I think I want a Banshee

[tmecars]

I'm thinking about trying to find a Banshee in the next few months. I dont know too much about them. Are there any years that are better or worse than others? Is there anything in particular I need to watch out for when I go to look at them? Is there anything on them that is prone to fail (like the Tecate stator!) that will be expensive to replace?

Thanks!

T

[cody2]

Well there 2 stroke, but if that doesnt bug you i dont know why not. Theres a few around here and my cousin actually has a 97 which had no problems. Take off the tors system and add a pipe and some new tires, what are you looking to do with it? There not the best trail bikes becasue they dont handle that great and they dont have fantastic suspension or low end but on the dunes and alot of trails where you can open it up there unbeatable, think of this way, they woudln't have been making them for over 20 years if they were junk.

[BigGreenMachine]

Tmecars,

The value of the Banshee has gone down a lot since the 450's hit the scene. Great deals can be found. I would suggest the newer the better, the lower the hours on it the better. (as with any machine right?) :Bounce

They are great trail quads despite what EVERYONE (that doesn't know any better) would have you believe. Jetting it right is the key.

They are front end heavy which will keep it planted for hillclimbing as well as for sliding turns on dirtroads/trails.

As for stuff that breaks I am not really sure. I haven't heard of any typical things to look for with them.

Once I get my Tecate 500 back into shape I may pull the trigger on one as well.

[350Xhilaration]

I have a 2000 Shee that is stock except for the FMF Gnarly Pipes and Turbine Core II spark arrestors. It does wonderful on the trails. Plenty of low end even with the 22s on the back. Many don't believe it until they ride with me. It still has the TORS on it and it's jetted perfectly. I can idle all day long in first gear and chug up hills without any problems. I've been running the same plugs since July 2005, never fouled one yet. I run 40:1 Semi-synthetic Yamalube.

Suspension isn't great, but does what I need it to.

Mine was purchased from the original owner in 2005 and it had very low hours. I'd recommend finding one that is as close to stock as possible (probably extremely hard to do) and keep it that way. The more mods the less reliable they are in my humble opinion.

They can be a great trail, dune, or drag machine.

Good luck !!!

[SCEADU]

First thing you have to make sure it has a good chain. Do yourself a favor and spend the $40 on a case saver. This I learned the hard way by finishing my build and wanting to work the jetting out before I bought a case saver. Needless to say that I broke a chain and destroyed the cases. Good thing that parts can be picked up on Ebay reasonably cheap. I agree with 350Xhilaration. Keep it stock. So far I am impressed with mine.

[tmecars]

thanks ya'll.
I went to look at 450s this weekend at my local Yamaha/Suzuki dealer and as cool as they look, the thought of spending $7500 before TTL is retarded (for me). Plus, I'll be a 2stroke fan 4 Life. You're right about the deals, I've seen some pretty good looking ones on Craigslist near me in the $2500 range. I'm going to seriously consider one this fall.

T

[Havoxx]

I'm thinking about trying to find a Banshee in the next few months. I dont know too much about them. Are there any years that are better or worse than others? Is there anything in particular I need to watch out for when I go to look at them? Is there anything on them that is prone to fail (like the Tecate stator!) that will be expensive to replace?

Thanks!

T

Heh, I picked one up for $500 it's an 87 and it had even the stock tires on it. The only thing I hate about the bike, is that it doesn't just waste gas, I swear it eats it.

[tmecars]

I swear I NEVER find deals like that. If I could find a Banshee for $500 I'd have it tomorrow. Any pics?

T

[Havoxx]

I swear I NEVER find deals like that. If I could find a Banshee for $500 I'd have it tomorrow. Any pics?

T

Don't have a recent one, but here it is when I got it, I fixed it up, it needed a new coil and accel cable, and I had to disconnect the TORS system, It's an 87, but damn thing is nice, starts on the first kick, and can idle all day with no worry, it ran great this past weekend when I ran it. According to the owner it sat in storage for 15 years after he had to move to PA in a hurry.

It had some bald tires I got from a friend, but I got it lumberjacks now.
http://img2.putfile.com/thumb/5/12417023429.jpg (http://www.putfile.com/pic/8095082)

[scooterroo]

only hting i can think of on the shee i didnt like is the models with the j-arms on the front, not a-arms.

[tmecars]

I've read on a Banshee forum about the "J-arms" vs "A-arms" and something called a TORS. I can assume the arms are control arms but I don't know about the TORS or why one control arm is better than the other.

T

[Mrs.Mosh]

The tors was a throttle overide system.The best thing to do,is by a kit to eliminate them.It makes the thumb throttle easier to pull,and the rev limiter will be deleted.They were used incase the throttle stuck wide open to kill the ignition for safety,but in most cases they caused running problems.The kit is like 50 bucks to eliminate them,or you can just unplug a box on the frame,but the throttle will still be hard to push.The TORS system had these huge bulky fulcrum switches on top of the carbs that created more friction in the throttle cable.The kit elimantes those and comes with a new cable and carb tops.Just unplugging the carb tops will not shut the Tors off.Under the gas tank there is a little black box with 2 wires plugged into it.That also has to be disconected to delete the TORS completely.

The j-arms were a single upper control arm,that were very weak.The upper J-arms were just that.A single tube that looked like the letter (J) instead of the traditional Arms that look like the letter (A)
In 1991 they redesigned the frame to accept conventional A -arms that you see on most quads today.
The J-arms were weak.If you hit a tree even lighthly,they would in most cases bend,and had to be replaced.

For trail riding the A-arm set-up is better.Stronger.

If you want to drag race,Get a J-arm.The over all weight of the J-arm frame was 40 some pounds lighter than the A-arm frames.

[Havoxx]

The tors was a throttle overide system.The best thing to do,is by a kit to eliminate them.It makes the thumb throttle easier to pull,and the rev limiter will be deleted.They were used incase the throttle stuck wide open to kill the ignition for safety,but in most cases they caused running problems.The kit is like 50 bucks to eliminate them,or you can just unplug a box on the frame,but the throttle will still be hard to push.The TORS system had these huge bulky fulcrum switches on top of the carbs that created more friction in the throttle cable.The kit elimantes those and comes with a new cable and carb tops.Just unplugging the carb tops will not shut the Tors off.Under the gas tank there is a little black box with 2 wires plugged into it.That also has to be disconected to delete the TORS completely.

The j-arms were a single upper control arm,that were very weak.The upper J-arms were just that.A single tube that looked like the letter (J) instead of the traditional Arms that look like the letter (A)
In 1991 they redesigned the frame to accept conventional A -arms that you see on most quads today.
The J-arms were weak.If you hit a tree even lighthly,they would in most cases bend,and had to be replaced.

For trail riding the A-arm set-up is better.Stronger.

If you want to drag race,Get a J-arm.The over all weight of the J-arm frame was 40 some pounds lighter than the A-arm frames.

I personally like the harder response with the TORS tops, and the ease of adjusting the idle, I did eliminate the electronics of it though, it cuts off spark if it's not working properly, so I had no choice :D

[Razgriz-Fighter]

Banshee's are fun, specially once you start putting some money into them.

As Moshman said, get rid of the TORS stuff if you buy a banshee that still has all of that on it. Usually that system becomes more of a pain than anything.

In regards to the J-arms vs A-arm frames, I've ran both..used to have a J-arm frame for 4 years, now switched over to A-arm and you can notice a difference. It's a little softer ride on the front end with A-arms, and the a-arms don't go through bushings and ball joints near as bad as J-arms do.

People think they are un-reliable quads as well, well that may be so for people that don't do regular maintenance and don't take care of their quads. I ran the same top-end for about 3 years, and was still at my 115Psi compression from when I had the engine rebuilt. As long as you jet them properly, take care of them like you would any other quad...it should last you. And depending on what style of riding you mostly do, you can build them up to suit your needs.

This is my 87(well the frame is now an 02), bought her for $2200CDN about 4 years ago.
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c88/Yama_Shee/87%20Banshee/100_0247.jpg

[tmecars]

Thanks for the wealth of information. Hopefully I'll be able to pick one up later in the year!

T