Predator 500

[Dude]

Anyone have thoughts on these. No i hate Polaris please. I rode one yesterday and i like it very much. There cheap as well. I know to stay away from the 03.

Everything inside me says stay away from 4 poke for rebuild cost. But i cant think of any 2 stroke quad for 2-2,500 that is gonna handle and feel as nice as a newer 4 poke. The predator was so damn cushy and handles sweet.

Not gonna dump that kinda cash into the blasty either as its just to small for me and is going to the wife.

 

[sheeblast]

they are ok, i know some people that had problems with theirs, but not sure if it was because they didn't maintain them or not.

 

[brandoz28]

i know they had axle issues for a while. the kind where it comes down from a jump and the axle comes apart

 

[Dude]

Dont jump so thats good

 

[brandoz28]

i'm pretty sure there was a recall, or service bulletin on it out there on that.


other than that i've got no input besides that i've got some hubs for one lol

 

[Dude]

I love banshees i am just not gonna spend the kinda money on parts to make it handle just as good.

Speed is not a concern torque is. I dont care if the quad tops out at 50mph as long as it can rip sh*t up on the way there.

 

[YZ Otis]

I've had a 05 for a few years. My old mans quad. Rides nice, goes anywhere in the sand I want to go and bout as fast as I want to go. Been super reliable, never had to repair anything but the tail light mount. A little heavy, not as fast as the 450's, won't turn tight enough to run our woods trails but it's my dune cruiser and I like it. Electric start, reverse, reliable, low maintenance, cheap and comfy is good for this old man.
Trimmed up a set of black plastic for the wide open feeling on the sand and stashed the pretty orange Troy Lee plastic for resale value ...LOL
early swing arms did crack and it is kinda ugly....but you know what my opinion's worth...burp.

 

[royalt67]

Owned one for a couple years now, 03 with the necessary trans mod. Overall, it been a very fun quad. Powerful, handles well with good factory shocks and wider width than others of the same year. My middle son has raced the sh*t out of it...and won.

Only probs I've had is chewing up a rear sprocket that I probably had too tight and I had to replace the plastics. My take on the plastics is that they probably could have been better quality with a better mounting design, but again we abused it with racing. Jumping is hard on plastics anyway, and I've found things crack alot quicker when you let them get loose, something my son was quilty of. I noticed the other day that it is time to put on new outer tie rod ends.

Overall, it's a damn fun quad for the price, especially if someone else took the hit for some nice extras like pipe, filter, ignition module, nerfs (I think every quad needs nerfs). There are places out there that specialize in Polaris upgades and performance if you feel the need.

Buy one and ride it like ya stole it.

 

[Dude]

So they are worth the 2-2,500 they go for.

 

[Blasterdude27]

They make great boat anchors imo! lol

Maybe I just have an obsession with lightweight bikes..... I hate heavy turds.

 

[sheeblast]

they weigh in at 415 (not sure if that is dry or wet)
the yfz450r weighs 405 wet
the yfz450 weighs 372 wet
the blaster weighs 324 dry
the banshee weighs 386 dry, the banshee wet might weigh close to 410
the 700R weighs 422 wet
so is that is 415 wet, it really isn't the much heavier than the 450r or a banshee and lighter than a 700r

 

[YZ Otis]

they weigh in at 415 (not sure if that is dry or wet)
the yfz450r weighs 405 wet
the yfz450 weighs 372 wet
the blaster weighs 324 dry
the banshee weighs 386 dry, the banshee wet might weigh close to 410
the 700R weighs 422 wet
so is that is 415 wet, it really isn't the much heavier than the 450r or a banshee and lighter than a 700r

If those weights are close then mine might not be so heavy after it's weight loss program. Still it has a heavy feel to it but not quite like a turd...LOL

 

[sheeblast]

ya i think the 415 is wet weight, dont think it weighs more than a 700r.
but they dont make a lot of power, i think they are around 30hp.

 

[YZ Otis]

LOL...feels pretty good for 30hp...but I'm old...

 

[sheeblast]

ya, they were good for their time, but the new outlaw made the predator obsolete.

 

[YZ Otis]

lol...obsolete but still running without a valve job

 

[royalt67]

So they are worth the 2-2,500 they go for.

Thats for you to decide, but if you find that a Pred runs $500-1000 or more less than a YFZ, than yeah thats in the right ballpark. Prices vary a bit from place to place.

 

[Dude]

i can get a yfz for 2300-2600 but your gonna hate me for this the predator was more to my liking and felt better for me and my stature and riding style.

 

[Dude]

2005 YFZ450
2006 YFZ450


I rode these the other day.

 

[Blasterdude27]

I'd kill for that 06'... looks like a great platform, already has the basics... and at a really nice price..