climbing: 3 vs. 4

[mtbikr]

it may be just me but I climb a lot of stuff on my 350x that ridin buds wreck, stall, or chicken out on with their 300ex, 400ex, warriors! I do know some guys that can climb some things that I won't, but not many. I have climbed on a 400ex and liked it but hated the weak feeling of the mostly stock 300ex. I could'nt climb on the warrior for spinnin but my bro-in-law says they climb like a goat with the right rider and tires (shredders) were a lot of the problem. They say the only thing wrong with my 350x is the loose nut behind the handle bars!

[atc's]

Same with me i have climbed lots of stuff on my 85 250R that quads either attemp and fail or dont even attemp at all. i run mud sharks in the back.

[Kilborg]

Much of the reasons involved with you guys thinking other machines are inferior hillclimbers to that of our trikes is just your opinion. I will agree, nothing hillshoots quite like a trike, but much of it is rider involved. A competent rider is one thing. A competent rider on his machine of choice is another.

[mtbikr]

Now see, thats why I asked. I wondered if it could be weight diffs or geometry diffs, or is it most 3 wheeler dudes have been wheelin since the 80's(I have). Most (I did say most!) four wheeler dudes have been riding a few years or so or at least around here anyway but there are exceptions.

[350Xrider]

When you are on a 3 wheeler you can easily see on both sides of you in the front. So that helps out a little so you can dodge things and what not. I can tell you right now I'll take my 350X up hills that I wouldn't think of attempting on a quad, the X just has a great motor for the hills. The 400ex would probably be decent for this to, but I feel that they need a little more umfff behind them they seem to run out of power shortly after hitting a steep hill.The 300ex's just need more power. Warriors are completely gutless. Just my .02 cents

[HemiChallenger71]

I liked my Blaster for climbing better, because on my X it seems like the front end wants to come off the hill and roll over. I do need to brush up on my climbing, but for small hills, and some small 70 degree inclined hills the blaster seemed better to me. A lighter quad would probably be a good hill climber, or a trike with a long swingarm.

[OldSchoolin86]

I agree with 350Xrider that it is nice to see what is in front of you. That's why I like cut fenders on my quads. You get that open view and the mud isn't that bad. It's well worth it. As far as which is better, it's all up to the rider. I can climb the best of them on 3 or 4. I prefer 2 but 4 works fine for me. That's my 2 cents after 18 years of riding.

[NOS_350X]

ill take a 350 over any quad for climbing any day just lean back and roll on the power just like on the big bore 4 stroke dirt bikes

[OldSchoolin86]

lol. I don't think leaning back and rolling on the power is a good idea hill climbing. Unless you want to be on your ass.

[TimSr]

I was gonna say that, OS! I guess we have to remember what constitutes a "hillclimb" in one persons mind, may not be the same vision in another's!

We do a lot of hillclimbing here, of the serious kind, so I have some of my own opinions. First, when it comes to trikes, the 350X wins, hands down in my book. The R is quite capable too, but the with the 350X you can make a lot more mistakes and survive. Personally, over the R, Ill take my Tri-Z. I am thoroughly convinced it has more low end power (which means it's motor delivers more power at low RPMs and has nothing to do with gearing, bike weight, etc.) I havent climbed with a Tecate so I have no opinion on them. Trikes are probably better hillclimbers if its the long smooth hills you shoot up, by reason of weight if for no other reason. When its those rocky root covered hills you have to crawl up, and fight and manuever, the heavy front end of a quad is a big advatage. That trike front pops up really easy, and you have to stop and wait for it to come back down, and on a two stroke, that takes a lot of skill to recover from. Ive climbed some pretty tough stuff on my Z, but Ill be the first to concede that even sacrifiing a little power on my TRX250R, its a little less tough. keep in mind my R has a 43T rear, 11 front, and an ESRTRX6 low end pipe, and my Z has stock rear, 11T front, and DG pipe. Yes, I take climbing seriously! Also keep in mind that when your not climbing straight up, and you have to go off to an angle, or a little offcamber, things get a lot worse on 3 wheels.
When it comes to quads, a lot of them suffer the same weaknesses as many trikes. The 250X, 300EX, and Blaster have a very short wheelbase, and light front end. This doesnt help! Ive seen enough of them go up and over backwards, some even easier than some trikes.
My personal choices that have really impressed me on REAL hills where most people were spectators: Raptor, Banshee
Honorable mention: 400EX, TRX250R, Tecate4, 350X, Warrior, TriZ, ATC250R

I didnt mention DS650, T3, or Z400 because Ive not yet seen them put to a real teast, and I try form opinions based on experience rather than what I read.
One other note, is on the Banshee, people always think of it as a top end machine, which it is stock, but its low end capabilities are awesome. With their short stroke and hi rev, a good low end pipe, and proper gearing, combined with that heavy front end, they are by far the best two stroke climber ever made, in my opinion, and can definately deliver a lot more low end power than any other 2 stroke. Too many goofballs put all their effort into beefing up top end, as if it needs it. My brother with his Banshee setup for climbing, and his buddy on a mostly stock 350X used to see who could climb a hill the slowest without stopping. Sounds funny, but you really see what they can do. By the way, it was tough call, but the Banshee consistantly won. The guy on the 350X said he had his idle set too high! Anyways, those are the best places to find out. It would be great to have a hillclimb competition at the next trikefest to separate opinion from reality!
As always, feel free to disagree, but you have to show me to convince me!

[Tri-Z_Jim]

Are you talking about hillclimbs that are long and straight and require massive HP and speed to clear the top or the ones that you creep up in first or second gear and hope you dont lose traction or go over backwards??My YTM is good but the blaster is better.The YTM front wheel comes up way to easy.Te Tri-Z's havent seen a hill in awhile.

[200xer]

I've done a lot of very steep short climbs with my 200x and the worst I have done is roll back down, but it takes a lot of practice. The best climber I've ridden was a Polaris 425 Magnum 4x4. It's so heavy it would just go up and not spin because of the 4 wheel drive.

I need to get some pictures of my going out of this one ditch, it's very close to vertical right in the middle :-D

[NOS_350X]

most the hills i climb on my 350 are realy sandy with no paddles (sandy hills dirt roads) then you lean back so you get some traction and give it some throtle where the 250r's and blasters ive seen try these hills they just spin so bad they sink in the worst problem is the top 10 -20 feet on most the hills is almost a clif so you want be moving but not too fast

[3WheelHouston]

Around here the damn quads are always the best hillclimbers becaust they make their usual two rut trails deep into the side of the hill, and then with my trike's front wheel up on the middle I can't get up without it coming up on me. Ferkin quads.