few mods and your into the 60+hp range. Plenty of guys make 75 and up and have dead on reliability. They handle like ****, very easy to drift through turns but tight stuff requires a lot of throttle to break the rear end loose. However you can mate the whole YFZ front end on the Banshee and have that situation nixed in the ***.
Bigger and better tires for the back will help you get traction. Pipes, porting, reeds, and good jetting with higher compression and it's a wrap for everyone. Just remember when something fails on the bike it usually costs twice as much because it has two of everything, pistons, wrings, carbs, so on and so forth. Very awesome bikes in my eyes. If you want more info check out www.bansheehq.com That will teach you everything you ever wanted to know.

[yernkie]

Thanks for all the info. Now I just need to know how to break the news to all my hardcore Honda 4 stroker buddies :D

[cbrooks118]

from your previous post yernkie, i assume you still do most of your duning at Little Sahara OK. I have ridden banshees up there alot. they are great at the dunes. the only mods you need to rip up there are some decent pipes, boost bottle, reeds, jets and a filter. The "fat momma" seat as i call it, comes in very handy when its choppy out there! If you really want a plush ride i would suggest some better shocks.

On reliability, my friend has an 05 with those mods above, and hasnt rebuilt yet. I would not put a big bore on there, its rather uneccessary if you dont like to drag race. Make sure you keep the filter clean and jet it a little on the rich side, and it should last for a while.

Put some skat tracks on it and its a heck of a duner.

[Hondamaster5505]

This is the setup i recomend, and its the same setup as my dads which put out 55hp at yamahas dyno.

FMF Fatty Gold Series pipes
Powercore 2 silencers
shaved heads around 25 thousandths (consult someone who does it)
Boost Bottle
Jetting

This is almost a guarantied 55hp.
Thats a lot more than those 4-stroke your use to!

Some extra advice:
GET A BIGGER GAS TANK
They suck gas like mad crazy. Especially at the dunes. But you know what they say, "Suckin Gas and Haulin ***"
Also, with a little bit of grinding, yfz450 shocks can actually bolt up. My cuz did it.

[bansheerider98]

From owning and rebuilding all 9 banshees i have owned, I can tell you that if you ride agressively and actually use your quad you will probbably rebuild the lower end every 2-5 years, depending on if you know how to ride so you dont blow it up for example> pulling in the clutch on jumps so that they wont get jammed on the landing. it will cost you a clutch in the long run, but that is vastly cheap compared to a tranny rebuild. As for the top end, it should be done every winter, at the least some gaskets piston rings and check for wear and tear.

Otherwise you can mod these quads very easy, if your into cars at all. Just picture the banshee as a mustang, stock they are just OK but with some cheap mods like reeds a boot bottle and the right jetting and the right gearing you will haull *** compared to a stock one, and the parts are fairly cheap aswell
www.rockymountainatv.com (http://www.rockymountainatv.com)

that is a real good site to find your basic mods for your quad.

as for jumps and suspension i hit 30foot gaps (freestlye) or table tops up to 40ft. with the stock front suspension and an aftermarket rear long travel linkage/elka long travel shock, but i blew my front shock up more or less so i got some elkas for the front.

but dune riding i wouldnt worry about the fron too much if you weigh 200+ they are kinda stiff but its not all bad.

i wont list all the mods i have but i have pushed 90HP. on a few of my banshees for hill climb quads and drag quads. but they dont last long like that.

i would reccomend the banshee beacause i have a 04 400EX for the woods too, my 89 banshee that i ride in dunes and climbs and an 07 yfz450 that i use for racing, but i dont like the 450 as much as the banshee :P

[djguestone]

I found no performance gains from the boost bottle, I'd personally toss it. Rear shock is pretty good, I too modded the yfz shocks onto my Quicksand +2+1 A Arms. I shaved the head, flywheel, added a timng to +4 & ripps on Toomey pipes. Have VF3 Reeds, K&N Intake Pods, Oh yeah... good tip on upgrading the tank. Also went with the IMS 4 gal tank, ride forever!

[bansheerider98]

Nice! im switching to the 5.6 gal tank XD.

[broke]

Banshee's have a bad rap, but it's mostly by the four stroke riders who have never owned one and have biased opinions mostly based on the information they read it Dirtwheels.

I can say I have yet to grenade a Banshee motor. The one I have right now is over 70hp and has been going strong since it was built. There will never be a quad that can hang mod for mod with a Banshee in a straight line. The basic layout of the motor leaves it in a class by itself for performance improvements.

Most horror stories you here about these things are due to neglect and poor tuning.

It will take alot, and I mean a whole lot to ever get one to handle like a newer generation ride. I have gone through it all, and right now I can run in the bumps and turns with any newer four stroke and tear them up in the straights. But it has taken alot of money to get there.

[Hondamaster5505]

well he didnt actually buy the boost bottle, it was on the bike when he got it, so yeah. But like you said they dont really do anything

[bansheerider98]

Ok boost bottles help a little, because when the air is being sucked into the piston ports it has a vacume, but when the air is being stopped from flowing into the piston ports Via. the piston isnt at the right spot in the cycle to gather more air it stops the constant vacume of air which will decrease performance when you give it alot of gas. because instead of stopping the vacume from carb to engine, it just fills the boost bottle so there is allmost allways a constant flow. then when it needs air it has a larger supply of air to take from ( carb AND boost bottle) therefore you can intake fore fuel without having bigger carbs = more power, not much power but i found it to be slighly noticeable...

[TXATVRIDER]

i love mine
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c389/GuidryC/DSC01453.jpg

Doin a frame up rebuild, going straight drag
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c389/GuidryC/DSC01496.jpg

[TXATVRIDER]

O and by the way, boost bottles are trash and only make things worse.

[bloodmoney23]

Anyway, besides the boost bottle thread AGAIN. My Shee was great when I rode it. Still have it and trying to sell it but everyone around here is more into the 4's (its ALL trailriding and some hillclimbing) Its not too much fun here. But in Glamis I had the time of my life on it. You can actually open it up as much as you want. Personally I think they are made for racing, dunes and hillclimbs. After about 3 rides on mine through trails i just took the road to where i was going instead. Stock suspension is good but its stock....stock can only get ya through soo much. Reliability with the bike. Replaced the topend once in 3 years on my 04 and thats just cause it sat for over a year and wanted something to do. Now my 02 was problem after problem which i dont understand because everything motorwise on the 02 is same on 04. It basically is the exact same bike. Which brings me to my point of all this blabbering. Banshee's are really nice and fun but every one of them are different even though the same. I can tell you a days worth of probs on my 02 but not one prob w/ my 04. Just hope you dont get the runt of the litter. This is my 04 and love it but selling. I live in Ohio.....the dunes are 2000 miles aways!!!!! http://i8.tinypic.com/7292joz.jpg

[RagunCajun]

Originally posted by Hondamaster5505
This is the setup i recomend, and its the same setup as my dads which put out 55hp at yamahas dyno.

FMF Fatty Gold Series pipes
Powercore 2 silencers
shaved heads around 25 thousandths (consult someone who does it)
Boost Bottle
Jetting

This is almost a guarantied 55hp.
my oh my. I gotta call bs man. My bike is ported with more mods than that and it made 55.5rwhp on the dyno last saturday. The port job is what made it that high. I cant see an unported banshee hitting numbers like that. If yours did, more power to ya. Good job.

For banshees, do not be concerned about how much hp they make. Worry about the delivery of the powerband. Pipes, port work etc all determine that. Just dont buy anything that's drag ported.

Please do not say jetting as a mod. jetting is not a mod, it's just something that MUST be done when the weather changes, performance mods etc.

Boost bottles are a waste of money.

As for the original question. Everyone answered them very well imo. they are reliable even pushing a lot of hp. The stock suspension sucks. period. It's a late 80's design.

Banshee are the same through the years cept a couple differences. The early ones had j-arms. the last few years had a brake light. You can get them for real cheap depending on the location. In cali, they go for a lot of $$.

Best part of a banshee is you can mod then for WAY cheaper than u can a 4 poke. Dollar for dollar you cant beat the hp gains.

Lastly, sign up on everything2stroke.com and bansheehq.com and start reading. Those are the 2 best sites IMO.

[Hondamaster5505]

Originally posted by RagunCajun
my oh my. I gotta call bs man. My bike is ported with more mods than that and it made 55.5rwhp on the dyno last saturday. The port job is what made it that high. I cant see an unported banshee hitting numbers like that. If yours did, more power to ya. Good job.

For banshees, do not be concerned about how much hp they make. Worry about the delivery of the powerband. Pipes, port work etc all determine that. Just dont buy anything that's drag ported.

Please do not say jetting as a mod. jetting is not a mod, it's just something that MUST be done when the weather changes, performance mods etc.

Boost bottles are a waste of money.

As for the original question. Everyone answered them very well imo. they are reliable even pushing a lot of hp. The stock suspension sucks. period. It's a late 80's design.

Banshee are the same through the years cept a couple differences. The early ones had j-arms. the last few years had a brake light. You can get them for real cheap depending on the location. In cali, they go for a lot of $$.

Best part of a banshee is you can mod then for WAY cheaper than u can a 4 poke. Dollar for dollar you cant beat the hp gains.

Lastly, sign up on everything2stroke.com and bansheehq.com and start reading. Those are the 2 best sites IMO.

It IS putting it to the groud, believe me. His buddy has a yfz, typical pipe system, cam mod etc. The banshee was beating it when he was on the tired side.

Yamaha themselves tuned it in, and they did it SO perfectly, they also are the ones who dyno'd, and this guy that was working on it knew a lot about banshees.

Call bs all ya want, they dyno'd it at around 53-55hp. And i belive it too, cuz his buddies yfz puts out 45hp and the banshee blows the doors off it. (equal riders)

He asked one of the porting companies once how much he would make with his setup (not telling them the hp it is now) and the guy said about 65hp with the average port work, like dune or trail :devil:

when the guy before him was testing the top speed when the stock gearing was still on, there were using a ford that had a speedo that ended at 85mph (typical ford) And when the speedo maxed out the banshee still sped ahead. not by much though.

[RagunCajun]

all that just to explain it makes the hp you claimed? like i said, if it does then good job. The point was with the mods you said, it usualy doesnt make that much hp. but hp numbers dont matter. when's the last time u seen a dyno blasting down the track haha.

BTW top speed isnt important, it's how fast you get there :)

[Hondamaster5505]

Originally posted by RagunCajun
BTW top speed isnt important, it's how fast you get there :)

a-men

I know, just stating the fact it accelerates like heel and still has a high top speed.

Its a little lower top speed since he put a 12-tooth sprocket on front for trails

[RagunCajun]

damn man a 12 really seem too low to me. If he ever gets around to getting a port job and advancing the timing plate it will really help the low end. I have stock gearing for trails but the trails i go on are kinda fast pace. Nothing like i see people ride in every where else. Areas are here kinda suck! Kinda makes me want to get a beater 400ex to play with.

As for me, i need to tear down my shee and fix the tranny. Nothing worse than trying to drag race and missing gears over and over and over:mad:

[bansheerider98]

Originally posted by TXATVRIDER
O and by the way, boost bottles are trash and only make things worse.

Can you back that up with any "real" hard evidence?

Or just another opinion???

[RagunCajun]

there's a greater risk of the rubber things cracking and leaking. Other than that their do the same thing as the crossover tube.

It's a waste man. Spend a few extra bucks and just get an adjustable timing plate. That WILL help low end and throttle response.

[Hondamaster5505]

Originally posted by RagunCajun
damn man a 12 really seem too low to me. If he ever gets around to getting a port job and advancing the timing plate it will really help the low end. I have stock gearing for trails but the trails i go on are kinda fast pace. Nothing like i see people ride in every where else. Areas are here kinda suck! Kinda makes me want to get a beater 400ex to play with.

As for me, i need to tear down my shee and fix the tranny. Nothing worse than trying to drag race and missing gears over and over and over:mad:

12 aint low at all, in fact it still goes around 72mph but accelerates like hell. I didnt like it at first, but then i got used to it and now the stock gearing feels lazy...

Its also really easy to keep the r's up in really tight stuff, which we dont do often but we come across it sometimes.

Try one out with a 12, it feels alot snappier

[bansheerider98]

Originally posted by RagunCajun
there's a greater risk of the rubber things cracking and leaking. Other than that their do the same thing as the crossover tube.

It's a waste man. Spend a few extra bucks and just get an adjustable timing plate. That WILL help low end and throttle response.

Well i havent had a leak yet, and i allready got the timing plate. ill just leave it, it mAkes me think it performs that tiny bit better.

[RagunCajun]

That's cool man. The most bang for your buck is a port job. but that can wait. Some never get one because a banshee is just fun as is. Great bikes!

It's too funny when people stare at them because you seldom see them. Atleast here that's how it is. I might have no low end but watch out mid-top ;)

i need the driver mod though lol

[Hondamaster5505]

Originally posted by RagunCajun
That's cool man. The most bang for your buck is a port job. but that can wait. Some never get one because a banshee is just fun as is. Great bikes!

It's too funny when people stare at them because you seldom see them. Atleast here that's how it is. I might have no low end but watch out mid-top ;)

i need the driver mod though lol

ya, they have killer mid-yop

Everyone up here by us has 4x4 quads and four strokes, except for when we go to coalmines.

And actuallly, he has plans for his bike.

He allready has some 404 cylinders waitin for him, he just needs the pistons. haha:devil:

[bloodmoney23]

im about to say screw selling mine and turbocharge it. And yeah i never had a leak on my crossover boots neither. Anyway the boots only cost $3.16 ea. at bikebandit.com to replace. Hey Ragun, what do you have ported? Your carbs are ported or do u just mean you have your cylinders bored? Do you have a pic of your bike. I dont think ive seen it yet. And yeah we def cant ride shee's on the trails up here, you'll go through about 6 spark plugs a day trailriding one up here.

[zorro700]

I'm sure he meant the ports ported and polished. Just changes the path from the bottom to top end.

[zorro700]

I'm sure he meant the ports ported and polished. Just changes the path from the bottom to top end. Basically cleans up the factory job.

[Hondamaster5505]

banshees are plenty trailable, you just have to be a good rider:D

All my dad did was drop the front tooth down to a 12 and now you can go really slow on technical stuff and be able to keep the r's up so you dont fowl plugs

[bloodmoney23]

Originally posted by Hondamaster5505
banshees are plenty trailable, you just have to be a good rider:D

All my dad did was drop the front tooth down to a 12 and now you can go really slow on technical stuff and be able to keep the r's up so you dont fowl plugs

have fun then.....I dont even think they are fun on trails, take either dunes, hillclimbs, drag race or mx. Its a competition bike and thats about it. And it has nothing to do with being a good rider.....i've been riding and racing since i was about 5.....so that puts me at about 20 years experience w/ riding.

[Hondamaster5505]

he has 36 years experience, haha:blah:

i know they aint fun in trails, like the 400ex, but we dont do all trails.

Its very rare we find tight trails.

We mainly ride at wide-open coalmines/fireroads/railroad tracks/etc.

Every so often we find a rocky/tight trail though:devil:

[RagunCajun]

i freakin suck at trail riding. My damn banshee's piece of crap suspension probably adds to my body taking a beating. haha. I rather take my yz250 on the trails. Although that sucker needs a heavy dose of clutch feathering if it gets real slow/tight.

[bansheerider98]

Banshees do suck in the trails, but you have to admit, in my position, i have a sand pit, but to get to it theres a few tight trails inbetween the parts of the pit. Id much rather suffer the 20 mins of trailriding inbetween pits then ride my 4poke on the pit itself. I have a 12 tooth in the front, but allways keep n extra set of plugs with me :devil:

[bloodmoney23]

hey ragun, you seem to be pretty cool now.....at least you speak for yourself and voice your opinion. Unlike some who voice their dads opinion and their dads bike. But really ragun you gotta pic of your bike ive never seen it.

[Hondamaster5505]

Originally posted by bloodmoney23
hey ragun, you seem to be pretty cool now.....at least you speak for yourself and voice your opinion. Unlike some who voice their dads opinion and their dads bike. But really ragun you gotta pic of your bike ive never seen it.

haha. fyi, i ride the banshee all the time. so go f**k yourself:D It my opinion too, not my dads.

[bansheerider98]

Originally posted by bloodmoney23
hey ragun, you seem to be pretty cool now.....at least you speak for yourself and voice your opinion. Unlike some who voice their dads opinion and their dads bike. But really ragun you gotta pic of your bike ive never seen it.

Just cuz some people who ride their fathers ATV, dosent imply everydone rides their dads or w/e atv's. FYI i actually payed for mine and everything i have into it, So i definately own my own opinion :grr:

[Hondamaster5505]

i own my own, its a 400ex, in sig, but this is a banshee forum, so im talking about my dads banshee, not my 400ex..:rolleyes:

[bloodmoney23]

Originally posted by bansheerider98
Just cuz some people who ride their fathers ATV, dosent imply everydone rides their dads or w/e atv's. FYI i actually payed for mine and everything i have into it, So i definately own my own opinion :grr:

I wasnt implying to you....just the kid whom says "my dads is this and my dads is that" every post.

[bansheerider98]

K, just wanted to be sure you werent. But i def understand. When you buy it yourself and maintain it yourself. its just, different from being able to romp on someone elses machine having respect or no respect for it. U know?

[Hondamaster5505]

ok, lets see.

1. Your losers for making fun of a 14yr old and are probable jealous because you never had a dad that did stuff with you..:rolleyes:

2. I ride the banshee like its my second atv, but my dad is the main rider of it so i refer to him.

3. I DO help take care of it and help him rebuild it, im very smart when it comes to maint.

So stop being a bunch of pricks. I probably know more about banshees than some other people on this forum.:rolleyes:

You dont have to get so defensive. I was simply stating my dad has years of experiance riding, and that he doesnt have a hard time manuevering in trails..

[bloodmoney23]

Originally posted by Hondamaster5505
ok, lets see.

1. Your losers for making fun of a 14yr old and are probable jealous because you never had a dad that did stuff with you..:rolleyes:



14 y/o born in 1980???? and you cant say its your dads b-day cause you were born between 93-94 which would make your dad 13-14 when he had you. Its just annoying man.....w/o a dyno chart posted on here than i will never believe 55whp on a stock bore bike. so yeah you may be 14 and you may ride your dads bike. but dont post some b.s. that is b.s. I have high compression std bore wiseco pistons, full fmf exhausts, k&n powerlid and filter, boost bottle and some other little performance things and im cracking 46whp. and actually my dad and i just got back from hunting....yeah it was pretty nice. my wife rides an ltz250, my dad is buying his 4x4 next year, my mom doesnt do **** but shes sick so she cant, my brother is in the process of buying a yfz 450, i have a 450r and my banshee, i just sold my rm125 to my cousin and we rebuilt that and now hes also going to buy a buddy package deal on fourhweelers for him and his wife. so my family is pretty tight

[Hondamaster5505]

i just put 1980 as a general year on all my crap.

I was born in 93 and my dads 41.

And im fine with you not believing its 55hp, because i know it is.

And also, it averages from 50-55, because its a dyno.

Yamaha dyno'd it themselves and tuned it before my dad bought the bike.

We're in the process of trying to find out which dealer did it so we can see if they have the dyno charts saved so i can prove it.

It was done by a dealer in south jersey.

No need to get all pissed off:rolleyes:

[Hondamaster5505]

and also, even if yours is 46, and his is 50, all bikes are different. And his was tuned spot on.

Like i said we're trying to find dyno charts

[bansheerider98]

Originally posted by Hondamaster5505
ok, lets see.

1. Your losers for making fun of a 14yr old and are probable jealous because you never had a dad that did stuff with you..:rolleyes:



Just because you dont have anything better to say, dont infer we all dont have a father that is cool and does stufff with us. In fact my dad is 55 and still keeps up, most of the time, while were out riding...

[Hondamaster5505]

omg, your seriously gonna keep fighting a 14yr old.

All i did was state a couple things about my dads riding being its his banshee, and it almost seems as if a jealousy streak hit you guys and you started bein a**holes.

SERIOUSLY:rolleyes:

Chill out. No need to get so defensive.

[bloodmoney23]

Originally posted by Hondamaster5505
omg, your seriously gonna keep fighting a 14yr old.

All i did was state a couple things about my dads riding being its his banshee, and it almost seems as if a jealousy streak hit you guys and you started bein a**holes.

SERIOUSLY:rolleyes:

Chill out. No need to get so defensive.

Dude, we dont care....just stfu and when YOU get a banshee then post here. Untill then, tell your dad to post here about his banshee if he wants.

[Hondamaster5505]

Now your really pissin me off. I tried to be nice a couple times and end this retarded fighting, but i guess your religion id a**holism.

who are YOU to tell me what to do. If i wanna post here i will. At the begining of this thread, whos the one that gave this guy the most and best info about banshee's, ME.

So why dont you mind your own business, shove your insults up your a**, and leave this thread.

I really don't understand your attitude and why you're bein such a b*tch, just because what, i said my dad has no problems trailing it with a smaller sproket? Damn, if that really made you that upset, i dont know what to say.

Im DONE with you a**hole, and go f*ck yourself:D

[Hondamaster5505]

lets make a deal, because if we dont stop, im sure the moderators will get pissed off eventually.

You stop bein all pissed off and having an attitude, and i'll stop fighting. If you dont agree with this, than just refer to the post above.