11.1 comp & stage 1. going the right way here? help me out here.

[sandshots]

my wife has an 02 ex stock. & i can tell the power on there just laggs. have never touched the motor and after 5 yrs of use I think its about time to service it. I'm looking to install a cam and piston and from researching on this site I came up with a stage1 cam and an 11.1 compression piston to keep it on pump gas.
we ride trails but mostly dunes, and its the bike everyone else uses when we go for long rides. I own a 450 myself with a bunch of goodies on it, and now i want to put some money into it.

i forgot to add, it does have a WB r4 exaust with a KN filter.
am I on the right track here, or should I consider other things first.
thanks.

[spent21]

my first question to you is where in the rpm range do you want the power? most of the guys i know that run dunes like an engine that revs. the stage 1 will have more low to mid range grunt than the stage 2, but will fall off on the power in the upper rpm range.
personally, i ride nothing but trails. i just built my top end (3 or 4 rides ago) with a stage 2, 11:1 with a mild port/polish and a full HMF exhaust with a UNI filter. my bike pulls hard and long. i never hit the rev limiter with just the pipe and filter, but i have bumped it a few times with this set up. it just keeps on pulling with very little/ no fall off on the power, so it's pretty easy to get to the limit. it is great on the long uphill runs where i have room to open it up. it's hard to tell if i lost any power in the lower rpm range, but i can definately tell where the stage 2 / port-polish pick up as the rpm climbs.
if you're doing the wrenching yourself, my advice would be to try the stage 2, 11:1 without the porting to see how you like it. if you still want more revs, have the port work done. i wish i had gone this route just so i could have seen the benefits of each, but i am well pleased with the performance of my build.
i'm sure more guys will chime in here that actually run dunes and can give you a little more insight than i have. none-the-less, i hope i've helped.
good luck and keep us posted on what you decide and how it performs.

[sandshots]

i think 11.1 without the port&polish will be fine for her. i have a 450 with 12.25 and poting comming, thats my ride. but for sure a cam and piston combo would be the way to go.

what jetting did you end up at with that settup?

[eliasxr400]

Just installed a 11.1 Weisco piston and stage 1 hotcam in my 05' 400ex.
I run a K&N, lid off, and HMF slip on. The jetting is dead on with 170DJ main an 42 pilot, stock carb. I'm down 1 tooth on the front sprocket.
This thing pulls all the way thru the power curve. It will hit the rev limiter in 5th now. I would recomend this 100% for a cheap hop up. You cant beat it for under $300. The work is very easy.

[sandshots]

thats what im talking about. im pumped up now.

[mad440]

Originally posted by eliasxr400
Just installed a 11.1 Weisco piston and stage 1 hotcam in my 05' 400ex.
I run a K&N, lid off, and HMF slip on. The jetting is dead on with 170DJ main an 42 pilot, stock carb. I'm down 1 tooth on the front sprocket.
This thing pulls all the way thru the power curve. It will hit the rev limiter in 5th now. I would recomend this 100% for a cheap hop up. You cant beat it for under $300. The work is very easy.

id have to say go with that, i dont know how hard your wife rides but if it is like you said the town bike when you go riding your not going ot want to dump a ton of money in something that could possible be torn up. and i did almost the same thing to a buddies 05 and i was very pleased with the result.

[lpmaster]

i ride nothing but dunes and found the stage 1 was more suitable for me with an 11:1 piston, although im using a ross without a decked head so my dynamic is probably under 11:1 since its made for teh xr...anyways i ran the stage 2 for a bit but couldnt race uphill like i wanted, changed gearing and then couldnt sand drag like i wanted... i finally ened up with a stage 1, 14-37 gearing..mild port, and justa slip on and 450r carb...... there are TWO different 450rs i ride with both have sparks pipe and a filter, i smoke them both up hill and easily hang through the drags. with my ross 11:1 the stage 2 just didnt cut it for me.

mine is an 05 btw