400ex & TRX450R

[Chet]

my buddy and I are down to 2 quads for are final decision, what we would ask is we are going to ride the trails and some woods riding, can the 450r do slow rough terrain riding compared to the 400ex, Is the 450r 1st gear somewhat taller than the 400ex, will be harder on the clutch on the 450r vs the 400ex. we like some pep but yet if the 450r is not real suitable for some of the tight trails, ect, we would like to know the pros & cons of each in what we are looking for.

thanks
Chet

[klutch]

I have a 450R, and my dad has a 400EX. The 400EX is a better all around trail quad. Very good for tight trails, can be lugged around at slow speeds very well and still has power for anything else. The 450 can be modded to do the same but I feel the 400 is a much better bike for it.
I ride my stock 450r through the same stuff, and i'm constantly clutching and such its alot of work and you really have to know how to work that clutch.

450r is deffinately not made to go slow. none of the 450's are. I can actually let out the clutch and idle on my 400ex. 450's you gotta give it some gas to have that peppy feeling idk I dont like the 450's only because of they cant go slow. cant slow cat walk them very easy without stalling

[whitebros400]

i love riding 450's in the trails but having to pull in the clutch gets very annoying.
After a while the 400 may seem to get under powered and slow thats why next year i am selling mine and getting a 450 but its your choice. Is this your first quad?

[fivepointnine]

my friend has a trx450r and my wife has a 400ex, the 400ex is way more fun for trail riding, it will lug down low all day, the 450r not so much,,.,but for desert riding the 450r rocks!

[bmfgsxr]

cant say much more than everyone else has said, but i recently sold my crf450r because the riding i do is tight trails and i mostly ride with my kids. i was constantly clutching to keep from stalling, i even went up on the rear sprocket, and installed a boyeson quickshot to help it, but i was always working the clutch. i bought a trx400 so i dont have to constantly do that anymore. if your primarily going to be in the woods and on trails then go with trx400 over the 450.. all 450's are meant for racing, and going fast.

[represent618]

depends on your level of riding.

I can blast the trails on my 450 all day and have a great time. Now going slow and lugging around, not so much....a lot of clutch.

I love the power of the 450.

I love the ride ability and reliability of the 400.

I hate the maintenance of the 450.

I hate riding a 400 with a group of 450's, they leave you waaaay behind.

There are so many sides to this argument that it could go on forever, each bike has plenty of pros and cons.
(the 450 has more cons in my opinion)

[davidw2155]

I've got to agree with the rest of the guys, I've owned a 400 for a long time and I've rode a lot of 450's, and for trail riding, which is what I mainly ride, the 400 blows the 450 out of the water for comfort and ridability. Like the other guys said, if you are just mainly concerned with trail riding, the 400 is the way to go, but if you are at all concerned about being beat by other quads, then you might want to check out the 450. Hope this helps you with your decision.

[400ex07]

I have a 400ex and I have a buddy with a 450ER, we both have air filters,rejected, and down one sprocket in the front. I have ridden both through some rugged trails and I found the 450R just as easy to ride. It has more ground clearance than my 400, more power, and overall handled better. The only thing I would complain about on the 450R is the handle bars would vibrate from the engine, which is not a big deal. The clutching issues everyone complains about, I never even noticed, its not as hard as everyone makes it out to be. Once you get used to it, its not bad at all

[fivepointnine]

I feel that the 400ex vibrates way more than a 450r...I just cant get over the lack of lowend (in comparison) on the 450r for trail riding

[MtnEX]

Well, do you ever wonder why you see soooo many nice 450's for sale used?
There is plenty of reason for that.

I rode a YFZ450 that I really loved. But one thing it was not is a tight technical trail quad. They are too high-strung for that type of riding and are really a waste for that. They are great until the going gets slow and technical.

Mine was set up a little too wide too. Just not a great setup for all-around mountain woods trail riding when the going gets slow and technical.

One day on a friend's 300EX is all it took to help me decide to sell it the guy who wanted it.


Overall, I miss the YFZ450 a lot, but not for the tight technical riding and/or riding with others without 450's. The 400EX is much better for that.

Myself, I have wondered since if there was some mods and gearing combos that might make a great trail 450? I just didn't see an answer that jumped out at me.

I think if I were going to try something else it would be an older Polaris Outlaw IRS (500 or 525) or a KTM 525XC or a lowered Raptor 700R (efi).


If I were going to try it with a 450, I think I'd lean towards the Kawi 450. I've read a couple of things that said it was the most luggable. Dunno if that is true or not...........

[bigredisb]

I just had a chance to do a head to head comparison on this very subject yesterday. My good freind bought a 07 450R with exhuast. Everything else is stock. We took my 07 ex listed below and this 450R to my western Wisconsin property to try them out and I thought I will ride both machines through the same trails and time them . I broke our trails out into 2 types. First being up and down steep hills, rocks, and very tight woods trails. The second was a longer more open trail that consists of sand bars and gravel bars that stretch out in some areas 1/2 mile maybe.
In the woods section the 400EX pulled consistant time 8+ seconds faster than the 450r (I am no stranger to clutching since I used to ride two stroke KX250 bikes). Out in the open trails the 450r really woke up where I could hold it wide open and stretch its legs. Times were 6 - 8 seconds faster than my EX.
Each of my trails are about 1.5 to 2 miles long and I did 5 laps on each time. It really does boil down to terrain that you will be trying to tackle.
The 450R was pretty toasty through the woods with the fan running most of the time and took a long time of idling to get the fan to kick back off. (I thought these were not thermostatically controlled and just ran all the time but I was proved wrong)

My EX was right round the 200 mark on my oil tank and 220 on the right hand lower cover of the trans.

After riding the 450R I am planning on picking one up once my EX is done (are they ever?). I pan on finding a 450 used and beat to do a rebuild and use it for sandy fast trails. BUT what was funny is my buddy is a equal rider to me and I ate the 450 for lunch when we combine both tracks together. He is not that familiar with the clutching on his 450 yet and was making up a lot of time on the straight aways and sand.
My Dad and my Wife were watching a stretch throught the woods and made the comment of the EX looked like a streek of lightning through some of the nasty sections compared to the 450.

Both are great machines but I will focus on my EX even after I find a 450 to add to the family.

[rideracelivemx7]

well i traded my 440 for a crf450. the difference between the two are epic. motowise of course. the ex could let hte clutch out and idle around. the 450 needs a little give and its off like a rocket. 450 destroys the 400 in power. its not even compairable. my 440 was all modded out and i was disapointed with teh results. i have a piston in the 450 and its rediculous, i cant wait to port it and cam it. 450s have a killer mid range and great top end for a 4 stroke. it has a similar powerband like a 2 stroke just with a hell of alot more bottom end. the bad part, when you hot stall, its a*****!! unless you have the starter. but youll be out there kicking the hog for 10 mins before even comeing close, the hot start helps only sometimes. if you dont mind clutching in the low end then its a great bike, i cant help you on the suspension part bcause i havent riddin the trx. but i was doing alot of slow ridding yesterday due to rain and a ton of mud and the bike held up real well. i was surprised. its a whole new 4 stroke and well worth the investment. if you ride a 450 youll hate the power of your current bike. my yz250 was my pride and joy now i hate it and almost never ride it lmao. but you still cant replace a 2stroke:D

[MtnEX]

Yeah, he's right... if you have the room to unleash the power, there is a distinct difference.

[leasureryan]

so why do the 450's still win the GNCC circuit?


I will be buying an R soon....keeping the ex too

[allhondaman]

my friend has a 450r with 1 less tooth on the front meaning geared down slightly. i loved it in the trails as much or more than the 400ex. if u are tired from woods riding on a 450r try a 125 2 stroke bike or a 250 even. i trained myself on a 250 2 stroke so the 450r was much easier in the trails. i would buy a 400ex just for reliability tho. i think the 450 is better seating and suspension but he 400 is more reliable

[MtnEX]

Originally posted by leasureryan
so why do the 450's still win the GNCC circuit?


I will be buying an R soon....keeping the ex too

Is there something besides a 450 out there now?

Besides that, the GNCC circuit is "open" enough on the track to benefit some from the 450's. Not a lot of lugging, squeezing or low speed operation involved there. It's mid-range to top-end power racing. One could be competitve on a 400cc ride... but why bother and why run at a handicap?