Don't hate me.

[99RED4X4]

Well I had some big plans for 400 this winter, but I decided to sell her. Put it on craig's list and sold it the next day. Got $1,800 for it.

I hope I don't offend anyone, but I sold the bike so I could buy a banshee or a 250R. I used to have a Banshee when I was 13 and have forever loved 2 strokes. In addition, I need to be able to keep up with all those 450's out there and I really didn't want to go mod crazy on my bike.

Hopefully, I will land a nice 88 - 89 250R. I would like to use some of the 400ex parts.

I have a lot of respect for the 400ex, it is a great bike and I would recommend it to anyone. I will probably miss the forgiving suspension and control of the bike.

Sorry if I let you down.

[250ex_dan]

na,dont trip dude
its cool
i have a 250ex and i wish i could have a sgee or 250r too!
2strokes sound bad***** and give you bang for the buck,but i dont like the maintainance
its cool tho.don't trip:)

[4reeds]

how are you going to keep up with a 450 when youll be trying to fix your banshee?Go with the 250r.Or better yet buy a 450

[99RED4X4]

See that's one thing (of many things) about two strokes that I love: the maintenance.

A lot more has to be done, but I think its much easier. The carb's are much simpler to rebuild. The motors are cheaper to rebuild.

In the end its probably about the same cost since it has to be done more often but I love working on stuff as much as I love to ride it.

[99RED4X4]

The last banshee that I had was an '87, and it never gave me one problem. Started first kick every time, and never skipped a beat.

I don't disagree that 4-strokes are more reliable, but I don't think that 2-smokes are as un-reliable as some people make them sound. As long as the maintenance in preformed (constantly), you'll never have a problem.

450's are too expensive, and if I get a reasonably priced used one, it will be beat and too expensive to repair.

[dsm_racing]

Originally posted by 4reeds
how are you going to keep up with a 450 when youll be trying to fix your banshee?Go with the 250r.Or better yet buy a 450

^What he said. Or better yet a 700xx. I just picked one up this weekend and I'm lovin it. :devil:

[dalejiw25]

Don't Hate me, But Keep it and get a 250R it'll look something like this:
http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx28/dalejiw25/Dalescamera2009043.jpg

Or This with the red Plastics:
http://i738.photobucket.com/albums/xx28/dalejiw25/Dalescamera2134.jpg

No problem Keeping up with if not spankin most 450Rs with either one.... Yeee-Hah !!!!

[400exshop]

I dont get way some of you say the 400ex will not run with the 450's . A well tuned 426 or 440 will spank most 450's.
But there isn't any think like the 2 stroke. There sweet.
Good luck with what ever you get.

[99RED4X4]

In all reality, if you consider riding in all types of terrain, the fastest will always be the best rider. I'm sure at some point in time someone on a stock 300ex legitimately beat someone on a yfz450 in a technical woods race.

Basically, what it comes down to for me is that when I try to keep up with my buddies (one rides a yfz450x, another a predator, and the other an RM250) I just end up beating the piss out of the 400ex. I don't like beating machinery (constantly :P).

I did often beat the yfz through in tight woods because I'm a slightly better rider, but all in all, I beat the thing to keep up anywhere else.

I realize that a 426, 440, or 465 would do the trick, but I've always been weary of pushing an engine that far. I realize that it can be reliable, and last just as long as stock, but thats just me.

Like I said earlier in the thread, when I was 13 I had an '87 banshee and nothing (even the yfz450's) can match the shear thrill that a banshee provides. I LOVE 2-strokes!!

I've never ridden a 250R, but have watched endless youtube video's, and read countless articles about them. As far as I'm concerned, they are the best quad ever made.


EDIT: On a side note - a Polaris Predator is a piece of junk. The ktm motor is sweet, but my buddy has like 10 hours of sissy riding on his from the factory and there are already bearings worn out. The steering stem has 1/4 of play back and fourth!!! I never liked Polaris..

[250ex_dan]

so what type of ridding to do you mostly do.?or ride>?

[99RED4X4]

Well most of the time I ride at a very small MX track with some real small doubles, table tops, ect. and we have a 15 mile woods loop that we ride from there which incorporate r**d riding, mud, small hills, train tracks, gravel, and tight technical trails, and nice long fire roads.

Then, we also ride locally in some other woods that have some nice wide logging roads, tight technical horse trails (almost too tight for quads), and some nice 50ft+ hill climbs on mostly dirt with some exposed shale. These hills are mild to extreme.

Finally, my favorite place, which is what I prepare my bike for is Wellsville, Ohio. Mountains, tons and tons of large rock, loose rock, shale, gravel, mild to beyond extreme hills EVERYWHERE, mud and no technical trails.

So if I could explain my riding style in a nutshell, I would say everything but sand. Although I really don't consider myself to do any MX riding being that the track that we ride only has tiny jumps.

[99RED4X4]

One thing that will remain the same for me though, it that I will always be on exriders.com

I've been looking through bansheehq and it doesn't seem as helpful as it has been here.

Everyone on there is talking about 502cc bikes with 10in. extended swingarms. And if you try to ask a question about fixing a stock bike, they take you as a noob that has never put his hand on a wrench.

I started wrenching on an atc 70 when I was 8 years old. I've been around the block or two, Its just I'd prefer my machines to be more stock than modified.

[CJM]

Personally I prefer a 250R more than any other 2 stroke quad, yea a banshee is cool and all but the 250R is the better quad overall.

Shame you got rid of the EX, im telling you that despite it not being a 2 stroker with the mods I told you about I have more than enough power to keep up with alot of them.

Ya never know, might be a good idea to buy one down the road when you got more cash to burn-then you got both of the best quads ever made. I wish I had snapped up this really decent EX abotu a month back, was clean and good but didnt run and they wanted 900-bet I coulda got it for 600 thats the kinda deal you gotta watch for.

[4reeds]

I geuss as long as your infront, your buddies can choke on your smoke all day.lol.

[togup]

I cant speak about the 250r but the stock banshee is not very impressive you will still need to mod it to beat a 450, i know you brothers friend or cousins sisters boyfriend has one that will whip a 450 but the truth is what ever you run youll have to mod it ,by the way I actually like the banshee

[400man]

I had a 250r for about 3 years before I got my 400ex. to me the 250r handeled better than the ex. I regret selling it but it was getting to the point where I was working on it more than riding it cause it was so wore out. was constantly replacing parts and bearings and such that I just said F" it and sold it. but it is expected that with a 22+year old bike that you will be doing alot of maintance on. for a woods bike the 250r is a very nice and fun machine, but it will need some money in it if you want to race and keep up with the 450s. the banshee is also a one of a kind machine that no 4 stroke will ever match. ive owned 3 different shee's, but I will say that can be a hand full when it comes to tight trails and rough technical riding cause they dont really handle the best. heres some videos of my 250r and one banshee I owned, and a video of my brother who got the holeshot on his banshee at the 09 ironman gncc race,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEiq9leyn00
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a8EFdvlmR8Y
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyUfnzBIjQY

ive got alot more videos if you want to check em out!

[honda400ex2003]

no biggy, just another one to the dark side of life. The 250r will be worth the switch though. :D steve

[Nac's22]

Get the 250R...... of my 3 quads my 250R is my favorite.... just take care of it. Keep it in the best shape that you can because they are on the older side and they can have part failures from being old. But in the bigger picture I think the 250R is the greatest quad ever built. I've never had the same fun on any other quad.

[MtnEX]

I don't blame you...

The 400EX is a nice trail quad, and it's simple...

But I too don't like it near as much as I liked the 250R.

I feel the same when comparing the 250R and 450R as well.


In the end though, if you want to run a 250R it is best to get one... and once in a while go all the way through it over the winter. That way it is not always nagging you to death.

That needs to be done with any machine you keep on running though.

[f4iracer]

Originally posted by 400exshop
I dont get way some of you say the 400ex will not run with the 450's . A well tuned 426 or 440 will spank most 450's.
But there isn't any think like the 2 stroke. There sweet.
Good luck with what ever you get.

that's the biggest load of bull i've read all day!

400ex wont run with the 450's. a 440ex still won't run with, say.....a lightly modded 450.

I've seen it time and time again.....they just don't have the gahunas.

Neither the banshee or the 250r or the suzuki quadracer will run with the 450's either.

I've seen them both on the tracks and it's very clear that the 250r's still don't have as much *** as the 450's. especially compared to an ltr or a yfz 450.

[4reeds]

I will agree. I think the people that say they can hang with the 450's are the ones that only race in a straight line. This ones going to cause an arguement.

[MtnEX]

As an owner of a 400EX and a 450... and having them at different stages over time... I'm always telling the truth about it...

I get hung up in this argument often.

I just don't see the comparison myself.
They are two totally different animals...
And I respect both for their attributes...

I guess this is why I have trouble giving up either.

You can go all out on a 400EX and put it nearing the neighborhood of a stock 450. But I didn't know that I wanted to push mine that far.

Now on the flip side I haven't found a way to give my 450 the trail manners and stall resistance for tough places out in the woods where a lot of momentum can't be used.

They are different animals.

But there is no question that my modded 400EX was nowhere in the neighborhood of my KFX450R when it was stock... in any category.

Much quicker from corner to corner, much better handling even dead stock and inches narrower... but at a disadvantage in the slow tough areas.

Can I run with a 450 in the woods?... Yes because I am a good rider and use what I have available under me... machine and terrain.

Can I run with myself on a 450 in the woods?... Hella NO!... No way unless it is really tight, really slow and really tough. Then I can run the same or better times.... in those places where the 400EX shines, and 450 is at a disadvantage, and does not have enough other places to take advantage of any of it's additional performance.

Where I can use the 450, it's pushing me.... same place I'm pushing the 400EX. Tough places I'm excelling on the 400EX... and the terrain is pushing both me and the 450.


They are just different animals.

I'll keep the old 400 or something like it, unless I can figure out how to make the 450 like the 400EX in the hard places.