welcome aboard

i've been there before... thinking "what we are about to do is incredibly stupid, but what are the chances that anything bad could happen" ...

last summer we were at a friends house, we had 2 moddified race quads = no lights. it was pitch dark, the moon wasnt even out. we started riding around slowly at first and then faster and faster until that inevitable moment when we're both flying across a field at top speed, heading right towards each other without even blinking and then BAM his front tire clips my back tire and we both go over the bars and rolling to a violent stop.  

i lucked out and only got a few scratches but he fractured his skull and was in the hospital for a few months. even with those results i consider us very lucky, we both could have gotten hurt real bad. now i listen to that voice in my head.

i think Honda sums it up best ...  STUPID HURTS!!!

my brother has a 2001 DS (was on the first truck load that came into the states. because he ordered his before they were released) anyway he has beaten the crap out of it, with only a few minor problems, such as the radiator hose blowing off during severe mud riding and the CDI just recently went out (a $10 ebay fix).

he moddified it with the Ron Woods Stage 1 kit early on and it has never had so much as a hick up. very powerful, a handful in tight woods (as everyone has stated).

he has no problems running with moddified raptors and banshees (i dont know about the new 450's - YFZ/R) but he can keep up with my Wild HP.

could just be the rider, i dont know but the machine has been dependable.

did you get the 2wd or the 4x4?