Trx Vs. Yfz

[Rohr397]

Ahhhhh yes the classic debate, Trx or Yfz. We all know since the beginning of the 450 class that these two quads have been pitted against one another in every way possible.

Now here's my situation, I've owned both. I know the problems that each have. Most importantly I don't really care about it being a personal preference thing, or a brand thing, or your biases. This debate almost always turns into a full on dogfight. That's not what's at question.

The only reason I'm asking this question, is because I haven't owned either of these atv's in stock trim. I had an 04 Trx and an 04 Yfz. The Trx was stock but I'm looking at 04-05's anymore. As for the Yfz, high compression piston, full pipe and intake, but had a lot of problems with the tranny and frame from abuse.

I'm looking to ride in just about every condition and race some arenacross and outdoors. It's muddy and slippery most of the year, the ruts are deep, and the tracks are rough. I'm a an intermediate rider. Most importantly this quad is going to stay as close to stock as possible. I'm already going to be getting a loan on one of the two so I can't be putting a lot of money into it. I know how great suspension is and how everyone loves a built motor but I've made due with a 12 year old 400ex with a broken frame already so I can easily keep pace on a mostly stock machine. You would think I could answer this question for myself already, but I really value opinions and since I haven't had a fair comparison of the two.

Again, let's make sure it's a lot of this :D and none of this :mad:

[01boneless]

not gonna be able to get serious at all in racing on a stock trx chasis belive me i tried it and now i have some shocks and stuff on the way. now I have quite a few buddies that race pro on stock chasis yfz450R's. they have slip ons tires programmers and beadlocks and the rest is stock and both those boys kick as$ . the stock yfz'r shocks and width is amazing! the power is also pretty great for stock with a pipe and programmer. i remember you saying you dident want a yfzr but id consider it.
if i would jump the jump below on stock trx shocks i would be hurting lol

[Rohr397]

Yeah that's what I figured but a rebuild isn't too hard to have done on them. I remember trying to sky out a 110ft table top at Riverdale on my Trx, only made it 100ft, let's just say the rear shock no longer worked properly and there may have been some cracks in my nerf bars... lol

As far as the Yfz450r, I want it, but I don't know I can put that much of my paycheck into it. I still have to fuel my 8mpg truck lol :rolleyes: you've seen that thing on Facebook, it's no hybrid!

[01boneless]

Originally posted by Rohr397
Yeah that's what I figured but a rebuild isn't too hard to have done on them. I remember trying to sky out a 110ft table top at Riverdale on my Trx, only made it 100ft, let's just say the rear shock no longer worked properly and there may have been some cracks in my nerf bars... lol

As far as the Yfz450r, I want it, but I don't know I can put that much of my paycheck into it. I still have to fuel my 8mpg truck lol :rolleyes: you've seen that thing on Facebook, it's no hybrid!
true but lets compare things here man.
trx will need 400.00 to rebuild front shocks 250.00 to fix up the rear. trx would need a pipe cam intake to even be close to a stock yfz,r then if you want width add 200.00 for a axle and 400,oo or so for CHEAP a-arms. yfz'r need a pipe and programmer and nerfs to get you started racing.

theres always the cam ds 450 mx :devil:

[Rohr397]

Oh no trust me I know, but I can get a Yfz or Trx for $90 a month, or a Yfz450r for about $300 a month, I only make $600 a month, and about $200 goes to gas. Being that this will be my first loan I can't get an awesome deal with low payments cause I have no credit.

[01boneless]

Originally posted by Rohr397
Oh no trust me I know, but I can get a Yfz or Trx for $90 a month, or a Yfz450r for about $300 a month, I only make $600 a month, and about $200 goes to gas. Being that this will be my first loan I can't get an awesome deal with low payments cause I have no credit.
that big of a price diff? hard to belive i get ya now man

[Rohr397]

Yeah half the reason is there aren't any leftover Yfz's. Dealers 'round here are trying to move these Trx's and Yfz's quick, there's even 06's sitting on the showroom that haven't seen the outside world for like $4000 brand new. I was talking to them and the sales rep was telling me that they can't move any of these quads so Yamaha won't ship them the knew stuff. Meanwhile the Yfz450r's are selling within a month of being shipped in and after that we gotta wait till the next year for them to get more. The worst part of all is they're selling the Yfzr's for almost $500 over MSRP because people will still buy'em! That's not even including the 9% sales tax and $250 licensing fees. Half the reason I can't go used is because these idiots keep financing them, going in over their heads in debt and then beating the s*** out of them before they get REPO-ed.

That's just the way the ball bounces, I just gotta do what I can! Ryan is doing great on his mostly stock Kfx though so that's a good sign. That and Cody Irving still uses a lot of stock parts on his old Yfz and he's owning the pro class in QXNW.

[01boneless]

Originally posted by Rohr397
Yeah half the reason is there aren't any leftover Yfz's. Dealers 'round here are trying to move these Trx's and Yfz's quick, there's even 06's sitting on the showroom that haven't seen the outside world for like $4000 brand new. I was talking to them and the sales rep was telling me that they can't move any of these quads so Yamaha won't ship them the knew stuff. Meanwhile the Yfz450r's are selling within a month of being shipped in and after that we gotta wait till the next year for them to get more. The worst part of all is they're selling the Yfzr's for almost $500 over MSRP because people will still buy'em! That's not even including the 9% sales tax and $250 licensing fees. Half the reason I can't go used is because these idiots keep financing them, going in over their heads in debt and then beating the s*** out of them before they get REPO-ed.

That's just the way the ball bounces, I just gotta do what I can! Ryan is doing great on his mostly stock Kfx though so that's a good sign. That and Cody Irving still uses a lot of stock parts on his old Yfz and he's owning the pro class in QXNW.

yea ryan seems to be doing pretty well for having a stock chasis kfx. and yea dont get used from a dealer cause there prolley junk,if you have to buy new and dont want to spend as much to make it raceable go with the yfz.

[Rohr397]

See that's what I'm thinkin, I just want to get some really good info and in depth reviews.

[HondaRacing83]

yfz hands down. my buddy races mx on a practically stock 06 with slip on, clutch, and bars and hes a good rider so hes still a threat. he just got the quad so its not stayin like that long but im just sayin a yfz is the best choice.

[zyoung04]

I own both the regular and new yfzs the new one is 100 times better than the old I wouldn't sell or trade it for any other quad.....not real sure where u figure the payments on one would be $300 a month cuz mine is no where near that and this is the first brand new one I have bought through a dealer .....but if ur looking to buy an older one I would still go with the yfz not bcuz I have one but for what u listed above for what u will be doin IMO the yfz is better but I would go with a 06 or newer cuz its a true 450 and they fixed some off the issues from the older ones....the stock honda is dependable for sure but the ride on them sucks unless u do some sort of upgrade to where the yfz u can tweak and tune and make it better for what u do

[Rohr397]

Yeah I'd definitely look to 07+ Yfz's. I never had an issue with the oiling on the 04 I had but I wouldn't want to spend my money and then worry about the oiling issues on an 04-06 Yfz.

[YFZ-FoFiddy-TC]

$300 a month? Are you paying 25% interest or looking at something that's $18,000? That doesn't make any sense at all. My payments were $123 on my YFZ and I bought it brand new for $6,450. I paid it off 3 years early and saved myself some money as well.

[Balaz_73*00]

Just keep saving. In my opinion, if you can't buy it outright you can't afford it. I'd never make payments on a TOY. Save for the better machine, you will thank youself later.

[dxcody]

What?

My buddy bought a 2010 YFZ450X BB Edition last spring and his payments are only $175 a month.

I think he paid like $7500 A little high IMO but thats because he bought it at the most expensive place in town.

I dunno. For MX a yfz would prob be better.

I dunno i only owned 1 YFZ and it was a PITA from the get go. So i never even actually got to ride it.

[fastredrider44]

Originally posted by Balaz_73*00
Just keep saving. In my opinion, if you can't buy it outright you can't afford it. I'd never make payments on a TOY. Save for the better machine, you will thank youself later.

Best advice on this thread

[heepers]

He's got no credit great idea to start building it with a small affordable loan. Good luck with your choice

[CJM]

I rode both. I tried a friends brand new leftover 08 trx450 w/slip on, HRC kit and open airbox and rode another friends 07 yfz450 w/slip on.

I disliked the power of the YFZ, it felt like it had to build alot of power in the upper rpm range to get enough power for my liking. The TRX was only marginally better, but had better torque imho. YFZ vs TRX-yfz has better topend and trx has better low-midend power.

In all honesty after having my EX for years with the hi comp setup and cam I much prefer to have a higher comp piston in whatever I ride. Stock is boring even if the machine is a 450. In reality by now with my EX the 450 has better power overall but the EX is no slouch. I was to buy a 450 its a TRX hands down. Id like a can am DS450 but its to exotic and $$$ imho.

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by heepers
He's got no credit great idea to start building it with a small affordable loan. Good luck with your choice

Yeah that's the point, I can probably pay it all off really fast if I work hard at it, but I gotta build credit somehow, someway before I go off to college and a small quad loan plus what I make off the 400ex seems like a good way to go about it. I'll mess myself up with a credit card and I don't need anything else being that I have a truck already. For all I know I could get a hold of one of these for a good enough price that I won't need a loan, then I'll pull a small loan for parts. Either way this is a credit building project/way out of my 400ex. As much as I love that 400ex there's just a lot wrong with the frame and motor and it's only a matter of time before there's major failure.

[HondaRacing83]

You should part out your 400ex.. Because I'd take ALOT of parts like your hood,shocks,axle, link and swingarm.

[madskrillz2]

Suzuki. Lol seriously though I would save for parts on a Honda. I've said it several times but I just don't really like how the Yamaha's handle. I ride a Suzuki but if I had anything else it would be a Honda just because of how they handle. That's just me though.

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by HondaRacing83
You should part out your 400ex.. Because I'd take ALOT of parts like your hood,shocks,axle, link and swingarm.

I had been thinking about that but I was concerned with how long it would take to sell enough to get what I want for the quad. Not to mention I haven't ever torn down to frame before and electrical has always confused me :-/ In all seriousness though how much would you be willing to pay for all that? After my dune trip the first week of August I'd be willing to go through with that if I could make a good chunk of money off it. Just let me know I mean if there's a demand for my parts that would be worth selling for than I could do that no problem, not sure what I would do about the title but that could be figured out.


[i]Suzuki. Lol seriously though I would save for parts on a Honda. I've said it several times but I just don't really like how the Yamaha's handle. I ride a Suzuki but if I had anything else it would be a Honda just because of how they handle. That's just me though.[/B]

Quite honestly I would but I've got buddies who've all lost their transmissions in their Suzuki's and plenty more that lost'em on their Rmz's. Also, I know it might sound dumb, but the fact that they stopped making Suzuki's is a big factor in me not wanting one. Parts availability for a Honda or Yamaha that's been in production for a while now is gonna be awesome whereas the parts availability of the Suzuki will decrease with time because they only made them for so many years. Sure the guys on 250r's are still making it happen but some parts are discontinued all together and it seems like a bit of a hassle to make everything work. I want to make sure that this is a long term investment for once.

As far as handling, I loved both. Even with a bent a-arm and a-arm mount my Yfz was manageable. I'll admit I hated it but that's because one tire was turned when the other was pointed, it couldn't even go in a straight line. As far as the Honda, that was awesome for handling as always but the suspension was an absolute nightmare and I have heard horror stories about the 06+ having reliability issues. I would buy an 04-05 because I really liked my 04 a lot but the only reason I hesitate is because it'll be almost 10 years old by this point in time.

[HondaRacing83]

pm me

[madskrillz2]

Originally posted by Rohr397
I had been thinking about that but I was concerned with how long it would take to sell enough to get what I want for the quad. Not to mention I haven't ever torn down to frame before and electrical has always confused me :-/ In all seriousness though how much would you be willing to pay for all that? After my dune trip the first week of August I'd be willing to go through with that if I could make a good chunk of money off it. Just let me know I mean if there's a demand for my parts that would be worth selling for than I could do that no problem, not sure what I would do about the title but that could be figured out.



Quite honestly I would but I've got buddies who've all lost their transmissions in their Suzuki's and plenty more that lost'em on their Rmz's. Also, I know it might sound dumb, but the fact that they stopped making Suzuki's is a big factor in me not wanting one. Parts availability for a Honda or Yamaha that's been in production for a while now is gonna be awesome whereas the parts availability of the Suzuki will decrease with time because they only made them for so many years. Sure the guys on 250r's are still making it happen but some parts are discontinued all together and it seems like a bit of a hassle to make everything work. I want to make sure that this is a long term investment for once.

As far as handling, I loved both. Even with a bent a-arm and a-arm mount my Yfz was manageable. I'll admit I hated it but that's because one tire was turned when the other was pointed, it couldn't even go in a straight line. As far as the Honda, that was awesome for handling as always but the suspension was an absolute nightmare and I have heard horror stories about the 06+ having reliability issues. I would buy an 04-05 because I really liked my 04 a lot but the only reason I hesitate is because it'll be almost 10 years old by this point in time.

Well it all depends on what year you buy just like the Hondas. I have an 06 that's still trucking (knock on wood). I just make sure I change the oil at least every other ride. I doubt they have dropped the LTR for good though. I think a lot of it is Suzuki is broke right now so they're cutting costs wherever they can. But I do see where you're coming from.

[dxcody]

Originally posted by madskrillz2
Well it all depends on what year you buy just like the Hondas. I have an 06 that's still trucking (knock on wood). I just make sure I change the oil at least every other ride. I doubt they have dropped the LTR for good though. I think a lot of it is Suzuki is broke right now so they're cutting costs wherever they can. But I do see where you're coming from.

Honestly i figured Suzuki would be bankrupt by now, after hearing all the stories i have heard that some i know are true.

But Suzuki would deff get my vote IF the dang parts for them werent so expensive.

I almost bought one, that needed a head but my buddy told me make sure the fuel pump kicks on when you turn the key if not he said that means something is bad and it was $1000 to fix it right off the bat. So i didnt wanna get myself into trouble.

Honestly i dont think you can go wrong with a Honda. Just like ^^him i dont like the YFZ handling either.

And i deff hate the stance of them. To me it feels like your sitting on the front bumper.. Guess im just used to riding Hondas, or as yamaha guys call them, monster trucks.

[Rohr397]

Just out of curiosity what about the yfz handling don't you guys like? I understand the sitting on the front bumper thing, but I'm asking everyone who's said they don't like it. I head that all the time but nobody seems to expand on the differences between the two. If anything this is for the sake of the thread and making it a useful toll for the future as well as for myself.

[chronicsmoke]

I rode my buddy's 09 and it felt nice.. I wasn't used to it after 2 laps but it didn't feel like a foreign vehicle either.. I noticed more of a difference in the power delivery than the way it felt.. It felt smaller iirc. I'd buy one if I found a deal on one and needed another quad.

[YFZ-FoFiddy-TC]

Originally posted by dxcody
or as yamaha guys call them, monster trucks.

Hahaha! They are! My buddy has an '06 450R and that thing feels like a tank. I swear it sits higher than my truck. Biggest reason I bought my YFZ was because I like how low it sat and I like the handling of them myself.

[Rohr397]

Yeah the 450r sits pretty high cause of the tank. It feels like you sit into the Honda whereas you sit on top of the Yamaha. I'll admit though the seat position of the Honda is more comfortable, though a bit harder to maneuver around the cockpit and a killer on the knees haha. See I grew up on the Raptor 250 so the ergos of the 07+ yfz feel just like the ergos of the 250, so the seat-peg-bar setup feels normal to me. Weirdly enough I feel very comfortable and at home on both, but they're still too different for me to decide on one.

[dxcody]

I really think that part of the problem is just the seat for me.

The seat thats on my buddies yamaha, the front and back parts of the seat, are higher than the middle, and so it makes me slide too far fwd for my liking.. And his seat goes from being nice and fat at the back, to really really skinny up front and it just makes me sit very awkward it feels like, after being used to the big as* square honda seat..

I dont bash on YFZ because i actually love the way they look, i just am not comfortable on one at all.

It is fast though...

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by dxcody
I really think that part of the problem is just the seat for me.

The seat thats on my buddies yamaha, the front and back parts of the seat, are higher than the middle, and so it makes me slide too far fwd for my liking.. And his seat goes from being nice and fat at the back, to really really skinny up front and it just makes me sit very awkward it feels like, after being used to the big as* square honda seat..

I dont bash on YFZ because i actually love the way they look, i just am not comfortable on one at all.

It is fast though...

Yeah I can definitely see that the seat design is bit awkward. The newer seats are a lot better but still not great, certainly beats the kawi though, and personally there's too much foam in the zuke, I sink into it and cant get out! ;)

I think either way I'll just get a quad tech and call it good though. 8 day dune trips are painful without an aftermarket seat.

[YFZ-FoFiddy-TC]

Originally posted by Rohr397
8 day dune trips are painful without an aftermarket seat.

Try it on a CRF-R seat. :eek: I had a mean rash.

[madskrillz2]

Originally posted by Rohr397
Yeah the 450r sits pretty high cause of the tank. It feels like you sit into the Honda whereas you sit on top of the Yamaha. I'll admit though the seat position of the Honda is more comfortable, though a bit harder to maneuver around the cockpit and a killer on the knees haha. See I grew up on the Raptor 250 so the ergos of the 07+ yfz feel just like the ergos of the 250, so the seat-peg-bar setup feels normal to me. Weirdly enough I feel very comfortable and at home on both, but they're still too different for me to decide on one.

Bingo. I can't stand that feeling of sitting on top of the quad. That and the tank area is just too wide for me. It makes me feel like I'm riding a bull. For whatever reason a slim tank area makes me feel more in control.

[CJM]

WHat I found is with the honda it does feel larger but imho more controlable-or maybe what im more used to. The yfz was very flickable but felt to low too me and like I said earlier I feel the honda has better torque, although the yfz has a better overall usable range of power than the honda.

What I will also mention about the honda is simplicity. Unicam, easy to tune imho, part selection is great, handling is ok up front-the 05 frontend handles better imho.

As for suzuki-EVERYONE i know who has one its blown up the trans as did my friends polaris (same engine apparently or engine maker he says) 3rd gear always blows for some reason.

Like I said eariler: for me its a honda, but if I had the cash and felt it might be more reliable (not enough of them out there imho) id buy the can am.

[jb500ex]

i find it funny how people confuse being business smart with a company hurting. suzuki was ahead of the other manufacturers with the understanding of where the economy was going. facts are they have gotten healthier and drastically cut their debt over the last 4 years. it doesnt matter what you make right now you are not going to sell they did the smart thing and have reaped the benefits because of it. they are very healthy right now and knew the u.s.a was a bad place to invest money
http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/stock-balance-sheet?symbol=SZKMF&

[jb500ex]

this shows how their income is going up every year since the 08 recession
http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/financial-statements?symbol=SZKMF

[jb500ex]

look at yamahas income last year a little over half of what suzuki made http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/financial-statements?symbol=us%3aYAMHF
so remember what company is hurting and what company is growing their profits

[beastlywarrior]

I like how honda has the whole hrc thing but sounds like youd be happier on a yfz

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by jb500ex
look at yamahas income last year a little over half of what suzuki made http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/financial-statements?symbol=us%3aYAMHF
so remember what company is hurting and what company is growing their profits

PERSONALLY, I'm not interested in Suzuki's profits. I know others have brought that up though. My problem is spending my money on a discontinued ATV with undeniable transmission problems. I'm not saying they're bad but I just wouldn't buy one.


I like how honda has the whole hrc thing but sounds like youd be happier on a yfz

^That's how I feel but I have enjoyed both my Honda's quite a bit and I struggle with making that change. Besides the fact I already had a 450r, my 400ex has felt really comfortable handling wise and ergonomically speaking. It's also very similar to the 450r. So it'd be a much smoother transition and an easier switch. But on paper everything says the Yfz would fit me better.

Basically it's;
-Trx easy to stick with what you know
-Yfz hard to switch, could payoff tremendously or fail terribly

It doesn't help that I can't make up my mind and I flip sides every thirty seconds. Right now I'm leaning Trx, tomorrow it'll be Yfz. That's basically how it is with me.

This discussion has been really good so far though and it's interesting to see how the two compare to one another and hear from each side. I posted this thread because I got tired of reading immature fights over which one is faster in a straight line. I don't want this to be all about me, I want to hear more about these two quads. I still haven't seen anyone say why the Yfz handles worse then the Honda. Definitely good stuff on the ergo's of each but I'd be interesting in seeing how things like frame geometry and COG differ between the two.

The only thing I know as far as that stuff goes is that the Yfz vibrates more due to more moving parts in the motor. That's one thing I enjoyed about the Trx, it never EVER gave me arm pump or anything of the sort.

[beastlywarrior]

Exactly why ive always just stuck with the same quad every day its something different i want and as soon as i make up my mind i change it

Also doesnt the 06 and up honda have a pretty decent exhaust after the hrc kit

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by beastlywarrior
Exactly why ive always just stuck with the same quad every day its something different i want and as soon as i make up my mind i change it

Also doesnt the 06 and up honda have a pretty decent exhaust after the hrc kit

50hp claimed by Honda. It's a pretty good kit. I mean one could argue that GYTR offers more than HRC, but the HRC kit gives you a lot for only about $400 including a cam, header, exhaust tip, jet kit and CDI versus about $400 for the GYTR slip-on.

Honestly the 06+ Honda looks really good, I wish there were more reviews of it to see how it really stacks up against the Yfz. I can find all kinds of reviews on the 04's and 05's but there's nothin' on the 06+ and certainly no comparisons between the 06+ Yfz and Trx. There may have been something in a magazine but I only started buying those in 08 and there's nothing in all the Dirt Wheels and Quad Magazine from October 08 to present that has a comparison.

[01boneless]

yfz has gytr aswell

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by 01boneless
yfz has gytr aswell

I thought I said that?

[01boneless]

Originally posted by Rohr397
I thought I said that?
we posted at the same time hahah u beat me to it

[Rohr397]

Originally posted by 01boneless
we posted at the same time hahah u beat me to it

Oh hahaha I win! :devil:

[ben300]

Originally posted by jb500ex
look at yamahas income last year a little over half of what suzuki made http://investing.money.msn.com/investments/financial-statements?symbol=us%3aYAMHF
so remember what company is hurting and what company is growing their profits

this is funny...msnbc had a feature two weeks ago and it was "the top ten companies to probalby not be here next year"...in the top three included suzuki and black berry.....