Yamaha Banshee

[Roostin300ex]

Ive heard a lot of stuff about Banshees both bad and good. My aunt has found a deal on a new one and I was wondering if it would be a good choice to go with.  Im 15 and currently own a 300 ex so expect it to be quite different.  What are your opinions?

Thanks

[Old_School]

Way faster than your 300. No low end but good mid range and great top end power. For trails it's ok but if you like putting around in the trails a 4 stroke is probably better. 2 strokes like big open areas to stretch their legs. Obviously you have to mix you gas with the banshee. But once you feel the powerband of a 2 stroke you won't go back to a 4 stroke. I guess what I'm getting at is what kind of riding to you do mainly?   -Mark

[Roostin300ex]

i mainly ride mx tracks and some pretty fast open trails.  i ride at my lake house some and its flat out fields so i would be able to get goin.  Im not woried about mixing or anything like that jkust like reliability and i might start a little racing.  I dont have much of another option unless i wait til Christmas so....

[cubnfrank]

I've got one. What old schol said, no low end power (1st gear),  2nd & 3rd gear  hang on cause that power band will put you on your azzz.  It's not a wheelie machine.  If he can get a good deal I would say to buy it.  If you like putting around I would say pass on it.

[Old_School]

Well for mx the banshee isn't the greatest. Not because lack of power but the geometry of the wheelbase and suspension. Not the greatest design on the front A-arms. But if you switch them out then I guess you could get away with it.  I wanna say that it's more narrow than your 300 but the length is adequate. It weighs about 380-390lbs.  But it's a great open trails type of quad. Have any friends that have a banshee you could do a test run on? Not trying to steer you away (even though I am biased to 2 strokes) but want to make sure you don't waste your money.  -Mark

[Roostin300ex]

are they reliable and are they good track bikes?  i def dont just put around

[Roostin300ex]

well i think anything has more travel than a stock 300 ex. i dragged a banshee and beat it by like a foot . thats about as close to riding one has ive been except maybe a KTM 125 SX which is a 2 stroke

[Old_School]

are they reliable and are they good track bikes?  i def dont just put around

For the most part yes they are reliable.  Just keep the regular maintenance up on it and make sure the carbs are properly tuned and it will last.  Alot of people burn up 2 strokes due to improper tuning thus giving the 2 stroke a bad taste in their mouth.  I run both of my quads a tad on the rich side.

As far as a track bike, to be honest I have seen very few shees on mx. Yes there are some out there but not many. Remember to be a good track bike a low center of gravity, wide stance, and  good low/mid power is the key.  I wouldn't really say that those are a shees strong points.  If you make it a mx quad your gonna be on the pipes the majority of the time and going from a 90* turn into a double in 15ft you better be in the high rpms.  

With all that said once you feel the power band kick in you'll forget all what I said and get it.   It is that fun. It's up to you.  -Mark

[cain73]

Mark gave some very good accurate advice. Banshees are a blast to ride, but not great for mx riding and require more work in trails (tighter ones anyway) than a 4 stroke. But the feel of that power band is a huge rush. Do like he said and stay on top of the maintenance and it'll be fine (as with any quad). The worst thing about them is the stock suspension. It remains unchanged since they came out. That's the first change to make before even thinking about hitting any decent jumps with it at the track. There are tons of them out there. Try to ride on before making a decision. Good luck.

[Honda250ex]

700R has no clue about 2-strokes he only had a Blaster for 1 1/2 days

[Honda250ex]

700R has no clue about 2-strokes he only had a Blaster for 1 1/2 days

[Roostin300ex]

how bad is the suspension... worse than a 300 ex b/c dont they have like 8- 9 inches of travel

[dreth]

if you want to MX than you will be wasting your money on a shee!! plain and simple!! wait till christmas and get one of the 450s

[cain73]

The suspension on a stock Shee is
front : 9.1
Back: 8.7

[Roostin300ex]

thats quite a bit to seem bad
 im not gonna be jumpin more than 50 or 60 ft

[Dr.Dirt]

Well you might be jumping 50 feet but you wont be landing with the stock suspension.

[cain73]

Stock 300 ex is front: 6.7 and rear 7.9.  dry weight is 377  and the Shee weighs about 10 pounds more.
Like Dirt said you might fly that far, but good luck landing a 60 footer with the stock Shee suspension unless you land perfectly every time.

[Roostin300ex]

well its better than a 300 ex and i dont really need the best quad for racing because as of now my mom refuses to help pay with anything or even watch me ride because shes scared and my dad listens to my mom.  so i think it will suit my needs enough to possible run a few harescrambles and some mx races in the beginner class.

[Roostin300ex]

Well you might be jumping 50 feet but you wont be landing with the stock suspension.

___________________________________________________________
so i will bottom out that doesnt mean i will fall ive jumped 50 ft or so on my 300 ex

[Dr.Dirt]

How good for the suspension could that be? How many times have you jumped on a stock banshee to see if you would fall? I've know people that after the first jump they hit on it they go and get Elka's.

[Roostin300ex]

i dont have all the money in the world just to go out and buy $700 shocks.  I have to pay for my car, gas , and insurance.  Its pretty tough to come up with a spare $700

[Dr.Dirt]

I know what your saying. I want to get new shocks so bad for my Blaster but they are way too much money for me 

[cubnfrank]

I've got Works shocks up front.  Big differance from stock.

[Roostin300ex]

dont cheap works run about 350 for a pair upfront?

[cain73]

If you are looking at elkas you will probably need even more than $700 for the front alone. It's rough to start racing when mods are so expensive. Have you thought about looking for a used 450 instead of the new Banshee? They have more stock travel and would probably be easier to put on the track. Just a suggestion.