My Project 400ex

[deejayeb]

This is my 400ex. Im about to Paint it, Polish every aluminum piece on it. Just ordered the new Curtis sparks x-6 BIG CORE. Its already a 440. I also ordered a new aluminum airbox to hide the battery and all that other stuff. Let me know any ideas you guys might have - I also just cut the plastics 20 mins before I took the pic

thanks

[deejayeb]

Heres the Engine - I just finished sanding and polishing the starter cover. It came out like a mirror. I think after I do all the aluminum parts its gonna look fresh

[deejayeb]

Heres a somewhat side shot - best I got. Also I just took off the nerf Bars, Racing things that cover your hands, pads, all the stickers. Im trying to make an ORIGINAL 400 cause they all look the same on this site. I want it to look REAL CLEAN - and im not talking about washed and waxed..lol - I want some real clean lines with no clutter, like how they make banshee;s look - thats one of the reason I got the new aluminum airbox

thanks again

[tater_kamik]

i like it! thats an interesting tire choice you have though. whats up with that? do you have plans to do some a arms, suspension, etc? polishing is looking good!

[deejayeb]

No I only ride in the dunes - So when i come home I only switch out the back tires so I can roll the bike around the garage to work on it without breaking the paddles on the rear set. I already put some adjustable 450 R shocks on it, its just tough to see in the pic.

Let me know.

thanks

[deejayeb]

Just finished both of the motor mounts but wanted to show all of you the difference after polishing. Each motor mount took about 45 minutes of sanding but the difference is amazing - and yes the mount on the right used to look exactly like the one of the left.

[DH400EX]

damn nice polishing job, but IMO i would cut the bottoms of your front fenders, it jus looks weird with that strip hanging down.


(here is a pic. of mine)

[deejayeb]

First I took a dremel with an abrasive pad and got off all the crap that had built up for 4 years which was pretty thick and would have taken an hour with sand paper to get off. After the dremel I hit it with 220 grit for ~25 minutes to smooth out all the scratches from the abrasive pad. Then I used 400 grit, then 800 grit, then 1000 then 1500 until the metal was smooth and free from deep scratches - the 220 and the 400 are by far the most important for getting the metal smooth before you get into the 800. So i would suggest getting extra 220 and 400. Make sure you get the WETSAND sandpaper from an auto store - not wood sandpaper or you'll be bummin. Then I just hit it with a polishing wheel that went into my drill and some mothers alum. polish, you can get the polishing wheel from any home depot. Its hard and dirty work but the rewards are worth the effort. Good luck. ill be postin pics of the project over the next couple months as I paint, polish, and chrome everything.

peace

[Trevor]

Looks nice and clean

[drifterx]

Your plastics look brand new! Whats your secret?

[deejayeb]

A crappy phone camera and great lighting... lol. nah I use those new Armor All Wipes that I use on the inside of my car. They protect the plastic real well and the dust doesnt stick to plastics. Plus, as you can see it makes em shine real nice. Ill be putting in a bunch of work to the bike next week so check back for some more pics soon.

thanks

[deejayeb]

Got some new Pics - Got my new Curtis Sparks x-6 BIG CORE bolted on, polished the engine plate covers, new K&N skin. Also ordered some new chrome heelguards to take the place of the nerf's I removed (which are for sale by the way, and are in perfect shape). Next week when I get back from riding I'll be painting the plastics and sending my seat away to get it custom made to match the paint. Also next week Ill be polishing the oil tank and the A-arms. So stay tuned - should be looking really good within 2 or 3 weeks. Leave any suggestions. thanks

[deejayeb]

Some more polishing

[hardkoratvmxr]

looking good

[ride_red666]

that looks sweet, how long did it take you to polish the case covers?

[yellowex26]

What kind of Nerfs are they and how much? ..Pics?

[hondarider2006]

looks good man!! A LONG time ago I busted out the polish....I did my bumper, nerfs and rims. Turned out pretty good...to bad it was about 2 years ago:devil:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid91/pc02b59e28c680bc2b5840f921ad11c00/fa68f89f.jpg

[deejayeb]

So I just got back from the desert with some good results - Every 400ex I raced got a head start and I usually beat them to the top of comp hill by about 10-15 bike lengths. I also raced a bunch of Honda 450's who got beat as well (and some of them were piped) The banshee's and YFZ's were a bit to much, but I also smoked 6 or 7 raptors. So things are looking up so far with the addition of the pipe, and the subtraction of a bunch of weight that was taken off the bike. Bad news is my engine is getting a little too hot so I was wondering if any of you knew of a Supercharged (for the lack of a better word) oil cooler - I think if I can get the engine running cooler, the bike will give me a little more pull up the hill in 4th gear. If you guys know of anything let me know. Im not sure what kind of Nerf's they are, they came with the bike. I will post a pic later - They dont have heelguards on them if that helps, so make me a deal I can't refuse. I'll be painting, polishing (oil tank, chain guard, a-arms, and some other special suprises) and ordering the seat this week so stay tuned...

Thanks for everyone's input so far.

And Ryan, if your reading this, Im gonna smoke your YFZ at Thanksgiving player! (my little cousin is a pimp)

[400exrules]

alot of guys with big bores like you run 2 oil coolers, its pretty popular and i hear it works good.

and by the way.....holy crap that polishing looks badazzz!

did u have to take the cases off to polish them?

[deejayeb]

Do you have any pics of how people have set up running 2 oil coolers cause i would def. like to explore that auction. No I didnt have to take off the case cover. I just did the sanding/polishing with it on the bike. Case cover probably took about an hour and half total to do just that little front section. Its alot of work but worth the rewards. Here by the way is an updated pic of where Im at right now. I eliminated the air box, and moved the battery up front so its hidden. Im thinkin of eliminating rear plastics altogether because its a pretty clean look. Painting will go down after this weekend, should be done b4 thanksgiving. Thanks again everyone

[400exMO]

did you buy the bracket from JB racing or just make your own? I'm wanting to do the same thing but I think I could fab one up for cheaper than 50! any pics without battery PLZ! nice bike though

[ImWhite]

damn u guys have some real nice 400's
i wish mine looked that clean,just wonderin what kind of paint r u going to paint yur plastics with?ive tried and tried and i keep chipping my paint off and it looks like **** again...
ive got some more work on the way and im goin ahead and orderin new plastics cuz mine suck!but id still like to know which paint u will use?also nice polishing job man!that looks sick