Pilot vs. Odyssey

[jbru34]

What makes the Pilot so much better compared to the 350.  My 350 has a water cooled head and nerf bars welded right to the frame.  I've seen a lot of pilots and I just can't figure out why the price difference.  Any answers.

[PilotSniper]

If you had the water-cooled conversion done to your 350 (head, hoses, radiator, etc.), that would be a good thing because they are normally air-cooled. That in itself is a major difference between the 350 Odyssey and the 400 Pilot.

Another major difference is in the rear axles. On the 350, you have universal joints and on the 400 you have CV joints.

Finally, another major difference is in the suspension. On the 350, the rear is a swing-arm suspension and on the 400 it is an a-arm suspension.

As far as speed is concerned, I've heard on a couple of occasions that a hopped-up 350 will always beat a 400, due to a shorter stroke. I don't know about all of that, but I do know that they are fun machines, no matter which one you picked up!

Enjoy the new toy!!!

[jbru34]

yeah i do enjoy it but it's not new.  i have my 350 for over a year and my 250 for 3 years but any way what makes an a-arm sups. so much better then the swing-arm.  I know on my polaris sporstman 700 its all a-arms and its one hell of a smooth ride but that has to do with the shocks.  isn't it safe to say that it's not really the a-arm vs swing-arm but more the stock shocks???

[PilotSniper]

yeah i do enjoy it but it's not new.  i have my 350 for over a year and my 250 for 3 years but any way what makes an a-arm sups. so much better then the swing-arm.  I know on my polaris sporstman 700 its all a-arms and its one hell of a smooth ride but that has to do with the shocks.  isn't it safe to say that it's not really the a-arm vs swing-arm but more the stock shocks???

The swing-arm vs. a-arm suspension is an arguable topic. The a-arm is supposed to be better, but I believe it's all a matter of opinion.

As far as the shocks are concerned, the stock shocks on the Pilot aren't bad (don't know about the 350), but you should notice a big difference if you change them over to Works or Elkas. I changed the stock shocks on my Pilot over to Works shocks and was amazed at the difference. I bought them from Ludedude right here on this site. I don't know if he still has them for sale, but I would definitely look into it. Money well spent, in my opinion.

Best of luck!

[jbru34]

what makes a cv joint better then a ujoint???  is it just a further range of movement or less slop?

[Moskito]

The swing-arm vs. a-arm suspension is an arguable topic. The a-arm is supposed to be better, but I believe it's all a matter of opinion.

You can get more adjustment and spindle movement (as in make it change camber/caster/toe) through suspension movement with an a-arm suspension.  Swing arm is limited quite a bit in comparison.

what makes a cv joint better then a ujoint???  is it just a further range of movement or less slop?

Further range of movement w/less chance of binding up, along with more hp transfer.  U-joints pivot on two planes that are 90 degrees to each other and induce some funky side loads when you start torquing on them (think about how a wobble joint on a socket binds and then frees as you rotate it when you have quite a bit of angle in it).

The CVs use six balls (in general) that float inside the bodies and don't have the binding issues (until you get past their angular limit - then you blow out the cage that holds the balls in)

[jbru34]

What's the top speed of a Pilot and what is it for a 350??  Whats the average acceleration on both??

[PilotSniper]

What's the top speed of a Pilot and what is it for a 350??  Whats the average acceleration on both??

350 = Fast
Pilot = Faster

 :wink:

[jbru34]

I take offense to that..haha...just jk...but i am 350 at heart...never owned a pilot...i still have many years to buy one i guess...only 15...maybe next year when i get my truck i'll buy a pilot and a trailer...haha...that would be sick...

[PilotSniper]

Well, I can only wish that I had those toys at 15!!!

I started about three years back with a project 250 Odyssey and went right into a 400 Pilot, so I didn't get the pleasure of ever owning a 350. I've heard they are great machines and can be tricked-out to be faster than the Pilot, so you've got an advantage there as well.

Whichever one you own, it really doesn't matter. What matters is getting out and enjoying it!

Good luck next year with your Pilot hunt!!!

[jbru34]

Yeah I've actually had my 250 since I was 11...and just last year I saw a 350 for sale and bought it...

[LiveWire]

Actually the U-joints on a 350 can handle more angle than the CV joints of the Pilot. A U-joint can transfer more power when straight than a CV and a CV can transfer more power when at an angle than a U-joint. The U-joints in an FL350 are oversize in regards to power transfer. They don't break from torque. When they do break, it is from being a suspension component. That really only happens when they are worn out. I have broken two in the 8-9 years I have owned FL350s and drive them hard. One broke that I replaced a joint rather than the entire axle. Another broke when I cart wheeled a machine in a race. The handling of the rear suspension is very similar on both machines. They both have somewhat of a flaw in their geometry that the top of the tire tips in at full droop. The stock FL350 rear shocks are amazingly bad. It is hard to even believe how bad they came from the factory.

The difference in price comes doen to two main factors: The Pilot is nicer in stock form. Supply and demand.

Many people do not like to modify anything. They feel stock everything is best. Stock to stock, a Pilot has better suspension and runs cooler. You can put a water cooled head and Works shocks on the rear of an FL350. You can even put one of my Long Travel kits on the front. To some people, they will still see it as not stock/OEM built and therefore inferior.

I don't know exactly how many FL350s were built, but I do know there are a lot more out there than FL400s. With less 400s available and people out there who want the best stock machine, then the price goes up accordingly.

My stock FL350s went about 60. I have clocked one of mine at 72 on GPS. I think my current one goes a little faster, but I have not clocked it.

[jbru34]

Thanks for all the info...