Yamaha Banshee

[robs400]

Looking for some input on these 4 wheelers. I currently have an R1 and a KX 250, but have never owned a 4 wheeler and am looking for some input on Banshees. A friend of mine had an accident last year and is no longer able to ride the 04 Banshee he bought and he is looking to sell it. Its in great shape, tires look new, and its all stock, I couldnt believe how quiet it was for a two stroke.

I just bought a house directly across from a sandpit that guys are always ripping quads on, and the sandpit connects a lot of trails. I guess I'm looking to see if banshees are fun thru trails or if they are strictly for sandpits and such?

 

[RCMPSVT]

Sand.....................get a banshee they are awesome, put some toomey pipes on it and she will scream. NO they are also good on trails but if sand is where your going id go banshee for sure they rule the dunes around where im from.

 

[STAMPEDE3]

They like to rev, I've had at least 4 Banshees over the years and do a lot of different types of riding.

1 thing the banshee is not good at is trails unless they are pretty open and you can run it hard.

Sand pits? Don't modify the stock air box. Washed several cylinders that way. A good aftermarket filter system will do fine though.

They used to be the bike to beat on race tracks. Now the 450 4 strokes handle much better.

It is a blast however even bone stock to have the power band kick in on a gravel road in 3rd or 4th gear look back and see 40ft rooster tails of rocks. lol

I want another one but it fits where I ride mostly now.

They are a blast but you should stick with something like the Raptor for tight trails.
Electric start, low end TQ and reverse are great.

 

[robs400]

Thats good to hear. I'm not looking to become a pro on a 4 wheeler, but it'd be nice to take it down some trails too and have it not be a hassle. He was asking 3 grand but since hes a good friend of mine he said 2 grand and its mine. I have been reading some reviews and some people hate them, and some people love them.

 

[STAMPEDE3]

I love em for certain things.

If you get into tight trails and need to go slow they don't putt along at low rpms like a big 4 stroke will.
You will be reving and working the hell out of the clutch to move along.

They like to run but in the right types of riding there is no bike more fun IMO.

 

[evil04svtcobra]

if you can buy it for cheap and you use it a lot it will be worth it. but if the 2 cycle engines are a pain. its a six speed but it has no torque. if you put money into it and put mods on the engine it can be a head ache. not to mention its such a small 4 wheeler its stance is so low to the ground and its not very wide!

i dont like banshee's my friends have had only bad luck with them! but thats just my opinion.

 

[forged5.4dohc]

if you dont get it for 2000 your dumb.that is one of the best 4 wheelers ever made,never had a single mech. failure on mine in 3 years that i had it.

mods were shaved head,ported stock jugs,billet water pump impeller,jet kit,boost bottle,twist throttle,full pro circut ex.,k&n filterw/ billet intake adapter,v force stage 3 carbon reeds w/reed spacer,and sprockets.im shure im forgetting something,and on trails a sprocket change can make it a great bike and its easy to change.i ran the piss out of mine,and built my self.only had to change rings once in the time i owned it(didnt really need them,but its easy to do and cheap)

the reason that they are so reliable is because the engine used to be in the rd/rz 350 street bike(slightly different in the bike)for its time and class this was the bike to beat for about 14 years.nothing in my opinion is as fun to ride as a banshee,when it comes on the pipe oh mamma,better hold on.the bike doesent weigh much so if u had to turn around on a tight trail u can pick the back up and swing it around pretty easily.or blip the throttle and do a 180(my preference).

do the mods listed above and get extended a arms,and good tires and let the beast wail.

 

[robs400]

Alright, finally someone with a good review that says they have potential. Like I said I'm just looking for something to have fun with. Its fairly new (04) and its stock. If a simple sprocket change is all it takes to make it easier to handle on the trails thats great!

I dont know how much work I'll do to it, at least right away. I am just looking for something I can hop and and go check out the pits and trails right across the street from my house. Before any work gets done to a quad i need to get my blower on my car!

 

[Black Talon]

Banshees are a lot of fun. Have a cool powerband, they are pretty quick with lots of potential. I used to rip them apart on my LT500 Quadzilla but thats another story .

 

[mc01svt]

2 stroke FTL

you will spend more time maintenaning/tuning/rebuilding it than riding :kaboom:

 

[weems]

I thought about getting a banshee when I got my yfz 450, but they dont sell them here anymore.

Stock for stock how do these compare to the 450?

 

[forged5.4dohc]

2 stroke FTL

you will spend more time maintenaning/tuning/rebuilding it than riding :kaboom:

absolutly not true,you can blow up a 4 stroke just as easy.

 

[Black Talon]

absolutly not true,you can blow up a 4 stroke just as easy.

+1

 

[mc01svt]

absolutly not true,you can blow up a 4 stroke just as easy.

lets be realistic here......... a carbed 2 stroke is gonna be alot harder to maintain than an injected 4 stroke. :read:

 

[Black Talon]

lets be realistic here......... a carbed 2 stroke is gonna be alot harder to maintain than an injected 4 stroke. :read:

That is true but a 2 stroke can be very reliable if you know what you are doing.

 

[Blk04L]

Banshee ftw.

 

[black96snake]

2 stroke FTL

you will spend more time maintenaning/tuning/rebuilding it than riding :kaboom:

I don't think so. That would be true if you were talking about air cooled trail type four stroke, but these four stroke motors are high RPM MX motors that require a lot of maintenance and are EXPENSIVE to rebuild.

Yami's fours are probably the most reliable, but they will still eat some valves every now and again. Worst case scenario with a two smoke is that you'll do a complete rebuild for a couple hundred bucks, worst case in a four could cost you $1500 or more.

 

[burnzilla]

2 Strokes will need a topend rebuild every couple years or so, but thats to be expected considering their RPM range.

Banshee's are fun, reliable quads but you might have to take a wrench to it here and there to clean the carbs, change jets, clean the filter, etc...

 

[weems]

anybody care to answer my question?

 

[robs400]

weems, since I'm the OP I am obviously no expert on your question but I have been trying to do some research over the past few days and it looks like the banshee was in its day the quad to beat, however 4 stroke technology has caught up and I believe your quad is a better machine.

I stopped at my friends house yesterday to look at the banshee and I took it out, didnt even get out of first gear because the lawn isnt that big. It feels like a dirtbike on four wheels. I liked it alot, but like others have mentioned above, it has no torque down low. But unless the trails are really tight I think it would be fine. Hopefully next week we are loading it up on the truck and bringing it to my house so I can open it up before I buy it.