thethrillofspeed Posted July 17, 2003 Report Share Posted July 17, 2003 Before you totally defend Yamaha, check out the Raptor owners. There are tons on problems with the 01 transmissions, and all years timing chains and one way bearings. My Banshee rocks and has taken years of punishment. My Raptor blew its timing chain at 50 hours and Yahama is not standing behind the Raptor. My money will wait for the Honda for a new quad for the wife....I will stick with the Banshee! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitchenBanshee Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 Uhh..... I do have a banshee, and yes I like riding it Much better than the 400ex. The point is, Take one bike, and not do ANYTHING to it but ride it. I will guarantee that the 400ex will outlast any other sport quad! Simple design breeds reliability and that is what the Honda 450 is. Simple, no friggen 5 valves..... and more power than the Yamaha. Will I still own the banshee, Hell Yea.. But when by shee is busted in the corner of my shop I will be hoppin on the Honda! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deli sandwich Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 i don't find that an engine with 5 valves is more complicated then an engine with 4 valves but thats just my 2 cents Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banchetta Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 I find the shee breaks due to owner neglegence and poor maintenance. The shee has twice the parts and needs twice the care. I've seen Hondas break down more than my shee. I'm talking about 250Rs and 400exs and about a dozen of them. Again, they break down to poor maintenance. Yamaha or Honda, they both need proper maintenance to stop break downs. Especially when ridden hard. There is nothin out there that'll last forever w/o maintenance. If it does, then your not riding hard enough!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitchenBanshee Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 Either your stupid, or your not getting the point.. Take a banshee, warrior, raptor and the new 450 and put it up to a 400ex and ride the living hell out of all of them. I will GUARANTEE that the 400ex will outlast them all. The warrior motor may last with the 400 but the chassis flaws of the warrior will bite it in the azz. This means no fixing parts, no washing, no chain tightening, not even turning a bolt! Sure a well maintained bike will outlast a poorly maintained bike, I think we all know that. We are talking about the manufacturing quality not the owners mechanical ability!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Incase you wish to argue there are races called baja's where bikes are put through this torture. The 400 has consistently been a leading runner with reliability! If you wish to argue read up on the past 4 years baja's and you will see! A bike that holds together from the factory means that it will take less maintenance from me, leading to more ride time and less money spent!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitchenBanshee Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 actually here is a clip from a recent baja race....... As of the official SCORE Baja 500 Pre Entry date May 23, 21 quads are expected to leave the line this weekend for the Baja 500. In fact, by the time you read this, there is probably hot news in our ORC desert racing section to follow the race as it progresses, so check in to see how your favorite rider or driver fared. While Honda remains the most-preferred Baja quad, looks like a lot of teams are mounted on the new Polaris Predator. Seems a factory-prepped race bike may be catching on. Maybe a Pro Production class is called for? We'll have our man-in-the-field take a peek to find out what mods these teams are doing to prep the bikes, and which survive the 500 miles of abuse. Isn't it funny how the Honda 400 is still more saught after for a desert quad than the Raptor. Thats because of RELIABILITY. I guess we will have to wait and see what the new 450 does in this contest! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
99nhbanshee Posted July 18, 2003 Report Share Posted July 18, 2003 The Baja races dont mean crap!!! I garrantee you that not one, NOT ONE machine running in that race is all stock!!!!! Also, the banshee has won more Baja titles, than all other quads combined. Big deal, the 400 has won one or two. Hondas aint all that, and I own both a 400ex and a banshee, and just 3 weeks ago, a YFZ450. I know what Im talking about when it comes to the 400, and they aint all that!!!! They have there share of problems too!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banchetta Posted July 19, 2003 Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 You obviously don't have a clue, do you. I know a shit load of 400ex's including a good friend and my cousin. They both have blown the motors, bent axles, and had intake problems. Now your telling me about reliability. Whatever. Get off the Honda high horse and get real. I state facts, not opinions. I test real world, not bullshit. I've been around atvs since they started making them and ridden everything out there exept the new yz. Don't try to bullshit everyone on here. The 400ex is far from indestructable. Buy me one and I'll show you. The first 20' high jump I take will blow the intake off and bend the axle. Then I'll beat the piss out of it for 12 hours straight until I cook the rings. I want to see the reliability of that..... Well where is it???? This happens.. I've seen it. I'm not talking bullshit. Don't believe me. Ask the Honda owners in my area. Come to the PIT, thats where you'll see it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ator Posted July 19, 2003 Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 Banchetta, thats soooo funny. A good friend of mine bought a 400EX in 2000 when they were supposed to be the shit. First time out a Freelin ( www.freelinmx.com ) he blew out the front shocks and bent the axle. I couldn't stop laughing at him, this BRAND NEW bike with blown out shocks and a bent axle. Well here we are over 3 years later an once in a while on a 15-20ft jump (or larger) the intake will fall off and the bike will not run BIG DESIGN FLAW!!! Whenever he rides my brothers Z400 he always says "feels like my EX only it cost me $1200" and he still can't hang with it. Bottom line is I agree with you Banchetta, I have owned 3 250R's and have had problems with all 3 and I am a stickler for maintenence. The only real thing I liked better on the 250R's was the smoothness of the tranny, but a few mods to the Banshee's and it's close enough for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitchenBanshee Posted July 19, 2003 Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 I'll tell you what. You go spend the 7500 on the YFZ and I'll sit back and see what Honda comes out with. If Honda comes out with a machine that holds together better, more power (we already know the Honda 450 makes more horses), and better handling as they are known for, I can't WAIT to say I told you so!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! If they say F#$@ it and don't build one, then I will pay for the YFZ. I am no longer putting my faith into Yamaha with my money. I bought the YZF426 when it first came out and it spun a main bearing during my second race of the season. It only had about 8 hours on it. It Chewed up the block and I found out that it was common with about 40% of the bikes. How the hell they let this go by I have no idea! I also bought the 2001 Raptor when it first came out because I figured that they had worked the bugs out of the motor with the 426. I was wrong and I was stuck in the dunes not able to shift gears with about 20 hours on it. The banshee I have owned for some time and besides the stupid manufacturing flaws I like it. Rest assured if the 250R was still made I would buy one over a Banshee. The biggest reason would be an aluminum swingarm and one cylinder to rebuild instead of two. Yes the Shee is faster in some ways but a 310 250R is pretty hard to beat! I bought the 400ex and haven't done one damn thing to it. Bought a 1998 CR250 and haven't done one damn thing to it (besides normal wear and tear). I have owned XR80 / XR100 / XR250 / XR400 and a XR600 briefly. I never had a problem with any of the bikes. I want a four stroke that I can just plop my ass on and ride, not work on while everyone else is riding. I give the shee the benefit of the doubt because Yamaha is the only one with balls enough to continue the 2 strokes. However in the four stroke arena they are suckin hind tit when it comes to reliability! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banchetta Posted July 19, 2003 Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 I agree that it would be nice to have a 4-stroke that'll hold up, but I don't think you'll see it. Previous 4-strokes hold up due to the fact that they are not high revving motors and didn't have enough power to break anything. Today, manufactorers are making 4-strokes that are revving 10,000rpms or higher and producing a lot more hp than before so parts will start breakin easier. The atvs are becoming faster and more comfortable so now people are pushing them further. If you want reliability, buy a 4x4. If you want performance and a machine to put through hell, then get ready to spend some money. I don't think you'll ever find it, and I doubt any manufactorer will come out w/ one. Honda, Yamaha, or Suzuki. Thats my oppinion. We'll see when the new 450 Honda comes out, if they come out..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ator Posted July 19, 2003 Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 ButchenBanshee, I was just watching motocross on speed vision and the Yamaha 250F took the 125 class and the 450F took the 250 class, the Honda's were no where near the top 10. So if they are making more HP then they must have some other major problems to not finish even in the top 10 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Meat Posted July 19, 2003 Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 The statement that the Honda CRF450 is making more HP than the YFZ motor is false. THe yamaha makes more HP and hits harder than the CRF. Incase you wish to argue there are races called baja's where bikes are put through this torture. Wow you dont know much about Banshee's and the Baja. Just like 99nhbanshee said, the Banshee won more Baja races than any other quad. Ever hear of Dean Sundahl ? Btw the Banshee is made my the unrealible Yamaha company. :roll: My neighbor has a yellow 400ex. So when did the yellow ones come out ?? 2001 I think. Well anyways, he cant start it with his electric starter. You can hear him tryin..... for 30 minutes and it wont fire up. So a little while later I see him on the quad, getting towed behind a truck and he pops the clutch and it finally fires up. While they're unhooking it from the truck the quad backfires as loud as an M-80 and shuts off. That was a few months ago, early summer. The quad sits in his back yard with a tarp over it, he hasnt ran it since. The biggest flaw on the 250r is the frame crackage..... notorious for cracking thier frames. The facts are, no matter what brand your loyal to, sooner or later something is going to break on it. I think Iv broken just about every part on my Banshee, my Quadracer and my ol' Quadsport. My buddies with 250x's, 400ex's and 250r's had just as much trouble. No lying, just being honest here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banchetta Posted July 19, 2003 Report Share Posted July 19, 2003 Just for more info. I talked to two friends of mine who race dirt bikes. One has the 426 and the other has the Honda 450. They have both tried each others and both agree that the YZ has more power. Thats the 426, never mind the 450. I don't see Honda having more power, unless they do something different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madden Posted July 20, 2003 Report Share Posted July 20, 2003 [. Previous 4-strokes hold up due to the fact that they are not high revving motors and didn't have enough power to break anything. I was just getting ready to right that myself. :wink: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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