I have a new trailer on order so I will have room for a quad along with my car. I have it narrowed down to two.....Suzuki LTZ 400 or Banshee. There are plenty of both in the used market out there and prices for couple year old models of both are about the same.

I use my car mainly, but from time to time all of us in the group who have cars take quads out. My teenage son will also ride it as well a few weekends a year when he comes out with me. I always wanted a Banshee as I used to race motocross on 2 strokes and just love the narrow powerbands.

But on the other hand, the LTZ gives you reverse, no pre mix, electric start, more modern design, etc.

Opinions..........?

just get a 450 model of any of the big brands.... you will be disappointed with the lack of power form the 400.

Banshee all the way! You already know it's a better ride! Nothing like that powerband kicking in. You can modify the bike as your son grows older. I understand about the electric start & reverse luxury. He will be a better rider without those luxurys. Might be a bit tuff at first but you learn to ride & you only get better at it!

Have you had a Banshee in the passed? If so, then you know what you’re getting into. If not, don’t bother. Get the 4 stroke…

I rode Banshees all my life, I loved them, but they are so yesterday…

Teenage son is how experienced?
What do the other guys in your group ride for a quad?

I have had a Raptor, Predator so I am used to a full size quad, I am just trying to keep everyone covered with one quad. For me I dont care, my car is my main focus, the quad for me would just be for fun every once in awhile. My son had a LTZ250, he did very well on it, but was complaining about the lack of power. Shifting will be his next step.

Banshee so yesterday??? That's the best sandbike! I've tried other bikes, nothing like the Banshee though!

LOL..... man it must SUCK that the so yesterday bike is kicking the so tomorrow bike's ass! i say banshee, easier to work on, you can get a MILDLY built banshee that will be just tame enough for him to ride yet still very quick... like stated before, he will enjoy learning the narrowness to the bike, the ability to think quickly will also be a plus, and then the day he hops on a 450 he will be the fastest in the pack.... get a shee... its worth it.

Reverse? pfff
Pre-mix? Definitely a hassle. I must waste 15 seconds on every 5 gallons of gas I prep!
Electric start? Battery failure and electric start problems are probably the number 1 malfuntion on rides.
Design? Get some Fullbores.

Get a 450, any one can ride it.

Yah, get a Banshee, they’re so awesome that they quite making them…

I will gladly take the same amount of money that’s needed to make the Banshee “fast” (the stack Banshee is not) and kick your ass on a 4 stroke. Plus, I’ll have electric start, better front end geometry, stronger chassis, no mixing of gas, no re-jetting every time I ride at a different elevation and I won’t be putting a new piston in because I got the wrong jetting when I changing it.

The Banshee had a long and successful run, but it’s over now…

banshee's are great, bike doesn't need much to be fast... and I've only done my jets once and runs prefect everywhere I go

You sir, are high.
They stopped making them due to 2stroke emission laws.
dollar for dollar upgrades, a Banshee will be 10 fold faster than a 4 stroke.

450s are so awesome that they redesign them every other year.

honestly, I say go honda 400ex. air cooled. more then enough power. If its just for your son and friends to borrow, honda, always reliable. 400ex's have enough power for the dunes. (i think more then a Z400). If you possibly could get a 450, thats what I'd shoot for. even a stock one its a hell of a lot more power then the others. the banshee would be a blast for couple rides. mixing the gas isnt so bad, its the distance it can go. Owning a banshee does require turning wrenches to keep it together and running at full potential.
this quad is for who you choose, go electric start and and 1 type of gas.

My wife rides a LTZ400 and a Banshee she loves them both, but she loves reverse and electric start. I feel the same way my car is my focus. But I will ride anything. Good luck

No Sir, I haven’t been high in years… months… well, in a while…

I’m just messin with you guys. I love Banshees. I know you are a hard core group and will stick by them forever.

I have a daughter and I had to sell mine so I could keep her of it (Not good for a 13 year old to learn on). I got a YFZ450 for her instead.

Seriously, It’s one thing to be workin on your own Banshee, but when it’s your daughter, it just makes more sense to get a 4 stroke… (IMO)

Another vote for the Banshee. It is still king of the dunes.

A stock one would be fine for your son to progress on, and once he gets the hang of that there are endless mods from there.

Bansh is right, it only takes a minute to mix.

Both the honda and the Z 400 are way low on power. I think you and your son would both have a lot more fun on the banshee.

I hear you, because I cant stand the words........"Dad, can you fix the........"

here is how i look at it..... i see more and more kids riding 450's and more and more parents saying.... they are so easy for the kids to ride, and they are so updated... i fear, a 450 in the hands of a child could be miss leading, yes it will be easier for him not to stall, less prone to bog and die, he will never foul a plug, and never have to keep track of his gear count (2,3,4,3,2,3). he can push a button and go!!! but from being raised racing, and learning in several different enviroments, i was taught, ride the hardest, be the quickest on the easiest. A banshee will be a learning curve, he will notice shifting is way different, he will have to be on the ball. BUT, when he gets it down, he will thank you later, and when he climbs on a 450 or ne quad he climbs on.... i think the banshee is a better idea

If you were looking for a quad to ride in the hardpack as well as the dunes, I would go with the Z400. They are a great machine and will go anywhere in Glamis on knobbies or paddles. They also handle better than a shee which would be handy in hardpack spots. I also think it would be safer to learn on the Z than the banshee but not by much. Both will go plenty fast, fast enough to hurt someone or kill them.

That being said, you will love the banshee every time you hit the powerband and hear the yowl from the twin cylinders. Completely stock, they can get around Glamis just fine. With basic bolt-ons such as toomeys, jetting, and sand tires, they shred the dunes like crazy. They are dependable, my 97 is still being ridden by my best friend after 7 years of being owned by me and I rode it hard. He is just getting ready to do it's first top end. With some porting and intake work, possibly a welded crank also, 50 to the wheels is possible with low 60's on race gas. It only gets crazy from there. You know the aftermarket the shee has. You can even add another cylinder if you wanted to. Stock to mildly built though, they run fantastic, are reliable, and are a big ol grin machine.

i vote for 4-stroke....true banshee are fast...will be very fun untill you get to a set of whoops and realize you are on a machine with mid 80s frame and suspestion design

I say the next step up would be the 400, especially if he has never had to shift before.
Nice reliable single cylinder, one carb machine would be perfect for him and you.

Those used are about 2500-3000ish for stockers. You could buy a 450 for 3500-4000ish. The Suzuki is a nice little quad but if everyone in your group has 450's or banshee's you won't have much fun. What really sucks about the banshee's is that the resale value sucks and nobody wants to buy them.

I had a Banshee and now ride a Raptor 700. If I had it to do all over again, I would have just put some $ into the shee and not bought the Raptor. They both have their perks though. Fuel economy and suspension on the Rappy. The shee kicks it's butt in the dunes though.

A 450 would be MY first choice...I bought my kids 3 of the LTZ/KFX400's and if I had it to do over I would have bought the 450's...BUT thats in the past...

Those 400's are great bikes...simple & reliable which is why I bought them...put aside the 2 stroke vs 4 stroke argument? The 400's have a nice smooth suspension for the kids ( I guess I'm not one of those "Suck it up" or "Do more push ups so you can hang on to the quad" kind of parents), they are just a little tippy so invest in a I-shock kit, liquid cooled, electric start (sorry I have never had a problem with my happy button), piped & jetted they will hang at the drags...they won't WIN but they hang...out in the dunes they have plenty of power and will give the kid a nice pleasant duning experience...

And in reality thats why we go isn't it?...

My 2 cents...

Ive got 2 400's for sale

With all this talk about mid 80's frame deisgn and all that... I still think I would pick the Shee. I have an old Honda and a new one. The old one handled way better out of the box than the new one. I know you're not looking at a Honda but there is a reason the Shee was around for 20 yrs... They work and are able to be made as good or better than a new 450. A friend of mine raced his Shee up till just a few months ago in the Vet class at ITP and Podium and cleaned house everywhere he went. Being a great all around bike is what it's all about.

if its over the banshee over the 400

just get one of the 450's also no premix more power....

Shee's are great , but harder to ride. I think nowdays you get a 4storke and electric start. Get a 450 if you can afford it if not hhe 400, are fine. Plus they are a good step up quad. Shee's are a monster. I think there is a reason all my banshee buddies have brand new 450's. Funny thing all of them didn't even wait to sell the banshees. They are all going up for sale. I know of some pretty sic shee's for sale. ported piped and fast for $2500-$3000. PS I wouldn't put my kid on them.

A few suspension upgrades & I'm good. I run through the whoops down by the washes pinned on 5th no prob! Jetting is not an issue. Elevation is a bit above sea level anywhere I ride. I do all the work on my Banshee because it's a simple 2 Stroke machine, it's always an easy fix.