lol you just ned to get out there and open her all the way my old trx450r wasn't fast enough for me lol even with the big bore and all the other crap in the motor, and 15/36 on her it was just not enough so i got my DS650 and tryin to get her faster and i was running 22'' paddles on it its all abou getting used to it see if someone will let you ride a banshee oh man... there's a reason i have 3 of them

 

We also have a 400EX, and I have no problem maxing that one out, but the 450R is so much faster.

 

the 450 never felt much faster to me on top but it hits way harder imho

 

Mine isn't stock, I bought it used, and actually am not totally sure what all it does have. I know it has the HRC power-up kit, and a Dr. D exhaust (I put a stock muffler on it for the dunes trip to keep it legal). Beyond that I don't know. The previous owner planned to race it, but just never really got into it. Just guessing, I'd say the top speed is at least 20 mph higher than the 400EX...

 

I used to have a 400EX. It was my first sport quad, and what I got introduced to dune riding on. Heck, that was the whole point for getting it. My very first ATV was a 2002 Yamaha Grizzly 660 that I bought new.

That 400EX... gosh... how do I describe it? Slow doesn't really describe it. Beyond slow? I dunno. Ride quality sucked too. I think it made the same hp as the KLX250S, just a bit more torque.

Replaced it with a new 2003 Polaris Predator 500. Fun quad... explosive top-end. A friend said the top-end felt like a two-stroke. It was faster than his Raptor 660, so he went out and did a Craycraft 686 kit in it.

Sold the Predator and was out of dune riding for a few years (that's when I got into snowmobiling). But got back into it a few years ago when I picked up a pair of Polaris Outlaw 525's. One solid-axle, one IRS. This pissed off my friend even more because my 100% stock Outlaw was faster than his 686 Raptor!! He went out and bought an Outlaw 525 IRS of his own.

Now I'm down to one quad... the 525 IRS. It's by far the best duner I've ever had. Ride quality is outstanding. It doesn't snap-oversteer the way solid axle quads do, but it'll still slide just fine once you learn how. It flies really well too. Once I'm done modding the bikes, I'll do the KTM 540 kit and stage 2 cam. But no point until I'm spending a lot more time on the dunes.

Rob

 

For us the dunes are a once a year thing, and the ATVs only get used a couple of times a year other than that, so it isn't something I want to put a lot of money into at this point. As the whole family has gotten more into bikes (my wife and my two adult sons all ride), the ATVs have kind of taken a back seat...

 

I know what you mean. Ever since I got into bikes a couple of years ago, ATVing really fell by the wayside. That's one reason I let one of the Outlaws and my Sportsman 850 go.. they just never got used.

But the dunes are too much fun to be a once a year thing (for me). Where I am now, the Oregon Dunes are two hours away. When I was in Reno, Sand Mountain was 90 minutes away. I've been to Glamis a couple of times (that's incredible).

I could even see liking riding a bike at the dunes as much as a quad... if so, it'd give me a justification for a KTM 500EXC or similar.

I'm trying hard to figure out how to get a snowmobile for this coming winter. If you think dune riding is fun, you need to try mountain snowmobiling. It's just incredible.

Rob

 

Yeah, I've tried snowmobiling several times. There used to be a place near Leavenworth, WA where you could rent them, and just go out and ride, with no guides. We used to do that once a year until the place lost their liability insurance after someone went off the trails and died in an avalanche on one of their rentals. Snowmobiling is a lot of fun!

Too many sports to enjoy, not enough time/money...

 

Great video, wish i still had my sand rail, its a ten hour drive but i loved it.

 

Sweet riding there! I didn't realize the Oregon Dunes were next to the water. I thought it was out in the middle of nowhere. NICE!