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best suspension and handling -stock?
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Posted by: ccmuscle22

I have a z400 with stock suspension etc. I am looking to either dump money into the suspension, or go to a yfz 450, do you think the z400 is a solid enough machine to just go aftermarket on that stuff? Or jsut go to a yfz stock and ride that?
Dumb qustion I know, but unless you can go ride other quads, your guessing like me.

Posted by: bradley300

i'm not sure the yfz handles bumps any better than a z-400, but its wider and lower, so a yfz is going to take corners way better. if you have one of the z-400's with the rebuildable front shocks then get all three shocks rebuilt for your weight, unless you also want more power, if thats the case just get a yfz and re-valve the shocks on it

Posted by: nofearrider1

If you racing, Id rather have a YFZ. But if your in trails and stuff Id keep the Z and put better suspension on it.

Posted by: KingpinsEx

I would go for the YFZ, better decision in the long run. You should not have to put hardly any money into it to trail ride. The suspension is great and the power is awesome, can't really go wrong with that...

Posted by: Zemo

The 64 thousand dollar question is What are you gonna do with the Z400? For fun trail riding, MX or XC racing ect....? Also, what's your skill level? Depending on what you're gonna do and how skilled you are will make answering your question alot easier.

I'm basically a noob to quads, but I'm going through my 3rd childhood and think I want to XC race (just retired and bored) so I bought a new Z400 and after doing some research, figured out my Z has all the power I need right now, but the suspension is wanting. I just sent my shocks off to GT Thunder to have them work their magic on them for less then half the price of aftermarket shocks. I'll let yall know how they are after I get them back and try to kill myself at the 1st race

Posted by: ccmuscle22

quote:
Originally posted by Zemo
The 64 thousand dollar question is What are you gonna do with the Z400? For fun trail riding, MX or XC racing ect....? Also, what's your skill level? Depending on what you're gonna do and how skilled you are will make answering your question alot easier.

I'm basically a noob to quads, but I'm going through my 3rd childhood and think I want to XC race (just retired and bored) so I bought a new Z400 and after doing some research, figured out my Z has all the power I need right now, but the suspension is wanting. I just sent my shocks off to GT Thunder to have them work their magic on them for less then half the price of aftermarket shocks. I'll let yall know how they are after I get them back and try to kill myself at the 1st race

Please be sure to post the results. I will mainly MX. My riding level is ex 250r mx racer about 7 years ago. Jut getting back into it, the bikes have really changed. MX racing is normally corner to jump, to jump to corner. Plenty of power hiding in the z400, just suspension and handling I'm questioning. GT thunder may be my best solution as well.

Posted by: Zemo

They quoted me a price of $740 +return shipping for the fronts and the rear, that's way less than buying aftermarket. I'll let you know how they work for my big *****

Posted by: 400exrider707

quote:
Originally posted by ccmuscle22
Please be sure to post the results. I will mainly MX. My riding level is ex 250r mx racer about 7 years ago. Jut getting back into it, the bikes have really changed. MX racing is normally corner to jump, to jump to corner. Plenty of power hiding in the z400, just suspension and handling I'm questioning. GT thunder may be my best solution as well.

I know a few guys that race our local circuit who used to race about 10 years ago on 250R's too. He went out and bought a full custom 250R at a steal, then went right back into it. He used to run up front back in the day in expert, now he can barely hold his own in amateur. The bikes are faster for sure, but the level of competition and the skill of the riders has gone up quite a bit now as well. My suggestion is to try an easier class first that way if you do good you can bump yourself up. If you start too high of a class you cant really go back down though.

Posted by: KingpinsEx

If your racing mx this should be a no-brainer, the YFZ was designed for racers and get's the job done. For trails the Z power might be alright and the suspension too, but if you try running your Z in mx w/o major suspension and engine mods you will get smoked. Espically as you get better at riding you'll find the Z's power not so satisfiying...and your sacraficing reliability whenever you start tinkering with the motor.

Posted by: DEVINF450R

mx is NOT corner to jump, jump to corner unless you are racing arenacross. mx has plenty of straits in outdoor and sweeping corners. To be honest running anything stock and trying to win in mx on a quad is fairly tough. you will need the power of the yfz to even think about keeping up...then as you progress send you stuff off to m.a.u.l tech suspension. Andy **** the owner...uses GT Thunder rear links and does a great job for much less than anyone....i have my rear redone and it is sweet