Need trail bike advice

[Chevy454]

I'm looking at getting back into riding again, as my buddies have finally caught the bug. I used to ride about 10 years, but have been out of the loop ever since, so I need some "refreshing".

My first ATV was a Polaris Cyclone, then an '88 250R, then a 125CR...my dad rode a Suzuki 500 quad. Anyway, as you an see, I cut my teeth on sporty 2-strokes, as I not only rode trails, but raced CC and in rodeos. My buddies are all riding utility ATVs, 4wd's with racks, and are telling me to buy a Rincon(?) or something like that, as that's what 3 of them own. But, I'm not sure that's my "style".

The last few times out in the woods I've ridden a Polaris Scrambler (400?), which is a 4wd 2-stroke, and has been a lot of fun. But, I'm not crazy about the tranny, and it's a little weak on power. The friend that loaned me the Scrambler knew I owned a 250R long ago, and heard about the 450R the other day, and called me from the Honda dealer telling me I just HAD to check it out. Now, my question to you guys...

The majority of my riding is gonna be spririted woods riding, here in the hills of Missouri...am I gonna *need* a 4wd? Would the 450R make a good woods bike? Is it gonna leave me longing for a 2-stroke? I absolutely LOVED my 250R, and regret the day I sold it...but, if this 450R can capture some of the 250R's magic, then I might need to start seriously talking to the dealer.

[bone705]

if you are just doing trail riding then a 400ex with a few mods would be fine. if you just wanna have one of the best things out there then got with the 450r. but id say stick to the 400 if its just trails.

dont go utility...show those people what there missing out with their slow four wheelers than go go through a pointless mudpit & thats about all they have....my friends all bought utilitys & then I said "screw this" & sold my fourtrax 300 last year & bought my 400ex for trail riding....I am SOOO happy & my friends are so bummed they bought there utility four wheelers & they even try to jump them & do wheelies...its the funniest thing you'll ever see

[Chevy454]

If 1/2 of the hype surrounding the 450R pans out, then I'm gonna seriously consider one. But, I'm curious: how will this thing run compared to my old '88 250R? I bought that quad new, and only put a different pipe on it, and it was MINT when I sold it...

Are there any other sporty quads I should consider? Maybe Scrambler, Predator? Any others?

[Glow Plug]

I would say that the 450 would be better than a 250r but thats pure speculation seeing that no body has one yet. I would wait until you can ride one see what you think about it and then go from there :)

[Chevy454]

Well, still can't decide which way to go...

Out of curiosity, what was the stock horsepower rating on my '88 250R? And how comparable is the 400EX, in terms of feel & performance? The idea of the 450R sounds nice, but it's STILL not in showrooms, I'd like to see an unbiased test first and here from actual owners, and it's gonna be considerably more. But if it lives up to the hype, then it might be "the one".

My buddies are still talkin' "Rincon" and "Foreman", and how I need the added ground clearance, skid plates, 4wd, etc., to REALLY ride trails. I told them I had ZERO troubles riding trails with my 250R, but I guess when you ride as slowly as they do you need all those things...!

[lildude]

i would just go with a 400ex....put a pair of 20 holeshot xc's on the back that will raise the ground clearance a inch or so...i think for trailes the 400 would actually be better than the 450 is gonna but just for the fact that it has a electric start....think of it this way your crossing a fairly deep crick and it stalls .....soak your foot reachin down in the water to kick it or just pressin a butten......and as for utility. to heavy, not alot of power, hard stearing, crappy suspension and the only thing they can do better is deep ruts and deep mud

[nofear911]

I would say todays equivalent to your 250R would be a 400ex with an exhaust system and K&N filter. A 400ex would be a good choice, but I would not buy a new one, I'd look for a real good used '03.
The 450R is beyond the 250R and considerable chunk of change just to ride with a bunch of old fart 4X4's. But if you want to jump over them and hydroplane across their "mudholes", then I would go with the 450R.:macho

[300expower]

find new friends:blah: :blah:

[Chevy454]

Has anything on the 400EX changed over the course of it's production? Any models to stay away from? Is there a common part that fails?

[nofear911]

All the 400ex' are the same, but for some reason the '99s start harder. As for weak parts, I can't think of any. I've known of 300ex's and 400ex's ridden quite often and fairly hard that just changed brakes, oil filters, couple spark plugs, and tighten the chain a few times in the last 3 years.:D

[remlapr]

You need to tell us how much you are wanting to spend. You can get a really nice used mostly stock 400ex for less then 3k these days and mod it the way you want. Or get one with several mods already done for less then 4k and be good to go. If you really want to buy new, you should also consider the other sport bikes that are out there like the z/kfx 400. I agree with everyone that tells you not to listen to your friends. I ride with a lot of guys that ride ute's and several times I have had them tell me - "don't take that trail or we can go on that trail or you can only get through the trail with 4x4" blah blah blah. I just tell them not to worry about me. Me and the other guys I ride with that ride sports are always surprising them. Just get yourself some good 22" mud tires and you will be able to go 99% of the places they can.
We have also turned some of them to the sport side from letting them ride our bikes, they love the power and how well they handle. The only real downside is shifting and working the clutch - it can get old sometimes riding in a big group with a lot of auto utes. But if you used to have a 250r then that shouldn't be a big deal to you. Another upside to sports is that if(when) you flip you don't have a huge ute on top of you. I have kicked my 400ex off of me a couple of time and if I had been on ute I would have got pinned under it.

If you used to ride a 250r I seriously don't think you are going to be very happy on a 600lbs utility. Or if you loved your old 250r so much, buy another one! There are a lot of nice woods ready R's out there for sale because a lot of people are switching to 4 strokes. You could even buy one of the Bill Ballances R's. With the 4 strokes you aren't going to have the snappy power that your 250r did.

Last word of advice - DON'T BUY A RAPTOR, new or used - they look good on paper, but they are crap and you will regret it just like every raptor owner I know does.

[remlapr]

Originally posted by Chevy454
Has anything on the 400EX changed over the course of it's production? Any models to stay away from? Is there a common part that fails?

Not anything major that should influence what year bike you buy. There were a couple of minor things dont like they added a battery cover in 01 I think it was, and they have changed graphics - but it's all just really small things like that, nothing major mechanically.

Ask away with whatever questions you have and I'll try to help you out.

[lil400exman]

Originally posted by Glow Plug
I would say that the 450 would be better than a 250r but thats pure speculation seeing that no body has one yet. I would wait until you can ride one see what you think about it and then go from there :)
just wondering have u ridden a 250R TO COMAPRE?:rolleyes: :p

[Chevy454]

If you used to ride a 250r I seriously don't think you are going to be very happy on a 600lbs utility.

That's the thing. My tastes are pretty much the same as most of my friends, except for one thing: mode of transportation. While they drive 4wds, I drive an SS Camaro...2 totally different ways to get to the same point! While I'm jumping over logs my buddies are idling over so they don't jossle their coolers! Luckily I also ride with a guy that rides an '03(?) CR500, and my brother is thinking of getting back into quads, so I won't be alone in my "sport" point of view. And you bring up a good point on the "worst case scenario" of a roll. I only weigh 160 pounds or so, and even though I can bench-press 300 pounds, that 300 pounds is still a LONG WAYS from the 600 or whatever of a utility machine!

If I could find a nearly "stock" '88 250R in good shape, I would seriously consider going that route...but honestly, I do have a *slight* problem giving what most of them bring for a 15+ year old bike! And, as much as I hate to admit, I honestly think a 4-stroke would be the smarter choice for what I'm wanting to do, which is hard for a die-hard 2-stroke guy like me to admit! That's what intrigues me about the 450R...if it improves on (or even equals) the 250R's feel/handling, and has the power of a 2-stroke yet spread across a broader RPM range since it's a 4-stroke, then it might be a winner. But, I'm wondering if the 400EX wouldn't be *close*, but at 1/2 the price...??

I'm probably making this WAY too complicated...:p

i say go z400/kfx400

[remlapr]

You may be buying into the hype of the 450r a little too much. It sounds like it's going to be more of a updated 400ex then a true 250r with a 4 stroke motor in it. The power of the YFZ is suppose to be very 2-stroke like, you may want to check it out - although I'm not much of a Yamaha fan. Quads are just like cars, they will feel fast to you at first, but once you get used to it you will start wanting more. If you don't mind the kick start and paying $6500 you will probably be very happy with the 450r though.

[Chevy454]

Thought I'd update everyone on what I decided, and also extend a "thank you" to those who helped.

I ended up picking up an '01 440EX with nerfs, pegs, bars/handles, wheels/tires, full WB exhuast, sterring stabilizer, and all kinds of other goodies for $3000. It was built for XC, but the owner decided he wanted a 450R instead. I picked it up Saturday evening, and went riding Sunday afternoon....and I LOVED IT. What an awesome machine! We rode up/down the mountains/bluffs around the river, and darn near everything was still covered in snow..yet I managed to climb *almost* everything my buddies did with their 4x4 utility machines. There was 1 spot that was still frozen, with snow on top of ice, on a curve on a steeeep hill that I couldn't quite get over, but they were having troubles as well. All in all I'm VERY pleased with my purchase, and figure I got a decent deal. Money well spent.