How heavy is too heave for the 450?

[mds2004]

First off I am 6'4'' and 250lbs and I am looking at buying my own first quad. I have always ridden friends quads over past several years and am finally financially capable of purchasing my own (now that college is finished!). I will ride mostly desert hills locally and dunes at Pismo, however I plan on doing a yearly trip to Glamis (have not been there yet). Note that I have ridden a 400ex just fine at Pismo.

I am only a weekend rider so I know I do not need anything crazy, but I am wondering if my weight would be too much of a hindrance or strain on the 450r for Glamis' hills. If so I was thinking about bumping up to a bigger motor like Yamaha's 700.

Im almost certain the 450 would do me fine, but I talked with Curtis Sparks (he is local) and he said if you are over 200lbs, he would advise going the bigger bike. Thoughts?

Thanks,
Mark.

[BlaineKaiser450]

There are a lot of people i ride with who are over 200-240 pounds. You would be fine, just open up the motor a bit. A raptor would feel about the same, they are pretty slow

[Baileygunns]

I'm 6'4", 240...

Traded an '02 Raptor 660 for my '04 TRX450R and I'll never look back.

I ride alot for trails, never been to the dunes and look forward to the MX track.

[Ichoptop]

Me to. 6'3" and about 248 lbs. Even as a stocker my 450R had enough power to do anything that my smaller riding buddies could do. I piped, airboxed and rejetted and I can hold my own against any of them

[JAKE YATES]

700XX HONDA

[warr72]

You will have no problem with the 450 motor or suspension. The craptor does not handle nearly as good nor will it out run a mildly built 450.;)

[stut1313]

I am 6'4" and 275. I just traded my KFX700 for an 06 450er(kick conversion). I would say it all depends on the type of rider you are or plan to do. The torque and fun of the 700 was awesome. It was a great "runabout" type bike, it did evrything decently. I could ride it as fast as my friends on the trails but I was much more tired at the end, it took a lot more effort to keep up the pace on a 500+pound quad. The 450 suits me better, I am more active and ride more agressively than others might. So the 450 delivers the performance to match, power is NOT an issue with an exhaust and HRC kit.
However, if you are a more laid back rider then something like the Raptor or KFX migh be more up your alley...hope this helps.

[Smoker]

An engine under load creates more horsepower (why the dyno has to create load), if anything you have an advantage, lol! If you don't like the power of a 450 when you get it, you can always build, build, build until it scares the crap out of you.

A side note, my brother is a heavy dude, 350+. He's had different quads over the years and the best suited quad I've seen him on was a bone stock 660 Raptor. Even with his weight, I've seen him chug that thing up some hills he would normally have trouble with (just running out of power). I've never owned a Raptor but they look fun for the simple fact of all that low end torque a big bore creates. Good luck!