400 to a 450

[BenHonda400ex]

So I guess I'm been wondering if I should put some of my money into my 400ex or just save it to get a 450. I mean what's the difference once you get on it? I never rode a 450 I'm just wondering if it would be worth it to probably buy a new front fender (because I bought a new one and it looks kind of goofy) and just buy all the bolts that are missing and wait for Christmas to trade it for a 450, but I'll probably have to pay money of course.. I'm open of suggestions and opinions! Thanks!

[turdboy]

I have seen a lot of nice 450's on craigslist for around 3000 to 4000. If you ask me that is pretty cheap. Sell the EX and save up a little cash and get a 450.

[brian76708]

Originally posted by BenHonda400ex
So I guess I'm been wondering if I should put some of my money into my 400ex or just save it to get a 450. I mean what's the difference once you get on it? I never rode a 450 I'm just wondering if it would be worth it to probably buy a new front fender (because I bought a new one and it looks kind of goofy) and just buy all the bolts that are missing and wait for Christmas to trade it for a 450, but I'll probably have to pay money of course.. I'm open of suggestions and opinions! Thanks!

save for a 450 the worst thing i did was build my 400ex and kept putting money into it to try and make it a 450. just got the 450 last week and its definitely and improvement over the 416ex. The one thing is 400ex are very low maintance compared to a 450. the valves on the 450 need to be checked/adjusted every 15/20 hrs also you have a radiator fluid and trans fluid to change.

[CJM]

Even with all the mods mine has, the 450 is still faster and handles slightly better.

Thing is the EX has alot going for it in design-its stupid simple! What I mean is there is no coolant to mess with, no tuning issues, its as simple as simple gets really and thats why it still stands today.

Its your call, my buddy has one and he likes it-so far its been reliable but he knows he cant work on it himself like the EX he had.

[beastlywarrior]

i think the 450 fad is a little over rated

[BenHonda400ex]

I think I might switch to a 450 because I want to race before I leave school. Haha but I love how the 400ex is pretty much so simple because there's nothing to it, it just wants to keep running.

[wilkin250r]

My advice to ANYBODY facing a similar situation is to get a 450.

The 400EX is a great quad, but it takes a stupid amount of money to get it to the level of a 450, in both power and handling. I love the 400EX, it handles nice, it's reliable, and it has enough power to go anywhere a 450 can go, but I'd never put mods into it. The 400EX is best if kept in it's stock, reliable form, maybe some suspension upgrades to improve the handling.

I'd never go anywhere near the motor. If you need more power, just get a 450.

[TCracin440ex]

i made the switch from a 400ex to a 450r and its a switch i would have made 10000x over again. the 450 is far superior then the 400ex, with alot better base to build any kind of quad your looking for. yes the 450s might require a little more maintence, but the risk is worth the reward.

[fastredrider44]

Get a 450 for the above reasons.:blah:

[quad2xtreme]

Originally posted by wilkin250r
My advice to ANYBODY facing a similar situation is to get a 450.

The 400EX is a great quad, but it takes a stupid amount of money to get it to the level of a 450, in both power and handling. I love the 400EX, it handles nice, it's reliable, and it has enough power to go anywhere a 450 can go, but I'd never put mods into it. The 400EX is best if kept in it's stock, reliable form, maybe some suspension upgrades to improve the handling.

I'd never go anywhere near the motor. If you need more power, just get a 450.

X2.

[BenHonda400ex]

So I'll probably be looking for Yfz 450's or Trx 450's, because aren't Yfz and trx more of a woods and trail atv?

[Scro]

If you're worried about how hard it is to work on them, the Honda 450 is about as simple as it gets. It's almost as if they designed it with the mechanic in mind. The plastics and tank come off in 5 minutes. The cables are routed where they are easily accessible. It's no harder than working on a 400ex.

[trailrider894]

Originally posted by BenHonda400ex
So I'll probably be looking for Yfz 450's or Trx 450's, because aren't Yfz and trx more of a woods and trail atv?

No, they are all race ready for any type of racing from stock. Although most are designed around MX. The YFZ has several different models designed for different things. The TRX is good all around. The LTR, is definetly a MX quad. The KFX is a good mix of everything.

[krt400ex]

before i bought the ktm, i had rode two other 450's. yfz and 450r. both machines i felt didnt pull off idle as well as my 400ex did. granted, they had a ton more power but i liked the power spread of the 400 better. the ktm pulls more like my old 400 did. straight off the bottom which i like. personally, its not about which makes more power, its about how the riding style of the operator works in conjunction with the power delivery of the machine. i found the 450 that suits me, and i'll never go back. if you can find a 450 that suits you, then go with it. go test them and see what you like

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by trailrider894
No, they are all race ready for any type of racing from stock. Although most are designed around MX. The YFZ has several different models designed for different things. The TRX is good all around. The LTR, is definetly a MX quad. The KFX is a good mix of everything.

unless the machine sits at 49in or wider from the factory, it is not ready for mx out of the box. nothing sitting at a stock 46in is going to keep up with a machine sitting 50in wide. not happening. yamaha has a yfz that is set up for mx, as well as one that works in the woods. so does can am. ktm did as well(idk if they are still in production or not). and then there is the ltr. all these can be run on an mx track out of the box. kawi and honda dont build a machine ready for mx out of the box.

[BoneStockHonda]

just buy a 450, its way cheaper then getting your 400 to the point where it would even compete with a stock 450

[BenHonda400ex]

Yeah but Yfz 450's and Trx 450's are cheaper where I live, and it's hard to find Ltr's and Kfx's

[tayyo789]

Coming from the EX, you'll probably like the TRX over the other 450's IMO. Plus they are the simplest, and almost always the cheapest to find.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by BenHonda400ex
Yeah but Yfz 450's and Trx 450's are cheaper where I live, and it's hard to find Ltr's and Kfx's

i would go with the 450r if i were you.

[tayyo789]

450r, plus if you can find it at a dealer for cheap, which they are, it'll help the whole mystery of whether there's a new 450r coming out once Honda runs out of stock

[buck440]

Originally posted by beastlywarrior
i think the 450 fad is a little over rated

hell yes it is.

[BenHonda400ex]

I don't think 450's are over rated in my opinion, not trying to start a fight but the 450's seem like they are alot more powerful than 400ex's. Yes I know it's about the rider to

[TCracin440ex]

Originally posted by buck440
hell yes it is.

its not over rated when the 450s have alot better platform to build off of with alot better power plant then the 400. the 400ex is a slow reving motor that appeals to mostly trail and rec riders which is perfectly fine, but once you start comparing a 400ex and a 450r you are comparing apples to oranges. the money thrown into a 400ex is a waste compared to a 450.

i know it would suck arse to spend thousands of dollars into a 400ex motor, and suspension only to have a stock 450 with a few bolt ons come mop the floor with your 400ex in just about every aspect.

EDIT: and imo if your dumping lots of money into a 400ex to try and compete with a 450 your just wasting your money. 400ex's dont hold their value anymore at all. i can buy used 400ex's from 99-2009 on craigslist for about anywhere from 1000-2500 bucks. so if your modding a 400ex you might as well plan on keeping it because you will never get your money back out of it.

[buck440]

i think everybody needs to get a 2 stroke. everybody would be happy then. ringdingdingdingdingdingpuhpuhpuhpuhbrbrrrbrbrrrpu hburrrr.

[trailrider894]

Originally posted by buck440
i think everybody needs to get a 2 stroke. everybody would be happy then. ringdingdingdingdingdingpuhpuhpuhpuhbrbrrrbrbrrrpu hburrrr. x2!!!!

[BoneStockHonda]

Originally posted by TCracin440ex
its not over rated when the 450s have alot better platform to build off of with alot better power plant then the 400.

x2 i was going to build my 400ex until i released how much cheaper it would to be just buy a 450. The difference between a stock 400 suspension and a 450r's suspension is just night and day. The first time i road a 450 was on some rough whooped out trails and it would just eat bumps that would throw my 400 all over the place. Thats the main reason I'm in the market for the 450, I'm perfectly happy with my 400's power but you just cant ride it as hard as a 450.

[426kidz]

ok, well here is what i think....I know they say the 450 comes ready too race...but have you ever seen how much all the suspension parts cost and motor work just everything cost money there is no way your gonna take a stock 450 on the track and race at a higher level than a modded out 450 or a modded out 400ex....so that being said either way your gonna have to modd it out, one way or another...so your now left with keeping a 400ex and moddin it out or sellin the ex and adding a grand or 2 to get the 450... now after you add the grand or grand's and sell the bike you than have to also put money into it to get it where it can compete with everyone else who threw money into there 450 at the track or 400....so either way your gonna throw money into it, but dont think for a sec your gonna get a 450 and be happy with the way it is stock. you will always wanna upgrade no matter what it is... I think they are amazing machines(450r) but i know a couple guys with close to stock bikes and my 426 keeps right up if not past them. And it didnt cost to much for my hundy to become what it is. so look at it like that, its not gonna be what you want stock either way nor will the hundy but I think the hundy is cheaper to customize the way you would like it!;)

[brian76708]

a cam, exhaust, rejet on a 450 and your almost to 50hp try getting that out of a 400ex. yes you can find killer deals on 400ex a arms thats just caust they have been around so long but other then that all suspension parts are about the same.

[426kidz]

exactly what im sayin...there either same cost or more most time they cost a little more but your gonna replace all that....and like you just said cam etc....so everyone is gonna want to do mods,my point was that everyone thinks get a 450 and its gonna be race ready off the shelf...just not the case! if the shocks wore so great stock, how come a barely ever see em on the 450's and more on the hundy? you can make a 400 close to a 450 easy and cheap if you do it right!:D

[brian76708]

Originally posted by 426kidz
exactly what im sayin...there either same cost or more most time they cost a little more but your gonna replace all that....and like you just said cam etc....so everyone is gonna want to do mods,my point was that everyone thinks get a 450 and its gonna be race ready off the shelf...just not the case! if the shocks wore so great stock, how come a barely ever see em on the 450's and more on the hundy? you can make a 400 close to a 450 easy and cheap if you do it right!:D

not even close i had a 416ex and it wouldn't touch my 450. and for the money i put in it i could have gotten a 450 and been out ahead.

[trailrider894]

Well... I don't wanna jump on this train and argue with you guys. I think that the 450 is clearly better than the 400ex. For any non-serious racers the EX is the way to go... if you plan on going big then the R is your only choice.

The problem arises, when you have to think about suspension. Any good budgeted EX owner can easily do all the suspension mods he wants and still come up short of the initial cost of a decent 450r in my area.

[TCracin440ex]

Originally posted by 426kidz
exactly what im sayin...there either same cost or more most time they cost a little more but your gonna replace all that....and like you just said cam etc....so everyone is gonna want to do mods,my point was that everyone thinks get a 450 and its gonna be race ready off the shelf...just not the case! if the shocks wore so great stock, how come a barely ever see em on the 450's and more on the hundy? you can make a 400 close to a 450 easy and cheap if you do it right!:D

you are full of it if you think you can make a 400 close to a 450 easy. what dont you understand the 400ex are a slow reving motor that you cant even compare to the fast reving power plant the 450s have. now IF you were talking about a z400 you could get that close to a 450, but we are not talking about a z400 we are talking about a 400ex.

also do you understand the HRC kit for the 450 is only 300 bucks which consists of cam, larger dia headpipe, jetting, green wire mod which gives an additional 1000 rpm, and removes the airbox lid also with a hrc spark arrestor for the stock pipe. i done that to my 450r and it didnt cost me no where near what it would have costed me to get my 400ex to that level.

far as the suspension the stock 450 suspension is way better then stock 400 suspension. the stock 450 suspension is even rebuildable. you might be able to get used suspension and make the 400ex handle "better" then a 450, but like i said before on another thread you can do all the suspension mods in the world, it still aint going to help the 400ex motor. the 450 will catch and walk past a 400ex in the straights all day long. and further more even if you was on a stock 450 vs a modded 400, the 450 is still going to pull harder out of turns

dont get me wrong i loved my 400ex it was a good bike. i had lots of fun on it and it was tough as nails, but if i had to make the 400ex to 450 jump again id do it in a heartbeat.

[trailrider894]

Lets stop bickering about this.... The topic has been covered a thousand times before... Line up the specs do you own re-search and you will see the 450 is better... The EX is outdated, but that isn't stopping me from modding out mine to full capacity, so i can have a half decent trail, dune, practice mx bike. I will be getting a 450r after i start gettin the money. If you guys continue the arguing i'll make sure this thread gets closed...

[TCracin440ex]

we are not arguing or fighting, we are having a healthy debate, nobody is cussing, ranting or raving. so no need to go get the thread closed.

[rbgnwa45]

Aren't there near-stock 400ex races going on somewheres? Aren't there way more 400ex's than R's? That's more competitive in my mind, not like on a modded 450r where you jump and the landing is cloud-like. I'd rather race a 400ex (with other 400exs) because it wouldn't be as dangerous.

I'd buy an ex over an R because they're so cheap that I could convince all of my buddys to buy them and then we'd all be equal in machine performance, it's not fun being passed knowing the rider has less skill. I'd much rather wreck a 400ex. If I wanted more power than a 400ex I'd do a conversion that had way more power than a modded 450 - $1000 quad, $500 engine, $500 conversion, for $2000 and XR650ish-torque what could go wrong?

[kbnorth99]

Well heck I might as well put my 2 cents worth in here. I was asking the same question a few months ago. I have an '06 400ex and my brother has an 07 450r.

I don't plan to race but I absolutely love riding the tracks. So without even addressing the difference in power I was going to need to spend more money to upgrade my suspension to make it just equal to a stock 450. Does a 450 need work to be race ready? Well it depends on what level you plan to race. My brother races his bone stock 450 at the local level and is fairly competitive. Would he be able to remain competitive if he got into larger circuits? Probably not but would a modded 400ex do any better?

You can spend the money to get the 400 engine to make 450 power but you lose the reliability that you bought the 400ex for in the first place. And at that point a modded 450 will still make more power than the 400 so what did you gain?

So no matter what you are starting from behind with the 400ex and will always be playing "catchup" with the 450. If you want to make some mods to the 400ex to tailer it to your needs fine but if you need big power and handling for the track don't bother trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. I am selling my 400ex and saving the money up to buy a 450.

[BenHonda400ex]

Thanks everyone for your opinions! Anyone else have anything to add to this?

[kbnorth99]

Originally posted by BenHonda400ex
Thanks everyone for your opinions! Anyone else have anything to add to this?

Yeah! I do! GO BRONCOS!!!!:D

[BenHonda400ex]

Originally posted by kbnorth99
Yeah! I do! GO BRONCOS!!!!:D Football? Or the best truck ever made? :D

[buck440]

Originally posted by BenHonda400ex
Thanks everyone for your opinions! Anyone else have anything to add to this?

i like putting a little salt on my pizza. yah its kinda strange but i picked it up from my dad. it makes a noticeably better taste imo.

[kbnorth99]

Originally posted by BenHonda400ex
Football? Or the best truck ever made? :D

BOTH!!!

[Aarons 01 400EX]

Originally posted by TCracin440ex
EDIT: i can buy used 400ex's from 99-2009 on craigslist for about anywhere from 1000-2500 bucks. so if your modding a 400ex you might as well plan on keeping it because you will never get your money back out of it.

Please find me a 2008/2009 400ex for $2500 on craigslist.

If the 450r gets reverse, I'd own one.

[TCracin440ex]

catch my drift? might not be an 08 or 09 but i have seen them arround my area for that price. the interest just isnt there for the 400ex anymore.

http://charlottesville.craigslist.org/rvs/2162916493.html

http://richmond.craigslist.org/mcy/2236510570.html

http://richmond.craigslist.org/mcy/2208176821.html

http://fredericksburg.craigslist.org/rvs/2184041556.html

http://blacksburg.craigslist.org/rvs/2169575427.html

[BenHonda400ex]

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcy/2228769375.html

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcy/2222147861.html

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcy/2222332734.html

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcy/2235015139.html, may not be your price but this bike is mean! I've seen it on youtube and it can run down any 450

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcy/2220071400.html

http://stlouis.craigslist.org/mcy/2197842784.html

May not be 08's but there 400ex's

[426kidz]

hundy baby!!,lol:D :D :D

[CJM]

Got a good example of why I keep the hundy:

Rode today. VERY HARD. Besides the punishing suspension (even with 450r fronts) on the whoops the infest the place I ride, and the fact my carb is running quite rich-I was busy doing step ups, some jumps and keeping up with if not besting alot of very fast, good riders. I wouldnt say Im an excellent rider, but Im quite good.

Would a stock bike keep with them-hell no. But gotta look at it like this:
Initial cost of decently used EX: maybe 2500 at most, many are 2k or less.. Can spend the rest in suspension and engine mods and it can be quite fast.

OR you buy the 450r for about 3500-4000 bucks and go from there. No real engines mods needed, maybe a cam, def want the suspension done tho. If I had to do it all over again I would buy a 450r-but when I bought my EX the 450 was selling for 5-7g's and the 400's were 2500-3500. I STOLE mine cause it needed work for 1500.. :)

hey, whatever floats your boat guys.

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by Aarons 01 400EX
Please find me a 2008/2009 400ex for $2500 on craigslist.

If the 450r gets reverse, I'd own one.

why not buy something in the range of like '05? imo the styling was the best on those. and if you want reverse, buy the ktm:p

[Aarons 01 400EX]

Originally posted by krt400ex
why not buy something in the range of like '05? imo the styling was the best on those. and if you want reverse, buy the ktm:p

Because I like the white 08's. There are new ones on ebay for selling for $4000+. I bought a 2002 that had a 440 kit and it turned out to be a basket case. That's why I'm looking for a stock, unmodified/slightly modified one.

Lots of craigslist ads for 400ex's, but no 2008's.

Find me a KTM for a decent price, because I'd buy it.

[finsteratv]

Originally posted by Aarons 01 400EX
Please find me a 2008/2009 400ex for $2500 on craigslist.

If the 450r gets reverse, I'd own one.
same! reverse has saved me more then once.. out in the woods its not always about racing :rolleyes:

[krt400ex]

Originally posted by Aarons 01 400EX
Because I like the white 08's. There are new ones on ebay for selling for $4000+. I bought a 2002 that had a 440 kit and it turned out to be a basket case. That's why I'm looking for a stock, unmodified/slightly modified one.

Lots of craigslist ads for 400ex's, but no 2008's.

Find me a KTM for a decent price, because I'd buy it.

mine. $4500. '09 with about 35hrs total ride time on it. original owner and have cert of origins