is a 250r right for me?

[Banshee_370]

hey guys, i currently have a yamaha banshee, built form the ground up...ported, stroked, extended, elkas, clutch, etc...

i am looking for a 2nd bike. mainly because the banshee is a little much to ride in the tight stuff, plus it runs on 110 and goes through gas like there is no tomorrow. i am wanting something that i can trail ride with, do some wheelies on, and still be able to kick butt.

last year i bought a 400ex, handled great but was seriously lacking power. i would be infront in the trails as soon as we hit the open stuff i was in the back of the pack. i ride with another banshee, yfz450, kfx 400, 660 raptor and a 700 raptor. it wheelied good, was pretty reliable but needed a rebuild at the end of the season. i wasnt al lthat happy with it so i wound up selling it for exactly what i paid for it so no loss there.

anyway, summer is here and im in the same situation, looking for another bike. i looked at an 86 250r but it was beat to hell, mangled pegs, cracked plastics, pipe had holes in it, needed tie rods, case saver was mangled.......it was the only local one in my price range so i passed on it and came across a great deal on a suzuki ltz400.

i would up grabbing an 03 with almost no hours on it for 1200...thing was it sat and did not run. took her home, cleaned the carb out, all fresh fluids, new plug and charged the battery...bam started right up. took her for a spin and wow same slowness as my 400 lol....gotta love 4 strokes lol. it handles ok but still doesnt wow me. I am also a little scared of 4 stoke maintanence. Valve adjustments, head rebuilds, timing chains...blah blah. only thing i do like it the low end tq.

anyway, i originally messaged someone with an 87 and they finally got back to me. i explained i bought a z400 and he said he is willing to trade, says he is looking to try out a 4stroke.

the 87 looks clean, has a full rebuild (as per owner) extended axle and arms.

so do you think i should take the trade? i want a fast trail bike that i can lug around in the technical stuff, rip on in the open stuff, i want to get into jumping some more, and i would like to be able to ride some wheelies out.

oo heres a pic of my 400 and the 250r in question

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i300/Ez1470/z4002.jpg

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i300/Ez1470/3n63ma3p9ZZZZZZZZZ96o33707b02dad110.jpg

[LONG-ROD]

If you think any 400 handles good. you will love the way an R feels. I think once you get used to being able to ride super fast threw the trails the R is unmatched. Unless it is really muddy.and Y can still wheelie down the road up to 5th.

[Banshee_370]

see i figured a r would not wheelie that great since its a 2 stroke....the 400s are whellie machines

[danhung11]

In my opinion, you could get a very nice R for that Z400, it looks clean from the pictures. However, those pictures are difficult to see detail. You should clean it up and post a pic in the for sale/trade section. You never know what people are in need of for a family member or child.

As LONG-ROD stated, R's handle like a gem. My first quad was a 400EX, then I had a 450R. By far, the TRX250R handles way better than the other two. This weekend I went riding with a buddy who has a 440EX stroked, he kept wanting me to ride it for some reason to feel the power. So I rode it in a field, because there is no way I would trust that thing on a track.

Bottom line, the thing was a turd and it handled like a freight train. The 400EX was pretty much stock suspension 2005 with a DeRisi revalved rear and wheel spacers all around, and a lot of motor work. It was no match to my CT310 set up for MX.

Here's a picture of my bike.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd228/danhung11/000_1572.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd228/danhung11/000_1571.jpg

I am also going to post up a picture of it in XC stance, I changed my mind after I put it together, cause I liked the power and feel of a mx setup.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd228/danhung11/100_1014.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd228/danhung11/100_1012.jpg

I almost forgot (or I try to forget :p ), I have ridden a banshee with a lot of motor work stock suspension, it pushes way too much. Those things are made for sand and drag racing. All top end.

I hope this helps in your decision.

Good luck!
Dan

[trx310R#24]

Originally posted by Banshee_370
see i figured a r would not wheelie that great since its a 2 stroke....the 400s are whellie machines


hahhahhahaaa for real? thats all in the gearing has nothing to do with 2 or 4 stroke anymore

[Banshee_370]

Originally posted by trx310R#24
hahhahhahaaa for real? thats all in the gearing has nothing to do with 2 or 4 stroke anymore


well i know my banshee is a pain to wheelie because of the light switch power band.....not so on a 4 stroke

[Motofool250r]

depends on what u mean by wheelie, if your talking about holding a wheelie at slow speeds for long periods of time 4 stroke wins, but my 250r's can barely hold the front end down which if you cant get the front end up easy you may be introuble in some riding conditions.

[Saleenster]

If funds are not an issue, I would highly recommand looking seriously at the 450 sport quads...run pump gas, no mixing and still perform at top levels with basic pipe, filter and rejecting (if not EFI).

Banshee's are awsome trail bikes if you build them right.

[Saleenster]

Originally posted by danhung11
In my opinion, you could get a very nice R for that Z400, it looks clean from the pictures. However, those pictures are difficult to see detail. You should clean it up and post a pic in the for sale/trade section. You never know what people are in need of for a family member or child.

As LONG-ROD stated, R's handle like a gem. My first quad was a 400EX, then I had a 450R. By far, the TRX250R handles way better than the other two. This weekend I went riding with a buddy who has a 440EX stroked, he kept wanting me to ride it for some reason to feel the power. So I rode it in a field, because there is no way I would trust that thing on a track.

Bottom line, the thing was a turd and it handled like a freight train. The 400EX was pretty much stock suspension 2005 with a DeRisi revalved rear and wheel spacers all around, and a lot of motor work. It was no match to my CT310 set up for MX.

Here's a picture of my bike.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd228/danhung11/000_1572.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd228/danhung11/000_1571.jpg

I am also going to post up a picture of it in XC stance, I changed my mind after I put it together, cause I liked the power and feel of a mx setup.

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd228/danhung11/100_1014.jpg

http://i223.photobucket.com/albums/dd228/danhung11/100_1012.jpg

I almost forgot (or I try to forget :p ), I have ridden a banshee with a lot of motor work stock suspension, it pushes way too much. Those things are made for sand and drag racing. All top end.

I hope this helps in your decision.

Good luck!
Dan


That's a wicked looking bike :D

[Banshee_370]

i dont think a 450 is in the budget....cant seem to find one under 3000 that wasnt beat to hell...only reason i can get into this 250r is bc of the trade.

and when i say wheelie i mean hold a wheelie in open area...my banshee comes right up also but i cant "hold" it very long.

ahh decisions decisions

[Banshee_370]

any other opinions...guy is looking to trade me this weekend

[Saleenster]

Originally posted by Banshee_370
any other opinions...guy is looking to trade me this weekend

trade your 'shee for a single..is this the offer?

[Banshee_370]

no, the owner of the 250r is looking to trade for my z400 straight up

[IcutMetl]

I think you will like a 250r a lot. My friend has a 'shee, and while it's nowhere near the build of yours, it's still a wild ride and I still like my 'R a ton more. While I thought my 400ex handled good, my 250r is every bit of that and a lot more, and feels just so much lighter on it's feet. I've never really had a reason to second guess the reliability, and like really any wheeler, they can be built from mild to wild. Your z400 is a killer wheeler as well and I rode one soon after they first came out. If you don't mind not having reverse, a 250r is a no-brainer!!

[hondamancbr03]

Over the years i've owned several bikes that cover the question you have....Here's what i found that fit's ME the best.

Banshee (Currently own): 370 long rod with aggressive port timing, works shocks etc etc, for the trails it's like trying to ride a couch...Feels heavy and you sit down inside of the bike.
1986 250r (sold): This was a completely stock 250r that i got from a friend that bought it brand new in 1986(didn't realize what i had at the time), it was fun to ride but felt very slow compared to what i'm use too.
2006 TRX450r (sold): Loved this bike, just did not want to keep it knowing the cost to repair when the time came...But it handled like a dream and i could wheelie that thing all the way into tomorrow.
2005 TRX250R (currently own): This is a fully custom 250r with after market frame and 350PV, long travel suspension etc etc...When i purchased this bike it had around 235psi which made the bike not fun to kick start since it's a forward kick (minor detail), with all that motor it's still slow compared to my Banshee but handles like a dream and love the way it feels like you sit on the bike and not in it, i can compare it to my 450r but more power.....If that makes sense to you.

Bottom line for me.....I couldn't own just the R, i need my Banshee for the arm ripping power but the R for the open dunes.

I've owned others but nothing i want to admit too......

[LONG-ROD]

dude you can ride any kind of wheelie you want. they have a very comfortable feel that can be tailored to you with different seat foams, tanks, stem lengths .

[Honda 250r 001]

I GUARENTEE THAT A 250r WITH ANY WORK ON IT IS GOING TO BE BETTER THAN THAT Z400! DO IT!! TRADE HIM!

[rigger]

If the R is in even decent shape, I would trade in a second.

I have had a Banshee before. Mine was pretty decent in the woods. I really had no problem with the motor in the trails. I never could get the thing to hook well even after I cut the tires. It was fun to ride.

The last 400EX that I had could out handle that Banshee bar far. No way to compare. In the trails is was just good.

I have ridden one R before that was built up to be really mean. I really liked it but I thought the motor was a bit much for what I like to do.

Now I am building an R to my liking and budget. Wanting to be able to ride it this fall. Just building it to be a fun trail and play ride.

Basicly you will get a great handling machine that you can build into anything that you want it to be.

I would go get the R. But that is just me.

[Banshee_370]

i am going to trade today! here are some pics of the r:

http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i300/Ez1470/quad1.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i300/Ez1470/quad2.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i300/Ez1470/quad3.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i300/Ez1470/quad4.jpg
http://i75.photobucket.com/albums/i300/Ez1470/quad5.jpg

[honda400-4-ever]

^ i think its missing something??:confused:

[Banshee_370]

just some pics when it was getting a rebuild..

[Honda 250r 001]

what brand of nerfs are those? i have never seen em before, they look pretty cool.