Originally posted by YFZ DEE@Dec 16 2003, 11:42 PM
If honda thinks that,that thing is gonna rival the yfz then they have better hang up the atv market cause they are loosing horribly.
1. less suspension travel
2.higher seat height.
3.same weight without external oil tank or automatic start? This still confuses me unless they made the sub-frame out of lead!
4. and can you say (UGLY). what is that a june bug on wheels? I thought that they would atleast make it look like a racer, somewhat aerodynamic. looks like a z-400 that hit a wall at top speed.
5. its bad that they are a true 450 that has to have a full hrc kit (that includes internal motor work) to just get up to the power that an uncorked yfz makes.
I cant wait to see these guys at the track so I can follow them later to their local yamaha dealer begging them to take their 450r in on trade for the yfz.
and the really bad thing is that ( I USED TO BE A HONDA GUY THROUGH AND THROUGH).
If you think for one minute that the TRX won't be a contender than you're only fooling yourself. I personally think that the people that bash other brands the most are the ones most scared. Either the Honda guys are scared that it won't be as good as the YFZ so they bash Yamaha or the Yamaha guys are scared that the Honda will deliver the goods even though on paper it doesn't appear to so they bash the TRX. When in Honda's sport quad history have they not had a top notch quad? Never. I'll answer you point-by-point.
1. Since when does overall suspension travel translate to shock superiority? The stock shocks on the TRX are the ones that just won the Baja 1000. They were tuned by Showa engineers which proves, once again, that set-up is more important than numbers on paper.
2. Where are these seats measured from and does it really indicate overall handling? Suzuki claims their seat height on the Z400 is lower than a 400EX. Line up the two side by side in stock form and you'll see the Z400 sits noticeably higher. Honda could have used softer foam in the seat and when the rider sits he will actually be lower in the saddle than on a YFZ. Does that equate to better handling? No. Seat height measurements are not an industry standard so how/where each manufacturer measures is up to them.
3. If you believe manufactures weight numbers for one minute than you're living in a dream world. On a scale at a race track in Washington the YFZ was weighed dry (in the condition you'd buy it off the showroom floor) at 385lbs. Again, there's no industry standard for weight claims. Yamaha could have weighed their quad without the battery and electric start motor and posted those numbers. No law requires them to publish what condition the quad was in when weighed. You have to use a little common sense when looking through these numbers. I'm equally as skeptical of Honda's dry weight claim but I'll wait to weigh it to see for myself.
4. Looks is a matter of opinion. It has no impact on performance. A member of this board said he was out riding his YFZ at the dunes when he saw a guy riding a new TRX and said it was much better looking in person than the pics. As a former Cannondale owner that was the case for me. Pictures did it no justice until I went to see one in person.
5. I hope you're not bench-racing using cc's as your horsepower benchmark. Leave a YFZ absolutely stock and bore it for a true 450 cc's. You'll see no power gains (marginal gains at best). The only trick piece in the HRC kit is the cam. If you're going to tear down a YFZ to advance the cam timing than you've already done all the hard work. Replacing a cam is not that much more involved. Remember, the CRF is a single OHC motor. If you're amazed at the HRC price tag have you looked at the kickstart conversion for the YFZ?
I'm not a Honda guy, I'm not a Yamaha guy--I'm a "what do I feel like buying this year" guy. Look at my sig, I've just about owned them all. If I haven't owned them I've had seat time on them. Saying the TRX won't perform is about as ignorant as Honda guys saying the YFZ doesn't perform. Neither of these quads will make a slow rider any faster. If you're slow now you'll be slow on a YFZ/TRX.
