Tribute to the Yamaha Banshee.

We all knew the time would come, when we would have to put our denial away and face the music, the Yamaha Bansee is no more. Officially killed from Yamaha's line-up this year, it will take hardcore fans a long time to recuperate their loss and finally switch over to the four-stroke world. The Banshee has been the flagship of Yamaha's atv lineup for many years; fearlessly staving off the bold Honda 250R, until it merged victorious and the 250R died off. Years later the Banshee would see a monopoly on the entire sport market, as all the quads that rivaled it would see then end of their life shortly after their birth. The Banshee was invincible with its 350 twin two-stroke motor, large chassis, and ample suspension. Yamaha has made magic happen. Somehow they've managed to keep the Banshee in production almost 20 years, with very little changes to it. Even the EPA (which tried numerous times) couldn't shut down the Banshee, with its outrageously foul twin pipes spewing two stroke pollution everywhere. You could practically hear environmentalists cringing every time someone fired up a Banshee. Eventually in 1998 the Banshee would see its first real competition in almost 10 years, in the form of the Honda 400EX. After that it was a slow, downhill, losing battle for the veteran two-stroker. The success of the 400EX was quite large, sparking a huge interest in performance four-stokers. Yamaha went to make the 660R Raptor, Suzuki and Kawasaki with the Z-400 and KFX-400, then Yamaha again with the 700R Raptor and YFZ-450, Honda with the 450R, and Suzuki now with their 450R. It wasn't a quick death though, as the Banshee fought gamely on, fending off the four-stokers, and the now increasingly stringent EPA. By the time 2005 rolled around, the Banshee was looking quite antiquated, and very, very tired. I personally still love the way the Banshee looks, at it was basically the only Yamaha that hadn't been "Raptorized". Now, 2006 would see the final nail in the coffin of the Banshee. It had a long, excellent run, but now it's time for her to be laid to rest. Of course, that won't stop you from seeing Banshees on every trail, track, or dune known to man, as Yamaha has sold millions of them to this day. People everywhere appreciate the uniqueness of the Banshee, and loyal fans everywhere will appreciate what the Banshee has done to the world of atvs. Long live the Yamaha Banshee.