Awesome MX Quads

[Rohr397]

Right now I have a dreaded 2004 Trx450r, I hate the thing with passion mainly because I dislike the feel of a Honda in general. Not to mention the suspension is terrible. I really want to go further with ATV Motocross and maybe explore WORCS style events. I'd like to know if anyone has found a quad that is affordable to modify for racing. I'd ride anything but what I've got. All I want is a low budget quad as far as maintenance and other costs go, yet still mx worthy. I just turned 16 and my family won't back my racing desires whatsoever. As long as it has a good high end and has good stock suspension that can be sent off for tuning that's my two big concerns. Obviously I'd love to go buy a Yfz450r or Kfx450r but that's not realistic right now. I'm not sure what all there is out there but if there's some quad out there that has hidden potential to race that's what I am looking for. Even if that's a Yamaha Warrior or some crap just tell me, I don't mind if little things go bad but if anything goes wrong in the motor like the tranny or piston that's a big issue. Thanks, if you wanna buy my Honda, it's a 2004, red, race cut fenders, Pro Armor all the way around, Pro Taper bars, Two Brothers exhaust, brand new tires, lots of stuff. $3000 obo in Washington state.

Thanks for any ideas, I'm sure there's racers out there who know how hard it can be to race.

[Trailie400]

Don't mean to bust your bubble, but if your lookin for the most reliable mx quad you may as well keep your honda.

For what you will get out of it and have in buyin a new quad you should invest in a G-Force axle and some +2 standard travel arms with revalved shocks.

Its all about suspension, not motor.

I'm pretty sure most will agree all quads have their flaws, but overall the honda has the most simple motor and the most abundant of cheap parts.

[Rohr397]

My problem with the Honda is that it's just not the quad for me. I've owned it for a year and a half but can't get used to it at all, it rides completely different than the Yamaha I had before and I miss the way that the Yamaha attacked corners and came out with the front end off the ground. The Honda wants to push the outside of the corner and lacks that aggression. When I try to ride it differently than I lose control, if I ride it like it wants to than I am way slower but stay on the track. I don't know why but the Honda feels awkward and I can't stand riding it. Last time I rode it I was so pissed off with it's performance on the track I stopped riding it and sat around watching my friends go at it.

[Pipeless416]

get a warrior.. best mx potential out there.


seriously though, you have one of the "top machines." get some suspension setup for you and make it comfortable with new bars, footpegs, stem, etc. not sure what you're complaining about

[MX450]

umm put some mx suspension on your honda and then come talk to us

[Rohr397]

I'm not sure either, it's been through bars, grips, pegs, nerfs and I've had suspension adjusted multiple times. I just don't like it.

So what about the Warrior is good for MX? Just curious cause I've never heard anything good about Warriors in general but if they really are I will try anything.

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by MX450
umm put some mx suspension on your honda and then come talk to us

I can't afford suspension, that's my problem. I can barely afford to cart the thing around. I'm 16, have no job and have to pay out of my pocket for my quad, fuel and the price of going to the track. So suspension is out of the question unless I buy something low priced enough to throw it on or if I throw on better suspension from one of the other stock quads. I don't like my situation at all but to be competitive it's gonna take more than what I've got and a quad that I can connect better with. After all if someone stuck you on a Can-Am it would feel different and you wouldn't feel comfortable on it. Same as me, came off Yamaha's and now I don't feel comfortable on the Honda.

[SRH]

id pick up a used ltr 450

[mxpimp2000]

Originally posted by Rohr397
I'm not sure either, it's been through bars, grips, pegs, nerfs and I've had suspension adjusted multiple times. I just don't like it.

So what about the Warrior is good for MX? Just curious cause I've never heard anything good about Warriors in general but if they really are I will try anything.

warrior is CRAP lol get a yfz450

[Rohr397]

I've been kinda looking at the Ds450 any thoughts?

[Rohr397]

I've been kinda looking at the Ds450 any thoughts?

[440racer66]

get a yfz. find one allready built and save some cash. i had a pro level 450r and hated the way it handled in the rough areas.

[m0t0xk1d]

Get a DS450 if you can get your hands on one. Either buy it used with the XMX package or go through a dealer with like your dad or something and sign up for the racer program and say you race and just fill it out. with the racer program you get all the XMX stuff super cheap which includes good mx shocks, a arms to make you 50 inches and a axle. For the price its a deal. or buy a used one with all that stuff.

[liex21]

I dont think you realize the potential that your quad has, everything you described is the 450r they're reliable and extremely easy to find parts for the least amount of money. It may not feel comfortable now but get a used set of lt a-arms and shocks and revalve your rear shock and get a axle and get it all fine tuned and it will be a completely different machine. Start working save some money.

[beastlywarrior]

Originally posted by Rohr397
So what about the Warrior is good for MX? Just curious cause I've never heard anything good about Warriors in general but if they really are I will try anything.

CAUSE THEIR THE FASTEST THINGS OUT THERE lol

naaaaaaaa but actually ive done a few mx races on mine and done decent. id see if you could do an even trade with someone with a yfz

[Scro]

Originally posted by SRH
id pick up a used ltr 450

If you are on a budget, I would say this is your best bet.

[300ex_#387]

I would find a job then buy an LTR.

[Ruby Soho]

Im alittle bit confused, you are 16 and have no job, and can't afford a couple hundred to make your quad track worthy, but you can afford a DS?

Just give your quad some lovin, adjust yourself. Its about the rider not the quad

[mx Eli]

I bought a stockish 450r when i was 13 with my own money from work and now 4 months ago i bought my pro level 450r and im 14 now. jobs are very annoying but its life and they pay the bills

i would try to just ride the quad you have as long as possible and save your money. you can get a nice race ready 450r or yfz for 4000

450r's have huge potential as an mx quad even mostly stock. with a pipe, cam and tires you can win c class if your a good rider

[Rohr397]

I can't get a job because I live in the middle of nowhere and can't drive to town. The only thing I can do is trade my quad for another which is why I can afford a Ds. Like that other guy said the 450r doesn't do good in the rough stuff and the tracks in the WA are some of the roughest thanks to rain. Sometimes the braking bumps are bigger than the whoops and they'll put any quad not track worthy in its place.

[kyleschonert]

Get an LT-R and throw a cherry bomb in it and you will be very pleased with it. For over a year I rode mine with just a DASA pipe and a Cherry Bomb and was winning local races. Last year, Jake McGraw, the winner of the 4-Stroke C championship at the Nationals last year did it on STOCK suspension and a DMC pipe and a cherry bomb.

How tall are you? I'd find an 06 or 07 LTR. That is your best bet.

[KingpinsEx]

x2 on the used LTR. They are cheap, plentiful, and have a ton of potential. If you want to race, buy a machine that was built for racing...

[CJM]

Wait just a cotton picking second here..

So you:
-Have no job and live in the middle of nowhere
-You dislike the 400ex cause it doesnt handle the way you want to
-You can somehow afford to race, and transport the quad (guess your parents are nice)
-Some idiot is gonna trade you a race ready quad for your 450r...oooookkkkk

So am I nuts here? But you sound like the type of person who expects the quad to win for you, complain you cant get a job (I doubt you really looked to hard, cause trust me there is one out there for everyone even if its a crappy job), you have money to race but no money to buy stuff for the quad (suppose it breaks wtf do you do then, throw pixie dust on it and it fixes itself?) and like i said whose gonna trade straight up for a race ready quad for yours?

Face reality: your in no real position to race unless you get a job to pay for it or mommy and daddy dish out the cash for ya. Yea you think your good at racing, face of the matter is a good rider can make the machine work for them good enough and maybe better with some small upgrades-sounds to me like you expect to hop on whatever race ready atv you may get and just outright win.

Im sorry kid, but you need to take a healthy dose of reality. When I was your age I worked 30hrs a week, went to HS, and didnt have much cash-but I at least had some cause I had a job!

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by CJM
Wait just a cotton picking second here..

So you:
-Have no job and live in the middle of nowhere
-You dislike the 400ex cause it doesnt handle the way you want to
-You can somehow afford to race, and transport the quad (guess your parents are nice)
-Some idiot is gonna trade you a race ready quad for your 450r...oooookkkkk

So am I nuts here? But you sound like the type of person who expects the quad to win for you, complain you cant get a job (I doubt you really looked to hard, cause trust me there is one out there for everyone even if its a crappy job), you have money to race but no money to buy stuff for the quad (suppose it breaks wtf do you do then, throw pixie dust on it and it fixes itself?) and like i said whose gonna trade straight up for a race ready quad for yours?

Face reality: your in no real position to race unless you get a job to pay for it or mommy and daddy dish out the cash for ya. Yea you think your good at racing, face of the matter is a good rider can make the machine work for them good enough and maybe better with some small upgrades-sounds to me like you expect to hop on whatever race ready atv you may get and just outright win.

Im sorry kid, but you need to take a healthy dose of reality. When I was your age I worked 30hrs a week, went to HS, and didnt have much cash-but I at least had some cause I had a job!


Okay first let me explain that I have a 450r and 400ex. Combined I can probably find a dealership or someone on craigslist who'd be willing to trade quads. Second I can afford to race, entry at tracks for races is $30, suspension costs a few thousand. Third my mom is a single parent, gets crappy money from teaching and we live in a house that is falling apart around us. So there you go. I can earn just enough money for repairs and all that, luckily I know how to do that myself. My goal isn't even to win, I just wanna enjoy doing it. I wouldn't have posted this if I wasn't looking for something reliable anyways, the longer it lasts the happier I am. And don't even start on Honda being reliable, I have babied mine since I bought it. Yet it will blow through parts left and right out of the nowhere. The Trx is crap unless you have a bottomless wallet, which I don't. Maybe you don't understand what I'm getting at but don't go insulting me. Right now my only job is to work for my grandparents and that is what pays for everything I've done so far.

[mx Eli]

either u bought pos beat honda's or you dont know how to work on them becuase almost everbody on here has had a honda at one point and everybody knows they are more reliable then most if not all quads

and a can-am will most likely be worse for you becuase the parts cost more and from what i have heard more things break

[Rohr397]

Yeah I think I got a dud. I've done everything the manual said since day one. Yet it can throw a valve like no other. Took it to a dealership and they said that it doesn't add up. I do all the maintenance, even have a schedule set-up in the car port for when it's due for what. I just can't stand the thing and honestly am desperate to find a solution. Right now I'm dropping all biased feelings and am going to go on a mission to find the right quad this time so I don't end up with another junker. I have a feeling that when I bought it with 20 hours that the person I bought it from didn't break it in.

[CJM]

ok i relent man.

but really hondas are super reliable, you musta got a beat one or something cause besides mine needed a new topend due to age and use i never had an issue.

[Rohr397]

Mine was f-ed, I was a clueless idiot when I bought it. I never even looked beyond the specifications chart. Should've known it was a bad quad. The dang thing skips after every 5 exhaust strokes since the day I bought it. It randomly increases idol while in neutral and completely untouched. It will die every time I land a jump over 30 feet. Not to mention it has put me face first in the dirt no matter how far I lean back or how much I adjust the rebound the rear end will buck on any braking bump or whoop. I've OTB-ed at tracks too many times and I can't help it. I can sit on the grab bar get the front end off the ground and the second I hit something rough the front end will dive instantly every time. I've been told by multiple quad racers that I am fast enough but my quad is holding me back.

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by kyleschonert
Get an LT-R and throw a cherry bomb in it and you will be very pleased with it. For over a year I rode mine with just a DASA pipe and a Cherry Bomb and was winning local races. Last year, Jake McGraw, the winner of the 4-Stroke C championship at the Nationals last year did it on STOCK suspension and a DMC pipe and a cherry bomb.

How tall are you? I'd find an 06 or 07 LTR. That is your best bet.

5'10' 160lbs

[QuadJunkies]

If you are saying you push real bad and cant get it to handle well, then maybe its HOW your setting it up ??:confused:

Everyone has there own like and dislike it fit and feel for a quad but I have to agree with so many already, Hondas do hold pretty well in the reliability Dept.

We have had both Honda and LTR and both have been good to us . My Daughter just finished a full WORCS season on hers and the worst thing we had go wrong was broken shocks and a chain. lol :p

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by QuadJunkies
If you are saying you push real bad and cant get it to handle well, then maybe its HOW your setting it up ??:confused:

Everyone has there own like and dislike it fit and feel for a quad but I have to agree with so many already, Hondas do hold pretty well in the reliability Dept.

We have had both Honda and LTR and both have been good to us . My Daughter just finished a full WORCS season on hers and the worst thing we had go wrong was broken shocks and a chain. lol :p idk, the settings have been played with by multiple suspension companies and none have worked. and one of the many things i dislike as far as comfortability is the gas tank. Its rock hard and has actually broken my knee pads from pushing it in corners. When I try to avoid it my gear gets snagged on the frame. There's so many reasons I hate my honda. I never liked them but rushed to find a quad and bought it out of stupidity. However I found a dealer in southern oregon with an 08 ltr today and if I'm lucky my mom will actually help and drive me down there, even if its a day long drive I think she's tired of me being depressed about my crappy situation. Any ltr thoughts? But yeah keeping my honda is out of the question 1 year and a half of trying to dial it in has got me nowhere, I don't care to keep trying so please stop telling me to keep it. Seriously if you had the engine die landing a 90ft table you'd be ready to go efi in a heart beat.

[quadrcr161]

yea your honda is messed up and probably has frame damage thats causing the suspension issues. the ltr can be nice and im warming up to them but you also have to remember that there is more to go wrong with the ltr then the honda and it isnt cheap. I would say sell your honda's and pick up a honda already modded a little and look at your riding style. Honestly i have an 04, one of the if not the 1st sold in this area. ive added the hrc kit, hmf exhaust and thats it to the motor. im still on stock piston and valves, planon rebuilding this winter. granted i dont ride mine as much esp here lately but its only been raced and not ridden for fun.

edit: your hitting a 90 ft table top with stock suspension?

[KingpinsEx]

Honda's are good for reliablity as far as the motor goes, but thats about where it stops. The 450r was not built to race, so therefore it needs substaintal investments to get it ready to race. The chassis, shocks, heck just about everything aside from the motor would need changed or modified to make it a decent motocross racer. They are good bikes, if you have the $$ to modify them properly..

[QuadParkour23]

Originally posted by KingpinsEx
Honda's are good for reliablity as far as the motor goes, but thats about where it stops. The 450r was not built to race, so therefore it needs substaintal investments to get it ready to race. The chassis, shocks, heck just about everything aside from the motor would need changed or modified to make it a decent motocross racer. They are good bikes, if you have the $$ to modify them properly..

That's about it, mine was a money pit as well. I had +2 a-arms with Pep shocks, and a +1 swingarm with elka linkage & shock out back. It was an 2006 motor but had '04 front spindles. Almost endless money in the engine for a lousy 52hp.