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RIDE-RED 250r
03-26-2011, 09:34 AM
Well, Im kinda looking at the 450s. Im a Honda man, followed closely by Suzuki. I really like the Honda in the white with orange frame and the Quadracer. But those KTM's are really catching my eye as well, especially the 525.

Between the three, what do you guys think is the best in stock form? Which engine is most powerful? Which chassis is best? Mainly interested in opinions on these three. Not really into Yammis or Kawis.

TatTooL23
03-26-2011, 09:43 AM
as far as i know. the Honda is ,of course, rock solid. no problems at all. its nice and light with great power. the suzuki is the widest one out there so it handles amazing. but i think its heavier. also u can get the suzuki with fuel injection now. i believe the '06 and up hondas make a bit more power. they went to a 40mm FCR(flatslide) carb where the 04+05 has a 42mm round bore. also the honda's r SUPER cheap right now because they r trying to dump off left overs. i know of a few people that have a picked up brand new '07's for $4100 out the door!

im not sure about the KTM. my own opinion is i'd rather have the lighter less powered bike then the heavier more powerful one. i cant stand the raptors.... you will out handle, out jump, and be in much better shape after a full day of it with a 450.

RIDE-RED 250r
03-26-2011, 09:49 AM
WOW! $4100 for a brand new 450r! I gguess they really are trying to dump off leftovers. Has Honda resumed production of the 450s yet? I know Zuki has dropped the Quadracer from the lineup temporarily due to some EPA B.S. My brother-in-law just bought a cherry '08 Q'Racer for $4000. And i gotta say, after riding it, its a heck of a quad. Only thing Im not digging on the KTM is the looks of the front end/headlight area. But they seem to be a top notch quad, and Im sure they sport a top notch price too...

hang&rattle
03-26-2011, 10:06 AM
I drooled over the KTM's too in the show room. Even the little 2-stroke kids dirtbikes. I honestly believe, at the rate they are going, and the effort they're putting out, the Japanese better bear down a bit and wake up. Honda folds to every EPA world tree-hugger organization. My first bike ever was a 1979 Suzuki RM 50. And they have always been at the top of the pile with there high performance quads. And just to throw this in there, I really like Kawasaki's. If you go back and research the company in the last 30 years, Kawasaki as remained a reletively small, big company, and focused on bikes mainly. Also, they are always in the running at the top of the pile. Just wanted folks to take notice. Really so many good ones.

RIDE-RED 250r
03-26-2011, 10:15 AM
Dont get me wrong Hang@rattle, no hate harbored here for Kawi. I just have owned alot of Hondas and Zukis over the years and all have really served me well. Only Kawi i ever had was in my '73 AC Cheetah sled i had when i was a kid! LOL! My main interest in 450s was the Honda and Zuki, but recently the KTMs have really caught my eye....

pantera1975
03-26-2011, 10:25 AM
Isnt that sad 25 year old three wheelers bring $1500 which is about half of the original msrp today and now with all the new technology they sell new quads for $4500 Thats some pretty good pricing on new quads they are priced like that here. What are these used 450s gona be worth in 10 years.

hang&rattle
03-26-2011, 10:26 AM
I feel ya. Just like Ford, Dodge, and Chevy. Whatever you've had the best luck with, they're all the same, just the luck of the cards you've had with whatcha owned. But ya, the KTM, wow. Spendy, but cool. And I'm partial to orange, lol.

HuffieVA
03-26-2011, 11:03 AM
I'm not a big four stroke fan to start with, and the quads get little national coverage, but bikes have the same basic motor design so if you watch pro MX (I'm not talking about Reed & Steweart with unlimited budgets, but the priviteer guys finishing in spots 20 and back) you see alot of Green and Orange and a few Yellows and Blues mixed in, but you barely see Red, which leads me to believe that competitiveness is more affordable in that order (i.e. anyone with an unlimited budget can make a Honda run fast, but the lower tier guys having limited budgets being competitive on the Green and Orange tells quite a story if you reed between the lines)

Its just a theory...

bansheekx
03-26-2011, 11:19 AM
Depends on what type of riding you are doing. If you spend all of your time on a mx track then the suzuki would be the way to go because of its suspension. If your a trail rider then the honda would be the best for that.

RIDE-RED 250r
03-26-2011, 11:30 AM
Trail/seasonal road riding here. No track time for me....

dcreel
03-26-2011, 04:32 PM
I'm still amazed that in Supercross the KTM 350 can holeshot all of the pro 450's.. and lead a race..

HuffieVA
03-26-2011, 04:53 PM
I'm still amazed that in Supercross the KTM 350 can holeshot all of the pro 450's.. and lead a race..

Imagine the holeshot's a 300cc smoker would get:D

RIDE-RED 250r
03-26-2011, 09:20 PM
Imagine the holeshot's a 300cc smoker would get:D

Right on brother! Whats the big one now...an ESR 380 powervalve??

HuffieVA
03-26-2011, 10:42 PM
Right on brother! Whats the big one now...an ESR 380 powervalve??

Husqvarna, TM & Gas Gas KTM make 300's they should let then into the AMA classes

Mr_RPM
03-27-2011, 04:23 PM
The KTM seems to be the best of the 3 for stock, but as mentioned the Hondas are going for 4100 bucks (saw a new 08 leave my dads work for 4500 sold to a friend)
for that price you could get 2 honda's for 1 KTM. Id rather buy the honda the spend the extra 3-4 grand on upgrades rather then buy a KTM.

but if I was forced to leave it stock, id go KTM. The stock honda feels lacking in high RPM for my riding style. Im not a big fan with it stock. (i rode the one mentioned above)
I have only ridden the honda, yamaha, and Polaris 525. The polaris's engine felt the best (which is a choked up KTM 525)

so out of the 3, and being stock. I like the 525

Chazz of Blades
03-27-2011, 10:21 PM
Stock vs. Stock the KTM is the only way to go. But Mr. RPM has a really good point on getting a honda and dropping a few grand into it.


My favorite opinion on the 450s is simple. They make nice trikes.

rdlsz24
03-27-2011, 10:29 PM
Here's a couple shootout articles from a couple years back:

http://www.mediafire.com/?0ljgnzcnmdn

http://www.mediafire.com/?01ttdntmtzd


At this point, I'm not sure which 450 I would get. Probably the Kawasaki, since it has reverse for trail riding, and the EFI is nice

Rob

Dman450R
03-27-2011, 10:38 PM
I've got a trx450 and my friend rides an ltr. When they were stock his was definitely the better quad. Now that I've modified mine with a arms, uncorked the motor and had the shocks revalved and resprung for my weight and riding style, he is modifying his to keep up. I wouldn't trade my trx for anything (except maybe the KTM...)

younganreckless
03-29-2011, 08:11 PM
Me personally, I love kickstart! I haaaaaaaaaaaate electric start becuz it fOr some reason always fails me