new 07 tomorrow &

[Chet]

Well I did not find the super deals that I have been hearing about here but under 5K out the door, so I guess I will probably ask a few questions that have been asked before, first off what are the popular and not overpriced helmets for the ATV rider, I ride sport bikes and wear closed face type helmets, what goggles are popular and what are the first mods most riders do to the 400ex, I would imagine a slip on exhaust and rejetting. is stock gearing OK.is the stock air filter ok or not!


thanks
Chet

[powermadd400ex]

HJC and fulmer helmets have very nice helmets that are around 100-150.
my first mods were skidplates(belly pan, and rear skid are the most crucial) and nerf bars. i think protecting your ride and yourself is the first and foremost priority. after those two things,if your a trail riders, i would get a slip on, jets, and airfilter to uncork the 400 a bit. BUT if you ride mx id reccomend front shocks first.
congratulations on the 400 btw

[racerdan24]

Chet,
Sorry you didnt get the deal you thought you might get. I ffe lucky to have found my 08 for 4400 out the door. anyway...back to your questions:
Skid plates first and foremost...protect the investment
HJC helmet new...rocky mountain ATV 100 bucks...fits great and looks good and protects your noodle.
I left the exhaust alone and went with K&N filter.
Nerfs were next.....then i went for tires and rimes all the way around.
I then went with Renthal bars,sprockets and chain.
My shocks were fine for my riding area.....My next investment will be slip on next year with jets....
Goggles...thats tough i have scotts which are fine for a decent price...around 25 bucks i think

So i would agree with powermadd ( I usually do )..
1)Protection is always first- ATV and Your noggin
2)Mods to your quad come on your own riding style,where you ride and also what type of riding you do MX or trail.

My .02...pay the man shirley!

[RaginRedneck]

Pretty much what everyone has said before me.

I got my deal when it was the beginning of 08 and they still had 07's on the showroom that they wanted to move. Same thing with all my riding gear, I paid 129 bucks for a $225 dollar helmet. Also, I was beating up the sales guy and made him throw in $100 on a gift card for accessories! :D

As far as add ons, protect yourself first, then the quad. I would put nerfs high on the list, but thats me.

Stock gearing is good, but it all depends on what you are doing. I dropped mine a tooth, because I was flat track racing and I mainly ride trails. The low end power is awesome, but you lose a lot on the top end, so if you are going to be hitting top speed a lot then I wouldn't do it.

Good luck!! :macho

[racerdan24]

I agree ragin....i was looking for more bottom end for my riding area...i dropped down to a 13/39 and was like WOW! ripping up everything through 3rd gear now!

[RaginRedneck]

Yeah, when I'm racing I can launch in 2nd and it still rips the front tires right up!!

[Chet]

Well I now have the red 07 400ex, only rode it for 5 minutes, seems cold blodded have to warm it up for a few minutes with the choke full on for 30 seconds then partially on in the middle for about 2 minutes and ready to go, I have been reading on Ebay about the end of the muffler, there are these caps with a larger hole that screws on the end of the muffler that replaces the stock one, are these worth any gains or should I look for a aftermarket exhaust, and talking about aftermarket exhaust, I am planning on staying with the stock bore, is the full system better than a slip on, does a full system take any bottom end power away, I see a full system on ebay by Curtis sparks will this work with a stock motor, are all the slip ons the same, which is preferred overall. I see alot of HMF out there. is there any reviews on slip ons ect. and since I did not ask the dealer or read the manual yet, what octane is recommended and any preferred on engine oils after breakin, (I use Shell Rotella synthetic 5-40 in the sport bikes) recommended.

Chet

[racerdan24]

Chet...

Couple answers for you:

1) 91 or higher...i run 93

2) Any aftermarke slip on exhaust or full exhaust for that matter will require the carb to be rejetted. You can find some on ebay with the jet kit included...i know there is a guy on there selling HMF slip ons with the jet kit for about $240.00.

3) Yes...pretty much all quads are coldblooded...mine whichis brand new ( August) starts cold but once warms up, has no problems. Usuall about 1/4 to half throttle for a minute or 2 does the trick.

4) Oil- you will get a hundred responses on this...Check the threads on here...you usually can fin the answers here for that. I havent had to change mine yet but i am leaning toward synthetic as well.

5) The aftermarket caps dont really give that much power...Just a little more noise from what i heard...some people say they sound like a baby farting under water....I am happy with my stock one so far, maybe in the spring i will get a HMF or FMF lip on and rejet the carb.

If i am incorrect on any of this guys....please add on to this for chet. I dont want to give incorrect info!!!

[powermadd400ex]

dan pretty much covered it. only thing i can add is not to use sythetic oil with MOLY. this will make your clutch slip.

[Chet]

Seems like this group has got their $hit together, I guess I will forget about the cap on the stock pipe and look into a nice used slip on or full exhaust, by the way what jetting are most you guys running here on the east coast with stock engines. I like my power to pull the best in the midrange.

Chet

[RaginRedneck]

Couple of points to add for you Chet:

1) Do NOT use Synthetic Oil for the Break in, it affects the way the motor gets broken in. In all honesty I can't remember what, but I believe it has to do with either the rings or valves. After the break in, synthetic is recommended. And no matter what you buy make sure its for a Wet Clutch.

2) If you plan on leaving the bore stock don't waste your money on a Full System Exhaust (Unless you get a real screaming deal). A full exhaust will get you more power than a slip on, but its pretty minimal on a stock bore, and they are about twice as much. So go with a slip-on. As far as which is the best/sounds the best, that it is an age-old debate. I personally think that they are all close enough in power gains that its not really gonna matter, HMF seems to be the most popular, followed by White Bros E-Series (I think they are out of business now). As far as sound goes, here you go:

http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=346007&highlight=exhaust+clip

That should help. Good Luck and welcome to the addiction!! :macho

[rob_990]

for helmets go to rockymountain and look at the closeouts. i got a 350 dollar helmet for only 160 bucks

[racerdan24]

I agree with Rob...RMATV had a beautiful HJC for less than 100

[400ex07]

The first Mods I did were, skid plates and nerf bars. I wish now I spent the extra money and got a better skid plate because mine is in really ruff shape now. Then I bought a stage 1 kit from mods3 and I love it. It came with a jet kit, parking brake block off, k&n air filter, front sprocket, and a outerwear pre filter.

http://www.partsforatvs.com/default.asp?p=2224&c=725&cn=M3Q+400EX+POWER