400ex vs. 700xx

[VTredneckgames]

I recently raced my buddy on his new 700xx. Mine is an 04 400ex. Both are stock.

We raced on gravel for about 70 yds. His rear wheels were at my front. I figured he would get me by more. I do have more experience riding then he does. Has anyone else raced one or heard about how the two compare?

I rode his and personally, I liked the ride and throttle response. It has an awesome sound to it. But I would rather have my ex. the 700 would be a pain to work on and has way too many bells and whistles for me.

[katch26]

well the 700 comes extremely corked up from the factory....its going to be faster and it will respond much better to mods than the 400 will....jmo

edit: I thought this was the raptor sorry

[bigbad400]

the 700xx was designed to be a comfortable trail sport quad, not at all a speed demon or power house. they were made with the 400ex in mind, similar quad with a bigger motor and IRS... they should have made it to be a beast woods or not. but in reviews i read in quad mag and online they compare it to the 400ex and to the 450r, stating that it was made to be a bigger stronger smoother 400ex with a hell of alot of BS to go with, id buy a ds650 or a renegade 800 (both can am) befor id even look into that new 700, not impressed. they would have had a better chance making something of the 400ex, liquid cooling, shock upgrade, efi, 6 speed would be nice, and maybe come with a better set of tires... instead of making a new model update the ones they have now. i love honda i ride honda but they are slowly loosing my buisiness the new can ams are so much nicer and faster, smoother riding... becomming more updateable and there not but a small amount mor 450 for 450. sorry honda but keep up with your jones's the grass IS greener on the other side

[matt14c]

I have heard many more bad things coming from the 700xx camp than good things. People dont start to really like them until they dump about another extra $1000 or so into them. All that for efi and irs? NO thanks! Put a slip on or full exhaust on a 450r and have conversions done to all three shocks and you would walk all over a 700 all day and night and prolly still have more coin in your pocket. Im with bigbad I have been seriously looking into the can am renegade and outlanders and having recently rode a couple they are some bad machines. I have rode both a 500 and 800 renegade and an 800 outlander and for being considered a utility they haul arse. They will get through, over, and around things much nicer, smoother, and quicker than anything comparable from Honda. If it wasnt for there $8-10k price tag and I just cant pull myself to switch brands YET otherwise one would be sitting in the garage right now and I cannot find and nice used ones.

[honda400ex2003]

lol, the reason you cant find used ones is cause people keep them lol. i too have not been hearing good things about the power but it is designed to be a comfortable trail machine with irs not a monster power machine. it is like taking a 250ex and wanting to run with a rincon. 2 different machines 2 different scenarios and riding styles. my .02 though, steve

[katch26]

matlock does well on it in the desert scene....BUT...IMO Honda messed up trying to compete in two markets at the same time (outlaw & raptor)

[Snipe]

Never road them when I bought mine I looked at the 700xx only thing I really liked about it was the suspension on all 4 corners that would make for a nice smooth ride lol.

The looks were pretty cool but I didnt much like the specs of the machine. I have a DS650 and that is a beast to me its like a cross between the 450R. Its susp is stock but its like riding on something with a $1000 price tag for the EX or R and it has all the low end of a EX but it can actually pull on a R in topend. Very well built for a CAN EH lmao.

If I switched brands at all it would be for a CAN AM 450 or a KTM prob KTM before the CAN AM both nice bikes. Honestly I dont much care for EFI I like the ole get er done style lol. I have heard ppl haveing huge troubles with EFI and wiring.

But like said to each there own, But hey if I found a used bike of anykind and they were all in the same shape I would prob be going whats cheaper as long as there in the same class. Gotta remember in Woods its not the bike its the rider.

[storms400ex]

i was always told the irs is a awesome ride compare to a axle

[Ryanwolfe911]

Are you kidding me? Fuel Injection is the single greatest technological improvement in ATV's over the last 20 years, other than the addition of the 4th wheel.

Living at high altitude, I can tell you there have been alot of times when I wished my 400ex wasn't carbureted. You really get sick of changing jets all the damn time.

People only hate what they don't understand. F I isn't hard to troubleshoot or diagnose, especially the systems you find on quads. They only have one fuel injector and a throttle body.

Besides, FI or carbureted, if you run into a no fuel delivery situation and you're at 11,000ft, you're screwed any way you look at it.

[sab24711]

i hate efi its just one more reason to bring it back to dealerships. just like cars now a days getting rid of the back yard mechanic. just more parts to break or go wrong. quad, dirtbikes, tirkes have run just fine with out all that crap. i heard something like once you drop the bike or roll it it shuts off, a new sensor maybe im not sure but for racing it must suck.

[Ryanwolfe911]

Oh, did I strike a nerve? Get over it. THe fact of the matter is EVERYTHING, even lawnmowers are going to FI, because you just can't beat it for fuel economy, drivability, power, and emissions.

It's a good thing, not bad. With the proper equipment, anyone can troubleshoot electronic fuel injection. It just requires a basic understanding and a shop manual.

[dr qwerty]

First i Own both, I have beat my friends 450r both stock both riders same weight

I will be going to pismo this labor day, and will race and get video of my 426cc versus my 700xx, i haven't raced my 400ex since it has been upgraded to the 426cc but i bet the 700xx still wins

Yes, it is just like a 400ex power band smoth not too tqry, you dont have to worry about it on a hill if you gas it too much that the front will pop on you like a 450 because the weight helps, I love my 700xx for what i do with it, i love my 400ex for jumping and quick turns/slides. If i am about to climb a mean hill i pick my 700 if i am going to bs on some jumps i take the 400.

I own both and love both, but the 700xx will beat a 400ex no questions, video will be coming so if you want you can wait...

[Snipe]

Yeah but when you do modding to a EFI style motor you have to buy new controllers. Base that $200 vs a $5 jet screw that ****. Also I know alot of mechanics around here. EFI has tiny tiny wires and they pull out and break very easy. Screw fuel economy on a quad a tank lasts a very long time. Yes you can trouble shoot a EFI and it takes more than know how and a manual. The controller is basicly a ECM and that reguires at the very least a code reader to report problems. Or a higher end system diagnostic computer to tell you what it is. Believe me I have both. EFI = PIA

[boosted3g]

The 700xx is a very stange kick *** machine that just takes some time to adjust to. It dont feel fast but it is. My buddy gives me a run for my money in a drag. Im on my 450r and he is on his 700xx. Both modded but still a nice race. Compared to my 07 400ex, it honestly wouldnt be a race. To tell you the truth i have a Gopro video with a 450r hybrid, a 700xx and a 400ex in a drag race. Lets just say the 400ex let off after 2nd gear when he was already left in the dust.

[dr qwerty]

Originally posted by boosted3g
The 700xx is a very stange kick *** machine that just takes some time to adjust to. It dont feel fast but it is. My buddy gives me a run for my money in a drag. Im on my 450r and he is on his 700xx. Both modded but still a nice race. Compared to my 07 400ex, it honestly wouldnt be a race. To tell you the truth i have a Gopro video with a 450r hybrid, a 700xx and a 400ex in a drag race. Lets just say the 400ex let off after 2nd gear when he was already left in the dust.

Thank you,
700xx are fast, can be made faster, but will lose in a mx, and jumping compittion, racing wise they can hold their own if need be, (DRAG) but up a rocky hill....only one will due

[wrekd]

I would kill for FI on my quad right now. IMO, the pros outweigh the cons.

[sab24711]

im sorry i keep on bringing this up i just want a better understanding. oh no doubt i agree one day everything will be EFI but is it really number crunching mind blowing that it will save on emissions and fuel economy on such a smaller engine. i mean if emissions is such a problem throw a catalytic converter on it. fuel economy cant be that horrible on a quad. i see EFI necessary for the cars boats planes trains ect. recreational use its like trying to pack one hundred pounds of **** in a ten pound bag. but then again if you live in the alps and have constant elevation change it suck. then again you could find another hobby or like Ryanwolfe911 said "get over it".

pros: fuel economy(whats that?), drivability, power, and emissions(whoopie doo)

Cons: new controllers(mods), tiny tiny wires and they pull out and break very easy,code reader,system diagnostic computer(BIG$$)

OR




a carb with jets.
my .02 don't kill me

[eg4life]

When it comes to street bikes, FI is the only way to go. There are little to no trouble codes that pop up, and when they do...you flash out the codes to find out the problems. mods are easy, power commanders, flshing cpu with race settings, etc.

When it comes to offroad, I love the 400ex carb, it starts in negative degree weather, the less wiring the better.

My buddy starts his 04 ex with no battery (push start)...not becasue its a race quad, its because that thing has been put trough hell.

it has no battery, no start button, no starter relay, etc.

hes too cheap to buy that stuff.....lol

for the ex's I think the less **** that can go wrong, the better.




:cool:

[Ryanwolfe911]

Plenty of factory race teams are winning races with EFI quads. Yes, you spend $200 on an EFI controller, however, you only buy it once, and it's infinitley adjustable, and is especially helpful if you're going to keep the quad for a long time.

It's worth the money to me if it means I don't have to drive back and forth to the honda dealer 40 times to get the right jet every time I make a modification to my bike.

I agree that carburetors are time tested and work well. For sea level they work just fine. For someone like me however that constantly rides in changing elevations from 5000-11000 feet, EFI is a Godsend.

Dude, you don't need to tell me about how an EFI system operates. I've been a Honda automobile drivability technician for almost 15 years now, and I currently teach seminars on the subject. Carburetors are not coming back, ever. Pretty soon your weed eater will have EFI.

[VTredneckgames]

Well IMO, after riding his 700xx for alittle while, You can tell it is built to fill a gap so to speak.

The 700 is 10x smoother on a trail then my ex. Plus obviously it has more grunt to pull hills in a lower gear. It feels almost like Honda decided that there was a gap between the big SUV style and the 450r. The SUVs are sometimes too big to have fun on and the 450r is too fast to ride some trails. So they took a 400ex, added grunt, threw in IRS for comfort, FI (future of the sport), and made a fun atv to ride. You can tell its not built strictly for racing.

But the 700 has got to be a pita to work on. Just looking at the rear brake caliper, it would take 5x as long to swap pads then my ex. And I would not even want to change sprockets. Plus it only has more things (and more expensive things) to fix when it breaks. But it is a Honda so it shouldnt break near as much as a Polaris. (lol, running joke around here, dont start flaming me, around these parts, its true)

I would rather have my 400. And Im sure that feeling will remain the same once I have my steering stabilizer, some engine work, exhaust, and some shock work. And then I can also sit back and think about how much money I saved b/t the two.

Im going to by a Honda 400 4x4, early-mid 2000s, no ES, to ride at some point. That will be my hunting/comfort ride. The ex can be my toy.
JMHO

[VTredneckgames]

as far as FI vs. Carb.......

FI is where the future is heading. You will have to get used to it. Why? Read the reasons mentioned before.

But, there is some very good reasons to not like it. Not only do you have to go and learn something new, you have to get the tools required to work on it and diagnose it. Plus components are more expensive and harder to get.

I dont want to be back in the middle of the mountains at night having to try to diagnose a FI issue. Believe me, I have been there before. Had a carb pulled off a Honda 4x4 at 1am way back in the mountanis. Had it fixed in an hour with simple tools. I dont want to be in the same situation wishing I had brought my scan tool or trying to remember what the codes mean when I get them to flash.

Will FI tear up as much? Probably not, but if/when it does, I want to have everything with me needed to fix it. I dont want to leave my fourwheeler back in the mountains. And I dont want to have to carry a couple hundred dollars worth of tools with me everytime I ride.

[Ryanwolfe911]

Oh BTW, sorry for going off topic

[Snipe]

Until they fix the current issues with EFI, it wont be on anything I have other than my truck. When they get all the bull worked out of it then yeah it would be alright but as right now im not being the test dummy for there trials and errors.

I didnt want to give $7500 for a headache or pain in the ***, I want to be able to ride. In the mountains yeah I can see where it comes in handy but they also make a dial a jet for carb's for that and its still cheaper yet.

[bigbad400]

it was built with a purpose just like your 400's (trail) your 450's (race) and your 4x4 (work). except it was built to be an all around quad, a little race a little utility and a little trail. we have to except that things are not always what we feel to be the best (EFI).... hence why im looking into the new can ams and ktms (also FI). they are becoming more modifiable by the day, and definatly more powerfull. like i said befor i love honda, i ride honda, but if they dont keep up with the rapidly changing times..... sorry, the new z400 is EFI too and they are quite a bit snappier than the carborated ones. (i have a 04 z400 in my garage too) i test rode the new one and i gatta say im thinking about trading in the old z for a EFI version. infinatly adjustable, and more throttle respnce right from the factory. its a changing society we live in always searching for bigger and better. the 700xx is got its place but not in my garage... and not at all cause of EFI. just simply because i dont like it.

[katch26]

best response yet.

[Rkangel7]

Personally I've had way more problems with my carb than any of the FI quads in our riding group. While carb vs. FI isn't a deal maker or breaker for my next quad, there is something to be said for the instant throttle response, and much better cold starting and high elevation performance of FI.

[wrekd]

My buddy has a Raptor 700. The throttle response is amazing. You dont have to let it warm up if you dont want to. Real smooth power delivery. The FI is just awesome. Hes had it for 3 yrs now and not 1 problem.

IDK, once you ride a fuel injected quad or ride with someone that has one, carbs just seem to suck more and more. JMO

[scuzz]

Originally posted by dr qwerty
the 700xx will beat a 400ex no questions, video will be coming so if you want you can wait...


I used to own a 400EX and I can totally agree with this. The 700xx wins easy.