250r or 400ex or banshee

[honda400-4-ever]

rite now i have a 400ex slightly modded and was wanting to bore it but saw how much it was and WOW two stroke are way cheaper than that to bore should i sell it and get a banshee or 250r??? i mostly ride fields and trails

[IcutMetl]

I'm sure you're going to get mixed replies to your post, so I'll post my observations and opinions; take from it what you will.

-Had a 400ex with similar mods
-Now have a 250r with soon to be mods in sig. below
-Best friend had a Warrior, just traded for a Banshee; mainly stock
but has just added DMC 916 exhaust

If I were you, I'd have a hard time not keeping the 400ex. I wish I still had mine.

-Speed goes to the Banshee, but it's heavier and handles like a brick from the factory. Wild ride, easily woken up with simple mods. Can be completely reliable, but pain in the butt to tune with mods. Rediculous amount of aftermarket & used stock parts available. Not as easy to work on as the other 2 in my opinion. I have always wanted one, but after getting some good seat time one one lately, I've decided that it'd never be my ONLY 4-wheeler, and I'd sacrifice that horsepower potential any day for my 250r's all around abilities.

-Handling goes to the 250r in my opinion. It really IS as good as everyone says. I was surprised. They got it right with this one. The 400ex is close. Lots of aftermarket and stock parts available still, but parts can be rare and now people seem to know what they have and how much to get for it. I know, I've been playing the used parts game for a bit now. Very easy to work on; typical Honda. Also can be very reliable when tuned correctly. Jumps awesome, and a blast to ride...it just "fits."

-All around best goes to 400ex. I liked mine a lot. Very easy to tune, and not as expensive as you think to dig into the top end. Depending on the condition of yours, you could get a 416 kit, cam, etc, done for around $500 bones or so and it would run awesome. Had awesome balance, strong frame, nearly bulletproof engine, and when cared for well, can take a serious beating...I know. I put mine thru hell and it never argued. Took it to Wayne National Forest, rode it thru winters, thru deep waterholes, nasty hills....shifted wheelies across long fields- it did it all well. I think your lowest overall cost for ownership would be here, personally. Keep good synthetic oil in it, valves adjusted, run good gas, regular maintenance...well, you know the story. You also have to consider that between a 400ex and 250r that the cost of a bore & hone won't be that much different, but the hand-porting is what really wakes a 2-stroke up. The combination of a pipe and porting on a 2 stroke is like the cam on a 4-stroke. And new 400ex/xr400 cams are cheaper than 250r exhausts. Labor for porting is $$$, figure a Banshee being roughly 2x or slightly less 'cause of twin cylinders.

I bought my 250r because I always wanted one, and got a great deal. I've been without my 400 for about 4-5 years now, and just didn't want to fork down cabbage for a new YFZ450r or KTM. I don't mind tinkering with things, and with any used machine, especially one that's 20 years old, you're going to put money in it. All the 'little things' I've done to mine so far, I could have bought a used TRX450R, and I'm still going. I'm a detail guy, so I notice all the imperfectons of the past 20 years of abuse and want everything to be perfect. It's a very fun money pit.

Unless you REALLY want to find out what a 2-stroke is all about and can't live without it, I would keep yours and not take a depreciation hit, sink a little money into it, and have the best of both worlds. Get a 416 or 426 to keep your stock sleeve, mild compression increase, XR400 cam, full exhaust??, jet it spot on or a 450r carb, 450r shocks, put some money into freshening up the head or light port work and that thing will breathe fire.

[01shee]

^^^^^ he summed it up perfect

[smokinwrench]

I have owned all 3. Banshee is by far the worst atv I have ever owned. Fastest by far but all I did was work on it.

I currently own a 250r that is fairly modded. Its great.

My 400ex was a blast and easy to ride.

I am going to assume endless supply of money is not at your finger tips. I would buy a wiseco 10:1 piston, stage 3 hotcam very cheap mods, buy a set of nice front shocks and keep the 400ex. You don't need that bigbore kit to make the 400ex fast. The wiseco piston is so lite it will help it rev much faster and the stage 3 cam adds nice topend power.

[89rwfo]

Originally posted by honda400-4-ever
rite now i have a 400ex slightly modded and was wanting to bore it but saw how much it was and WOW two stroke are way cheaper than that to bore should i sell it and get a banshee or 250r??? i mostly ride fields and trails

250R!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
We use the 400ex for traction in the woods!

[the dude]

In my experience, dunes and desert:

Banshee- A blast in the dunes, nothing is faster up the hill, keep it mild and its fast enough to scare you now and then. but, the suspension is blah..

400ex- Very fun bike, easy to maintain, reliable, but even with mods i always wanted more (true of everything tho).

450r- Much better than the 400ex, best suspension so far, a blast to ride with the ride groups, but still not the best.

250r- by far my favorite bike to ride. it just suits ME best, i love the handling, suspension, power, etc. and the ergonomics are perfect for me.

[HAYESTRX250R]

Depends on type of riding

MX=250R
woods/hills=250R
Dunes=250R
farm/play=250R
for the envy of others=250r......unlike a scooter or a fat girl a 250R is fun even when your friends catch you on one.

[Snipe]

hahaha thats typical reply ^^^

I have never owned a 250R almost bought one $1000 and it was mine, but didnt. I have owned the shee but like I said it took alot of time money and part hunting to get it to setup XC but I promise it can be done and it does ride really well once you do the mods to make it do that.

Man I would honeslty keep what ya have. I know im a 400ex owner but Dude my first bike was a blaster was alot of fun loved the kick start around here it was uncommon and drew alot of attention.

What it all boils down to man, is no one can decide for you. If your really wanting a banshee or 250R go for the swap if you think you will regret it then dont.

this is how it goes in my eyes.

400ex its like a pickup truck pretty common everyone has seen one or knows someone who has but a good machine and gets the job done.

banshee every one has heard of its like a fine sports car think like fast and furious.

250R there to me more like a Bel Air old retro not many ppl ever see them in person.

If ya wanna swap do it man I dont think you will regret going with any of them.

[volsung]

I sold my 400 ex to buy a 250r in boxes. I currently have two R's and a Banshee. (check the link below for pics and videos) I could never get enough from the 400 ex to suit me. If you had all kinds of money to throw at it, it might make a decent bike. I love the R's they were great right out of the box and with little cash were even better. For tight woods riding the R is the way to go IMO. Great handling, plenty of power, and cheap and easy to rebuild. Banshee's are fun but not the woods bike an R is. Also, if a banshee goes pop, then x2 for the rebuild. I'm not sure I would want to go from a 400 to a banshee. Completely different bikes.
Just my thoughts.

[honda400-4-ever]

thanks for the replies i think im just going to keep the 400 and just slap a 426, stage 2 cam, and maybe some 450r shocks in it and i think i wont regret keeping. my dad had 2 250r's in his past and he said they were the shi* but like ive heard from someone else a 400ex is just a 4 stroke version of the ol' 250r but the 4 stroke will be a little more reliable but just a little harder to work on (because im kind of new to all valves and stuff) but once you start exploring it will just come naturally i guess

[honda400-4-ever]

that doesnt mean i wont keep wanting a 250r as another bike to have both together is ultimate combo!!