Port/Polish

[Chino886]

Can anyone tell me where they had their engine port/polished? In the Kansas City Area? I am thinking of having my 2002 400 EX done.

[BLEEDRED]

If you don't mind shipping it to Ohio I recommend Extreme Tec-ATV. (419)947-9208 ask for Jeff. Service is bar none. Quick turn around, quality service!! It cost me $12 to ship my head and jug from Michigan to Ohio and that was USPS.

[Chino886]

Hey Bleedred,

How much did it cost for the port and Polish on your quad if you don't mind me asking?

[BLEEDRED]

I paid $90 for the basic clean up. Couldn't see how the full race port would benifit me seeing how I only run 11:1 compression. Plus after reading motoman's ideas about porting, I don't know what to think anymore. I'm sure the basic clean up would have been easy enough for me do myself, but I didn't want to mess with it. No idea if I saw any gain from the port because I added a sparks pipe and had the cylinder decked at the same time.

[2muchquad]

99% of these so called "port and polish" jobs are a waste of money.there really isnt much performance to be gain for the average rider.sure you could hog the head out if you want to build power at 10,000rpm! save the $300 and buy some real note worthy performance mods.the above mentioned does not apply to most 2 smokes..:)

[Chino886]

Hey 2MUCHQUAD,

what performance mods do you suggest? I already have the complete Sparks bolt-on kit with the X-6 pipe.

[2muchquad]

whats the "bolt on kit "consist of?cam,exhaust ?if you have those and want more oomph,try a bore kit.if your into racing i would work on your conditioning.i see it at EVERY race,woodsman class riders have all this money into their quad and by the second lap they are sucking wind! it doesnt matter if your racing mx or harescrambles,too much emphasis is put on trying to go fast when you could go faster longer if your in shape.i see guys winning with 400ex with just a pipe and a pair of works shocks because they are more fit and the better rider.spend your money on mods that will give you the greatest benefit.sure more power is always fun but is it always practical?;)

[BLEEDRED]

And if you want to go faster in the woods spend your money on suspension.

[400exredrider]

actually a port and polish, applied with the right parts to help compliment it,,, FCR carb and a full exhaust you will get some pretty impressive gains

[Chino886]

400exrider,

Where did you get your port/polish job done? I am thinking of getting the Sparks FCR Carb and a cam. What jetting do you use, Sparks recommends 155/45, what do you think about that?

[400exredrider]

Mine is a FCR40mm carb,, Sparks carb is a 39mm but i run stock pilots and a 158 main, mine dropped a valve tho so i need a new head and a new port job,, Contact MikeBoone,, hes a member on just about every ATV forum site, he can get yo hooked up with a good port and polish,, as for jets,, you cant really listen to reccomendations, because your altitude is probably different from where sparks was running that setup.. get a jet kit and start from there,, you have to just expiriment with it to get it dialed in right or get a dial a jet or a autometer o2 sensor put in your exhaust,,, itll make jetting easier :D

[Chino886]

Thanks 400exrider,

I will look him up! Ride hard!

[400exredrider]

if your not real tight on money i would also reccomend a good valve setup.. i ran a Hotcams stage 3.. (the old stage 2) and it was aggressive enough to abnormally put wear on my valves,, this abnormal wear cause a valve to drop and hit the piston,, this ruined the cylinder the head and the piston and ofcourse the port work has to be redone.. i reccomend if you go with stock valves to check for any wear on them first,, then make sure they are adjusted correctly,, if not there could be costly damage

[400exredrider]

his name on Exriders here is just MikeBoone give him a PM

[Chino886]

sweet, Thanks for the heads up!

[4everhonda]

I'm getting the High Velocity porting done, it will add tons of power. Unlike populare belief making the ports bigger will only get you power at like 8,000-12,000 rpm's. but makeing the ports 30% smaller and smoother will make you tons more power and torqe at 2-4,000 rpm's. Go with a high velocity port job it will make all the world of difference.

[BLEEDRED]

I'm getting the High Velocity porting done, it will add tons of power. Unlike populare belief making the ports bigger will only get you power at like 8,000-12,000 rpm's. but makeing the ports 30% smaller and smoother will make you tons more power and torqe at 2-4,000 rpm's. Go with a high velocity port job it will make all the world of difference.

Where are you getting this done and what kind of money are you going to have into it.

[400exredrider]

thats from mototune usa guy,,,, this takes plenty of trial and error to get correct,,, and lots of JB weld... this works if its done just right but id suggest only on the exhuast ports, the intake ports and a bigger carb will help more. the downfall on that type of porting is lots and lots of restriction,, which adds heat, inturn on the 400exs low tec motor,, it will run much hotter. and will not have as much top end,, just loads of low end which the 400 already has, so hold on,, but top end usually with this job is depressing:) hope this helps

[4everhonda]

The high velocity porting is being done by a friend of mine who has been racing and doin this porting for 20+ years! He uses lasers to get it just right and all the newest technology. It will cost me nothing but he would prob do your's for $200 or maybe $150. Yes the 400 will be a little bit hotter but not much if its stock, and it will add TONS of power all around. I want all bottom end, thats just me though. yes a carb will add power but so will a pipe and the velocity porting will make lots of difference. just as much as a pipe and carb. I hope this helps a little bit

[2muchquad]

The high velocity porting
man oh man if you believe that,i have some beach front property in arizona i would like to sell you.another thing,how will adding a bigger carb increase your torque along with bigger intake ports?the key to making power is trying to achieve maximum intake efficiency.thats how much fuel/air mixture is going into the engine on the intake stroke.case in point,a fire hose will flow more water(GPH)than your standard hose on the side of your house BUT how much pressure would it have hooked to your faucet?not much,thats the same principle you run into when putting too big of a carb on a motor.like i said before there isnt much to be gained for the average rider from a so called"port/polish" job.:rolleyes:

[400exredrider]

yeah a bigger carb does not increase your torque especially when the intake ports are ported, it adds top end HP not low end.. and i dont see what cutting edge technology there is for putting JB weld in your ports and grinding it out because like i said its really a hit or miss deal, a guy did this to his predator and he noticed gains, but he still wasnt impressed, doug at nicholas cycle put that predator head on a shelf and its not movin,,, Doug ported this guys head and sent it back to him and the guy was very much more impressed with dougs porting than the "high velocity way" so yeah porting does add power, but only to a certain range.

[cals400ex]

the fcr 39 and 41 carbs do increase throttle response pretty much. i am not saying you have a ton more torque, but throttle response is much better. the fcr 40 carb has better throttle response too, but it isnt' as good as the 39 and 41. for all out power, the 40mm is the best one made (out of the fcr's anyways).

[Syrus]

Originally posted by 2muchquad
99% of these so called "port and polish" jobs are a waste of money.there really isnt much performance to be gain for the average rider.sure you could hog the head out if you want to build power at 10,000rpm! save the $300 and buy some real note worthy performance mods.the above mentioned does not apply to most 2 smokes..:)

Are you a joke ? Do u know what your talking about? like the other guy said, "Applied with the right mods, port and polish can give huge gains", and hes right.

[400exredrider]

throttle response on my FCR 40mm isnt too bad,, takes a bit do let it revv all the way down but it works good

[2muchquad]

if you look at my post i said for the average rider,yeah a dragster would benefit from the increased flow at 10000rpm! have you ever even seen a dyno?have you ever had a chance to see one in action?obviously you must believe everything "abc racing" says about their "racing port/polish" job.i can guarantee the dyno or your race results wont confirm their findings.i have seen it too many times:rolleyes:

[400exredrider]

ive seen a port and polish make a huge difference, just ahs to be applied right. everyone has there opinions and most people know that a portjob with correct mods to compliment it will help out alot.. dont need to start a flame here were tryin to help someone out and the majority will say port and polish is worth it IF you have the mods to compliment it!

[cals400ex]

i have a hard time believing a 400ex having drastic gains with a port job. i am not saying it won't help, and the larger bore you go the more the benefits probably. however, i can't see the gain being that huge. i think the key is to port the head that matches your others mods and your riding style. i do like the idea of smaller ports for "velocity." however, i like power at 9000 rpms and up too.

[2muchquad]

[QUOTEi have a hard time believing a 400ex having drastic gains with a port job. i am not saying it won't help[/QUOTE]

i couldnt agree more..:)

[400exredrider]

just a quick question for you two,,, have you ridden like say a 416 that hasnt been ported and has no FCR vs a 416 that has been ported and does have an FCR? to me there is quite a difference there, but suit your selves

[cals400ex]

Originally posted by 400exredrider
just a quick question for you two,,, have you ridden like say a 416 that hasnt been ported and has no FCR vs a 416 that has been ported and does have an FCR? to me there is quite a difference there, but suit your selves


i have not only ridden that but i have done all that on my bike and my buddies as far as that goes.

i run a 11:1 426. i have ran a stock carb, fcr 39 and fcr 40mm all with a stock head and then all with a ported head. my buddy runs a 416 with a fcr 39 and a stock head right now. i know it is hard to believe, but my bike isn't that much quicker with the fcr and ported head vs the stock carb and stock head. the fcr throttle response is much much greater than stock making it feel like you gained 10 horsepower, but you probably didn't. i can see a 4 horsepower gain with a dynotune but that isn't anything really really drastic. put it this way:

when drag racing my buddy, i beat him by about 4 bike lengths with the ported head and fcr 40 on. with the stock head and stock carb, i am still in front of him easily. i can't say how many bike lengths exactly because i really didn't pay attention. it was enough to where the race wasn't even that close so he didn't have a prayer to beat me. on a dyno it will amount to something small. in the real world, it didn't amount to much besides drastically improving throttle response.

[400exredrider]

thats good enough isnt it? better throttle response and a little quicker bike? to me it is

[cals400ex]

Originally posted by 400exredrider
thats good enough isnt it? better throttle response and a little quicker bike? to me it is


good point, everything helps. what i was getting at earlier is that for the price i have seen better gains. for example, when i added a cam and piston i had much better gains than the carb and ported head gave me.

[400exredrider]

well what if you add a cam piston carb port job and exhaust... now thats a powerful package that dont even cost much,,, if money is a problem i would go with a cam and piston first.. then a port job, then a carb oh add exhaust up there in the top 3.. and K&N.

[400exrider0004]

hey bleedred,
is the 440 that you built reliable and fast. Have you had to do anything to the motor, reliability wise? Thanks

[BLEEDRED]

I think it's pretty fast. I haven't had the chance to drag race anybody yet, but I did jump on a stock 400EX not too long ago and it seemed like a slug. I love my 440. Lots-O-torque!!!

I did end up puting in the HD head studs, but so far that is it. It's been really reliable. Oh, and I do keep a battery tender on the battery just to make sure it starts every time. No complaints.