Banshee or YFZ450 What would you choose?

[Paullew]

OK serious question:

Banshee just out of the crate new comes with aftermarket pipes

or

YFZ450 08 or 09 leftover new a little more money but not much

I have to admit I love 2 strokes! Always wanted a Banshee, never had one.

Educated opinions. What do you guys think?

Trail riding, train tracks.......

 

[Surfrjag]

well the yfz is a better handling better all around bike in stock form but in a straight line the banshee will eat it up if modded correctly. im like you though i never had a banshee but have always wanted one so i would go with the banshee!!!

 

[99LRDblaster]

OK serious question:

Banshee just out of the crate new comes with aftermarket pipes

or

YFZ450 08 or 09 leftover new a little more money but not much

I have to admit I love 2 strokes! Always wanted a Banshee, never had one.

Educated opinions. What do you guys think?

Trail riding, train tracks.......

YFZ is vastly better machine as a whole. More reliable, has a healthy aftermarket, and parts aren't too expensive for a 4 stroke. Frame geometry is FAR superior to the Shee's and always will be regardless. Shocks and motor have potential, but even with motor work, it will never have the mod potential of a Shee. Then again...it's made as an XC/MX machine.....anything over 60hp at that point is pretty worthless......that's where handling comes into play.... definitely has the better ride.

Banshee costs more for mods unless you can find deals on a lot of stuff. Banshee's can be reliable as long as you watch over them vigilantly. Banshee stock stuff is pretty terrible all around. Sky is the limit in terms of power. I've ridden quite a few and they are awesome machines......I myself almost bought one for $400 last month simply because I wanted to put a decent amount of money in it and turn out a 65hp fun trail Shee, since most people don't do it and it would be different and still smoke anybody in a straight line.

This choice is always hard for me to choose. Because of this I will own 2 quads in the future......a fun quad(Shee) and a XC/MX quad....modded KTM 505/525 or something like that. I'd just buy a Shee with a poor top end or blown up to be honest........you will be tearing the engine apart anyways for mods, so to hell with it.....but one super cheap, and that leaves you with $1500 of free start up money in porting, stroking, milling, timing, powervalving, boring, etc. etc. etc. A Banshee with just reeds and a pro circuit pipe will put down 50hp at the rear wheels.

 

[darederek]

i would have to go with the yfz. if you can definitly get the 09 because that was the year that they switched to the x and r models. aluminum frames i think? and they added fuel injection. i really like the yfz450x, but the r is wider from the factory if that is what you would rather have. personally banshees are fun but i would take a 450 over them any day of the week. now in my case when my next quad will be used i could see myself maybe getting a banxhee first because most of the time they are cheaper. however one would need a lot of money put in it to b half as good as the 450 handling wise. so my choice would def. b a 09 450x or r whatever you like

 

[speedemon17]

get the yfz because u can go and buy a brand new 2011 banshee not sure if u can but the guy at the yamaha dealer told me this

 

[Awk08]

brand new shee ???? year ???? canada ???
as much as i'd like the suspension and geometry of the new generation 450's,
a new shee would be hard to pass up, throw some works shocks on the front and have an awsome trail machine
prolly worth more in the end too, especially the way you take care of them !!!!

 

[DUALSTROKE]

Both are great bikes to be honest.I would go for the shee.I see way to damn many yfz's with blow motors.Everytime I list a bike for sale or trade on craigslist there is always someone looking to trade a blown up yfz.Plus if the shee gives you any problems you can come to dually's house for some help.lol and some riding.

 

[99LRDblaster]

brand new shee ???? year ???? canada ???
as much as i'd like the suspension and geometry of the new generation 450's,
a new shee would be hard to pass up, throw some works shocks on the front and have an awsome trail machine
prolly worth more in the end too, especially the way you take care of them !!!!

Meh, 10 years from now they might be worth more, but even with aftermarket shocks, the frame has a lot of geometry issues, you need to decrease the swingarm length and it still doesn't have the bottom end of a 4 stroke YFZ. I've seen a few people GNCC Banshees, but those were some badass quads with a LOT of money into them.

This is one of those brain vs. your heart type deals. I love Shees......really do......and will eventually buy one that is in sad shape and build it up, but looking from the outside in on the matter, I'd have to recommend the YFZ. If this was my personal decision it would be really tough too and I'd really have to ask myself what I would be using the quad for and what I was really looking to get out of it.

 

[CARNZ]

i'd go with the banshee all the way. i'm probably one of the few that doesnt like the look of the YFZs and newer quads, and also 4-strokes sound like absolute sh*t.

stay with a smoker

EDIT:
everyone talks about frame geometry and sh*t, i dont know all of your guys skill levels, but honestly I am not aggressive enough or even ride a track enough to notice an advantage with frames.

 

[99LRDblaster]

Both are great bikes to be honest.I would go for the shee.I see way to damn many yfz's with blow motors.Everytime I list a bike for sale or trade on craigslist there is always someone looking to trade a blown up yfz.Plus if the shee gives you any problems you can come to dually's house for some help.lol and some riding.

Really? :-/ I might have to look into that. I have a hard time finding busted YFZs in this area via craigslist which I would rather buy a busted one for more than half the price than a running one because I will mod it anyways. Only downside is they usually aren't too happy when I "inspect" the extent of the damage. I always love the 2 stroke people on craigslist that essentially just give their quad to you. My buddy picked up a 2000 Blaster back in 2004? for $400 because a kid on Craigslist said something is wrong with it and he thought the motor was garbage.....we agreed......then just rebuilt the new top end....ran like a top. I:I

 

[Awk08]

EDIT:
everyone talks about frame geometry and sh*t, i dont know all of your guys skill levels, but honestly I am not aggressive enough or even ride a track enough to notice an advantage with frames.

most guys who worry about frame geometry and poor handling are trying to cover for their poor riding skills, or just jumped on a different bike and expect it to feel just like theirs, instead of learning what that particular bike needs from the rider input

 

[99LRDblaster]

i'd go with the banshee all the way. i'm probably one of the few that doesnt like the look of the YFZs and newer quads, and also 4-strokes sound like absolute sh*t.

stay with a smoker

EDIT:
everyone talks about frame geometry and sh*t, i dont know all of your guys skill levels, but honestly I am not aggressive enough or even ride a track enough to notice an advantage with frames.

Do you just drag or what? :-/

When you are going through semi tight trails in 4th gear, you want all those pieces to work in harmony otherwise with similar ambition on a lesser quad, you might be a born again treehugger. I:I

I've always wanted to make a fairly legit XC Shee for a fun build though. Everybody just tosses on mods or drags them for the most part, so it's pretty cool to actually see some of the XC Shees all tricked out...unique and different too. I like MXing but there isn't anything around my hometown area to make any use of it, so trail riding is what my buddies and I do.

 

[sheeblast]

ok let someone talk about them that actually has both and ridden both very hard.
the banshee - very cheap to mod the engine plus there is a lot of good used parts out there. the banshee is designed to be a dune quad, it likes to be wide open a lot. they are not made to be lugged around in low rpms. yes you can mod them to do better but they still will lack.
the yfz - only the older years are known for blowing up, they had an issue with the oil pump and design, but it was fixed before the 08 one you are looking at. the yfz450 is nice, it handles good but they ride a little stiff. they are designed to be ridden hard, the harder you ride it the better it feels. the yfz is known for having a little low rpm hesitation, there is a fix for this called something like a quickshot.


to compare the 2, the yfz in stock form is way better than a stock banshee.
even with mods, for the trail, the yfz is better. it takes some money to get the banshee to handle close to a yfz. for the dunes, i would take the banshee all day long. the power a banshee can make is only limited by your wallet.

 

[sheeblast]

just so you know, i actually built my banshee to be raced for XC. but once i get the yfz, i might race that instead without modding it.

 

[99LRDblaster]

ok let someone talk about them that actually has both and ridden both very hard.
the banshee - very cheap to mod the engine plus there is a lot of good used parts out there. the banshee is designed to be a dune quad, it likes to be wide open a lot. they are not made to be lugged around in low rpms. yes you can mod them to do better but they still will lack.
the yfz - only the older years are known for blowing up, they had an issue with the oil pump and design, but it was fixed before the 08 one you are looking at. the yfz450 is nice, it handles good but they ride a little stiff. they are designed to be ridden hard, the harder you ride it the better it feels. the yfz is known for having a little low rpm hesitation, there is a fix for this called something like a quickshot.


to compare the 2, the yfz in stock form is way better than a stock banshee.
even with mods, for the trail, the yfz is better. it takes some money to get the banshee to handle close to a yfz. for the dunes, i would take the banshee all day long. the power a banshee can make is only limited by your wallet.

I agree with all of that. The cost thing is kind of dependent of what setup you are going for. In my opinion, porting, pipe, filter, and few other things are more than enough for a Shee motor on the trails....you will never use 80+hp like some of the guys over on the Shee forums with their "trail" bikes with extended swingarms. :-/ If it's just porting and all that jazz with a simple setup, the Shee is less expensive. I suppose I'm looking too far into it with making them closer to equal with each other(besides in a straight line) which requires a lot of $$$ in a Shee.

Banshees are unique and hyper masculine machines though. I:I There is always a plus in owning one even if it's not your "best" quad in the garage. Your shee is a beast too...I looked over your build thread....beastly.

 

[sheeblast]

suspension parts for a banshee are actually cheaper than a yfz.
and right now i am rebuilding a yfz that needs a lower rod bearing, the guy it was bought off of said he got quoted $500ish to replace just the bearing. not cheap.
been looking on ebay, a 501cc kit is $750ish for a new jug, new piston and new crank.
it was $1400ish for the 501cc kit that came with the same stuff plus cams and valves.

that is where it can get costly.
if you break a valve on a new 4-stroke, they are not cheap. i think it is like $150 for just a single valve.

the other major difference between the two is the banshee is the easiest engine to work on. i mean, you can work on the tranny without every taking the top end off. and you really could swap out cranks without taking the top end off if you are good.

 

[99LRDblaster]

suspension parts for a banshee are actually cheaper than a yfz.
and right now i am rebuilding a yfz that needs a lower rod bearing, the guy it was bought off of said he got quoted $500ish to replace just the bearing. not cheap.
been looking on ebay, a 501cc kit is $750ish for a new jug, new piston and new crank.
it was $1400ish for the 501cc kit that came with the same stuff plus cams and valves.

that is where it can get costly.
if you break a valve on a new 4-stroke, they are not cheap. i think it is like $150 for just a single valve.

the other major difference between the two is the banshee is the easiest engine to work on. i mean, you can work on the tranny without every taking the top end off. and you really could swap out cranks without taking the top end off if you are good.

I'm always mystified as to how people with YFZs end up breaking and bending valves. Hell, the valves are probably one of the strongest points of the YFZ as they need little modding, and the stock cam profile after the "cam mod" with the stock cam is already pretty great......and the stock quad is riding on titanium valves...not much improvement to be made on that which is why it's so expensive.

 

[motoman9911]

I had a Banshee for like 7 years. In stock form the handling sucks more penis than Elton John. They do sound cool though. A banshee has sh*t for low end power. Banshees are everywhere, but I'd still take that over the YFZ just because. I know the YFZ is pretty much better in every way stock though.

 

[99LRDblaster]

I had a Banshee for like 7 years. In stock form the handling sucks more penis than Elton John. They do sound cool though. A banshee has sh*t for low end power. Banshees are everywhere, but I'd still take that over the YFZ just because. I know the YFZ is pretty much better in every way stock though.

I've ridden a couple shees that have admirable low end. Granted, you won't have the low end of a 4 stroke, but it depends on the setup. Upping the compression and running a more linear powerband pipe like a Pro Circuit pipe will eliminate the loved/hated ridiculous kick you in the balls top end powerband you get with T5s and other pipes. I'm mostly just playing devil's advocate here though.

....and yes....while Elton John sucks major long dong....I'm not sure even his masterful self could top that of the Banshee stock shocks.

 

[blaster0187]

hahaha elton john.....yea.....banshee for the dunes yfz for the race

Yfz I'm sure is way more dependable...the valves would prolly ok if owners didn't revem like a banshee