Must-have mods?

[BEAVER.989]

I'm picking up a brand new 400EX this week. Are there any must-have items that I should pick up before I even take this thing home for the first time?

I ride really technical trails(top speed is insignificant) and don't know that I really need to tear into the engine, but I'm wondering if I should at least pick up a better air filter and/or some new jets, because as I understand it these quads are jetted pretty lean from the factory.

I plan on picking up a bumper and maybe some nerfs, as well.

If there are any other must-have you guys can think of, lemme hear 'em...

[buster024]

Welcome to the site! Congrats on the bike. Air filter and a jet kit are a great place to start. Use the search feature on the site, and you'll find many threads on which type of filter riders prefer (K&N vs. Uni's etc.). Pipes will wake your bike up a bit, but aren't required. Nerf's, handguards, an extra front and rear tire, cleaning stuff, extra oil and filters, and a good gas can are also things that you'll end up needing anyway, so might as well leave with them.

Once you figure your bike out, then start taking a look into suspension. The 400 stock suspension system is horrible, and you'll be absolutely amazed at what aftermarket suspension can do for you. Read the stickys at the top of the forum.....450r shocks and carbs are great, easy do-it-yourself upgrades. The 400ex powerplant is way to much for the front shocks. Almost everyone on this site would recommend suspension over motor mods everytime.

Search, ask (don't be afraid to ask what pipe is best....everone does), and have fun with that bad boy!

[tri5ron]

beaver...,
Welcome aboard, hope you enjoy this site.
alot of good folks, and good info. to be gained here.

check out this thread from a few days ago. It was started by another member who had the same questions as you,

http://www.exriders.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=387592

Oh, and BTW,
Welcome to the Disease.
You are already showing the primary symptoms.
There is no cure, and it's very difficult to even keep it under control.
It IS TERMINAL, best of luck to you.....

[400ex28]

Suspension

[sprayedgt]

The FIRST thing you need is a rear swing arm skid plate! You only have about 4" of rear clearance. All the suspension, exhaust, or power making mods cannot protect you from one good hit from a rock that can take out your disk and possibly your sprocket. After that you should get a chassis skid plate. After the chassis and skid plate are protected the possibilities are endless.

[tri5ron]

Oops,
I stand corrected,
and I do agree with sprayedgt.

Swinger skid First Thing!
And the BEST one you can find too.
They are alot cheaper than having to replace a disk, caliper, and sprocket on a new bike.

take a look at ANY quad out there, thats ever been on a trail ride, and you will see the swinger skid takes ALOT of hits.
Each one of those hits can smash the stock skid and ruin your whole day. (as well as the potential for taking a good bite out of your wallet).
just one of those deals where it's
"Pay me now,..... or Pay me MORE Later".

so while your under there, do the frame and a-arm skids too, What the heck!

THEN, it's the Nerfs, and all the rest that follows.

have fun, your in for a long 'ride',
the UPS, and FED-EX man,
are about to become your favorite guys on the planet! LOL!!

ask GATEKEEPER about the packing peanuts !!! LOL!!!

and once again,......
Welcome to the Disease.

[BEAVER.989]

Thanks for the welcome and the replies guys.

This is the kind of soild advice that I was looking for. Right now I'm not too concerned with building the motor... I'm more worried about making the entire package more "trail worthy".

Is there a specific armor manufacturer that you guys would recommend over the others?

[tri5ron]

dont worry so much about brand names for the armor.
just make sure the swinger skid is a minimum .250 thickness.
Same goes for the A-arm skids.
Frame/Chasis skid, is fine at .190 or so.

now sign up that paypal account, and go spend countless hours on ebay !!!
have fun.

[racerdan24]

Exactly what the guys said above...protect the quad and your noggin! as far as skid plates.....you can go with rock,ac,pro armour etc.....anything is better than stock.

[BEAVER.989]

Thanks again.

[buster024]

Armor is a great idea too. I'm paying the penalty for riding all last winter without one on my new swingarm. I'm out both rear sprocket and rotor now.

[racerdan24]

Originally posted by BEAVER.989
Thanks again.
No problem....forgot to officially welcome you to one of the best sites and addictions.....

[sprayedgt]

I personally like the Ricochet brand. I had a Pro Armor 1/4" thick swing arm plate and blew holes through it in less than 4 months. I got the Ricochet on there now and it's been beat up, but no holes and going on almost 7 months now. And welcome to the forums!

A must have is protection. Nerfs, skids, maybe a tether kill switch. Something I need to do is make it more comfortable. New bars and I think I might re-stuff my seat or something my tail bone is always killing me from sitting on the edge every turn. Wish i had a seat like the 08 + or a suzuki type seat. Maybe I can custom fit one.

[SPDSNYPR]

First thing I replaced were the bars. With the stock ones, I had the propensity to hit the throttle with my knee on turns. No good, that. Quickly followed by nerfs. Since I got those, I haven't run my leg over once. Good, that. After my first XC race, I found my swingarm skid had a big honkin' hole in it. It basically had just been chewed away. I got a big monster swingarm skid that I think would deflect an anti-tank missile. Next are shocks, then a pipe.

[BEAVER.989]

Ok, I've picked out a bumper, set of nerfs and skid plates for the swingarm and chassis. I'm also looking at filters and jets.

Is a Uni filter and jet kit worth the coin? I haven't even seen what comes on the stock quad yet...

[tri5ron]

Your stock air filter is fine, until you decide to get a performance exhaust.
Once you upgrade to either a slip-on, or a full header system, THEN you will want to choose a Uni, K&N, Twinair, etc., and you will be re-jetting it at the same time. you will also want to start learning about Outerwears covers, lids, and the DIY lids.