400grl

Hey!!! I love the CINDERS!!!! There are some sick sick hills out there.....I got halfway up 100dollar hill on my stock 400EX one night (the first time we had ever gone out there......I had never seen the hill in the daylight - WTF was I thinking???) LOL!!!! I learned real quick to flip it around while you still had some momentum - you DON'T want to get stuck sideways on that hill!!! Even coming down it forwards is a puckerfest for SURE!!! The BIG crater (the first picture shown - you don't even see how deep it goes...) is a blast!!! It's fun watching people get stuck down there who don't know the "way out" for machines with less power! LOL!! And the view from the top of the big crater is breathtaking!!! Bring molded cheapo paddles - I have a pair of SandSharks that has lasted two seasons out there....they are great for that type of thing! You will get dirty, but it is a fun weekend, for sure. Memorial Day weekend is usually a big weekend up there...... I haven't been out there in a while......I may go that weekend, too!

I run Skat Track Edge 10" rims......they are awesome! And Skat Trak took care of me regarding a set of paddles that were starting to lift around the edges - excellent customer service!!! Only I have to ride at the back of the line - I guess I throw up a lot of sand!

I use Yamalube and go with a 40:1 ratio - my engine is stock, but with a K&N filter/jet kit and Toomey's.......this seems to work really well for my set up.

LOL!!!!! I haven't checked my e-mail all weekend since it's my work e-mail!!! I did really good - came in 7th overall out of about 38 guys for the night! It was really fun!!! I showed a few people the wall and didn't give up my lines for anyone! Kinda like quad racing, but you won't flip if you bump too hard!!

LOL!!! WOW!! A guy who pays attention to detail!!! I didn't dye my hair - I get it highlighted! So it's a lot blonder on the top part than the underneath part. When I ride and put my hair in a pony tail, the dark part usually gets twisted around up on top, so my hair looks a lot darker. Plus - lighting and everything can make it look blonder or darker, as can different cameras. It IS kind of a poopy brown color in that jumping pic, huh? That was my first race with the Banshee - and I sucked! I kept jumping either nose up or nose down!!! lol! I have gotten MUCH better on it now - now it's pretty predictable. I learned that you can only blip the throttle so much on take-off to keep it level! Too much and you will be looking at the sky! Anyway - good eye!!! And thanks!!!

Not all affordable a-arms are crap. However I agree with the whole ASR thing!!!! I had Ricky Stator +3 a-arms on my MX 440ex - they were awesome - I had some nasty high speed crashes and those things held up awesome. Just do some research - like this - and don't automatically think that just because someone isn't charging an arm and a leg for a couple of pieces of chromoloy, that they are garbage! I happen to know some of the more expensive common brands are crap, too.....

I was just thinking what a dumba$$ I was for posting here too - (smack smack) - and how embarassed I am at being female at this moment......

Yeah - I got me some pipes on it, and a few other mods, but I guess I meant stock suspension! It's so skinny and bouncy right now!!! But I still love it!!! Good to see more girls into racing, too!!

Oh hey!! Those are cool!!! Thanks!!! That was my first race on a stock Banshee!!! I had a fully set up 440 that I used to race, so the two stroke thing took a few times to get used to!!! And that is ONE of my little rugrats....I have two! OK girls!! We are starting to outnumber the guys with the pics......! woohoo!

I don't know....speaking from personal experience, it's not really a good idea to change who you are for a guy you like. Riding quads is something you either really love or you don't - it's not really something you do just to please someone. And if the guy you like doesn't like you the way you are, for the things that make you you......then he isn't the right guy for you anyway. That's just my .02. I changed some major things in my life for a guy once.....turns out I wasted a lot of time, money and heartache on someone who just wasn't worth it anyway! Nowadays - either they like me the way I am or too bad!

Awwww...you remembered that one?? That's cool! Yeah - it's a little uneven over here girls!!! I will see if I can get that pic up somehow.....

I have a set of Skat Trak Edge paddles - the v's - on 10" rims. THese are the best sand tires I have ever used!!! They hook up awesome - but now no one wants to ride behind me due to being roosted - I am banished to the back of the line!!!

I've always gone with JE pistons in my four strokes.......and been very happy with them. How are they? I have heard lots o stuff about Vito's, though, since I have a two-stroke now!!! Thinking about checking some of their stuff out!

The only Sand Mountain I have ever heard of is in Nevada.......

Stay far away from Recreation Unlimited!!!! We ordered a 13.5:1 compression JE piston from them for a Rappy - turns out it never showed up after being charged on our card. They said that whoever they shipped it with LOST it - and they would have to put in a claim on their insurance company!!! Now doesn't THAT sound familiar??? Also - something to note if anyone is thinking of buying a "custom" piston from them. Turns out JE never even made a 13.5:1 piston for them - JE tracks all the custom pistons they make, and none was ever sent. I have also heard stories of Recreation Unlimited selling 12:1 and 13:1 compression pistons as 13.5:1. We bought a piston straight from JE - no reason to go through a dealer. JE is awesome to talk with and gets stuff done pronto! Rec Unlimited finally did credit our charge card - took a few calls but it happened. Just beware people.......maybe they are ligit and just have some SERIOUS issues, but I won't ever do business with them again.

LOL!!!! Yeah - how come I am the only one who has pics???? I like these odds, though!!! Over on EXriders it's always the other way around!!! NO shy guys here!

The first thing I did to me Shee was toss the stock bars (even if you land hard you can bend them!) and steering stem, and put an RPM + 2 1/2" anti-vibe steering stem and a set of Pro-Taper Mid-Hi bars on there.........I used to use the Renthal ATV bend, but once I've had this set-up I will never go back!!!! Makes a world of difference!!! I am running my stock clutch on the Shee, but on my 440 I had a Dirt Digger clutch with a Barnett basket.......was very nice. I never had clutch problems......

I'm taking my stock Shee out to the track tomorrow - for about the 3rd time since I bought it a month or two ago!!! I'm coming off of a fully set up 440ex, so going back to stock width,shocks,everything is a HUGE step backwards for me!!!!! No biggie since I won't be racing seriously again until the spring and getting my 450, but I agree about it beating the pi$$ out of you!!! LOL!!! It's fun though! And if you can land the jumps right you will do alright, it's the times you DON'T land the jumps right and that $4000 suspension isn't there to bail you out!!! I figure if I practice on the tracks on the Shee as much as possible, I will learn how to actually REV an engine, and I will be a much better rider when I get a fully set up quad again!!! It's so hard not to slap some +3 a-arms, SSD ELka's and an RPM swingarm on this thing!!!! You guys that race Shee's have all my respect!!!

lol!!! I agree about the whole money thing!!!! This is one helluva expensive hobby!!! When I bought by quad and first started riding, I bought the basics....but then I started racing MX right away, so I geared up and bought EVERYTHING!!!! Trial and error - every time I crashed I bought some more gear, too! Helmet is always first and foremost - don't go cheap, either. You pay for what you get, and I have seen some helmets that I thought were actually pretty nice ones just shatter and cause even more damage than there should have been. SNELL and DOT approved are a good start! I prefer Shoei. My first pair of boots were Alpinestar Tech 6's.....but after running over my own foot a couple of times, I upgraded to Tech 8's! (nerf bars are a REALLY good idea, btw!) Alpinestars feel like ski boots, but they will protect your feet and ankles like no other boot out there!!! Jerseys are great, because they help keep you the right temperature and don't get your nice clothes all messed up......race pants are great because wearing jeans and Tech 8's sucks!!! I love SHIFT freestyle gear - super comfy and easy to wear. Plus pants keep the pipes from burning your legs from just riding or crashing - getting stuck under a hot Banshee with just regular pants on would really be painful! I also wear a chest protector - I have a few "modifications" up top, and I have to be sure to protect them as much as possible, but I would recommend a good chest protector to anyone who does any type of aggressive riding. I have crashed many times in races or practice and crashed hard with my chest protector on, and got up and finished the race because of it!!! They are awesome in a crash!!! I have managed to land ahead of my quad before and have it nail me right in the back, and the chest protector saved my spine....And they keep roost off of you...... Gloves are a must - you will get major blisters anyway at first, but gloves delay that quite a bit! And if you do any type of trail riding, they will save your knuckles from getting all scratched up or roost from banging them. I also wear a kidney belt - anyone who has ridden on a really rough road for any length of time can probably tell you exactly where his/her kidneys are located just from feeling them jiggling around!!! A kidney belt will help support your lower back if you like to stand up alot while riding, and it will keep your kidneys from falling out!! Goggles of course.....no brainer. Eyes are important! Now - if you just plan on putting around in the sand dunes, you can probably get away with what most of the girls at the dunes who putt around wear - just street clothes and shoes or a bikini! I wouldn't do it - it's not that I'd be afraid of crashing or roost or anything like that (Except when drag racing!) - it's the pre-runner that doesn't see me and hits me at 50 miles an hour that I would want some protection from!!! It's other people/quads/dirt bikes you have to be careful of out there...... mmmmmm.....well - now if you add all of that up, you have already spend a ton of money, and haven't even gotten a quad yet!!! But I say if you are going to do it - do it right!

LOL!! Thanks guys!! I actually have two tats - you can sort of see the one on my lower back on one of those pics...... I do OK racing! I don't race the Shee - I had a 440ex that I had fully set up for MX - I was leading in the open Novice class for the AZ State Series this year until I quit to save money to buy a house. I will be buying it around March of 2004 - as soon as I sign the papers on it, I will be buying a 450 and starting racing seriously again! It was SO hard to drop the series when I did.....but priorities are priorities........ The guys I race with are really great guys for the most part......they don't give me any different treatment because I'm a girl - and I like that! Makes me a better rider in the long run...... I want to keep the Banshee for the dunes - it's an awesome dune quad!!!

I'm a chick rider!!! And you can find some pics on my home site......

Hey Ben! I had a blast at the race too - we all did. Jason, Jeff and I and Jeremy think it was one of the funnest races we have ever been to!!! RPM did a really awesome job and really stuck out their necks to give us that race!!! I'm so glad you had fun!!! I tried PMing you about it but the forum was down for a couple of days!!! Yeah - I have to say that I am waiting to see how they stack up. A year or two ago I wouldn't even wait - it'd be a no-brainer - Honda all the way. But the Yami is really impressive.......I just have too much experience with an 01 Rappy to put a ton of faith in Yamaha's new designs!!! lol!!! Not bashing on Yami's - I own one that I love!!! But I'm just a little gunshy on the new stuff at this point!! Ben, we have pics up of the RPM race on www.wellerracing.com!!!! 6 pages!!! Go there and look in the photos section.....you will find them! I'm pretty sure I saw you in those!!! The drag races were really fun!!!! I though Randy was really cool - I think we are going to try to make the Virginia Beach race this year to show some support for the NQRA.......... It was great meeting you!!! Cool stickers!!!

I made it from Ogilby to the Glamis Store via Olds and bowling all over on one tank of gas. I took my pre-mix oil with me in a baggie so I could just buy gas at the Store. Worked out really really well!!! I have T-5's but no engine work done........so....that might help you guys out a little. I didn't even hit reserve, although I did bog it the whole way along the sand hiway in 5th gear.....still kicked the 400ex's butts! Bogging I think helped to conserve the gas....I hit the powerpand in the bowls, though.......it's a super fun trip to Glamis from Ogilby!!!! I'll be there Thanksgiving guys - look for a blond on a Banshee running two whips!

I'm planning on buying a new 450r to replaced my 440 mx quad in March. I have too much faith in Honda to go with Yami's 450. But I still love my Shee!

I'm going the weekend after Turkey Day!!! Should be a great weekend!!!