dbdragracing Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 (edited) I currently ride a 2004 Kawasaki KFX400...I have a guy wanting to trade me a 2002 Yamaha Banshee with the following mods: 1) complete Toomey T5 System 2) Vito's Reed spacers 3) Vito's performance reeds 4) Brand new R&K racing sprocket and gold chain 5) Aluminum wheels with brand new tires on rear, good shape on front 6) Protaper racing series handle bars 7) ITC twist throttle 8) Pro Armor skid plate for motor 9) All the bearings in the entire quad are new 10) Moose Racing boost bottle 11) Aftermarket California Graphic Kit with seat to match 12) Head has been shaved 10 thousand 13) The motor has been bored 10 thousands with a weisco piston 14) 1 year old Vitos performance clutch 15) Nerf bars 16) Carbs have a stage two jet kit in them 17) Aftermarket radiator 18) Stainless steel radiator guard I went to look at the quad today...it was a little dirty, but ran great. Can you guy give me any tips to determine if this Banshee is worth while. It ran strong and didn't pop or crackle, but it wouldn't idle unless you twisted the throttle a little (1/8 of a turn). Please give me any common problems to look for. Any help is appreciated. Thanks. Edited February 25, 2009 by dbdragracing Quote
DopeyTripod Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 consider this. your getting a MANS bike, for your GIRLS bike. nuff said. Quote
F.T.W. Banshee Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 I would trade in a heart beat. The pilot jets prolly need to be cleaned. Quote
quikshee Posted February 25, 2009 Report Posted February 25, 2009 DO IT! Check compression on both cylinders too, don't wanna walk into a immediate rebuild. Quote
peterlocal22 Posted February 26, 2009 Report Posted February 26, 2009 I currently ride a 2004 Kawasaki KFX400...I have a guy wanting to trade me a 2002 Yamaha Banshee with the following mods: 1) complete Toomey T5 System 2) Vito's Reed spacers 3) Vito's performance reeds 4) Brand new R&K racing sprocket and gold chain 5) Aluminum wheels with brand new tires on rear, good shape on front 6) Protaper racing series handle bars 7) ITC twist throttle 8) Pro Armor skid plate for motor 9) All the bearings in the entire quad are new 10) Moose Racing boost bottle 11) Aftermarket California Graphic Kit with seat to match 12) Head has been shaved 10 thousand 13) The motor has been bored 10 thousands with a weisco piston 14) 1 year old Vitos performance clutch 15) Nerf bars 16) Carbs have a stage two jet kit in them 17) Aftermarket radiator 18) Stainless steel radiator guard I went to look at the quad today...it was a little dirty, but ran great. Can you guy give me any tips to determine if this Banshee is worth while. It ran strong and didn't pop or crackle, but it wouldn't idle unless you twisted the throttle a little (1/8 of a turn). Please give me any common problems to look for. Any help is appreciated. Thanks. just needs some re jetting and your good tp go Quote
dbdragracing Posted February 26, 2009 Author Report Posted February 26, 2009 How maintenance oreianted are Banshees?...I keep on hearing stuff about rebuilds. I have riden Banshees, but never owned one. Thanks for any help. Quote
cb6979 Posted February 26, 2009 Report Posted February 26, 2009 (edited) How maintenance oreianted are Banshees?...I keep on hearing stuff about rebuilds. I have riden Banshees, but never owned one. Thanks for any help. Banshee's are two stoke bikes, which makes for a great ride, but also more jetting issues with mods and temps. Rebuilds are a part of the maintenance and common if the bike is not jetted correctly. If it leans out too much, the piston will overheat, and fail. You will learn what to listen for, and it will be second nature for you. Pretty easy to jet one. 10min +/- Edited February 26, 2009 by cb6979 Quote
BlasterKX Posted February 26, 2009 Report Posted February 26, 2009 couple things to look for:check for vin number,check swing arm pivot bearings(lift back of quad up to where the back tires r still touching ground and move side to side see if theres any play) check all geusets on the frame for cracking(near air box esp). and then pretty much just over look the hole bike and make sure YOU feel its worth it. banshees are a blast to own and ride and i traded mine for a 93 bagged s10 and have never looked back and/or regretted it. good luck!! Quote
dbdragracing Posted February 26, 2009 Author Report Posted February 26, 2009 Thanks for the help guys. Im going to look at the Banshee again Saturday. What are the sounds to listen for? Should the exhaust smoke any? Thanks. Quote
R. Rollins Posted February 26, 2009 Report Posted February 26, 2009 The nasty condition of the bike tells me that he never took care of it and now wants a good bike. Check the oil and Ill bet that its tar in the cases right now. MOST banshee owners take care of the bikes as we know what they are and we spend many bucks on the mods. But if that guy cant even wash it before he shows you what he has to trade then I would question and check everything. Take a compression tester with you even if its a cheap one. My two cents doesnt really matter. Your opinion and what you see matters the most. Be careful in your decision. It may be a really good trade if it is in good mechanical shape. Quote
Mjv420 Posted February 26, 2009 Report Posted February 26, 2009 The nasty condition of the bike tells me that he never took care of it and now wants a good bike. Thats not necessarily true at all, but it is sad that he didn't take the time to wash before showing it to someone. Like rollins said, check the oil. Check for bearing play, etc.. Does the bike start easy? Sounds like it could be a good deal, I would look it over good and feel confident before you unload your quad at his house. Quote
DallasGDub Posted February 26, 2009 Report Posted February 26, 2009 Look for stress cracks in welds along the frame. See if everything looks nice and strait. Check the gear oil, color should be oil color. Not milky. With those pipes, you will feel the bike have a nice steady pull along with the sound of RPM rev. If it revs high, but does not seem to pull, clutch could be slipping. Look for rust, surface spots are ok, just nothing extreme. Like BlasterKX said, look for play in the swinger. Also in the front tires. Bars should be strait, little or no side to side play in the front tires if the bearings are new. Same as the back axle bearing. Put both hands on the inside axle, and wiggle it. Watch for movement in the carrier. Smoke is ok, as long as it is not Spyhunter smoke screen style. Look for leaking oil from the case and around the shifter area. Test the compression if possible. Should be 115-125 on each cyl. Ask why he is getting rid of it. A lot of shee owners simply give up and go with 4 strokes b/c of lack of knowledge, or just plain want a change. That's on the level with trading for a 4 stroke. Check his intentions. Make sure it is not some basket case he is unloading. He might just not know a great deal about it and got it to look cool. On the other hand, If he is acting shady about anything, or questions you have, fuck him. I will add, I jumped head first into shee's. This is my first quad. My reasoning behind getting a shee was the aftermarket parts availability and the cheap "DIY" labor. It really is easier to fix and to maintain once you get the basics down. Your cash will spread out over several mods and improvements. No really big chucks of money all at once. Most repairs you do will be improvements. You don't have to really know about a Banshee to fix it. They do take some wrenching and work though. But it is cheap and easy. If you have some basic skills when it comes to working on shit, you will be just fine. It could blow up on your first trip out, and with a little help from everyone on here, you will be up and rolling in no time. I like 4 strokes, but the thrill is gone after a year unless you ride extreme. They end up just being cool to putt around on the trials and then what? Banshee's are fun no matter what type of riding you do. I have not been limited to what I do just b/c I have a Banshee and I have ridden some nasty woods/creek beds before. Honestly, I can simply get on, go around the block of my neighborhood, and still get a rush from it. When I ride trails with my 4 stroke buddies, I tend to have more fun doing basic shit like strolling around in the woods just b/c of the power. Quote
locogato11283 Posted February 26, 2009 Report Posted February 26, 2009 if i had a kfx400 id trade it for a blaster, so yes, do the trade. Quote
dbdragracing Posted February 27, 2009 Author Report Posted February 27, 2009 The bike starts on the 1st or 2nd kick and seems to run really good. No smoke from the pipes. How are these quads for woods or trails? How long does a rebuild typicaly last? Thanks for the help. Quote
R. Rollins Posted February 27, 2009 Report Posted February 27, 2009 Dude: If you checked all that stuff we all pitched at you and it still looks good and runs well. Get it home already! Once you get it home ....Then we can give you further advise. :biggrin: Get your horse trading over with first. You have joined an expert forum and club. If these guys cannot advise you properly then Hell no one can. Thier bikes here are monumental sacrifices of love for thier bikes and for the sport. Have fun Man. Quote
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