400ex good for beginner?

[sn0wrider]

my friend is 15, never rode a dirtbike or quad.. do you think he would be able to shift gears and stuff.. hes around 5"7 130lbs. i know he would be able to handle it.. what do you think? thanks

[cds]

up on soapbox...

IMO, a 400 is too much bike for ANY beginner 15 year old. You'd be helping your buddy more by learning on a smaller bike than skipping him straight to "a real bike."

It's too easy for a beginner to get himself in serious trouble on a fast bike.

Have your buddy save some money and get a 250ex in a few months when he turns 16. You can even buy a new 250ex for what a good, used 400ex costs.

After he gets a bunch of seat time, sell the 250 and buy a 400.

Heck, even a 250ex is way faster (and cooler) than the 50cc moped I started on!

down off soapbox

LOL, I sound like a geezer :)

Ride hard and have fun!

cd
400ex

[sntheticdeluson]

sure it would be a good one for him to learn on if you want him to learn how to kill himself on it

[Bad Ass TA WS6]

Tell him to pick up a used 300EX.

I had one when I was in 9th grade, I liked it a lot back then. Has electric start, reverse, handles really well. It's only a little bit faster than a blaster as well. Maybe 52MPH?


He can still get hurt on it, but as long as he has some common sense he should do alright. It's a forgiving bike IMO, and would be easy to learn on.

I'd agree with the above, although a stock 400 isn't on the same level as the newer bikes today, it's still too much for a 15 year old kid learning how to ride.

A 300EX would fit him perfrectly with that height. They can be picked up cheap as well..

[DaleJrFan]

i agree w/above-250 or 300. hate to do this but i would even recommend a blaster,they are cheap and impossible for some one learning to shift to tear up but still enough power to have some fun on. what ever he buys, go slow and wear a helment!!!

[EXtremeEXer50]

umm i got my 400 when i was 13 never owned a 4wheeler or dirtbike before...had a little experiance on a 230 but that was about it...im 14 now and im still here the bike is not to much

[Foxrider98]

me my friend and i whole bunch of his buddys went out riding and the one guy had a new 400ex and he never owned a qaud or a bike and he got crazy and thought he could handle the qaud and obviously liek all novice riders he took it to far and trashed the qaud and broke his collar bone his neck wrist and forearm. it was brand new AND his first time trail ridin. trashed his qaud and almost died so i suggest starting out small and workin ur way up find and old beater for a couple hundred and that way if u wreck its not all that bad.
live life
ride hard

[nosliw]

yea he'll be able to handle it

my 400ex that i have now is my first quad, got it june or july, i had basically mastered downshifting, powershifting, rev matching and plain on rippin' through the gears by the 2nd time out on the trails.

^ isnt the first quad ive been on. i rode my sister's '99 warrior and that got me hook :D

[brif]

Well 15 is real close to 16. I would reccomend a 400ex as a good beginner quad to any adult. The 250 & 300 would be good choices although a 15 yearold would out-grow both of those real fast. The big thing is on his first ride maybe you and him could do some riding together. I wouldn't try doing any kind of stunt riding(I mean you ,not your buddy) when you ride together for the first time, thats when you get a new person into trouble. They think if he can do it so can I and this is when a newbie gets hurt. Have him take it easy the first couple rides, get used to the machine and you'll have an atv'er for life.

[HONDA_RIDER250]

I think a 400 might be a little much for him, he only weighs 130 pounds. Which can play a big factor in handling a bike, I say something smaller, I bet he would flip it over backwards power to weight of rider.

[reconmaster]

i defintly agree most of my friends think i should jump on a blaster or 300ex thats what u need bud easy 2 learn on then tune er up as u improve on ur ridin skills like i did the with my "racing" recon

[quadboy44]

im 13 and way 100 pounds and i can handle my new 400ex but i also started riding when i was like 2 i was first on a 125 breeze for like 3 year then i went to a 250ex for like 4years now i have the 400ex but i also owned many dirtbikes soo i know how to ride clutch.

he should start off on a 250ex or 300ex

[Destructo]

I'm 20 years old, weigh 200 lbs and 5'9" and 10 mins after getting my 01 400 I ran it into a tree and broke the lower mounting point on my right fender, and this after I have been riding dirt bike for several years. I have been riding a 85 XR200R with the RFVC engine and dual carbs and it wasn't slow, but not fast. I can ride a DR250 fast with no trouble, but 10 mins after getting the 400ex I got too throttle happy in second and coming up a hill picked the front tires off the ground and couldn't turn and centered the tree.

I would NOT suggest a 400ex for a beginner, way too fast, I know there are much faster quads out there, but a stock 400ex is NOT slow and will kick your *** very easily if your not careful. I would say he should start out on a 250ex or 300ex and then move up.

This is the first quad I have owned and its a much different experience than a dirt bike, I had to learn out to handle it even though i'v been riding 2-wheelers for years.

Oh yeah, and only 130 lbs? He might want the reverse on the 300ex, turning around a 400ex with no reverse on a hill is no easy task even by me and I do weight training and weigh 200 lbs.

[pro_stock_1000]

a 400EX is the best thing to start with......if you get smaller then that...after a few months of driving is going to get tired of the bike.. because after you get use to it you always want more and more........i mine...at the age he is hes going to use his head at the beginning.. i mean i wont drive it wide open its all.....




my suggestion is the 400 EX or else its just a wast of money...because after a montth hes going to want to trade for a bigger one....so why loss all that money.....

[priebo15]

300ex would be best, and manual clutch is really easy to get used to

[LazeR]

Originally posted by priebo15
300ex would be best, and manual clutch is really easy to get used to

Thats what i would recommened, If he has had previous riding experience i think it would be a whole different story!

[priebo15]

exactly

[sled_ed 300ex]

get a 300ex !!:D

[pro_stock_1000]

i no guys ...for shure a 300 ex would be better...but its a wast of money in just a few month he will want a 400ex because the 300 wont be powerful enough....so...you better to with the 400 right away and u will save some money....

[dirt308]

Also you have to take in to acount that someone who has never rode before will have to learn how to use the clutch and shift at the same time. for a begginer with a clutch they can rev it and just let it go and have the quad end up on top of them. But a 400ex is a good bike i just picked one up yesterday and got it after my blaster, its alot faster......

[400ex_313]

i would agree with every one saying 300 ex because i had a 250 recon and lots of experience on it and when i got my 400 ex the first ride i let the clutch out to fast with to much gas and the front end went straight up in the air and i was on my back totally shocked

[priebo15]

lol, thats what one of my riding buddies is going to end up doing, he has a warrior, with bald *** tires, so when he lets the clutch out real fast it just burns out, because the tires have no tread at all....well he ordered new tires, mudsharks i believe, he's gonna be so used to just burning out like that and end up with his *** on the grass