Banshee questions

[deezie]

I have been seriously thinking about what quad to buy this summer and i have looked up and down at all my possibilitys..... i think i will have anywhere from 3,000- 3,500 bucks by the time im ready..... anyways.... i was set on a 300ex b/c i couldnt afford a good 400ex and i like how 300's handle on trails... i didnt want a 250r b/c they are so old and i dont like the idea of buying a 16 year old bike.... also i would like to add that i love 2 strokes.... i used to ride a 100cc suzuki dirt-bike(2-stroke)... and i currently own a 1976 suzuki GT550 triple :devil (2-stroke).... sooo then i was looking in the non-honda forum and noticed the banshee thread, well all of those sweet banshees made me drool.... they are so freakin fast and nice looking... and im loving the big 2 stroke engine......
soooooo to my questions, i have always heard that these banshees need rebuilt quit often, whats with that???.... were there any changes in the years they were built??? i mean is say a 2001 better then a 98 or is a 94 better than a 96???.... what changed??...... what is the top speed on one of these dudes stock??... i ride trails but i also ride on the roads with friends at night, so is this a good trail bike?? and all of my friends have 400ex's so would i be blowing all of them away(they are all stock, a couple pipes)...... and would this thing hate it if i got it alittle wet?......... and can i find a pretty good banshee for under 3500 bucks??? thanks a ton!

[Ralph]

I HAVE A NICE BANSHEE JUST REBUILT FOR SALE IN THE 3500-4000 RANGE, ITS VERY NICE, 0 HOURS ON THE REBUILT MOTOR, IT HAS A FRESH COAT OF POWDERCOAT, WHITE PLASTIC, RED GAS TANK COVER, WILL HAVE PICS SOON

[JLanphear]

Nothing wrong with Banshee's at all...You should be able to pick up a nice 1999 no prob for the cash you have.

They don't need to be rebuilt often...Maintain 'em and run good oil mix in them and they'll run on the stock build for a few years EASY.

As for changes, nothing but plastic colors and graphics except for the early models. I think it was up until 1991 they used J-Arm suspension instead of A-arms. Ultimately you find that most people say that A-arms are better, but those who have J-arms don't complain. Also, the newer (2003's) have a better headlight in them, and they use different "raptor style" handlebars. The airbox setup is also a bit different. No major things though.

Yeah, believe it or not but they do go good on the trails. In fact I like the Banshee on the trails better than the 400ex :eek: . Really. My only complaint about the Banshee (on the trails and off) is that it has a very peaky (lightswitch) powerband and it lacks low end. In certain situations you will find yourself getting stuck because of it (example : you are at the base of a steep hill you can't get a run on...you start up the hill and it bogs down so you crack on it...it starts to go up and then the powerband kicks in and the tires spin and you get stuck). However, good clutch control will help in almost all situations.

In most trail conditions you won't be blowing any 400ex's away, but when you come to a nice long straight section (or on the roads) you won't have any problems. The Banshee isn't the best handler and the stock suspension is not really up to par with most quads today, so on fast tight bumpy trails, or on an MX track the EX's will have the advantage. But like I said, for the trails around where I live I would rather be on a Banshee.

One other thing to note is "fun factor". Sounds kinda corny. Anyway, the Banshee is a good quad and all, but unless you really have room to play it kinda lacks. I love my EX because I can play around on it...even just on the lawn.

Anyway, I'll shut up now.

-Josh

[deezie]

thanks for all the info JLanphear, deffinatly helpful...... i live in the country and i have 25 acres of woods behind my house and my friend has about 100acres behind his that has so many trails that i got lost once!.... but i have always ridded 300ex's when i was riding quads and i loved the torque but i didnt like how the throttle handled and i didnt like how it doesnt rev high..... im used to driving the piss out of my bikes and spinning **** all over the place... i also love to rev high and rip everywhere... 4-strokes dont give me that power feeling..... that gt550 i own is kick ***, its low end is terrible and in the higher rpms it just lets loose and u cant catch it, but thats how i like my bikes.... thats why im thinking a banshee would be my bike...... i would be doing some mods that are fairly easy, like all of the looks would be improved and it would be pipped, and maybe some internal engine.... im fairly new to engines but last year in ag a built a go-kart motor from like 4 other engines so its not to bad, just takes general knowledge and instinct...... but i found a 2001 banshee for 3500 and a few others in the 90's for around 3,000...... thanks agian guys.... and anyone know the top speed??..... oh and when i said blowing 400ex's away i ment like on the road, i realize in the trials they could probly beat me having the torque and all...

[JLanphear]

Oh sorry...I left that out. Bone stock you are talking 72-74mph. A full pipe and some tweaking and your around 80mph.

-Josh