YFZ Versus 400EX

[MXRACER86]

Do you guys think that a 400ex with a 440kit and TC cam with the best suspesion parts would be competitive against a YFZ with the best suspension parts? Im talkng about long travel on both . I basically want to know if I should totally do over my 400ex or get a YFZ and do that all up. Oh yea these are going to be motocross quads! I need HONEST opinions only.

[400exrules]

90% of the ppl will say yfz

[MY450R]

honestly get a 450r

[FasstMidnightZ]

Originally posted by 400exrules
90% of the ppl will say yfz yep yfz

[MXRACER86]

I heard the frames on the 450r suck! I have not had any trouble with my 400ex frame.

[400exrules]

Originally posted by MXRACER86
I heard the frames on the 450r suck! I have not had any trouble with my 400ex frame.

mm thats the first time ive heard that.......you dont hear ppl complain much about hondas.....except power issues, and thats about it

[MY450R]

nah there used to be issues when they first came out but not anymore
but any stock frame will break if you race with it no matter what kind it is

[MXRACER86]

Do you think the 450r frame is stronger than a 400ex frame?

[FasstMidnightZ]

i would say ya :ermm:

[MY450R]

its just as strong if not stronger
i mean really the only issues ive ever had with a framer are the z400 frame because where they break its much thinner than the rest

[MXRACER86]

How do you like your 450r compared to your 400ex?

[YFZ450Ridr]

honestly, if your gona be racin mx. buy a yfz. they were pretty much designed for that more or less. ud spend a lot more money makin a 400ex as fast as the new 450s out.

[SRH]

youill have frame problems with the 400ex once it has some power, they break in the same places the 450r does, motorwise unless u have a high dollar stroker motoro the 400ex wont touch it and then u can do some stuff to the yfz for 500 bvucks and the 400ex will be at a loss again, handling wise the 400ex is pushy sloppy and feels like a fat lady with bad brakes and a big couch for a seat

id go 450r or yfz

[KEN1]

I had a 440EX with a full blown GNCC big bore kit in it and over $13,000 invested in that bike.My YFZ is much quicker and faster by far.............handles way better also.

Stock for stock there is nothing on the market that can compare to a YFZ 450 for performance and handling. I was a diehard Honda guy(and still am!)but once I rode the YFZ there was no turning back.

My 400EX is my spare bike now.My 440EX was stolen.

[440ex2001]

I have a built up 440 with Lots of suspentiom work. I could hang with the 450's for alittle while but each lap they kept getting farther and farther away. If I was better at riding I could have done better but if you want to be competitve you need a 450. You have to max out a 400 just to get it a little faster than a stock 450. I'm thinking of selling mine too so I can get a 450r or yzf450.

[MXRACER86]

I don't think YFZ are that fast! Check out the drag race between a YFZ and a 416ex on www.yfzcentral.com in the video's section!
Plus the 400ex has one of the best geometry frames out there!

[KEN1]

What are you talking about???

That bone stock YFZ waxed that EX by about 5-6 bike lengths.

You can't count the one video where the YFZ lost control and went into the dirt.......that was total rider error.You better go watch it again.

[MXRACER86]

yea but that is when they got in to like 5th gear and I never came close to hitting fifth gear at a track.

[SRH]

yfz kills a 400ex from 1st gear thru 5th there is no comparison between a 416 and a yfz..... and the 400ex definetly doesnt have the best geometry,it handles like a fat lady on ice

[KEN1]

My 400EX handles really well..........got Works suspenders all the way around,but my YFZ is is in a totally different league.When you ride a YFZ you are glued to the ground.The EX is more of a beginner performance bike. The YFZ is a pro race bike......out of the box.

[Kennethyfz450]

the yfz, and r is over rated to a point...

the 400ex is a great bike.. its not a bike you want to give your gf..(even though people do, becasue its so forgiving)

400ex are sweet...imo they are the best looking bike on the market 99-04..
simple mods dont work very well on the 400ex, BUT a nice 416 kit can and will wax some yfz,r's..

i owned a 400ex before i bought the yfz.. if i didnt let my bike get so wore out.... broken plastic, chain getting old, brakes, front tires, smoking, bent stem, and some other things i would have kept it over the 450, but by the time i fixed it all back up to normal, and spent some more money to make it quicker i could have got a yfz for a couple hundred more dollars...


i was going to
get the gt450 kit i heard a lot of stories about that particular kit being wicked!
and get a longer swinger for hill climbs

-----
the yfz is also a great bike... but if you already have a 400ex you might as well keep it and upgrade it.. imo

[seven]

I have had both and the 400ex was a great quad but it doesnt compare to how nimble the YFZ is. In drags my 426 would stay right with a stock YFZ but once you put a pipe and jet it, The yfz was gone right out of the gate. The mid range punch it has gives you the extra bump to get you over tighter jumps and such. I havent got to ride the 450R yet but I have drag raced a few. In A short drag race they will hang right with the YFZ but the longer the drag the more the didtance between them. You have to cam/piston and pipe to get up to speed of a piped YFZ. Heres a video link from a works race I kind of did a while back, Thats me on the YFZ pulling a wheelie of the start on the inside, I was lined up next to a Predator 500 and a honda 450R on the other side.

http://www.atvryde.com/Videos_files/Videos/Eric%20line%20Stall.MPG

[seven]

I guess the link is down

[SRH]

seriously tho...i dont see how anyone could say a 416 is close to a yfz with the baffle out .... weve drag raced plenty of times before i bought a yfz and everytime the yfz would win, we switched bikes and i could actually back off at the start be next to them and just nail it and pull away. it was hard to do but i came down to the 400ex just being a waste to put money into and the best thing to do was cut my losses and get a yfz, i was iffy about it but now i realize just how dumb keeping my 400ex would of been, the handling and stuff seems overated on a yfz until youve put time in then ur just wowed

[khen]

The only time I've had a chance to race my buddy on his debaffled/jetted/pro-flo YFZ at the track with my (just built)416EX I got the holeshot on him. We both did 2nd gear starts and we were neck and neck all the way to the first sweeping corner where I had the better line and edged him out. This is a big track and we were both high in 4th coming into the corner. I never looked back either. At the dunes he can beat me up long steep hill climbs pretty easily, but I'm lugging up 85lbs more than he is.

Overall, I really like my 416EX on the track. I think it handles great, jumps great and power's out of the corners great. I've had thoughts about buying a YFZ or 450R but everytime I get serious about it, I can't part with the EX.

[Scott-300ex]

the yfz is a fast *** mofo, my friend has one and raced predators, 450R's and all the big ones, the 400ex's weren't even fast enough to race these, and they had stuff done to them, yeah, my friend and his yfz and the other 2 guys that had them smoked them all soooooooooo bad, they were gone and he thought the rest of the guys stopped racin cause he couldn't hear them or anything.

the yfz is built stock for motocross and is very fast

[figair]

well boss,here she goes last year i was wearing the same shoes you r wearing now..The yzf were just coming out and i had ol red sittin in the garage. I went the 400ex route..i stripped that boetch,down to the frame sent in the motor put a 440 kit,web cam,port polish,hinscon clutch,shortened guides.titanium valves,basically everything was done to my engine department.while i had everythins stripped i decided to chrome ,polish,powdercoat eveything...then susp,and etc...there was big money wrapped up in this pig and it turned out :eek2: sweet the motor was really strong, i mean really strong but...the air colled motor just cannot spin as fast as them liquid cooled i was even with them but in time they just had that xtra umpfff and they were gone...basically, now a year later i spent all that cash on her and I ask my self why did i spend all that cash on her...Now shes sold,were i knew right from the getko i shouldve just got the yzf or450r ,save yourself..time and money but 1 thing i do like the 400ex frame geometry,so know i built a 400ex chassis and put a yz450f dirt bike motor...but that a whole new topic..good luck but save your time and cash get the yzf or 450r

[markk]

Originally posted by MY450R
nah there used to be issues when they first came out but not anymore
but any stock frame will break if you race with it no matter what kind it is

That is true, but if your gona put all that money into a MX quad anyway, u should have a gusset kit added anyways! A 450r frame is just as dependable as anthing else. 400ex parts are alot cheaper, Its HONESTLY gona depend your your riding abitly. A good rider, can make both quad fly!

[tdsongster]

If the yfz is unbeatable makes me wonder how races are being won by suzuki, et al.

[SRH]

Originally posted by tdsongster
If the yfz is unbeatable makes me wonder how races are being won by suzuki, et al.

factory support and the guys been riding those motors since what? 01? everyone adjusted to new quads this year and gust just kept his momentum rolling

[Rico]

The yammies have the advantage on a big MX track, drags and or field sections for XC racers. I've yet to have my doors blown off by one racing. A piped YFZ is faster than my 416 but in the conditions I race in I have the upper hand because of the low end midrange power I have compared to the top end 2 stroke hit of the YFZ.

In most conditions the YFZ is gonna be the better/faster bike but not in all conditions. I can also say the YFZ handles like crap compared to any Honda quad I've ever rode. I don't know if it's the rake of the frame or the A-arm setup but I thought it was twitchy and very unpredictable compared to a 400ex or TRX450. It had gobs of power but that was the only thing that shined about the quad in my mind.

The only TRX and YFZ i'e ever rode were both stock machines, no pipe, rejetting or anything. I'd still take my 2001 416ex over either machine even with upgrades added to either. I've yet to have a DNF on it in a race and feel that it's about as bullet proof as a quad can get..:macho

I"m basing my info on my riding skill and not that of a Pro. The 400ex might not be the machine for a pro but for me it does great. GNCC Racer Greg Trew earned the #6 Pro plate racing a 400ex last year, so their not all that bad but just not new and appealing to some people.