good years for EX's

[jdboy]

Is there any stand out years for the 400ex's? The reason being for the question is that last weekend at the dirt drags I had the only stock ex. My bike is supposed to be bone stock, pipe, filter and all except for skids and bars. We were racing 215 feet and I was beating everything in my class with just bolt on's. I even beat a Z400 that was piped and jetted by over 2 quad lengths. The quads that finished ahead of me had bigbores. One was a Z440 and a 465EX. The the EX just beat me by a quad and a half, and by buddy said I was right beside him at nearly half track. The guys said if I could get off the line with the front end down that I'd be hard to beat (this was the 2 guys mentioned above). The other thing is that my trap speed was 54.4mph in 3rd gear. I would have to shift 4th right as I crossed the line but not before. I used the sprocket calculator and I would have to been turning 10,200 rpms to get that kind of speed in 3rd. I know you can get this with a rev box but mine is supposed to be stock. Anyone know or have any input for me on certain years being better than others. Oh yeah, the speed was verified by my buddy with his trail tech so I'm sure there sensors were right.

[quads14589]

i have a 03 and its nice.

[atvrulz]

I beat the crap out of my 2003 400EX and it always runs great. I probably have a hundred hours on it. Never had any mechanical problems.

[coryatver]

Your tires get bigger the faster you go that is why the calculator gave you 10,200

[400exstud]

I am not sure about the accuracy of some of the trail tech speedo's cause my causin said that his speedo said he was doing 95 mph on his DS when he said that he was really going about 70.

[jdboy]

The first mph run was from the timing equipment at the drags. We just used his trial tech to try to verify the mph because it was so high.

[Wandell]

They have been pretty much unchanged since 99. They got new plastic and a new tranny with reverse in 05.

[jdboy]

I guess what I'm really asking is this on par with most stock 400ex's because everything I was running (and outrunning) were modded quads.

[CHEVYZ]

As you will hear me say alot, all quads will vary depending on many, many conditions. I have a '99 400EX that ran the same as what you descibed. Same everything for seven years, and still before I decided to make here a 440 she was kicking *** and taking names to damn near everything around here. I was beating guys with big bores and should not have. I guess that is just how it goes.:scary:

i did some amature drags las summer and i won 4 of 6 races. one was myagainst my friends 250r, 4 more against 400exs and a 450r.
my 400ex was stock except for a the big gun full race pipe, k&n filer and jetting. the only two to beat me were another 400ex and the 450r. the track was clay and the 400ex that beat me had on 18" tires and i had on 20's...i popped the clutch too much and wheelied pretty bad or i might have had him too. i got out in fornt of the 50, but he just pulled me in the end...i give that near win(not a loss hahaha) to him being less experienced.

all the other ex's had good runs and all of them asked me after if i was still stock...

im guessing the newer ones like 06 are better because they prob have alittle better setup (may have some small tweaks done) and reverse

[Halter]

400s are just straight up tough machines... I would buy one again anyday of the week

[racin 400]

my 400 has lasted sense 02 i ride it to work on nice days and ride it atleast 4 hours every weed day and about 7 hours a day on the week ends. been through 3 full sets of tires. and it is just now burning oil.........overall i would buy another one no ?s asked.

[speedracer350X]

For real, I think 400EX's are way underated. It's a shame that the magazines bash them like they do. Yes, I realize every other company and their brother has a faster/more powerful machine. But for their price, a 400EX is a great, reliable, easy enough to operate, low maint. , enough power for me kind of machine.

and the z400 riders dont get off your back about small mph faster difference... but dont listen to you when you explain how not all quads are supposed to break down as much as theirs do :P

[EXracer83]

Yes without a doubt the 400 is a real tough and reliable machine, I have one its burning oil but we flatracked a lot every day last summer and it was revving way to high but if I shifted it wouldn't get up and go and I would get passed and no $$ to buy sprocket so thats probly the only reason its burning cause I abused it.

I race cars on dirt tracks and the key to winning is thottle control and keeping the tires hooked up. Thats probably all you are doing to be beating the machines with mods. You may not realize it but you are probably being smoother on the throttle and your shifts to wear you don't break the tires loose so everything you are putting out is all traction while the other guys are hammering down and spinning way more than you are. Its not about the bike its the rider even though heavily modified engines will be hard to beat on a stocker as long as you are smooth you will end up with the greater outcome.

just picked up a '00 yesterday and it runs like a champ :)

[stupidhurts400]

all years of 400 r great i ride mine about 30 minutes a day and its never broke ive gone through 2 sets of tires and it probobly has 3,000 miles on it and it hasnt started burning oil yet

[ride_red666]

they are all the same except the 05 and up has new lights, plastic, reverse, and a 14th sprocket on the front.
what size of sprockets are u running jdboy?

[jdboy]

Stock 15:38

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by atvrulz
I beat the crap out of my 2003 400EX and it always runs great. I probably have a hundred hours on it. Never had any mechanical problems.

hundred hours is low. i can put more hours on mine in one summer. they do run great, though. i've put about 50 hours on mine in the last 2 months and it hasn't skipped a heartbeat.

[Warrioreater400ex]

me and my friend have had 400's since 2001, his is a 99 and mine is a 2001, and we have riddent the CRAP out of them, not ragged them, but they have been ridden hard, i have no clue how to estimate how many hrs, but the abuse those things have taken is INSANE, we would go on trips and ride all day, like 9 am to 7 pm for 4 days straight, wouldnt miss a beat........... sure they arent the fastst things around, but they sure are tough...... since their value has dropped, im planing on just keeping it as a backup quad when i get a 450r or whatever i get next.... have the 400 as a good old standby if you ask me.

[exrider008]

Originally posted by 400exstud
I am not sure about the accuracy of some of the trail tech speedo's cause my causin said that his speedo said he was doing 95 mph on his DS when he said that he was really going about 70.

ya those things r junk. my friend had one and it said his bone stock 400ex went 81 and my old 300 (bone stock) went 61.

[motochamp250]

i think alot of it also depends on how it was broke in......

[Flodies400ex]

if you break it in real well then it will run good because I have and I can beat everybody but I cant beat the DVX 400 but I can beat everybody else and including a rapter once and I have a 2004 400ex

[Eviltanker]

I got an '06 and it pulls real hard all the way through. I'm still stock and it is really surprising me with how well it does.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by exrider008
ya those things r junk. my friend had one and it said his bone stock 400ex went 81 and my old 300 (bone stock) went 61.


wow that's screwed up.

[Dragsz09]

i think all years are great i have 00 and i love it:D

[bmurray]

ALL years have my vote. My 05 runs excellent and my best friends 00 runs just as good. I wouldn't have anyother quad, unless Honda dropped in an XR650 engine and called it a 650ex!!!!:D :D :D

[†2005 400ex†]

Lol I want to see that, A 650ex would kick some major *%#, but the 400ex rocks, i love my 05 and will never sell it!

[AR15 guy]

Originally posted by †2005 400ex†
Lol I want to see that, A 650ex would kick some major *%#, but the 400ex rocks, i love my 05 and will never sell it!

Thats what I was thinking. Would be a pretty sweet machine.

[bmurray]

If I could get my hands on a rolling ex chassis and the xr650L motor, I would build it!

[GPracer2500]

How bout an XR650R engine instead? I just saw a TRX680R hybrid recently. It looked bad ***.

[bmurray]

Yes perfect but isn't that a kick start engine? I thought the L was electric start??? maybe not

[exhorsepower]

[have the speed reader re calibrated and then try again, depends on tire size , gearing, jetting, timing advance,etc.i have a 2000 400ex and can beat 660 raptor,440 ex,z440.and can ride dead nuts with 700 raptor so its all on the gearing.,if you want to know more secrets of the trade ask me.

[GPracer2500]

Originally posted by bmurray
Yes perfect but isn't that a kick start engine? I thought the L was electric start??? maybe not

It is (R kick, L elec) but there is a good quality aftermarket electric start kit available for the R. The R is a baby to kickstart anyway though.

I always wished honda would have but the XRR engine into a quad...

[bmurray]

If I can find one I will build it!

[GPracer2500]

Originally posted by bmurray
If I can find one I will build it!

:D

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by bmurray
If I can find one I will build it!

do a search. i saw one a couple of months ago. a real sleeper. they almost look stock.

[hondaracer_34]

i was racing up against a z400 with hotcams, a full FMF powercore 4 pipe, and some other stuff like tires, etc...and i was beating him up until i got arm pump....and i clocked my 04 400 thats all stock except for k&n filter and holeshot hd's and it ran 74....o and its jetted..but thats it