Motorcycle Safety & Driveability: Selection, 2 stroke engines, honda 400ex

Question
William,

    I'm unsure if you can give me any insight to my questions because its about atv's i didnt see a section on allexperts dedicated to this so i went here anyway here is my question .. i'm going to be purchasing a 4 wheeler soon and i'm tied between 2 that i'm fond of a honda 400 ex and a banshee 350 .. i have rode a 400 ex and was quite pleased with the performance and handling but i have heard that the banshee is extremely fast and can will smoke a ex because of its 2 stroke engine .. i was curious if you had any hard facts supporting the banshee good or bad i will be very apreciated thanks in advance if you can help me out any

thanks

Cody  

Answer
Cody,

Thanks for the question. While I'm not an expert  on ATV's, I can help you with this question .

The simple answer is yes, a Yamaha Banshee will beat a Honda 400EX in a race because it is a 2-stroke. A 2-stroke twin 350 just makes a lot more horsepower than a 4-stroke 400 single. Always has.

However, you should be aware of certain issues with the Banshee. Yes, it is very quick and lighter than a 400EX, but 2-stroke engines don't make a lot of torque, so if you want to climb hills, the Honda will probably have the advantage there.

Also, the engine in the 400EX is much tougher than the 2-stroke Yamaha, and will probably outlast it. If you want the Banshee to last a long time, you will need to take VERY good care of it. 2-stroke engines tend to blow up or seize if they are abused, while the 4-stroke Honda engine is pretty much bulletproof as long as you keep it full of oil and tune it once a year. You can also put a pipe and jet kit on it if you want it to make more power (same for the Banshee, obviously).

The Yamaha Banshee engine was originally used in a motorcycle, the Yamaha RZ350, in the early 1980's. These bikes are considered very collectible today. They were light and fast, but required a lot of care to keep them running in top tune. It's a good engine, just be prepared to take care of it.

The Honda 400EX engine was originally in one of their dirt bikes, but it was retuned for use in the 400EX. It's easier to take care of and should make enough power to keep you happy, plus gives you better power up hills.

If you absolutely must have the fastest thing out there, there's probably nothing that's going to beat a Banshee in a straight line race. But if you want an ATV that does lots of things well (fast, climbs hills, reliable), the Honda is probably going to be a better ATV in the long run.

Best of luck to you, and ride safely.

William Roberson