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Posted by: Sandgod
Buy a good cheap used KFX/Z/DVX. Put the money you save away. Now when you bend an axle you can upgrade. When you feel you need more power you can upgrade. Same w/ suspension. You can even buy some of these parts w/ little use for a good savings. An Athena 434 kit and Yoshi 450 kits will give all that you could want or handle and will easily beat hopped up 450r'sand YFZ's.. One thing to keep in mind is your size..Another is you can't add reverse to the Honda or Yamaha for ANY amount of money.. Be smart about your money and it can buy you alot more than you ever imagined..
Posted by: Scooter86
I think you are a good candidate for one of the 400's. They have great handling and plenty of zip for a new rider. A 450 would work too, but the only thing you are really gaining is power and better suspension, along with a higher price tag. For trail riding the 400 will be a great choice. The added benefit is you get reverse. You are big enough that lifting a race quad won't be much of a problem, but since you're a new rider, you'll be lifting a bit more and would appreciate that reverse no doubt.
Posted by: Scooter86
Actually, you will probably have to run with the tailgate down, but you should be able to get any of these quads in a Ridgeline. If you by Sportrax and TRX you are referring to the Honda sport quads, there is only two differences worth mentioning. They are the same bike, just different model years. With the 05 you get bold new plastic and reverse. While the Raptor might sound faster being a 660, the engine isn't as advanced or as potent from the factory as the 450s, and the suspension isn't as good either. Don't get me wrong, they still are not toys. Raptors are very potent quads. In fact, you might be more likely to get hurt on one of these as they wheelie at will and are not quite as stable as the race bikes. Raptors are A LOT more comfy though
Posted by: Scooter86
In your shoes, my first choice would be the KFX. Second would be he Pred, which is the closest to the 450s, just a bit heavier and with a softer edge. Third, the Honda 400EX. Fourth Raptor. Then either of the 450's. This is just my opinion though, you really need to try out as many as possible and form your own opinions.
Posted by: ss97
How long have you been riding? I guess not long if you never owned one.
In that case I'd look at something like a Raptor350.
Posted by: out18law18
If i was u being 6'4" i would look into the raptor. I have a friend that is 6'6" and he looked like a clown on my 400ex and did not fit well on my friends yfz450. he ended up with a raptor and fits as well as a tall man on a sport bike! I think that they are the ultimate trail sport bike and it is easy to make them super fast when u get ready for that.
Posted by: yellowrider250ex
you'll end up hurting yourself and then you mite not be able to ride at all. so go with somthing smaller to start out with. most of us on here did.
Posted by: blackbird
the kfx 400 has reverse the 450r and yfz don't.the honda 450r and yfz are more race quads.a newbie like you should look at a ex 400 or the kfx400.then when you learn better riding skills and quad upkeep later on then upgrade to the 450 sizes.
Posted by: CritiKus
Also the suzuki lt z400 basicaly the same bike as kfx but they are real good
Posted by: jedimike
"You'll shoot your eye out kid" - Christmas Story BR>
Here's my bit of advice... based on the fact that you will be mostly trail riding. Avoid the MX bikes. The quads you need to be looking at are the ones with reverse. Z400/KFX400/Raptor/Predator/etc. You will need reverse much more than you'll need the extra quickness of the MX bikes.
Posted by: jedimike
The YFX and TRX are built from the factory for racing. They are in their own category of "sport" quads. Suzuki is even going to make a Z450 racing quad next year. The bikes are lighter and more agressive than the other sport quads. Great for racing but they can get uncomfortable on long trail rides and you will wish you had reverse when you need it. The YFZ 450 is quicker than the Raptor 660... at least from the factory. The Z400/Raptor660/Predator500 are, for the most part, pretty equal in speed and power. They each handle and look different, but essentially they are made for general purpose sport riding.
Get the measurements for your Mom's truck. I know the bed on that thing is small. Go to the manufacturers websites and they will have the dimmensions for each bike. You might have to go with a smaller quad just so it will fit.
Posted by: coach101
Jedimike is right on with this. I was in a similar situation, but for my wife. I usually ride a bike, but wanted a quad for her. I wanted to get something that I would also enjoy if I wanted to ride it instead of the bike at times. She would be mainly trails, but I would be dunes. I was battling between the Raptor and the Predator. The 450r and the yfz are race bikes out of the crate so I avoided those. After I researched it and kicked it around for a couple of weeks and found the cheapest deal, I decided to go with the Troy Lee Predator. I was in the dealership one last time and was talking to the dealer and going over the situation and he told me I ought to look into the Z400. He said I would not be disappointed. He said he likes the Predator, but the Z felt more comfortable and he felt like he was a part of the machine more so than when on the Predator. He got them both out for me and I did a test ride. The Predator did feel a bit more spunky, but I felt more in control with the Z. It just had a better feel. My wife liked the orange color, so I ended up going the KFX 400 since it is the exact same machine as the Z. We took it out over the weekend and my wife loved it. I even rode it a bit and it has all the power and spunk I needed to play around on.
Posted by: coach101
I just went through all this and scooter86's recomendation was close to mine. I bought the kfx400, my second choice (and I was seconds away from pulling the trigger on it) is the TLD Predator, then the Raptor, then the 400ex. If you can get a better deal and like yellow or white, the z400 is the exact same machine as the kfx 400. My wife preferred orange and that is why I went Kawa.
Posted by: ctc1111
Hello i am 15 years old and i am 6' 4' and about 185 lbs. I've never owned an atv or dirtbike before. Money is not an issue in my desision. I seem to like the trx 450r the most, i just seem to be partial to that one but i hear good things about the yfz450 and kfx400 so i'm not sure what to go with. I'd be doing trail riding almost all of the time. what are the advantadges and disadvantages to all these models.
Posted by: ctc1111
Yes but i do not plan on getting another one for a few years so i want the best one so then when i'm at the 450 level i will not be dissapointed with the one i have. I'm the type that would rather work for a few more weeks and get enough for a 450 that will suit me for as long as it runs than work for a couple weeks shorter and get a 400 and then replace it later.
Posted by: ctc1111
A raptor 660? If people think a 450 would be to much for me to handle then waht would i do with a 660. But you are right at the honda dealership i did feel a little bigger than i thought i was going to on the 450r. What is the difference between the sporttrax 400 and the trx400 i like the looks of the trx 400 better. How come the raptor 660 is cheaper than the TRX450r or the yfz450? Another thing is that i need it to fit in the back of my moms honda ridgeline. I have a 14 foot trailer but thats to much of a big deal to haul around.
Posted by: ctc1111
So everyone would pretty much agree that the yfz and the trx450 are out of the question? And i should start considering the Raptor 660, Kawasaki 400, Trx 400 , or the preditor.
If you had to go out right now and buy one of those what one would it be?
Posted by: scooter702001
i am also trying to figure out what kind of atv i want to buy. i was looking at the ds 65o, the 450r and the yfz 450. and i will be doing alot of sand riding
