When I was riding, I wanted to try out whatever anyone had. Not that I didn’t love my Yamaha bikes, but I wanted a variety of reference points to validate what I was experiencing. I rode big 4×4 quads that acted like tractors. I rode four-stroke Honda three wheelers and learned to drift fire roads like a boss. I learned that older Husqvarna bikes were too psychotic for my liking, that a Honda Fat Cat was one of the best trail bikes I ever used for fun (though it is an odd-looking thing, ain’t it?) and that an older YZ490 might have been one step too far for a young rider. But there is one thing I haven’t ridden that I’ve always been told I have to try: a Yamaha Banshee. If you had a subscription to Dirt Wheels in the 1990s, you couldn’t help but notice how often Yamaha’s two stroke screamer of a quad made the cover. To this day, it’s a legend for power and performance, and the highlight that sticks out in my head was all of the extended-swingarm, paddle tired monsters that were out running dunes. I always wanted to try out a Banshee in the sand, but for now, here’s a great start to your day: the unmistakable sound of Yamaha two-strokes as they carve grooves into the sands at Little Sahara!
The Suzuki “Quadzilla” LT-500R 2-stroke was even crazier.
I bought new and still own the “big dog” Yamaha ATV precursor to Banshee –> 1985 Tri-Z250. 2-stroke YZ-power three wheeler. I still ride it to this day!
The YZ490 will put a hurt on you if you’re not careful being that it happened to me once and I still have that Hate Bike.
I didn’t have a place to ride one, so I went and bought an RZ350 instead.
Thanks for the wayback ride!