OZ ATV :: The Australian ATV Forum

[MadDog_Banshee]

Ladies and gentlemen,


I need your help please.

Consider the following situation:

I own a 01 banshee. dead stock. internals are fine. it has regular oil changes, coolant changes, filter changes etc. It has slight cosmetic damage which is normal wear and tear. the following needs replacing:

front lights - one is cracked (still works fine) but fills up with mud and water
rear suspension - shock is losing compression
front tyres - almost bald
front brake pads - no more meat
exhaust kit - i need to feeeeel the power!

the likely hood is i will be spending about $2500 or possibly more on this bike to fix / replace parts / wake it up

i'll assume the bike is worth something between 2500-3500.

my question to you all is, would you do all this work to the banshee? or spend say an extra 1-2k and buy a second hand raptor which is a considerably more powerful bike?

I am talking about a solution now, not a bike. I see the raptor as a superior bike because i won't have to mix fuel, i have a reverse gear, and i have more power, more lights...but most of all ... and my favourite...... no more trying to kick start a flooded motor!!!

what would you all say ? Can anyone please provide me with advice and their opinion? I would really appreciate it because no one i know can give me proper advice as they aren't really into bikes or anything away from a computer, the city, cafe lattes, and sleeping in till 3pm
_________________
"Back up Bug!"

[yogie]

cant believe I'm going to say this but buy the RAPTOR they a great bike
_________________
2005 KFX700
With a few bells and whistles
and the twin yoshi's
American Star A-arms, tie rods
elka stickers
Shorty Shifter
I have a Waco
rossco gave me a flexx sticker
honda thumb
Great at climbing trees
durablue stickers

[fossil800R]

yogie wrote:

cant believe I'm going to say this but buy the RAPTOR they a great bike

What was that Yogie?....you have to speak up

If you can get one cheap enough, the Raptor is the better option long term for all of the reasons you've already listed.
_________________
I'm not suffering from insanity, I'm enjoying it!!!

[bigjon]

yogie wrote:

cant believe I'm going to say this but buy the RAPTOR they a great bike

Fixed it for you yogie. Might want to contact Admin, your font changes randomly.
_________________
Don't close your eyes during the crash, you'll miss the best part

[yogie]

bigjon wrote:

yogie wrote: cant believe I'm going to say this but buy the RAPTOR they a great bike Fixed it for you yogie. Might want to contact Admin, your font changes randomly.

thank you so much...
_________________
2005 KFX700
With a few bells and whistles
and the twin yoshi's
American Star A-arms, tie rods
elka stickers
Shorty Shifter
I have a Waco
rossco gave me a flexx sticker
honda thumb
Great at climbing trees
durablue stickers

[MadDog_Banshee]

Yogie,

Thank you for being honest. You ride a KF? I have seen it and ridden one.. i didn't like it. initially i thought the raptor had bulldozer steering compared to the banshee, but when i rode that bike i was fooled into thinking i was manouvering a rubber wheeled excavator around the track.

I dont like to knock anyone's ride but thats just what i thought. To be fair to your bike, they do have a bucket load of power.
_________________
"Back up Bug!"

[stink989]

excavator or tractor???
_________________
2006 Banshee
Ridden not pampered

[doorslammer]

where do you ride?
if your in the mud and trails get the raptor for the reverse, electric start, easy power and better geometry.
but for full out going fast in the sand spend the 2500 to make your banshee a but more powerful .
porting, nice set of pipes, carbs, cool head, maybe stroke it...
_________________
01 Banshee
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway

[MadDog_Banshee]

stink989 wrote:

excavator or tractor???

you never seen a rubber wheeled excavator? its not a tractor. rubber wheeled excavators would be perfect for riot control!
_________________
"Back up Bug!"

[MadDog_Banshee]

doorslammer wrote:

where do you ride? if your in the mud and trails get the raptor for the reverse, electric start, easy power and better geometry. but for full out going fast in the sand spend the 2500 to make your banshee a but more powerful . porting, nice set of pipes, carbs, cool head, maybe stroke it...

geometry? i'm assuming you're talking about weight displacement?

the country i ride in is nothing like whats in your pic. its central west NSW, hilly, rocky, muddy, trails, not really much open flat space

thanks for your opinion
_________________
"Back up Bug!"

[doorslammer]

geometry is like frame design, how well the suspension works, all the little things like caster and camber adjustments to make the chassis smoother and more controlling. weight displacment is poart of it as well. ktm almost has a 50/50 % weight distrobution between the front and rear wheels, while the banshee being a 20 year old design just doesnt

where i ride there is alot of open country and no trees to hit thankfully.
as for where you ride, you will probably enjoy the raptor more even tho the banshee could be set up nice for the trail (with lots of $$$) you just wont get the same effect and there still wouldnt be reverse elec start etc
_________________
01 Banshee
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway

[yogie]

MadDog_Banshee wrote:

Yogie, Thank you for being honest. You ride a KF? I have seen it and ridden one.. i didn't like it. initially i thought the raptor had bulldozer steering compared to the banshee, but when i rode that bike i was fooled into thinking i was manouvering a rubber wheeled excavator around the track. I dont like to knock anyone's ride but thats just what i thought. To be fair to your bike, they do have a bucket load of power.

No worries chap.

But most people dont like the KFX700 because that compare them to a raptor or the other bigbore "sports type" bikes, there is no comparison, they are compleatly different bikes, in the states near 80% of the kfx's are sold for the dune blokes, its not the most trail freindly bike, but they suit a big fat bastard like me on the trails, they need a lot of man handling and I can do it. They are a good hill climber, and not susprisnly they dont move around when they leave the air (no tree jokes JB )

I suppose if they made them a 900 instead of the 700, the weight difference would not be such a factor, these are 240 dry weight, I think the raptor 700 is 150 KG ???????????????????????? let me know someone please, but still thats a huge amount of extra weight to moving, I know that when I did TP300 last year that 2 big straights there I blew a suzi 450 off like nothing, and yammie 450 tried but couldnt quite catch me, so in a straight line these are a the best thing going, but on the corners, ther'e a pig. But I like it and it suits me.

but I've ridden the 660 raptor and the 700, so if you cant get a 700 buy a KFX700 the 660 handling is not near as good, and thy feel very tippy, but in saying that it comes down to getting used to the machine and what it does. Good luck regardless.


one more thing I should add is the raptor is a single pot motor, so they can rev all day and KFX is a detuned Vtwin, which needs long stretches to wind up.
_________________
2005 KFX700
With a few bells and whistles
and the twin yoshi's
American Star A-arms, tie rods
elka stickers
Shorty Shifter
I have a Waco
rossco gave me a flexx sticker
honda thumb
Great at climbing trees
durablue stickers

Last edited by yogie on Sat Jan 10, 2009 12:01 pm; edited 1 time in total

[doorslammer]

yogie wrote:

these are 240 dry weight, I think the raptor 700 is 150 KG ???????????????????????? let me know someone please

191kg wet... you can buy me a beer later
_________________
01 Banshee
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway

[bigjon]

MadDog_Banshee wrote:

its central west NSW, hilly, rocky, muddy, trails, not really much open flat space

Whereabouts in the central west?
_________________
Don't close your eyes during the crash, you'll miss the best part

[MadDog_Banshee]

well thank you to all who have been so kind to give me their views. although there is one thing i am not sure of. Yesterday i spoke to a nice bloke named Adam at QuadSquad and i asked him a ? regarding the electronics on the raptor. he told me that there needn't be a worry if the bike gets taken through mud etc. I am not saying he is wrong, but perhaps there is someone else out there who may have had issues regarding the electronics on this bike?

I'm not saying this bike is going to be a submarine but i just would like to know anything and everything about this bike.

thanks folks
_________________
"Back up Bug!"

[greenhuman]

"they need a lot of man handling and I can do it."
I heard Yogie likes handling men but I didn't believe it till now.

[MadDog_Banshee]

i just had a look around over the net and was reading through this yank based raptor forum ...!!! damn these bikes are fussy! its almost like owning a porsche!!

certain way to fill up oil, certain way to run it in, certain way to ride it, sensors, fuel, frame !! argh !! its like a 911 turbo !

for those of you in the know, would i be more inclined to get better info on the bike from a dealer or talking to owners?

i also read the thread started by ian_raptor700 regarding his frame..... ouch!!
_________________
"Back up Bug!"

[doorslammer]

MadDog_Banshee wrote:

i just had a look around over the net and was reading through this yank based raptor forum ...!!! damn these bikes are fussy! its almost like owning a porsche!! certain way to fill up oil, certain way to run it in, certain way to ride it, sensors, fuel, frame !! argh !! its like a 911 turbo ! for those of you in the know, would i be more inclined to get better info on the bike from a dealer or talking to owners? i also read the thread started by ian_raptor700 regarding his frame..... ouch!!

if you look hard enough into any quad you'll find flaws, the raptor is a very reliable bike and so long as you do regular maintance and dont try to ride everywhere in fifth or everywhere on the rev limiter youll have no problems
_________________
01 Banshee
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway

[MadDog_Banshee]

thanks doorslammer... you're 100% right. i just like to know what i'm walking into before i write my cheque
_________________
"Back up Bug!"

[doorslammer]

MadDog_Banshee wrote:

thanks doorslammer... you're 100% right. i just like to know what i'm walking into before i write my cheque

youd be safe to say you good with any jap, euro or yank brand, but if its second hand make sure you check it over real good. the last thing you want to do is buy someones elses problems...

the raptors are nice bike, ive never owned one but a couple of my mates have em, and as for being fussy, not really, its a bit more complicated with efi but still nice and easy if you know what your doing.

good luck
_________________
01 Banshee
Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway

[yogie]

greenhuman wrote:

"they need a lot of man handling and I can do it." I heard Yogie likes handling men but I didn't believe it till now.

Shirly your the only man I cant handle...
_________________
2005 KFX700
With a few bells and whistles
and the twin yoshi's
American Star A-arms, tie rods
elka stickers
Shorty Shifter
I have a Waco
rossco gave me a flexx sticker
honda thumb
Great at climbing trees
durablue stickers

[fossil800R]

MadDog_Banshee wrote:

i just had a look around over the net and was reading through this yank based raptor forum ...!!! damn these bikes are fussy! its almost like owning a porsche!! certain way to fill up oil, certain way to run it in, certain way to ride it, sensors, fuel, frame !! argh !! its like a 911 turbo ! for those of you in the know, would i be more inclined to get better info on the bike from a dealer or talking to owners? i also read the thread started by ian_raptor700 regarding his frame..... ouch!!

Mad Dog, I've had my Raptor since new and am yet to have had an issue with it that I didn't cause myself. It spent its first 12 months riding through pretty much the same terrain as that in Doorslammers avatar as I was based not far from him. I have ridden through desert, dunes, rivers, and now that I am down here in Vic, tight forest trails. I have swamped the bike in the Turner river a number of times during wet season and the electrics have held up fine. The Raptor is an awesome trail machine and suits a large number of applications, but like most bikes it has some limitations. As Ian found out, trying to jump a 80 foot tabletop on a machine of its size and weight will invariably cause damage to the subframe. As a member of the U.S based RaptorForum, I would be the first to admit that the yanks can get carried away with modifications of these machines and probably make them out as being alot more complicated than they actually are. I used to ride with several guys on stock raptors. Neither of these guys saw any need to further modify their rides as they already come with trouser-browning power straight out of the box. A little biased as a Raptor rider, but my 2c anyway.
_________________
I'm not suffering from insanity, I'm enjoying it!!!

[Adz]

[quote="MadDog_Banshee"]well thank you to all who have been so kind to give me their views. although there is one thing i am not sure of. Yesterday i spoke to a nice bloke named Adam at QuadSquad and i asked him a ? regarding the electronics on the raptor. he told me that there needn't be a worry if the bike gets taken through mud etc. I am not saying he is wrong, but perhaps there is someone else out there who may have had issues regarding the electronics on this bike?

I'm not saying this bike is going to be a submarine but i just would like to know anything and everything about this bike.

thanks folks[/quote]

Having owned a raptor in the past and being the kind of bloke whose not afraid of venturing into water and mud and what not i can honestly say i never had any electrical problems go wrong.... every now and then if i went a bit too deep id get a bit of water on the spark plug or something then id have to wait a while to let it dry out a bit but nothing electrical ever went on my bike

[MadDog_Banshee]

fossil700R wrote:

MadDog_Banshee wrote: i just had a look around over the net and was reading through this yank based raptor forum ...!!! damn these bikes are fussy! its almost like owning a porsche!! certain way to fill up oil, certain way to run it in, certain way to ride it, sensors, fuel, frame !! argh !! its like a 911 turbo ! for those of you in the know, would i be more inclined to get better info on the bike from a dealer or talking to owners? i also read the thread started by ian_raptor700 regarding his frame..... ouch!! Mad Dog, I've had my Raptor since new and am yet to have had an issue with it that I didn't cause myself. It spent its first 12 months riding through pretty much the same terrain as that in Doorslammers avatar as I was based not far from him. I have ridden through desert, dunes, rivers, and now that I am down here in Vic, tight forest trails. I have swamped the bike in the Turner river a number of times during wet season and the electrics have held up fine. The Raptor is an awesome trail machine and suits a large number of applications, but like most bikes it has some limitations. As Ian found out, trying to jump a 80 foot tabletop on a machine of its size and weight will invariably cause damage to the subframe. As a member of the U.S based RaptorForum, I would be the first to admit that the yanks can get carried away with modifications of these machines and probably make them out as being alot more complicated than they actually are. I used to ride with several guys on stock raptors. Neither of these guys saw any need to further modify their rides as they already come with trouser-browning power straight out of the box. A little biased as a Raptor rider, but my 2c anyway.

Thanks for your advice. You're right about yanks. The land of the free and home of the brave..... (i'll leave my own opinions and fact out of that comment for now). I am pleased very much about its taking to water and mud. I always have felt "oh what a feeling" confident on a yamaha.

I doubt heavily i'll be jumping 80ft. I think worse case would be something close to 8-9 metres. My cousins and mates know me as someone who is fast(er than them) not as an airplane.

I have decided though now that the 700 is the way to go, I would love to say i'll buy it brand new but if Glenn Stevens (RBA boss) and kevin 747 has their way this year then it will be a second hand one.

I will be looking for a bike with LTE dual system. When ever i look at it i want to be reminded of the banshee and probably HCIII. I have decided i'll work and buy it when summer comes around at the end of the year.

any comments? I just suggested the HCIII as i have only learnt about them over the last couple days of reading the yank raptor forums and seeing what every one has to say. I don't plan to open up the engine.
_________________
"Back up Bug!"

[MadDog_Banshee]

Well

I have since progressed on my trip to four wheeled power...

I have done some research and it seems alot of people would like me to spend my dough on the 09 YFZ450 hypersports.

no.


no.


no.

i rode an 08 one. its a quick bike. banshees MIGHT have problems keeping up, and i say MIGHT.

actually you know what, considering where i was riding it, i'd say it was closer to "pottering around".

anywho, its a funky bike, its got the good where it needs it. suspension is absolutely stunning!!!

and i would say i would really like to test the bike to its potential.


HOWEVER.... AND THIS IS MY REASONING FOR NOT WANTING ONE


no reverse on the hypersports. do i really need it? well yes and no, although i'd say yes.

and it just has an alround "airy" feel to it. for those of you in the know and with more hours on one of these beasts, i'd hope you understand what i mean. the torque wasn't as impressive as everyone raved on about, but i don't know what the hypersports would be like. i mean it does have balls but not to what everyone pumped it up to be.

judging from the rear end, it looks like it can handle alot of high jumping. so thats one up on the -un-gusseted raptor frame. the rear shock was some hardcore s--- and i was impressed when i popped up the front end... it's very accomodating, IF you're experienced wheelies


all in all, i would like to compare this to the new raptor of this year which does have upgraded suspension over last years model, and i think with a few dollars spent on the raptor.... it will become the destroyer of YFZ450's


any opinions???
_________________
"Back up Bug!"