NEED SOME HELP ON BUYING A BANSHEE. LOOKING AT A NEW ONE. DOES ANYBODY KNOW ANYTHING ON ALBA! THEY SEEM TO OFFER ALL THE GOODS FOR ABOUT 6200-6500. I DONT KNOW MUCH ABOUT THEM. WOULD IT BE BETTER TO DO IT MY SELF. THANKS ,ANY HELP WOULD BE GREAT.

i shopped around they will give you an alba banshee with all the goodies for that price but it will be last years models..... or at least thats what i was told when i bought my bike new year models they run about 1k more than that price.

i bought mine all stock from motorworld for $6300 otd. it was a 2002 i bought in 2001.

i did this cuz i wanted to do it my way and set it up the way i like it. i also know what is done to the bike so if something busts or goes out on it i know who to blame and what the problem is cuz iknow the bike more. i just dont get screwed by the dealer for work done on the bike.

good luck on your purchase.

rich

Alba is good if you get the package with pipes and paddles. YOu can save a bit of cash this way. Everything else you would be better off doing yourself, because as stated above, you know what is done to your bike. Also you should do some research before you buy, there are alot of products for the banshee that do not perform and you just waste your money.

Take a look at www.wickedatv.com for some part ideas. These guys know how to build a banshee. They are a good place to get info and knowledge from.

Also, because the banshee's power can be so drastically changed with mods, be very aware of what type of riding you are doing. Some mods do not go well in different riding styles.

Good Luck

Late:

P.S. The YFZ450 is the hot ticket right now. This means that some dealerships might be willing to deal on the banshees.

GL3

Dunno your cash flow - but the ol Banshee will suck ya dry to make it a good quad! Pipes, filter fix, and another $1,000.00 of accumulated odds and ends that will dial it in. Then your in the $8,000.00 catagory for total cost and if your like me - you'll tap in another 2k worth of shiny parts, trick shocks, extended swingarm, etc, etc, etc, etc. BRACE YOURSELF! And remember the Banshee is not a putter - you gotta keep that thing movin to keep it cool. IF (I can't believe I'm gonna type this) and only IF I were to do it all over again - because of my ridin style and size (6' 3" and 300lbs) I'd get the Bombadier DS650 Baja - throw a pipe and K&N filter on it and call it a day. I love my Banshee when I'm shootin' Olds and any Big Dunes - but it took a lot of dough to make it the quad for me. If your set on it - see what your best deal is on a stocker - than shop the parts you need right away (pipes & K&N Filter fix) or whatever Alba says they install and compare doing it yourself versus buying it done - I figure it's gotta be cheaper doing it yourself. Dunno your level of mechanical experience - but most of the stuff is just bolt on, little drilling, and exhaust springs, oh ya gotta pull your carbs and rejet too! Might be a good deal for you to have someone else do the work and be able to finance the whole package (if your financing). Good Luck

it all comes down to your riding style, (i.e. hill shooter/dragger or all around duner) what you plan to do with the bike, (i.e. riding desert or all sand) and your cash flow.

doing the work on the bike is easy... all you have to do is ask around on this board and people will give you answers. the carbs are easy to do the hardest part is figuring out the right size jett and pulling the bike apart to do the work. (that just takes time)

just go in know what you want and what you want to spend for it.

hope it works out for you.

rich

THANKS FOR ALL THE INPUT. I GOT A QUOTE FROM BERTS MEGA MALL FOR $6050 OUT THE DOOR NO EXTRAS, WHAT DO YA THINK.THANKS JERRY.

If you really want a new shee, call L.A. Cyclesports at 310 677 0900. Talk to the internet dept, and their otd price on an 04 is $5799. Sounds a lot better than Berts price to me..

You might as well put pipes on the thing. Pipes will add 6-8 horsepower along with jets. Very few bikes have this potential out of the box. Use toomey's if you like to ride high on the revs, race the hill alot, or just go fast. They put the powerband way up high. Very little bottom end, good midrange with tons of top end and over rev. The FMF's are great also but have a bit more bottom end than the toomey. Same midrange I would say but without the violent hit that toomey's are known for and us toomey guys love. The top end signs off early on the fmf pipes. Still very fast but a different powerband.

I would go with the alba package of pipes, jets, and paddles. They were selling the banshee with all that for the MSRP that most dealers sold just the banshee at. Don't let these guys talk you out of it. The banshee is a great dune quad. My 97 has not had the motor taken apart yet. Everything is all original. I bought it with Toomeys, paddles, jetted, and a motion pro twist throttle. Couple assorted billet pieces also. I would have saved money if I went through alba.

I sometimes wish that my banshee had a stock engine. It was nice not to have to fuss wit it. Oh well, the price we pay to go faster.

i guess your buying new casue you have to finance? going used is the only way to get a good deal on one. freind bought a 2001 alba banshee last month for $4000, guy needed cash and hadnt even ridden the bike in almost 2 seasons. deals to be had for sure form private party.

Well I don't know about all the other comments concerning ALBA, but I can say this. I bought my 97 from alba and have had great luck with the bike. It came jetted perfectly for glamis with all the goodies and hauled a$$, (nothing sicker than the sound of stock banshee pipes), for list price. I also had them rewind the stator and add bigger lights. about 3 years of hard thrashing and the ignition side of the stator took a dump. They actually guarenteed the thier workmanship and replaced the stator for free. I don't know of anybody that stands behind electrical parts period especially on something they know is going to get thrashed.
Since then one riding buddy bought a new Banshee on my recomendation and loved it, in fact has taken it back for port work and cool head, and it rips. Three other partners bought Raptors from them because of the great service I recieved, and short of a 727 with nitrous I don't ever see them get beat.
I have another partner who had shopped around for the cheapest deal on a Suzook 400and bought it at a local dealer thinking he got a smokin deal. After seeing how the ALBA bikes rip he took his down and had them install a pipe, A-arms and shocks on his bike and was totally stoked about the service, but was bummed that he didn't buy from ALBA in the first place. Long story short, 2 weeks ago he traded the Sazook in and bought a 450 from them, it hauls butt with thier pipe and jetting.
This may sound like a sales pitch but I have no affiliation with ALBA other than being a customer, and don't even get a kick-back. It just doesn't make sense to buy a stock bike & then spend another couple grand making it run when you can buy thier bike perfectly jetted and set up to haul a$$ for list price.
If you don't believe me then find an ALBA customer out at G and talk to them about their experience, Oh and run them up the hill to see just how fast they are.
Just make sure when buying that you let them know what kind of riding you do & they'll take care of the rest.

I agree with mr sandman. I bought a 00' banshee from Alba and it had all the goodies on it already. No fuss with installing anything it is all done for you. I love my banshee but have you looked at the yzf 450? They have them set up also with pipes adapter K&N. My buddy just got one and the think rocks! He was also looking to get the Banshee but we talked him in getting the 450. New technology vs 80's, better suspension awesome power and it is a fun bike to ride. The front has more time in the air than on the sand. Good luck with your choice.

THANKS AGAIN FOR ALL THE INFO EVERYBODY! A FRIEND OF MINE WORKS FOR FMF AND WILL GIVE ME FULL EXAUST SYSTEM FOR ABOUT $275. I JUST DONT KNOW ABOUT JETTING AND AIRBOX MODS,LITTLE MORE HELP PLEASE. WHERE IS EVERYBODY GOING TO BE FOR NEW YEARS,WE WILL BE IN 13-14 SOMWHERE IN THE DUST.

FMF has jetting specs for "stock box" set ups on there internet site - I wouldn't take it as gospel - but it'll give ya a good start.

I've got the FMF Fattys on mine - using the Twoomey carb needle kit, I pulled the air box off completely and ran the K&N pods straight to the carbs with outers on the filters - I can't remember my mains but I'm thinkin' 330's and stock pilots. Needles on third clip from the top. She is a "little' tempermental starting up - but once it's warm the sucka screams - two seasons on the filter and jet set up and no problems! Running 32:1 using the yamalube, would like to use the race fuel and Castrol 927 - but I'm to lazy to hoof it for the 105 octane gas since it's not close to my casa. The 927 burns cleaner I hear - but they say you have to use it immediately and not let it set cause it "separates." So - sounds like you want to haul ass - go with the 105 and pick some brains about the oil - (FELLOW TWO STROKERS PLEASE SHOOT SOME LIGHT ON THE OIL YOU USING) I'm happy with the Yamalube. The air box will hold in dirt and you have to clean that too anyways so I yanked it for better air flow, by doing so - you have to install a bracket (Cascade) to hold up your coolant recevery tank. I also put in the V - Force Reed Cages and Reeds, and TORS elimanator kit. If you decide to keep the box - install the PRO DESIGN air box billet filter mount - it is the remedy for the poor air filter box design that Yamaha has not fixed in umpteen years! It's mucho importante to install it, cause you will end up sucking in dirt in that motor if you don't fix the poor design! Gang did I miss anything for GL3's to do list??? Hmmm - I also use the Iridium Spark Plugs, about $7.00 a whack, but they burn that fuel up. If this is your first shee - keep track of that radiator fluid - they are spitters and will run dry causing you catastrophic failure - Houston we have a problem! I did get rid of the "PLASTIC" water pump impeller for the trick billet deal - something about having a plastic impeller didn't seem right to me - I got a grip of other things - but that should get you started spending your hard earned cash! Good Luck and Have Fun!

Oh ya! $275.00 is a smokin' deal on them pipes! Make sure your rubber o-ring exhaust seals are in place when you install the pipes - also, I used the Cascade Pipe Clamps to hold the pipe and silencer together - they work very well for me; however, my nephew has the Twoomey set ups and the clamps are his nightmare! He is constantly slipping a pipe out of the silencer - might be just a bad set though and he's too cheap to buy another set to find out!