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Posted by: RyanH.
I am stuck between two atv's which would I enjoy more? 400EX or BANSHEE. I have been riding 6 years on a Polaris Scrambler 500 and have some experience with manual clutch on my Suzuki 450 road bike.
I am 150lbs 6ft. I love wheelies and jumping. I like going fast. Like powersliding. I do alot of all around riding (not mud). Like four strokes over two strokes. REliability is a big factor. I work at a yamaha shop in summers so I get at cost yamaha parts ,but not vehicles. Uhh what else...I am worried the ex won't have enough power I have rode the banshee, but not the 400ex. I'd rather have a more controllable atv than a crotch rocket though. OK tell me what u think. Cause I am buying soon. NO raptor suggestions toooo expensive.
Posted by: RyanH.
Man am I glad somebody is going through the same thing I am! One day I am 400ex next banshee ARggg!
I am used to 4 strokes and dont like the maint on the banshee like the chain adj. rebuilding. But the power the banshee has?! I am thinking 400ex on my part due to maint., reliability, suspension, and 4 stroke. Still clueless somebody help me.
Posted by: RyanH.
Posted by: RyanH.
How low of a price could i get that new yellow 400ex for?
Posted by: RyanH.
I read dirtwheels and atvsport and both of those is probably what make my confusion so bad! They are so full of crap sometimes. They always go for the latest and greatest and everything else is not so great anymore. Marketing! I will see what I can do on the price around Dallas,Tx
Posted by: RyanH.
I second that. It sucks too, because I work at a yamaha dealership during the summers! Lots of raptor problems comming in, mostly carb problems. Thats expected for a first year machine though. Yamaha has good warranty department too. The darn things just too expensive for me! Plus I would probably just kill myself with 660cc.
Posted by: RyanH.
Not yet still working on it. Might be a while due to a new money situation. I did ride the banshee one more time. MAN WHAT A POWER HOUSE! I was very impressed with the power. I haven't had a chance to stop by Honda yet. Will let you know as soon as I ride the 400ex.
Posted by: RyanH.
cool thanks for the input. I will probably go for the 400ex ,but will need to save some money for a while. New expenses have appeared for me to pay.
Posted by: VMAX12
well i've had a shee and the problem with shee's is you just can't leave them alone (stock) that is. it alway seam you want more (hp) till the point that its no longer reliable. that why i would go with the 400ex its a good quad for the $, that needs no mods.
01 blu 660r
Posted by: Racer18J
I was in the same situation as you guys, and the answer to me was the 400ex, and I have not looked back. For me the 400ex is the perfect bike (- reverse), it has all the power I could realistically use in the woods, and handles like no other. Electric start, great handling and very reliable. I hear all these magazines say it is underpowered, but to me, just doing fast trail riding, they are way off! It has plenty of power for that!
The dealer told me that the Banshee has to have a new top end every 2nd season, I have a Tecate 2 stroke, and it loses a lot of power if you ride it hard for a season and don't rebuild it. If money is not an issue, consider the Raptor, but I would test ride all the bikes I could before I spent a dime.
Posted by: Racer18J
Usually, the price is around $5300-$5800 out the door. There is a place in MS that has them for $4995+ tax. I live in Ohio, and most of the dealers here sell them as fast as they get them, so they won't budge from the $5699 list and they still charge setup and tax, then you are over 6 grand!
Posted by: Racer18J
I agree, the magazines seem to be just like the entire free world. As soon as something bigger and badder comes out they automatically say it is the best! They say the next new thing is the greatest even before they have a real test on it, they are like everyone else, if it looks good on paper it must be good.
I din't see it, but if they did say thumbs down for the 400ex, they need to step back and look at the race results. With all the new bigger an better bikes out there the 400ex is still winning.
No offense to the Raptor owners, but what really strikes me funny is that they say a stock Raptor will "smoke" a heavy modded EX, if that is so, why is Honda always top 5 in all the races? I have heard the excuse, that "the Raptor is still new and no one is making mods yet", or "there aren't enough Raptors out there yet". Well I have been there, and there are plenty of Raptors at the races, and as far as mods go, why does a Raptor need mods if it can "smoke an ex" in stock form? The underpowered, and thumbs down suspension of the EX is still winning.
Fact is, you can have all the power you want, but you have to get it on the ground, that is why the little 400 is doing so well. If you don't have the suspension perfect for the power you have, more power will make the problem worse. You cannot add power as a crutch for suspension problems. I am not saying the raptor has problems, but it certaintly does not have the suspension to handle the power it has and make it effective.
Posted by: Racer18J
RyanH.,
Well....? Did you decide on what to get? Did you get some test rides?
Posted by: evhwg
my income tax arrives in 2 weeks. im in the same position.
either 400ex or banshee.
is the 400 ex just as snappy as a 250R?
if the oil pump goes is there a warning light?
i heard 4 strokes are reliable but are they easy to work on compared to 2 strokes. i have only had 2 strokes before so know nothing about 4 strokes.
with the banshee i know i would have plenty of power. dont like the idea of replacing 2 top ends. do like there are alot of parts for them since they havnt changed in years.
i will be doing woods riding and open railroad beds with it.
one day i decide im buying a banshee,the next day i decide on a 400ex... my wife is going crazy. so any input would be nice
i dont know anyone that owns these quads in my area so i never got to ride one. i live in NE CT so if anyone would let me test these would be nice.
thanks
Posted by: evhwg
i have been leaning more towards the 400ex.
the magazines confuse me. the new ATV SPORT buyers guide says "thumbs down on the suspension of the 400ex" but when reading the article says it has excellent handling? how can that be?
i read alot of articles about lack of excitement and power on the EX. is the 400EX almost = to a 250r in power? if so thats plenty for me and what i do. i see alot of used EX's forsale where i live. around $4500 to 4200 for the 2000 models. is that a good price? if i had the extra cash i would buy new but o well.
Posted by: raktrakr
i dont have personal experience with either,but some friends of mine have both.one that has the banshee says its too heavy and not good for trail ridding or climbing,but good for racing.other friend has 400ex and says its a good all-around quad,only work hes done to it was put a larger carb on it.he rides this thing all the time and hasnt had any trouble with it
