400ex or 300ex

[loveswheelies05]

within the next year or so me and my boyfriend plan to invest in getting me a 4 wheeler to ride. I have been riding his sisters Suzuki Osark and I will be learning on his Honda 400ex that he's made into a 440ex next. I was just thinking if I can ride the 440ex why settle for a 300ex. If i can handle the power from the 440 then i should be able to ride a 400ex.

I know i'll have the four wheeler for a long time so i don't want to get a 300ex if i can handle the 400ex. Because then i'll just be wanting more power once i hit the top speed on the 300ex.

What do you think?

[Mellow Yellow]

I think you've allready answered your own question. Absolutely go with the 400. Why get a 300 and wish for more power. The 400 is mellow enough that you can lug around at lower speeds but you'll have some power in reserve if you want/need it. I say get a quad that you can grow into rather than one you'll grow out of.

[honda729]

yea go for the 400 iv had both and after riding my 400 for the 1st time i had no idea how i lived with the 300

[loveswheelies05]

That's what i figured that i'd rather have something to grow into rather than grow out of, especially if i'm gonna be riding one that has more power than a 400 anyway.

How much of a difference is it from a 300 to a 400 honda729 since you've had both?

[honda729]

well i went from a piped and jetted 300 to a bone stock 400 and it was a very noticeable difference and then once i modded my 400 it really came alive. but if your learning on a 440 you will be fine. in fact if your comfortable on the 440 it wont take long untill you want to mod your 400. Im not knockin the 300 too much its 100% bulletproof and you will be able to go everywhere you boyfriend goes but it might not be as fun.

[TheNewn]

I own both a 250R and a 400EX, i learned to ride clutch on my dads 1995 300ex before it was sold.

Having that little background im seriously contemplating getting a new 300EX for the plain and simple reason that it was just the most *fun* to drive quad i've ridden. And i've ridden my dad's Raptor 700 with Elka's all around and dual exhaust...

I do have an older 400EX (2002) so it does not have reverse which would make it more enjoyable. So if you're buying new thats one more notch for the 400EX. I don't know what your riding style or location looks like but for me the 300EX was just plain fun and easy to drive. and a thousand dollars cheaper.

There's nothing bad about either quad, its basically just personal preferance. If you enjoy more power and will use it, get the 400EX. because there IS quite a bit of difference between them.

But honestly, how often do you need to go faster than ~55MPH?

[loveswheelies05]

yeah i might be a girl but i grew up a tomboy and i'm not afraid of going fast. Plus learning from my boyfriend is just gonna make me wanna go even faster because we are both so competative that we'll be racing all the time i'm sure, even tho i know he'll win every time. We ride trails alot if we go out with a bunch of people but if we are just riding together around his house we will ride alot up and down the road (he lives in the country), but there are a few trails we'll go down around his house too.

BTW, he said a stock 400 would be perfect for me.... he knows i'm not scared, the first time i rode a quad by myself i was riding a wheelie. So i believe we're both leaning towards a 400.

oh and TheNewn asked how often do i need to go faster than 55? The people we ride with are extremely big on riding fast and racing down the road... if you scared to push the throttle you might as well not show up.

[honda729]

worst case- you hafta make a trip to the ER and you know where your limits are lol

[loveswheelies05]

yeah i make sure i always ride with protection, and luckily i haven't fallen off yet nor gotten hurt. But like you said i have to learn my limits. But then i'll just try it again :muscle:

the big thing is that you can control the vehicle rather than it controling you. I see it all the time someone too inexperienced to ride a bigger quad and they end up goon riding and crashing

[loveswheelies05]

yeah but before we go buy a 400ex for me i'm gonna ride my bf's 440ex. So a 400ex will be a step down in power.

[HondaRaceReady]

If you're used to a 440 now, a stock 400ex is slow. You could buy a 400ex and make it a 440 and do other mods, but its just cheaper to buy a 450r. They aren't as reliable, but it's all about what you want. Don't let someone talk you into getting something you know you don't want. I let someone talk me into getting a 400ex, and I traded it in for less than half of what I payed to get a 450r. If he cares about you he will listen when you tell him what you really want whether its a 400ex or whatever.

[loveswheelies05]

Yeah another guy who rides with us just bought a brand new 450r and his is the fastest out of our group. I think that i will be satisfied with the power of a stock 400ex. As long as i can keep up with them when we ride i'm good. the 450r's do look pretty bad ***** tho! I guess once i get closer to gettin one my next thread will be deciding on a color. :cool: