450r questions please help

[03warriorrider]

alright im looking into getting a new bike and the 450r's sound pretty sweet. i do mostly trails which some are really tight and rocky and others are just straight woops. i was wonder how well do the 450's handle in these conditions. i herd some good and bad things about them. for instant the gears are to tall for tight sections, they like to rev high so its alot of clutch and throttle work, there alot of maintenance and so on. so baisically is there any good years for the 450's or are they all basically the same? can the 450 be riden hard all day and start up with no problem the next day and take another beating for many years? coming from a piped warrior is it to much for me to handle on the trails? my local daler has a leftover 06 is it worth $6,400. like i said i have a warrior which are baisically maintenance free should i just be looking at something smaller like the 400ex. i can for the most part keep up with a 400ex and i think im ready for more power should i just go for it? after talking to my local dealer he seemed to try and sell me a 400ex instead and suggested just putting mods on to have more power but it would be cheaper to get a 450. what do you guys suggest. thanks keith

[QuadPunk450R]

Can you handle your warrior no problem? If you can then you should probably get a 450 because the 400 is not much faster then the warrior. If you cant handle your warrior in every situation then I wouldnt suggest it...then again I wouldnt even suggest purchasing a new bike if that was the case. As far as a trails bike...I have an 04 and it works great. Stock gearing is a lil tall for real tight trails but going down a tooth or two on the flywheel to lower gearing takes all of about 10 mins and 15 bucks.
As for reliability they are excellent atleast the kickstart ones are. The only problem ive had is a lil carb problem cause I got dirt in my carb cause the airfliter ripped, but it wasnt stock. And just because the 450 has all that extra power doesnt mean you need to use it in every situation.

[jtjpilot]

Have you every ridden a 450R? I bought a new 400ex last year and was pretty happy with it. I knew that all the 450's would be the crap out of me but I was ok with it. The first time I ever rode a 450R, my 400ex was up for sale the very next day. If you go with anything other than a 450, don't ever ride one because you will regret that you didn't buy one in the first place.

[lumi]

yupp.... whatever u buy ur always gonna want a 450r so just get it the 06 and 07 are awesome come with e-start for trails and got some great power.... if ur an agressive trail rider the 450r suspension and handling are awesome.... power is crisp and instand once ur in the middle of low to mid.... low end piower may seem a little luggin but throw a hmf slip on and it all goes away



-lumi

[Nate_450R]

i love my 04'. at first i was bummed about the kickstart but now i wouldnt go to an E-start if you payed me. my buddy's has went out 5 times on his brand new 06'. i guess it could just be really bad luck but i think not. my only problem with them is the high gears but i dont do much trail riding and it also is a really easy fix. i have heard you can get more power out of the older 04'-05' models but i dont know for sure. i would love to have an 07'. but yeah man...450R all the way!

[ricks450]

I have a 05 450r and my old man has 400ex. The 450 is alot faster and stable but it a race bike it is no were nere as reliable as the 400ex. The parts are alot more $ for the 450. Put it this way my 450 is broke right now and I need $1200.00 to put back together.The 400ex is not as wide is 450 so it will fit through tighter trails. It's all in what you want. If you want to go fast and won't a race bike get 450. But if want good all around bike get the 400. The parts alot cheaper, you can put a 440 big bore kit on the 400 for about $750 if you want more power. And be more reliable than the 450. But there's no subsatute for 450r,s. Don't get me wrong I love my 450R. But for somebody looking for reliable and strong bike get the 400EX. You will not be upset either way you go. RIDE RED ONLY

[KrazyKeith]

Go for the 450 the 06 is a great bike and I beleive with the right maintenance it will be as reliable as a 400ex. It is a little more work riddin a R but you'll be havin so much fun it won't be noticed. Everything about the R is better and it only costs a little more.

[blacknblue#2]

Go with the 450, they are reliable with the normal mainenance(oil and filters), and yes get the 06 or above. I have saw several 04 and 05 450's seize the cranks up, one of them being mine. in my opinion the 450 is very reliable. Yes they are a race bike but they dont get that high maintenence till you go turnin them into a true race bike. I am doin maintenance on mine quite often but it has alot of internal work and it dont get babied the slightest bit. If it aint wide open im sure it thinks im sick haha. But i have to agree with past post, if you buy any less than a 450 and then ride one in the future then you will be mad at yourself.

[ricks450]

Originally posted by ricks450
I have a 05 450r and my old man has 400ex. The 450 is alot faster and stable but it a race bike it is no were nere as reliable as the 400ex. The parts are alot more $ for the 450. Put it this way my 450 is broke right now and I need $1200.00 to put back together.The 400ex is not as wide is 450 so it will fit through tighter trails. It's all in what you want. If you want to go fast and won't a race bike get 450. But if want good all around bike get the 400. The parts alot cheaper, you can put a 440 big bore kit on the 400 for about $750 if you want more power. And be more reliable than the 450. But there's no subsatute for 450r,s. Don't get me wrong I love my 450R. But for somebody looking for reliable and strong bike get the 400EX. You will not be upset either way you go. RIDE RED ONLY The 450R is a race bike off the showroom floor. Take 450R apart and the 400EX apart and compare there is a big differance.That $1200.00 is stock parts not modifed. Both 450R and 400EX were got new the same time. Mine is sitting broke and the 400EX is still runing. And the 450R was vary well maintained more than the 400EX.

[03warriorrider]

thanks for all the replies guys they really helped out. i will take all your guys replies into consideration.