What to do next?

[rigger]

I have an 04' 400EX that is in almost showroom condition.

Current motor mods are HMF slip on with quiet core insert. Modified air box lid, UNI foam filter, jetting is spot on. Sparks timming advance key.

Other stuff, Pro Armor nerfs, AC racing front bumper, Alum bars and new grips. Full DG skid plates on the a-arms, frame and swing arm.

95% tread left on stock tires. Everything else is stock.

Trying to decide what to work on next. Should it be more power, work on suspension, or looks.

Over all I am happy with it, But there is always room to make it better. Just looking for opinions on what to work on next.

I was thinking about front shocks. Maybe getting 450R fronts. If I get 450R front shocks, do they really need to be re-sprung and valved? Or can I just bolt them on and ride. I weigh in at about 165 most of the time, I ride trails pretty hard. Only hit a track once in a while and I am hot a high jumper.

As far as shocks go, if I buy 450R front shocks and have them re-valved and sprung, I assume I will need to do the same for the rear too.

Also what about the Elka front shocks. Are the entry level shocks that they sell any good? I think I saw where you could get them vavled and sprung new for like $500 or $600.

Any way, just looking for what you guys think I should look into next.
Oh, and pinching the penny is very important, so keep that in mind too.

Thanks again.

1st you have to ask yourself... are you satisfied with the power? If you say you could use a little more power consider a stage 1 hotcam and a 10.1 wiseco piston. If you look at the mods I have we are very similar and I bought my 2004 and it looked as you described yours off the showroom floor. I am satisfied with the power of mine and I am off to get suspension. I am very low on cash and I only buy something every so often. I am going to try the 450r front shock route and see how that goes and later down the road get all 3 shocks revalved and resprung. They say the 450r have a lot of potentia and they can be better than Elka Rec shocks or Works shocks after being revalved and resprung to your weight and riding style.

[rigger]

I would post a couple of pictures of her but every time I try, it says the picture is to big. How do you guys post pictures on here?

[trx400EXtreme]

i, along with ton's of other people on here would say SUSPENSION. i had a somewhat stock ex like yours.... just a pipe, filter, nerfs, bumper, etc. i bought some PEP race series and it is BY FAR the best thing i have ever put on my quad. my cousin went the opposite direction on his z400 and did motor before suspension. so now he has a z455 with a hotcam stg.2 (i think) and a CP high comp piston. in an all out drag race stock to stock we were pretty much dead even. now, even thoguh he has a 455, i can keep up better than i thought i would and finish topped out 5th gear only about 3-3 1/2 lengths behind him. we have riddin' on his trails very agressively and he can't even use all the power. bottem line...... whay have all that power if you can't control it................suspension.

[trx400EXtreme]

Originally posted by rigger
I would post a couple of pictures of her but every time I try, it says the picture is to big. How do you guys post pictures on here? edit the picture in paint, go to image, stretch skew, and do the top two percents (same number on each one) untill it is 150,000 bytes or less. to check push save then go to image, attributes and look at the bytes. i normally down size my pics to about 30-40 percent.

[buster024]

i, along with ton's of other people on here would say SUSPENSION. i had a somewhat stock ex like yours.... just a pipe, filter, nerfs, bumper, etc. i bought some PEP race series and it is BY FAR the best thing i have ever put on my quad

No question, suspension. If all you ride are dunes, then maybe you could/should go for power. That being said, if you ride dunes, then unless you upgrade to a 450 you're going to get killed no matter what.
Elka (or most any major brand of suspension) will make a HUGE improvement in your bike. I can't describe what a difference it will make for you until you inadvertently carry a jump about 4 feet to far. You will thank yourself over and over for getting suspension.
Wait and find some used Elkas, or PEP etc. You can find great deals on this site, eBay, etc. Pay half the cost of new, drop the $150 to have them revalved if necessary (it may not be necessary), and be way ahead of not only stock shocks, but any used 450 shocks as well.

[rigger]

picture

[rigger]

one more picture

[rigger]

Figured out that picture thing. Got to be an easier way to do it than the way I did, but I got it to work.

I have started looking pretty hard at shocks. Overall, I am pretty happy with the motor. I think I need to improve the handling next, just like most of you say.

I was watching a few sets of front shocks on ebay.

Lets just say I pick up a set of good 450R front shocks and just bolt them on the front. Get them adjusted as best I can. Running them on the front and the stock rear shock, what will the ride be like? Will I be able to get away with that or am I going to have to dump more money into it. I do not have a lot to spend, money is a bit on the tighter side right now so if I get something, it will have to be a deal. That is why I am wondering if I can get away with out revalving and respringing.

Thanks again for the info guys.

[buster024]

You can definitely improve the ride with stock R shocks. It will be a noticeable difference if you have them revalved, and it will be even better if you buy aftermarket.
My beef with R shocks, are they're typically over-priced used, and you are still getting shocks not designed for a 400 geometry. IMO, you should wait to find used aftermarket shocks designed for the 400. Give it a week, and I just about guarantee that if you watch the for sale section on the this site, and/or ebay, you'll find something.
Suspension is a great decision, so no matter what you get, it will improve your bike dramatically. Good luck!

PS -- you can download a free program called Infraview that will help you resize pics. Just edit - resize to 50%, save it to your free account on photobucket, and upload the URL from their. There are probably easier ways then that, but once you get the photobucket account set up, and download infraview it's super easy.

hey you stole my quad give it back, just messin nice quad it looks so similar to mine and I love it.

[rigger]

Hey FoxHonda, how do you like the steel braded brake lines? Did they make a good difference in stopping power and feel?