New to Hybrids, where do I begin?

[Rohr397]

Alright so don't ask how but I ended up with this 1987 J-Arm Banshee and I'm a motocross rider, obviously the two don't go together. I'm looking to build a hybrid , I have no idea how, I've never done it before and I have no experience welding or anything of the sort. I don't know if I need to trade this Banshee for something to start with or if I can use my Banshee. Nobody seems interested in trading their 450's or 250r's so I can't get a hold of one of those at this moment. I don't want to wait around either for something to come up, I've been waiting two months and it's just the same bikes over and over. If anyone can help me in any way with where I can start and what I need to know or do please let me know, I'm a 16 year old on a tight budget so I can't spend $5000 on a Laeger frame, it's gotta be practical for me to build. I know motors and all that stuff well but I've never started from scratch. Thanks, below is my Banshee, if for any reason you might be interested in buying it and live in Washington/Oregon/Idaho it's for sale for $2500.

[brian250racer]

What are you looking to do? MX?What motor would you be puttting in there?

[Rohr397]

MX and one WORCS race a year. I'm thinking Kx250f/Yz250f or Crf450/250 motor, basically any of the dirtbike 4 stroke engines.

[beastlywarrior]

j arms are a bad frame for mx, youll go through bushings like crazy. hell if your planning a hybrid see if someone will trade for a warrior plus cash on there end. youll be starting out with the same basic thing but the warrior would have a better frame than the jarm. you could do +3 arms and shocks and with one of those motors youll have a decently light and good handling quad. or maybe even try to trade for a 400ex

[Rohr397]

Yeah that'd definitely be a good idea, I was also looking at a Yamaha Blaster with a full spare engine. I have the front end of a yfz sitting in my garage and I could swap them pretty easy. The problem is the motor, I'm not sure how I can cram a radiator into the frame. I've got a buddy who can weld that wants to help but I don't want to bite off more then I can chew. I'd also be sticking an extended swingarm, aftermarket rear shock and extended axle into the rear end. I have the feeling if I stuck a yz250f motor in a a blaster and widened it then id have a really lightweight easy to ride quad for WORCS, I don't want something that gives me arm pump and beats me up in a 45 minute long race.

[brian250racer]

Putting a 450 motor in the frame isn't that hard, and you can buy a J-arm to A-arm conversion kit off of ebay. I think there is still a picture of my Banshee with a yfz450 motor here in the hybrid section. I think it's on the first few pages of the "show off your Hybrid"..

[01boneless]

dude you should be able to get 2500 out of that banshee easy! its sharp. sell it (be patient) and buy a 400ex 250r stock 450r or a blown yfz or somthing and fix it up. way easyer and probly cheaper than building a hybrid imho

[HondaPohl]

Umm. Dont know a whole lot about mx racing or WORCS and the classes and rules but why would anyone want to put a 4 stroke motor in a Banshee. The right setup will smoke any 4 stroke all day long. I've seen people put the banshee motor in yfz chasis. If Iam missing something, please inlighten me.

[brian250racer]

Because it's something different. My Banshee hybrid with the 450 motor is about 25lbs lighter than my YFZ. Banshee motors are great, until you have to replace them twice in one year...:( that's when I decided to try something different. Look at the second post down on this: http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=253252&perpage=10&pagenumber=7

That picture was from 5 years ago.

[chronicsmoke]

How did it handle with the aftermarket suspension?

I've always been under the impression they ride like a hay wagon

[brian250racer]

I raced the Banshee for 6 years before I did the change, so I was used to it. It doesn't handle as well as the yfz450, but, the suspension on it definately a big improvement. To be honest with you, the Banshee hybrid is the only machine I have actually won a race on straight out.

[HondaPohl]

Originally posted by brian250racer
I raced the Banshee for 6 years before I did the change, so I was used to it. It doesn't handle as well as the yfz450, but, the suspension on it definately a big improvement. To be honest with you, the Banshee hybrid is the only machine I have actually won a race on straight out.

I never seen a YFZ450 motor in a banshee. Seen snowmobile motors RZ motors, Buza motors. I give you props. Looks like a good fit.

[gtilley45]

Yes, Banshees jump like a brick and don't turn with a damn. When I first started racing MX I had a banshee...and I had a buddy that had one with all Laeger a arms, swing arm and all that and it still sucked compared to the 250R geometry. Most people will agree that the 250R is the best handling chassis that's ever been made, that's why most hybrids are 250R geometry. The production quads are better than a banshee, but still don't handle as good as a 250R based chassis.

[brian250racer]

Well, to each his own. Remember, the main reason the whole Hybrid revolution started was, no manufacturer was making atv's that were worth racing at the time. Now, it's just if someone want's something different, that's the way to go...If you want people to pay attention to what your doing out there, try rolling to the starting line on something a bit different. For me, I built this machine(with a YZ400F motor) back in '03 before I even knew Yamaha was coming out with the YFZ. You wouldn't believe the attention this thing brought. In the end, it all comes down to what the rider is comfortable with. I currently have both a YFZ and this Hybrid, and both are great machines.

[chronicsmoke]

Originally posted by brian250racer
Well, to each his own. Remember, the main reason the whole Hybrid revolution started was, no manufacturer was making atv's that were worth racing at the time. Now, it's just if someone want's something different, that's the way to go...If you want people to pay attention to what your doing out there, try rolling to the starting line on something a bit different. For me, I built this machine(with a YZ400F motor) back in '03 before I even knew Yamaha was coming out with the YFZ. You wouldn't believe the attention this thing brought. In the end, it all comes down to what the rider is comfortable with. I currently have both a YFZ and this Hybrid, and both are great machines.

Very true, good to see that your hybrid has been reliable!

[gtilley45]

Originally posted by brian250racer
Remember, the main reason the whole Hybrid revolution started was, no manufacturer was making atv's that were worth racing at the time.
That and most people feel like a 4 stroke motor is better for MX than a 2 stroke. So if you're gonna order a chassis from Walsh, Laeger, Lonestar or any of the aftermarket companies....why not get one for the 4 stroke motor of your liking.

[quadfmx]

sell the banshee or keep it and buy one
u an buy one way cheaper than u can build esp if u patient

or buy a built 250R they are going for way less than they are worth

[mirror_racing]

I agree with that. I traded my running cannondale with TCS suspension for a torn down houser frame with axis shocks just to have a better start... Try to find a chassis better suited for mx and save yourself some cash!

[Rohr397]

I ended up buying a 2000 Trx400ex with tons of mods, you can see the list below. I was going to do a hybrid but after every mechanical problem I've had I figured nothing would be more reliable then a 400ex. And with all the mods done it's got the same great geometry and handling the 250r has.