jwhitt Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 Hey all, I`ve got a 1997 Banshee 350 that I bought brand new. Ive taking it to the sand dunes about twice a year since I bought it from anywhere to 5-14 days at a time. This quad is still completely stock including original tires. The only things I have replaced is the sprocket and chain and have cleaned the carbs out about 3 times over the years. Every trip when we come home I spend a good day cleaning and wiping it down and store it in garage. Now to my question(s): My wife, she rides it more than I do these days, stated after our last trip that it seems to be lacking its usual power. I have noticed increased blue smoke from the left pipe than usual and just did a compression check. The left side maxed out just below 95psi and the right side 105psi. I figure it must be due for a top end job. I had a friend suggest that I also modify the exhaust with the Toomey T5 setup. Now I am not a mechanic any further than bare bone basic maintenance so I am out of my expertise level. Reading various forums it looks like if I go with the Toomeys, I`d need to "rejet" the carbs. (I`m not sure what that means). Part of me wants to stay completely stock because I have always felt that the more mods on a machine just means it makes the machine that much more finicky lol. On the other hand, part of me says, "what the heck, let`s have some fun and beast the sucker up". I am 51 and don`t ride it nearly as much as I used to but my wife and 16 year old son have taken it over the last few years. I prefer my jeep with the sand tires these days lol. Anyway, any thoughts or suggestions would be helpful and appreciated. Thanks in advance PS: not sure how relevant it is but we run the stock tires in the sand. I put on paddles a few years ago and my wife hated them because she says she loves drifting/sliding in the bowls versus the paddles gripping too much and she disliked the rough ride on the flats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
locogato11283 Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 It sounds like you just need a simple rebuild for get that power back. i would suggest a complete motor tear down, inspection and rebuild, due to its age. Chances are that crank has some wear and tear and it would suck to rebuild the top end and have the bottom end go boom. Any of the site sponsors can rebuild the entire motor for you if you're not mechanically inclined. There's likely one close to you that you could even drop it off at. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwhitt Posted July 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 It sounds like you just need a simple rebuild for get that power back. i would suggest a complete motor tear down, inspection and rebuild, due to its age. Chances are that crank has some wear and tear and it would suck to rebuild the top end and have the bottom end go boom. Any of the site sponsors can rebuild the entire motor for you if you're not mechanically inclined. There's likely one close to you that you could even drop it off at. I wasn`t even thinking about the bottom end....good point. Some have told me that the money spent on a complete rebuild would be too much and I should just get a newer used bike. The problem is my wife LOVES this bike and hasn`t enjoyed other bikes she has tried including the Raptors, etc. She just loves the low profile 2-stroke and wants to just "fix" what we have lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hoppedupandcutdown Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 Oh no. rebuild what you have/ know/ like! I have a stockish '95 with T5's and it hits the powerband hard and pulls at my joints after a long weekend. (I'm 53 by the way) But man I dig it. If your family likes that quad the way it is, freshen it up and get more years out of it! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sheerider11 Posted July 12, 2016 Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 If the wife and son enjoy it keep it. But yeah I'd suggest an inspection of the entire motor. I'm sure there's more then a few worn out parts. How into it is your son? At 16 you couldn't keep me away from my toys. I'd wrench at it every chance I got. He may be willing to do a fair bit of work. Send the engine out, you guys can toy around with the chassis. I'd say cables, bearings, and brakes are an easy job to tackle between the 2 of you. And there's always this place to refer back to for any help you might need. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jwhitt Posted July 12, 2016 Author Report Share Posted July 12, 2016 If the wife and son enjoy it keep it. But yeah I'd suggest an inspection of the entire motor. I'm sure there's more then a few worn out parts. How into it is your son? At 16 you couldn't keep me away from my toys. I'd wrench at it every chance I got. He may be willing to do a fair bit of work. Send the engine out, you guys can toy around with the chassis. I'd say cables, bearings, and brakes are an easy job to tackle between the 2 of you. And there's always this place to refer back to for any help you might need. My son graduated from the Honda 250ex to the Banshee last year. He loves the bike but isn`t into the riding like I was in my early years. His 12 year old sister on the other hand went through several tanks each day on the 250 and is fearless. She was even throwing up sand driving my friends brand new Polaris 1000 turbo. She is hooked big time and I`m sure she will be stealing the Banshee from her brother next year lol. Good idea on the other items....I am going to research suspension upgrades as well. I`ve replaced the center rear shock under the seat a few years back but the others are all original. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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