How does this sound for MX

[trx400ex]

Ok how does this sound for engine mods.....This is a pure mx motor too....nothing else.

TC pipe
TC cam
TC porting
TC oversized studs
FCR 41MM
JE 13:1 426 piston

Any suggestions or things i should do diffrently....

[ny300exrider]

sounds loud :devil jk, it sounds like a sick motor, probly gonna be awsome!

[Ryan]

On Mx handling and suspenion is more importain then engine power.

[Poncho]

Umm he needs motor mods too. He has already covered the handling stuff with roll design ends.


Spencer ;)

[trx400ex]

Thanks spencer. And ryan, if you didnt post so much, you would have more time to make sure you spell words correctly..

[Sparks425Ex]

First of all. I would get all the same stuff but Sparks parts.

But Both are still the Best. Neither one is better then the other.


One problem with your set up if your Carb. Get the FCr39 not the 41.

The FCR41 is a TT carb. It will rob your bottom end and give alot on top. You odn;t need that for MX. Mx is all Toruqe/bottom end.

The bigger isn;t always better in this case. The smaller carb will give more bottom end and less top end(What you need) And the FCR41 will rob bottom end and give top end(Not for You. For TT Racing/Dunes)

Other then that. You have a killer set up. But If youp plan on getting a full Race TC motor you won;t make most of the races at the beginning of the year. He will have your motor for a while.

ASK CHADEXER ABOUT TURN AROUND TIME ON TC ENGINES.(HORRIBLE)

[trx400ex]

handling mods

[trx400ex]

Originally posted by NACS425Ex
First of all. I would get all the same stuff but Sparks parts.

But Both are still the Best. Neither one is better then the other.


One problem with your set up if your Carb. Get the FCr39 not the 41.

The FCR41 is a TT carb. It will rob your bottom end and give alot on top. You odn;t need that for MX. Mx is all Toruqe/bottom end.

The bigger isn;t always better in this case. The smaller carb will give more bottom end and less top end(What you need) And the FCR41 will rob bottom end and give top end(Not for You. For TT Racing/Dunes)

Other then that. You have a killer set up. But If youp plan on getting a full Race TC motor you won;t make most of the races at the beginning of the year. He will have your motor for a while.

ASK CHADEXER ABOUT TURN AROUND TIME ON TC ENGINES.(HORRIBLE)

thanks, thats the kind of reply i like....
and the carb was one thing i didnt know on......i will research it more.
on turnaround time...i dont plan on racing untilla fter march...i dont know if sparks would be faster or not? porting is all i will have them do....i can get the bore done myself. are the sparks 400exs fast?

[Bean]

Tom uses the Lectron, so he may want u to use the same, Sparks makes some killer 400ex's as well, go with what u want

[user101]

how can u stand to have all those part everywhere

[trx400ex]

well you can only see half of the mess..and these pics are a few days old..its much worse

yeah tom likes lectrons...im not running one even if i get it for free, ive heard too much bad crap about them

[Dave400ex]

First of all stick with TC instead of Sparks. Tom is just as good as Curtis with 4 Strokes. Tom may have a long wait, but Sparks is even longer. So for Porting TC is they way to go, but if you have the money a 2nd cylinder would be smart to send him so you could still ride. Just talk to Tom and tell him you don't want a Lectron, and he will get you a FCR. He told me for XC he wouldn't use a Lectron that he would want me to use the FCR. Also get the 39mm and not the 41mm. 41mm is for the larger bore motors. You may want to ask him about getting some Stiffer Valve Springs just incase, if he says not to, then he knows what he is doing. DO NOT get that high of a Compression. X-Rider had a 13:1 425 and had nothing but problems with it. I would get a 12.5:1 or maybe a 12:1. It's worth loosing a little power for the better reliability. Rather then that it sounds good.
Sparks does build some fast motors, but there is no proof in a drag race saying that the TC's are not faster because Tom doesn't go to 4 Stroke Wars they are to far away. Also Sparks has a lot worse turn around time then TC. One more thing, Sparks is a lot more expensive then TC too.
I am going to call Tom Monday to ask him about running 20w-50 through the Winter so if you want to know something I will ask. Anymore questions let me know..... Also you could call Rocky Ridge Racing.....

[trx400ex]

Well i dont remeber what tom said regarding vlave springs but if he wants me to get some i will....hey warriorman, if you could, when you call tom ask him what compression he would recomend for mx only on a 400ex...thats would be great, thanks, let us know what he says about oil

[Bean]

2 things ring true though

great things come to those who wait

u get what u pay for

[Dave400ex]

Well I know for me building a XC Motor he said the stock springs and rockers would be fine. Actually now that I think about it I believe Chad still has the stock springs and rockers on his 505. I don't think you will need any. Well I called Tom this summer about Oil and he said to run 20w-50. I remember asking if it is ok to run year round, but I forget what he said and I looked at some books and it shows 20w-50 is not good for anything below about 37 degrees. Well it's colder then that in Indiana. I will let you know.
Bean:
By no means is TC's wait short, but it's not as long as Sparks. Sparks is only longer because he has more Motors to build because some people don't know much about TC. Anybody who is part of the racing world knows Tom Carlson and how good his engines are. Some of Sparks prices are a little out of control. I'm not saying they are not worth it, just that for the price difference they are not that much better, if at all better, then TC's parts.
Also what are you going to do for the Clutch?

[Chef]

The only thing I can see is get some O/S valves, it will make a difference. You will definitely want the valve springs, and dont be afraid of the compression. Let your bike warm up to the full operating temperature before you start really getting on the throttle. Those a-arms look sweet man, you have the RD Swingarm too? The A-Arms look like they are a bigger diameter than regular ones, too...are they?

One other thing I noticed is that everyone that has both EX's and Banshees has been putting the Banshees on the back burner and getting back into the EX's...weird, like a trend :p

[Edit] The 41 shouldnt hurt your bottom end if you get that 13:1 compression piston. I had a 14:1 and a 41 and it had plenty of bottom.

[Poncho]

Jeff, listen to Bean he is the wise one...lol

Spencer :p

[Bean]

yes, Bean is the all knowing god, yes yes, he is, i know

instead of that 425 kit go with a powroll 440 stroker. don't go over 12:1 compression at the most. really i have been told by a couple engine builder that over thats asking for trouble. i would run the lectron over the fcr. they make just as much power and are easier to tune. and i hope your racing the reads series so i can have some good competition.

[trx400ex]

Thanks Alky....those aarms are a bigger diameter than my old burgards

Im going to se the price diffrence between sparks and TC and the wait diffrence then i will decide....

Warriorman...i have a barnett clutch that i think is still good. if i had money i would buy a full hinson 8 plate....but i dont..i think ill just see if this one holds up

Thanks for all the help guys

[Dave400ex]

Well you really don't need a full Hinson setup, although that is the best. TC and Sparks both have a 8 plate kit that is much cheaper and really all you would need is the kit and Hinson Basket.

[Bean]

yea, warriorman is correct on that one, they are cheaper, but will they hold up as good as a full out Hinson........?

only time will tell

[Maryland 400EX]

Ditto Nacs425EX... Sparks is making the Horses for my dollars. I don't mind paying a little more to do the job right. I can't wait to tear this engine down...

[ChadEXer]

I agree with Warriorman 100%!!! TC all they way, he might take a while but its definately worth it,,,Tom is about 6-7 months out right now and Sparks is about 11-12 months out.
Tom says oversize valves make absolutely no performance gains!! I am running stock valves and rockers in mine. TC says to never run anything over a 12.5:1 unless your on alky, but its still really not the best thing to do, and Sparks now agrees on the compression theory after his bikes were having numerous problems with the high compression he was running in them!! I think that anyone that has a TC motor will agree that you cant get the job done more "right" than he does anywhere else. Sparks parts and service arent any better than TC's so I will be more than happy to save a little money(and Time) and have it done by TC!!! I built my complete 505 with carb and pipe for almost half what it costs for a Sparks 465. Yeah there is a saying you pay for what you get, but how many people spent $1000 on the first Playstations released or $300 on a Tickle me Elmo doll????? Yeap, you got what you paid for :rolleyes:

[Fleshwound]

well all i have to say is go for the 440...
a guy i raced against had pretty much the same set up as you mentioned with the fcr 39, 12:1 comp i think....
and i cant remember the last time he didnt get the holeshot!!
but then again i dont think we had any 425's in the line up sooo
no matter what ya do it looks like your gunna have a sick ride.
yeah you definitely have the suspension down...

[dawzie]

I had TMM build our 440 stroker. It has a lectron carb and we have no problems at all. If you are interested I want $2000 for the motor with carb, rev box and exhust.

[Dave400ex]

I didn't get a chance to call Tom today, but I want to tomorrow and I am going to talk to him about some motor packages.

who's doin the work...TC himself. Other alternative is Rocky Ridge racing..closer than Tom and they pretty much do the same exact work as TC..I've rode one of his TC 416's and it is badarse..

[ChadEXer]

Warriorman, Tom told me he would be done with my motor last week, tell him I said I want it NOW!!! Just kidding!!

[Dave400ex]

I just got off the phone with Tom. He said the highest he would go on a full MX Quad is the 12.5:1. Now there may be some other things you need to ask when going that high, but he does use stock springs and rockers for his cams. I just need to get enough money so I can get his XC Motor. Also it is ok to run 20w-50 in the cold weather. He told me before I start going out and beating on the quad I need to take my glove off and touch the oil tank to make sure it is hot.

[Bean]

TMM makes a SWEET 440, its a bored up 416, stroked to a 440, and its awsome, i was goin to rid of my CT one, and do this one, for the extra relabilty, and a less common sweet motor, but i didnt get around to it

[dawzie]

Yup - that's what mine is. It is awsome.

20-50 is too heavy for winter. run a 10-40 or whatever the manual suggests

[Evan]

People say Sparks cost more, but I truly belive that you are getting what u pay for. Yes Sparks motors do cost more, could be several reasons, he doesnt trust anything stock, cam chain, valve springs, rockers etc, that is why his motors will cost more than TC. I agree 100% that TC is good, and good for the money you pay, but I dont belive he is the best. Chad your right, why should a 505 cost anymore than a 465, that doesnt make sense, I mean, all your doing is boring and putting a sleeve in, a different one. Sparks says you dont need springs with their cam, but I guess I was a fluke. Its funny, I blew a motor proably becuz of sparks or my own stupidity, but yet I still stand up for them, hmm they must be good lol. If I was to mod a 400 again, this would be my setup, and no Im not biased towards sparks.
FCR39mm
X-6 pipe, best for modded engines have yet to hear of a better one.
Oversized valves, not a must but wouldnt hurt.
Have 2 heads, send one to get ported, any decent porting, TC, Legacy, Sparks anyone who has done a few....
Stiffer valve springs, a must with any high lift cam, its common sense
heavyduty cam chain, just in case, sparks has one for 100,
sparks 8 plate clutch or TC, havent heard anything about TCs so i dont know.
Sparks cam, most agressive drop in.
12:1 compression 416, dont go higher than 416 unless u have too, if you do go to 425 drop the compression to 11:1, theres not that much to be gaind by higher compression IMO (in other words, very little difference in a 13:1 and a 12:1 etc)
I belive this is the best MX setup IMO I have a freind that I race against and he has nearly an identical setup, except it was built by Legacy, and theres not much out there that will touch him on the track, I had the closest one. This is a pic of the holeshot, hes in front by about 4 bike lengths, and Im in 2nd.

[Maryland 400EX]

Thanks for the advice X-Rider. I called Sparks last night and ordered my 39MM FCR and Ignition Key. I then asked about the engine work. I was told that there was a 12 month wait on getting a 465 National Motor so I'm weighing my options as to which direction to go in from here. The X-6 Pipe and 39 MM FCR will make good gains but I may take a chance and install a dry nitrous kit with a very small shot (5 HP) with a Sneaky Pete or 1 LB. Bottle bottle just for drag races. This may be my best option because I only need the power when me and the locals engage in drag races. The Dry Nitrous System just fogs the airbox and adds less shock to the motor than a Direct port Kit. The carb will have to be set up on the rich side for this and the Ignition Key may be a bad idea (Too much timing) but I'm going to look into this.

[Dave400ex]

20-50 is too heavy for winter. run a 10-40 or whatever the manual suggests

TC told me it was just fine to run 20w-50 year round in the 400ex just to make sure the oil tank is hot before you start beating on it. Once you get it started the 20w-50 would be better because the 400 will run just as hot with it being cold. I'm not flaming, but I think Tom knows more then anybody on this site about motors, so I trust him. If you don't believe me, call Tom and ask about it. He will tell you the same thing. Actually do call, so we get more then one answer....