400EX Cam Question

[yernkie]

Does anyone have any experience with the Curtis Sparks X1 cam? Is it much different than an Stage 1 HotCam? The quad is a 2001 400EX with a full Yoshi exhaust, K&N, no airbox lid, and stock bore. What cam would give me the best bang for my buck?

[GPracer2500]

To my knowledge, Sparks doesn't disclose the specs of their cams. That's ridiculous if you ask me. Personally, I wouldn't ever consider buying a cam without knowing what it was, exactly. It makes it impossible to actually judge the cam prior to purchasing it if the manufacture won't tell you what the hell it is.

Sparks cams may be good cams, but not disclosing the specs smacks of trying to hide something. And the idea that they don't disclose the specs to protect them from being copied doesn't hold water. If someone was serious about manufacturing the same cam all they'd have to do is buy one and measure it. I'm suspicious that many or all Sparks cams are just re-badged cams manufactured by someone else. I've heard some say that one of Sparks' TRX450R cams is actually an OEM Honda 02' CRF450R cam. I've never really looked into it that deeply so I'm not sure if that's true or not--but it wouldn't surprise me.

The Sparks X1 may be a fine cam, but your guess about it's suitability vs. some other cam with your setup is anyone's guess.