OZ ATV :: The Australian ATV Forum

[Dazz]

was thinking about buying a 450 instead of a 700 till i was told only the kawasaki has a reverse gear ...

does it bug you not haqving reverse when riding trails ?

[bowser]

Dazz wrote:

does it bug you not haqving reverse when riding trails ?

only when you want to go backwards:)

glad i have reverse on the raptor
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08 Raptor 700SE

Cheap, Fast, Reliable....Pick any 2

[Dazz]

bowser wrote:

Dazz wrote: does it bug you not haqving reverse when riding trails ? only when you want to go backwards:) glad i have reverse on the raptor

have you had any problems with the starter clutch in the 700 ?

[stu Fifty Arrrrrrrrr]

you dont realise how much you use it untill you jump back on a bike without it, especially with a heavier bike, beats dragging the ass end around.
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86 atc 250r.
86 trx 250r (project).
78 atc 70.
laydown 200 atc 70.
71 parrot green 90 ballooooony.
81 atc 185s.

[Dazz]

i cant imagine hitting the mud with no reverse LOL

Fuel injected kawasaki 450 is starting to look real good with its reverse gear...

[Clarkie]

Polaris have it on there 525, not sure about there 450
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Has turned to the Dark Side!

[shreka]

Yeah but id say 450 be lighter than 700 when it comes to heavy backends.. Id say just don't put yourself in the situation on the trails where you need reverse think smart while riding its normally when things go bad that you then require reverse or that's how it is for me...

As for the mud hit it faster and you'll come out the other side...lol

Cheers

[bigjon]

Dazz wrote:

does it bug you not haqving reverse when riding trails ?

Not really.

Would I like to have reverse on my YFZ? Sure.
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Don't close your eyes during the crash, you'll miss the best part

[dangerman4]

shreka wrote:

Yeah but id say 450 be lighter than 700 when it comes to heavy backends.. Id say just don't put yourself in the situation on the trails where you need reverse think smart while riding its normally when things go bad that you then require reverse or that's how it is for me... As for the mud hit it faster and you'll come out the other side...lol Cheers

i LOVE your theory, but if you get a chance have a ride of my yfz10r.
when your coming up to a corner with 400m to spare and you have all 4 wheels skipping and sliding under heavy brakes and you go straight off the oudside of the corner and into the bushes. you have no option but to get off and drag the ass end around. 400m you ask? 220kph i say! reverse would and is a very handy thing to have, and looking at the american atv scene the kwakas are right up the pointy end. so there obviously a top bike.
reverse just makes them that bit more versitile

[shreka]

Quote:

i LOVE your theory, but if you get a chance have a ride of my yfz10r. when your coming up to a corner with 400m to spare and you have all 4 wheels skipping and sliding under heavy brakes and you go straight off the oudside of the corner and into the bushes. you have no option but to get off and drag the ass end around. 400m you ask? 220kph i say! reverse would and is a very handy thing to have, and looking at the american atv scene the kwakas are right up the pointy end. so there obviously a top bike. reverse just makes them that bit more versitile

Sounds like a machine would love to have a crack at it...As for getting off to drag the ass end i do that now as i ride a yfz450. I don't have a problem with doing so i guess that's one of the choices you make when you decide to buy which ever quad you end up with and im sure there has been a time when out in the trails Ive said id love to have reverse but hey its good exercise if nothing else...

[bigjon]

dangerman4 wrote:

i LOVE your theory, but if you get a chance have a ride of my yfz10r. when your coming up to a corner with 400m to spare and you have all 4 wheels skipping and sliding under heavy brakes and you go straight off the oudside of the corner and into the bushes. you have no option but to get off and drag the ass end around. 400m you ask? 220kph i say! reverse would and is a very handy thing to have, and looking at the american atv scene the kwakas are right up the pointy end. so there obviously a top bike. reverse just makes them that bit more versitile

That means nothing. The question was regarding a commercial 450 vs a 700. Not some hybrid that does 220kph. I'd say if you ended up in a position like you described, reverse would be the least of your worries.
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Don't close your eyes during the crash, you'll miss the best part

[Haggis]

polaris outlaw 450 mxr has reverse also. Ive never had it so dont miss it. When i have to get off and drag it out of dunes etc reverse is useless anyway just digs itself a hole and you have to drag it out more, well thats what happens to my mate

[PeteW]

I've never felt put out by not having reverse on a sport quad, chances are if Iv'e put it somewhere where Iv'e got to get off then reverse wouldn't help anyway cos Iv'e got to lift off something. different story on a big 4x4 though...
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[bullet]

If you get a light weight 450 , you can spin it on a dime when you need to turn around.
As has been said, reverse gear is not usually much good at getting out of a real bog or tight sandy area.
Reverse can be good for 'having a look over the edge' and then backing up etc.
But is that a big deal.
Regardless of opinions, Reverse gear is another engineering compromise.
If manufactures add reverse gear, they have to make other gears thinner and weaker, selectors more complex and fickle... and/or just make the gearbox bigger and a lot heavier.
If the manufacturer chooses all the options like reverse etc, the end product will be heavy, and therefore more likely to get stuck and need reverse gear.
Or like my Outlander, it has reverse, 4x4 and all the 'don't get bogged' features.
It's heavy, but it goes anywhere without getting bogged... . um... . .
BUT, if you do get stupendously bogged on it, you and all your mates tying to lift it out will wish you were on a light weight 450

The worst bogs are when the engine wont start.
Reverse does not help much then.
Maybe add the weight of another luxury... a winch
Then what if it won't start because the battery died.. .
Just cry even harder, I supose
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Bullet #Y12. MrsB #Y18.

[stu Fifty Arrrrrrrrr]

Well Its great to see such conflicting opinions, and some good points have been made, getting back to the original question (would it bug you not having it?) honestly wouldnt faze me as Ive probably ridden longer without it as the raptor is the only bike Ive owned with it, however because I have it, I find I use it like anything you adapt to what you ride, I agree with being smart while you ride pre-empting potential hazards and trying to keep yourself on the trails, and true if the worst happens your(usually) in no position to use reverse, however it's the small application of the gear that becomes second nature, you find you use it for the simplest things, and like I said before if its there you'll more than likely use it. I didnt buy the Raptor because it had reverse, nor would I base my purchase upon this fact. So in summing up, reverse is no big deal, convenient if you have it but you will survive without it, look at other aspects of the bike, make sure you enjoy riding it and are comfortable on it, and then if it has added features like reverse bonus if not who cares. Cheers Stu.
_________________
86 atc 250r.
86 trx 250r (project).
78 atc 70.
laydown 200 atc 70.
71 parrot green 90 ballooooony.
81 atc 185s.

[Ozy]

Get yourself a KTM450XC, these babies are one of the lightest and fastest 450's straight out of the crate with reverse gear.
They have a very reliable engine, and we have around 90hrs on our oldest one now without any issues.
You can even get a brand new 2008 one right now for just over $13k and get $1000 worth of KTM goodies thrown in for free.
This is a pretty good deal in anyones books I reckon.

Good luck, all the atv's out there are pretty good, it comes down to $ and personal preferance.

cheers

Ozy
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Thanks to Causeway KTM Ducati. - 3 x KTM450XC's, CANAM DS450x

[Dazz]

Ozy wrote:

Get yourself a KTM450XC, these babies are one of the lightest and fastest 450's straight out of the crate with reverse gear. They have a very reliable engine, and we have around 90hrs on our oldest one now without any issues. You can even get a brand new 2008 one right now for just over $13k and get $1000 worth of KTM goodies thrown in for free. This is a pretty good deal in anyones books I reckon. Good luck, all the atv's out there are pretty good, it comes down to $ and personal preferance. cheers Ozy

i thought they were going out of the quad building industry or is that just a rumour cause if they are im sure the price of them will plummet to a all new record low ....

[Ozy]

Dazz wrote:

Ozy wrote: Get yourself a KTM450XC, these babies are one of the lightest and fastest 450's straight out of the crate with reverse gear. They have a very reliable engine, and we have around 90hrs on our oldest one now without any issues. You can even get a brand new 2008 one right now for just over $13k and get $1000 worth of KTM goodies thrown in for free. This is a pretty good deal in anyones books I reckon. Good luck, all the atv's out there are pretty good, it comes down to $ and personal preferance. cheers Ozy i thought they were going out of the quad building industry or is that just a rumour cause if they are im sure the price of them will plummet to a all new record low ....

The storey as I understand it is that KTM are dropping the XC range next year. Don't know if that is just Australia or worldwide. However the SX models will still continue to be going strong.
Whatever you chose I am sure you will like it and have a blast!!

cheers
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Thanks to Causeway KTM Ducati. - 3 x KTM450XC's, CANAM DS450x