scratching head.

[anderson3064]

ok i know i am suppose to put this thread in the approiate are but i have no clue who to ask, this is about a hare scramble quad. It is either gonna be a 400ex or a 450r. my dilema is that the R guys say R and the ex guys say ex...so i ask here in hopes of getting a non bias answer. so I am going to run some hare scrambles this year and mostly trail ride. on CL they have decent 400ex's going for $2000 and 450r going for 2500. So the majority of people are telling me to get the 400ex and then they hand me a grocery list of things to do to it. and some of those items cme off a 450r. so why not just buy the R, is it that bad in the woods. I am a 40 yr old guy that has a family to feed, so i need to make my moves count. I have had to ex's haha but lost them to the ex<---not meant to be funny but hey....so i sit here scratchin my head...not alot of hair left either

[Ruby Soho]

if you can get a 450 for 500 more just get a 450.

i love 400s, i had one for years. but a 450 is just flat out better. in every aspect. you will eventually get just as comfortable on the 450 as you would the 400.

my vote goes 450.

[trx310R#24]

Originally posted by Ruby Soho
if you can get a 450 for 500 more just get a 450.

i love 400s, i had one for years. but a 450 is just flat out better. in every aspect. you will eventually get just as comfortable on the 450 as you would the 400.

my vote goes 450.

X2

450 has a bigger motor its water cooled and has better shocks =p and the list gos on lol

[99cr500]

Originally posted by Ruby Soho
if you can get a 450 for 500 more just get a 450.

i love 400s, i had one for years. but a 450 is just flat out better. in every aspect. you will eventually get just as comfortable on the 450 as you would the 400.

my vote goes 450.

x3

[ricksmx865]

I started out racing XC on a 400..... I had it for like like 4 months, sold it and got the 450

best move I ever made

[brian76708]

Originally posted by Ruby Soho
if you can get a 450 for 500 more just get a 450.

i love 400s, i had one for years. but a 450 is just flat out better. in every aspect. you will eventually get just as comfortable on the 450 as you would the 400.

my vote goes 450.

x4

just check for cracked frames on the 450r. the only positive on the 400ex is there dirt cheap i find them around here for 1500 all day. really wish i didn't upgrade mine and just sold it. now im stuck with a quad that i always feels lacks power and im sick of throwing money at it.

[99400esex]

Get a 400ex

[Scro]

8-10 years ago, when harescrambles had tighter tracks than they are today, the 400ex really shined. The ability to lug it around in first gear at low RPMs gave it an advantage over the 250r and a power advantage over the smaller four strokes in the woods. There are very few series now that are that tight. You can actually use the power that a 450 provides, especially GNCC. And even on the tighter tracks, a 450r setup with a rekluse is still going to be faster with the same rider. The 400ex is and always will be a great quad, but its days as a true race quad have come and gone.

[anderson3064]

Originally posted by Scro
8-10 years ago, when harescrambles had tighter tracks than they are today, the 400ex really shined. The ability to lug it around in first gear at low RPMs gave it an advantage over the 250r and a power advantage over the smaller four strokes in the woods. There are very few series now that are that tight. You can actually use the power that a 450 provides, especially GNCC. And even on the tighter tracks, a 450r setup with a rekluse is still going to be faster with the same rider. The 400ex is and always will be a great quad, but its days as a true race quad have come and gone.
i hear ya. remember that sick feeling we all had in our stomachs when the 250r was getting out shined by the 4 strokers and there was a huge disagreement over 2 and 4 stroke. then along came the 450r. i think im starting to feel that feeling again for the 400ex. i just dont think i can buy one knowing i could have a 450r for a few hundred more. thanks to all of you, i think i just wanted to hear some people say the 450r would get through the woods. i think i knew all along the route i was going...

[wilkin250r]

The 400EX is probably my favorite all-around quad. It drives easy, handles well, easy and predictable powerband with just enough power to get anywhere you need to be, but too much to be dangerous or hard to handle for a novice, not to mention a simple and bullet-proof engine.

But for any type of racing, the 450R is just going to be better, hands down. You'd be stupid to get a 400EX, only to put a couple thousand dollars extra into it just to get it the same level as the 450r. You're much better off, and cheaper in the long run, to just start with the 450r.

[anderson3064]

ok so I went in the middle so to speak. I got a supposed 426ex with hotcam. not quite sure how to tell if its a 426 iwth out taking top-end off. but it does have FMF powercore, renthal bars, decent plastic, bark busters, skid plates. so thats a start. thanks all