BansheeBrian Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 Lightweight,good engine this new yamaha sounds like it could be a fun quad! I'm interested to see what it can do for gravel hill climbs. The poor warrior has been a good to all owners. If it can take the wuppin the warrior can handle this thing will sell like crazy. Imagine when there will be bore kits for this one!WHEEEEEEEE! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bansherydr Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 I haven't seen the review of the new 450, nor had a chance to get an upclose look at it, but here are my comments. I think what bitchenbanshee is trying to say is that Honda has build their sport quads simple, smart and bulletproof. (the honda round style carrier for instance). Back in the 80's there was the 250R, the Banshee, and the quadracers. 250R's have stood the test of time considering Honda hasn't made them in 14years. Try and find a quadracer in good shape, there's not too many of them. Banshee's are a dime a dozen, they've been making them forever. Think about it, all the R's out there, winning races and they haven't been in production for 14years, that's a pretty impressive track record. All the guys I ride with have 400ex's. These things are all tight, build solid. They handle well, fly well, and are very reliable. Nowhere near as fast as my shee, but definately the best built (not fastest or most powerful) 4 stroke out there. You need to look at the little detail in the bike. The quality of the paint, welds, design. Look at the diameter of the bolts, placement of parts, and how the overall design works. We all could go on and on with the horrible designs built into the Banshee, the swingarm, the airbox, tors, the kickstarter, etc. I know it pisses us all off that Yamasuck doesn't fix these items. They don't want to spend the $ on new tooling costs and R&D, etc. The Banshee is a cash cow for Yamaha. They don't spend a dime on updates and still sell a boatload of bikes every year. Check out the way Honda builds theirs. And as far as the 250R frame braking, I don't think Honda had 30' high jumps in mind when they built the thing, not to mention the frames are 14yrs old at best. So, if Honda comes out with a more powerful bike, you bet they be all over the track taking 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I doubt they'll build the bike to be king of the dunes, it be the MX track and gncc they're after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ator Posted June 14, 2003 Report Share Posted June 14, 2003 First of all like I said it's easy to be reliable with out making power!! (Yea lets have the rev limiter come in at 7100RPM on the 400EX) The Banshee does have it's share of problems but calling Honda's bulletproof, come on, how many have you owned? Do you know anyone who only has pipes on an otherwise stock Banshee? I do and this guy NEVER has had any problems at all (91 Banshee) 250R's braking frames was not only on 86-87 but in 86-87, thats why they changed the frame tube style. And their round carrier would strip and slip like a son-o-bitch on the 86-87 (they upgraded in 88) the bolts would strip and brake. (Yes I owned o few of these) And I can almost guarantee that the new Honda won't be as fast as the Yamaha, for one the damn thing is already to go (designed and built) since they A)always detune their engines for ATV's, and didn't think the Yamaha would be as powerful as it is. My point is that Honda's are not "Perfect" and neither is Yamaha, or Suzuki, or Kawasaki, but no one is Bulletproof. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitchenBanshee Posted June 15, 2003 Report Share Posted June 15, 2003 I too agree that each one has problems. I just feel that Honda spends more time with the little details than yamaha. We can all say the susucki and kawasucki both spend little time with details. Just look at the quadzilla and the techati (or however you spell that damn thing). Honda is due, I am just saying that I am not going to put my money on Yamaha until I see what Honda comes out with. I desperatley want a decent 4 stroke quad (not to replace the banshee of course) that will outperform most of the other 4 strokes out there. Right now the Craptor has too many flaws for me. Ohh and I wouldn't believe all of the Hype you read in the magazines about ATV reviews. I recall that in the ATV action in 2002, they stated that the new Z400 was going to be the fastest four stroke on the land. (this was before the bike actually went retail) We all know the true story about that....... Susucki as always............................... PS I am in no means flaming Yamaha. I just wouldn't bet on them if my life depended on it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin_Shee Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 the new yfz450 is a killer beast. i know some people who have test driven it. and it's beaten a race-ready 250r on a track. and it was totally stock except for a silencer. this thing handles awesome and produces wicked power. trust me, i think yamaha has finally done their research this time....plus the yfz450 only weighs 350 pounds!!! and produces more hp than a banshee. put in different gearing and that thing will FLY. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flyin_Shee Posted June 17, 2003 Report Share Posted June 17, 2003 imagine seeing a race ready yfz450 with like 10,000 put into it like all the other awesome race quads...that would be the ultimate orgasm machine, lol. and ator does have a point, no one is bulletproof. no one will ever be bulletproof. there will always be some sort of flaw, and we shouldn't start judging a company just by a few flaws it might have had...because every other "good" company has had flaws at one point in time, it's just called working them out and unfortanetly some companies rush it and don't work these out and try to do it over in time so they don't lose too much money, but they end up losing more respect than money. and honda is known somewhat to work out MOST of their flaws, at least moreso than any other company. like it took them awhile to come out with the 400ex because they worked out almost all the flaws. there are usually almost no problems with most of them unless you really ride them hard. but that can be the same with a lot of companies, like yamaha. people always flame yamaha because of their craptor that they released. but they don't realize that the raptor was just a cover-up for the yfz450. they hurried up and rushed it so no one would get suspicious and so they wouldn't lose too much money. but this time yamaha has done their research and taken their time. most of the flaws should be worked out, and of course there is going to be SOME problem with SOME of the yfz450's, it's just something that happens. it's a MACHINE, there is no such thing as a perfect machine, they are man-made and will fail sooner or later. and this has become really long and i absolutely forgot what my whole reason was for writing this...lol :shock: so yea, i'm just going to shut up now later Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ironmansbanshee Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 If the 250r or any other quad made back in the 80's was so perfect and superior how come the Banshee is the only one still being made? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitchenBanshee Posted June 18, 2003 Report Share Posted June 18, 2003 If the 250r or any other quad made back in the 80's was so perfect and superior how come the Banshee is the only one still being made? Well obviously you know nothing about the history of ATV's.. Remember that little thing called a Three Wheeler.... Well Honda took the brunt of the lawsuits on that one which Yamaha didn't have to pay a dime. Thus the reason 250r's are no longer made. We'll see when they come out. I have never had to work on any of my 250r's as much as I have to work on my banshee. Although I like riding the banshee better. The Honda's just hold up better. Ohh I own a 1999 400ex and I have Never touched the friggen thing. I stand by my word that those are the most "Bullet Proof" bikes made!!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bansherydr Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 Ator... I've owned many a honda, kawi, suzuki, and yamaha. It's absolutely impossible for someone to own a 91 banshee and have no problem's, with just pipes, stock, whatever. Maybe your buddy should try riding his banshee. Just to clarify, when I say bulletproof, I don't mean indestructable, these quads are just built very tough, yes they can break eventually, but odds are they other mfg'r is going to break first. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitchenBanshee Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 I'll wait till Honda puts out their 450 then I'll decide which one to buy..... Saying the Yamaha will waste the Honda is just plain ignorant... Especially since the Honda motor is less complicated (no freakin 5 valves), puts out more horsepower, and there has been little to no problems with it (and its the first year it's been out!)... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ouiji Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 check this out. he raced few different quads including a craptor and a shee and documented the results well http://forums.atvconnection.com/messagevie...adid/348229.cfm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Banchetta Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 The 400ex is far from perfect. Like previously said, the frame is based from the 250R which had probs in 86-87. The motors have had problems. There has been a few in my area that break down more than 2-strokes. I don't care what machine you have, they will all break w/ an aggressive rider. EVeryone can argue, but why bother until they are both released and go from there....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbd Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 i agree with banchetta......we will see when honda comes out with their machine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
364rocket Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 here is my opinion i sen the 450 in action and it is wicked i can honestly say this thing is wicked are people gonna love it--yes are people gonna hate it --yes the point is that yamaha spent the time designing something that is out of the box awesome i mean christ i have about 7 grand in my banshee and i wanted to sell it 20 minutes after seein this thing stock as for reliabilty who knows the things are made nowadays just whipped out the assembly line who knows if you are gonna get a junker or not. i believe this quad is just the next stepping stone into sport atvs and another thing for all the non-believers remeber 3 yrs ago when guys like tim farr and kory ellis put a four strke dirtbike motor in their 250r frames people thought they were nuts well lokk how that turned out Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BitchenBanshee Posted June 29, 2003 Report Share Posted June 29, 2003 Ok Banchetta lets break your statement down.... The 400ex is far from perfect. Ok then why did it beat out the banshee, Raptor and every other sport quad in handleing and durability in the 1999-2000 ATV Action. It only lost recently to the Susucki and Kawasucki which we all know copied the 400's frame and suspension exactly. Now I agree that it is under powered but so is the Warrior... After all we are talking the most complete ATV and exactly which other ATV are you saying is closer to perfect. Until we get some ride time on a 450 I wouldn't be bashing the competition just yet. Plus you must figure that the 400EX costs 2300 less than the 450. Like previously said, the frame is based from the 250R which had probs in 86-87. Well, The 400EX was actually based on the 88-89 250R which is still the most saught after MX'R. Saying that it was based on the 86-87 is just plain ignorant. Ohh and have you ever heard a 400EX frame that broke under normal conditions. I haven't. Maybe if someone is jumping it all of the time but all frames break then! The motors have had problems. There has been a few in my area that break down more than 2-strokes. Again read the 99-2001 ATV Action and it will clearly say the the 400 is the most bullet proof engine made in a sport ATV. I would bet thousands that a 400 will out live a banshee or any other two stroke in the same riding conditions. I have never heard of a XR400, XL400 or 400EX with motor problems from normal riding conditions... Maybe if it is abused for long period of time or the rider is hard on it. But it will still outlive any 2 stroke. That is the nature of all 4 strokes. I don't care what machine you have, they will all break w/ an aggressive rider. Yes you are correct. But some bikes will break quicker than others. That is exactly why we are having this conversation. Saying a 400 will break quicker or not last as long as a two stroke is stupidity. Personally I still ride the banshee. I like the power and the aftermarket. My wife rides the 400EX in the sand and I ride it in the woods. Why do I ride the 400 in the woods? I think any of us banshee riders would know why! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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