all around bike?

[finsteratv]

i ride pretty much everything in the woods and here in oregon. many of the trails on our property are pretty tight. what are some mods to make these 450's more trail friendly? i do a large amount of duning too and it makes me want to mod my 400. but i know id be better off with a 450. thanks Austin

[represent618]

I think you would be pleased with a 450R in stock form, with a set of good tires.

I am more than happy with mine and I had the same reservations since I really planned to trail ride most. Bought an 07 450ER, couldn't have been happier unless it had reverse :)

Good Luck!

[finsteratv]

thanks for the input!
i rode one once but it was out of wack im pretty sure. about how fast does yours coast along at with no gas in 1st?

[440ex. ehhh!!]

wayyy too fast for tight trails!!!! LOL
tight trails you will always have the clutch pulled on tight sections unless you put retarded gearing in it. :p

[represent618]

I have never had an issue, it coast along just fine in 1st/2nd, stock gearing.

Yes of course a 400ex will be more mild/"sunday-afternoon ride" like, but when you get out in the stretch, the power is nice ;)

I pull the kids on a sled in the snow, trail ride, creek ride, TT track, MX Track you name it on my 450. Heck my wife even rides it.

But again, the 400 has the ever so desirable reverse, and I really, really wish I had that....

[440ex. ehhh!!]

you must only be speaking for the newer model 400. I learn to ride without reverse on both quads. ;)

[finsteratv]

i looove my reverse since my EX is an 05. its alot easier with trail building and always having to tow other people back :blah:. thanks for the reply's guys.
anybody made trails with there 450's? how do they do?

[440ex. ehhh!!]

i havent taken my 450 on any trails yet, but i have ridden it everywhere i have ridden the 440 except for the track and trails so far. But from what i have ridden, i can tell i would absolutely love my 450 on trails. even though is would want to stall easier, i dont care, throttle out!! :D

[brian76708]

who needs reverse. there are very few instances where i actually have to pick up the quad to turn around. you get used to not having it and make smarter choices were you stop and or whip it around.

[finsteratv]

Originally posted by brian76708
who needs reverse. there are very few instances where i actually have to pick up the quad to turn around. you get used to not having it and make smarter choices were you stop and or whip it around.
thats what i learned to do on my 300ex. pissed me off with the reverse so i decided to not use it :)
@440ex.ehh where else have you ridden besides mx,trails?

[440ex. ehhh!!]

lol. yea, i had a 300ex, when i got my 440 i got screwed a few times without it because i would forget it didn't have it. but yea, it definitely makes you smarter.

i didn't say mx, i said track. FlatTrack. the season was over when i bought my 450r, so i have to wait till May 27 i think it is to hit it up.
I just ride in an old sand pit. havent ridden in probably 2 months. too much snow and now the motor is in pieces. Doing a 11.5:1 JE piston, HRC cam, and head work.

[finsteratv]

ahh my bad, i heard these things are matinence monster's...how bad are they really?

[440ex. ehhh!!]

i havent had mine long, but i would say equal to the ex. or maybe a little more, not much.
guy i raced with had a bone stock 450, it was the year with the blue flames, and he had about 300 hours on the motor, not taking it easy either, he beat that thing so bad.
and it still ran good and fast.

[finsteratv]

alright thanks! i was thinking it was bs how some guys talk about rebuilding so often... well maybe i'll start looking at 450's soon. i dont mind matinence because i do put a decent amount of hours on my bike's especially summer time!

[fatkid400]

I bought a brand 450 in 06, and all I ride is woods. a good pipe and slip on,good tires and drop 1 tooth on the front sprocket and it'll be perfect for tight trails. I have all those and a twist throttle and its perfect!

[finsteratv]

with it being geared down how fast would you say it coasts at in 1st with no gas?

[440ex. ehhh!!]

these 450's we've got might be fast man, but they don't go anywhere without having gas. ;)
lol

[finsteratv]

Originally posted by 440ex. ehhh!!
these 450's we've got might be fast man, but they don't go anywhere without having gas. ;)
lol
haha yeah yeah i know, thats why im checkin them out. i love the rush of ripping in the great outdoors :D

[fatkid400]

Originally posted by finsteratv
with it being geared down how fast would you say it coasts at in 1st with no gas?

You can almost let it crawl at an idle. But the reason for dropping 1 tooth on the front sprocket is to give the motor more bottom end. So you can open her up....... hold on!

[finsteratv]

alright thanks! thats exactly what i was looking for! i was thinking it might be a lil fast on tight trails. along with i have a looong strip of pavement i have to go on from our camp to the dunes. if you go to fast your paddles are toast. i noticed 04-05 are geared higher then ER'S?

[fatkid400]

I dont think they're geared any higher( dont quote me ) I think its just power delivery. 04-05 motors are different from 06 and later. card is the biggest difference.

[finsteratv]

ahh okay, the first 450r i rode was an 05. the guys son had messed with a black plastic screw on the end of a tube type thing if i remember right?? i didnt like it to much, i think mostly because it was wacked out and you couldnt run it with out the choke on :rolleyes: (bad). plus i was test riding it in his backyard so,..so didnt really get to test it to well.

[chronicsmoke]

It's hard to buy a quad without any experience on one. I made the plunge FEB 2010 and bought a nice 05 at a decent price and havent looked back since. Put the HRC kit in it and ride :cool:

But moving upto a 450r from my 426ex gave me so much more confidence. Sure it's definitly a different motor, and if you are used to your EX you might not like it.

I still ride the ex, but now that I realize how slow it was in comparison, I want to hop it up a bit more.

Keep in mind my experience comes from mostly pit, open trails and MX riding, though i can navigate my 450 through technical areas just as fast or faster than i could on the 426.

Would you sell your ex to get an r, or keep it?

[finsteratv]

id sell it, because i could sell my ex+500 of summer money and easily have a decent 450r. thats the thing im getting bored on a stock bore 400. i have the feeling i want to build it. but then the question should i screw a build and just get a 450r arises!

[440ex. ehhh!!]

screw the build. more time and money that you will not get back out of it.
sell te 400. get a 450.
your thinking of building it, you'll go with at most a 426, i went from a 440 to my 450, and it was unreal how much more power it had. it will be even more of a leap going from a stock bore. :D

[chronicsmoke]

Don't get me wrong, I love the rebuilds. Definetly more sentimental value. but you can get a reliable stock 450, or mod your 400ex into a firebreather but it wont be as reliable.

On my 426 i dont have a cam in it yet (thats next with some portwork) so it is really powerfull on the bottom end (perfect for trails) but i wish it accelerated faster. Thats probably the thing I like most about the 450. But I'm sure a cam would help that on my 426.

It's up to you man, its your money. My buddy gave me grief for buying an 05 and rebuilding it to suit me, the correct way to him is to go and drop 14000 after tax and interest on a KTM 505 :eek2:

[440ex. ehhh!!]

hahahhaah.
chronicsmoke. where bouts are you in ontario? cause i know a guy just like that whos got a ktm.

[Scro]

Originally posted by fatkid400
I dont think they're geared any higher( dont quote me ) I think its just power delivery. 04-05 motors are different from 06 and later. card is the biggest difference.

The internal gearing on the 04/05 is higher than on the 06+. First gear is the most noticable.

[finsteratv]

SO it is possible to change the 04-05 450r's into decent trail machines?!
@chronic smoke, i'd love to do a build just because a 400ex seems like a great bike to do it to. i wish i could keep everybike i have :p i just really really enjoy each one i guess! i'm thinking a 450 would be better do to reliability being sacraficed in a build and a 450 just has much greater potential. doesnt mean i dont love my 400 though. 14 GRAND my friend's dad has a ktm 505 bike and whoop's our arse's when we ride! the 505's put down some scary crap our pants power especially his bike with a litttle work :eek2:

[chronicsmoke]

@finsteratv - They are actually pretty impressive in stock form. He has the SX model and its pretty wide too. But worth the 14g? If i throw that into my 450 it would be a big bore/stroked rocket. I have around half of that in mine (Rebuilding it now, I started a thread about it but am slacking on the updates) and it's totally customized to me. If I bought another bike I might consider trying to find a KTM used, but in my opinion, its just not worth the price tag brand new..

@440ex. ehhh!! - Im on the other side man, wedged in the corner on the border of Ontario, Quebec, and New York

[finsteratv]

yeah 14G's for a stocker it would have to be more "raceready" then a ktm and more custom for me. funny thing is my neighbor just sold his full blown mx 450r for a KTM 450 sx im pretty sure :rolleyes: :p

[chronicsmoke]

Originally posted by finsteratv
funny thing is my neighbor just sold his full blown mx 450r for a KTM 450 sx im pretty sure :rolleyes: :p

haha to each their own I guess. I've seen them KTMs go for ~6500 *Canadian* used.
I guess we will see how my 450r stacks up against him this summer, he had me by just a tad last fall. Hopefully the 13:1 piston im putting in it and some headwork evens things out. There were a couple of doubles he couldnt clear that I was landing pretty clean.. :bandit:

[finsteratv]

if your bike doesnt have THE red wings.....doesnt have a chance. honda for life so far :macho