Craigslist BullS***

[PrideRider]

OK where do i start. about a week ago i was asking questions on why my POS i got off some ********* on craigslist wouldnt start. Needless to say i got a blown up POS. After finding out that my piston was junk i need some thoughts and ideas (416,426) on how to make a great trail but still have the mid to high range power too. Thanks to this AHOLE i have to rebulid it the way i want it whille he's playing around on my 04 cr250r...Can't trust anyone!!! Comment and leave some recommendations..thanks guys!

[badtothebone250]

Did you not ride it before trading?

[dxcody]

416 (or whatever you wish)
11:1 piston
gt thunder HD head studs
2002 crf450 timing chain
stage 2 hotcam


Thats what i would suggest.

I have that setup but with a 426 bore and i ride with my buddies who have 450's.

I can get my buddy on take off now that he put a rekluse in his YFZ and the ltr still kills me but i can keep up with them both.

Its a very amazing setup.

Lots of members on here use the 11:1 piston and stage 2 combo.

[Stickman400]

^ x2 That sucks to hear about your luck. I have a friend that bought a 400 around here at night and when he brought it over to my house he found out that it had just about everything wrong with it that could be, and it was an '07. It's almost a good thing though too, because now you'll KNOW that the top end in the engine is brand new. And the rest of that thing looks pretty good. It's a pretty good looking quad man. Good luck!

[PrideRider]

no didnt get a chance to ride it i knew going into the trade it needed some work but i didnt think it would be a rebuild job cause he told me it was just rebulit bored and everything so i just figured it was something small....just looking to get some ideas on what ppl have for setups i have about a grand to send on it so i wanna do it right this time its my first 400 previously owned a 87 J arm banshee...shouldve kept it lol

[Dibble_Brandon]

That sucks bro!!! I bought my 400 from craigslist as well. The guy lived in an appartment complex and it only had sand tires on it so I couldn't rip it up and down the road fast enough. First time I took it out, I found out how bad of a job he did putting it back together. Gasket leaks, a disgusting wiring job that all got replaced (my started relay was dangling in my aluminium air box with both posts touching metal after riding 5 min :mad: It took me a sec to figure out why it kept trying to start without the button lol), frame had been broken and re-welded (did a good job atleast), carb problems, and had the worst clutch cable I have ever seen on any machine ever.... everything needed lubed SO BAD.

Only part i got lucky on is the engine runs very good minus a very small head cover leak and cylinder leak (Just drips, I can ride all day without the oil level droping, but will still be fixing it). Except that the first owner ran it lean for a long time so now I have to get the head and cylinder re-surfaced, then im going to send it to GT THUNDER for some HD head studs... Also, It want's to slip out of 3rd in the high rpm's but I'm replacing the clutch today guessing it is probobly around 10 years old lol Replacing the cable helped, but still wants to slip a little.

[Thumpin440ex]

That sucks man, but it is kinda your fault.. I would NEVER buy a bike that I didn't ride, check the normal things out on it before hand.. You can go 416 -440.. Depends on what you have to spend.. Seems to be a good looking bike though.. I do hate a shady mutha f&*Kr though



John

[PrideRider]

haha yea me too... im kinda kicking myself in the ***** right now but once i get it running right it'll be worth more than tht cr250r was its got somethings done to it tht i really like it has 450r shocks lonestar swingarm extended axle and a arms nice tires and beadlocks i thought about slapping a cr500 motor on it i can get one for 500 bucks but i dont think i wanna do tht just yet...prolly gunna go with the 416 JE piston kit HD studs and stg 2 to be on the safe side of things dont wanna go too over the top

[Dibble_Brandon]

You will like the 416/stg 2 combo...

I have a 426/stg 2 and against my cousin on his 2009 kfx 450, I keep up good in drags (I take him in the hole, but when i'm shifting to 4th, he is passing me in 3rd) I always lead on the trails tho :p ... our riding ability/style is very similar also.

AND I'm a big boy weighing about 300, were he is only about 225.

[JOHNDOE83]

If you previously owned a banshee I would go with a 440kit for sure, I race banshees all the time with my 440, I can beat the pants off any bolt on banshee, Ive been runnin with some big bore shees and some small strokers on the drag strip.

[PrideRider]

im not sure i wanna jump straight to the 440 yet my sleeve is still got some life left on it i liked the banshee a lot but the low end power lacked and the suspension wasnt the best i think a 416 stg 2 hotcam will be fine im only 5'10'' 150 so it should pull hard i got a buddy who has a 660r full yoshi pipe and stg 2 jet i just wanna be able to keep up with him he runs about 70 75 tops pretty quick raptor

[JOHNDOE83]

A cam'd 416 should keep up with if not be faster then a raptor, I would throw on 16/36 or 16/39 sprokets to get the top end speed for it.

Sounds like a good idea for a start, let us know how bad you beat that raptor...lol.

[PrideRider]

haha yea thts what i been trying to tell him i dont think he understands the weight to power ratio stock raptor makes what 35 hp and a stock 400ex get about 27 28hp but with some mods could prolly get in the high 30's to low mid 40's not to mention the weight difference...should be a good match up haha he'll prolly kill me in the woods though tht 660r has unreal torque

[Thumpin440ex]

Agreed with DOE on this.. I can walk on a piped shee with my set up


John

[PrideRider]

damn thts impressive i smoked him with my shee all the time he hated me when i had tht thing nothing really done to it bored 20 over here shee is!

[KKiowaTJ]

Originally posted by PrideRider
no didnt get a chance to ride it i knew going into the trade it needed some work but i didnt think it would be a rebuild job cause he told me it was just rebulit bored and everything so i just figured it was something small....just looking to get some ideas on what ppl have for setups i have about a grand to send on it so i wanna do it right this time its my first 400 previously owned a 87 J arm banshee...shouldve kept it lol



My last quad was an ol' J-arm banshee and just got back into the sport with a 400ex off of craigs list as well lol.

Id go with the 416 kit and be done and riding. But coming from a banshee, Its a dog. I know i never had any 400, 416 or 440ex come close to my banshee at cordova dragway or local MX track before they closed it. But now with all the new technology and millions of parts for the 400, Its possible.

The 87' banshee's were the fastest, Most dangerous model year they made. In all my banshee's the motors got Vito's PP kit and pro design cool heads etc, But you could still fire up the stockish J-arm and it will kill anything. Closest race was a R6 crotch rocket, He of course won but had to run me down on top end. They were a cat of a different breed and i kick my self all the time for selling it.

At least from the pic it looks clean and built. As mentioned now you will know what your motor has and good parts in it. I know you feel you got the **** end of the stick, But honestly once a 2 stroke leaves the showroom it worth half of what you just paid and the resale of them are pennies on the dollar.

The quad will hold its value better and you can ride it all the time. To each his own but i think you got the better deal plus it will have a fresh motor for seasons to come. Good luck

[PrideRider]

i sold tht to a buddy for 800 bucks it needed a rebuild too i didnt wanna fix it even though i can put a 2 stroke back together and it was cheaper to be done....now i have to have this 400 rebuilt and i cant do it so im gunna pay twice as much as it would cost to have the banshee running haha.....oh well it will be a better quad all the way around...whats funny is i seen my cr250r for sale just today i guess he couldnt handle it...not to mention when we traded he couldnt touch the ground while sitting on it lol

[KKiowaTJ]

I miss the 2 hour rebuilds too. No cam, timing chain etc to deal with. I'm in the same boat when the motor needs rebuilt.

IMO id still take that as a roller trade, Real nice looking 400. Oh well, He will end up with a worse off bike or whatever he gets, Karmas a MoFo LOL :devil:

Thats why i went with a 400, More reliable and no BS to set and adjust etc, Fill and ride, No more mixing gas/oil. Good luck with the build

[DragonGunner]

I ran a 416 with JE piston, very good choice. Your 400EX should be excellent in the woods against any Raptor or anything. Its the top end the 400EX suffers, its all in the gearing in the transmission, it was simply made for low end. Adding 16/37 or 36 sprocket will help on top end against your buddies Raptor. But you will suffer a little on low end, also the smaller you go on the back sprocket will hurt you in the woods when its muddy or slick, the tires will want to break traction an spin. Your friend will just get a pipe for his Raptor an smoke ya anyway except in tight woods if you keep 15/38 gearing.

[PrideRider]

yea im not really sure what the gearing on it is now but ill have to check into tht...his raptor is piped and jetted with a 1/8 turn twist throttle its snappy like a 2 stroke!!! Its for sale if anyone around the IL area is looking to buy on 1500

[cj7den]

I have a 87 banshee and a 400ex bored to 440 at 12.5 compression. The ex can't keep up to the shee. If you want the ex to go like the shee, sell it. If you want a comftable nice ride keep the ex. Just don't go higher then 11-1 comp because race gas get to cost to much. I just trail ride my stuff.

[CJM]

What cody describes here is my setup I came up with many moons ago and by now most everyone I told about it, runs it. I can tell you it works and it will work reliably. It wont beat a worked banshee, maybe keep up a bit, it will easily keep up with a 450r or yfz-specially in the woods. However they run you down on topend-but if you want a reliable woods racer then the 416 setup is what you need. Dont do a 426 bore, it only leaves you the 440 kit or a new sleeve if you ever need to rebuild it. Heck my buddies 407 is just fine too. Its all about compression-compression is power not bore size.


Originally posted by dxcody
416 (or whatever you wish)
11:1 piston
gt thunder HD head studs
2002 crf450 timing chain
stage 2 hotcam


Thats what i would suggest.

...

Lots of members on here use the 11:1 piston and stage 2 combo.

its an excellent combo and the only reason I have a 426 now is I wore out the stock bore. Only other suggestion is to use quality gaskets, cometic MLS gaskets to be exact. You can use any bore size on it even stock except for the 440 and it will be fine. One other thing would be to add a 04-05 TRX450r carb to the mix, gives you even more power.

As for doing the work yourself-trust me its not that involved at all. Granted Ive had the topend apart at least 10x in the past few years on various EX's, it will seriously take you only a few short ours to redo.

Download the service manual, you can find it almost anywhere online. It explains it in detail pretty much and what it cant tell you at least 10 of us here can.

[Reece616]

I doubt it matters really, but it looks like your 450 shocks are on backwards.

[400man]

dont feel to bad about your deal. A few years ago I made a trade that was so awful (and it was completely my fault for even considering it) that im to embarassed to even describe it. :(

[PrideRider]

ok after talking it over with the guy who is doing the work on it here is what he and i think is best for it....im going the with the stock sleeve JE piston 11:1 he told me i wouldnt really notice a difference form tht and the 416 with the stage 2 cam im putting in as well. The GT Thunder head studs as many of you suggested,Cfm oil tank as another good suggestion, replacing the intake valve, a 03 crf 450 timing chain...now with this set up will i have to change my jetting around, keep in mind it does have a Curtis Sparks full exhaust so i thinking it has been jetted already to the pipe? On the next build im going to put it back together myself as so many of you probably were self thought and the fact tht im never again paying 940 for this to be done again...but i know its in good hands names Andy M ual from M aul Tech ATV look him up if you are unfamiliar. He's pretty deep into anything with a motor and fast!

[Stickman400]

My friend races 450s and goes through **** Tech alot too. And that sounds like a perfect setup. Your jetting will need to be changed, but maybe just a few up on the main. Just make a few WOT runs with it after you get it broke in to see if it cuts out and then check your plug to see what color it is an adjust accordingly. And don't forget the XR400 or the MLS Cometic top end gasket kit!

[PrideRider]

oh yea...whos tht? hes putting all new gaskets on it...

[beastlywarrior]

Why dont you guys try web on megacycle cams?

[PrideRider]

i heard those web cams are junk yea its lighter and might give you a little more power but the cost it 3 4 times as much as a regular hotcam id rather put on a 450r carb over one of those web cams idk just what i think...

[beastlywarrior]

Idk where you heard that but for warriors hotcams are complete junk and the web and megacycle give better lift and duration nunbers

[Stickman400]

Adam Seabold. I think he still sponsors them, not sure though. And why is M aul considered a bad word?

[CJM]

Hotcams for the EX/Honda in general is what everyone uses. No issues here besides they tick loudly-but thats how an aggressive cam sounds.

As for jetting, theres a handy chart that should help you if you click the link in my signature-should be the one about plug jetting charts and such in the sticky.

Make sure you use cometic brand MLS gaskets, anything else besides them-even stock is a waste of cash. The gaskets should appear to be rubber coated metal btw since they make them and a felt type version (which you dont want)

MAKE SURE that your bore is in spec for the new piston, even if you did a slight overbore to a 402 or 407 it might be worth it b/c your bore might be worn.

Also when you have it all apart make sure the timing chain guides and tensioner are good, as well as the valves, springs and etc. Dont want to have to tear it all apart again after you redo it.

[supertrooper90]

I have always heard web cams and megacycle cams need hardened rockers due to their large llift and duration. that turns into big $$$. the hotcams will do the job just fine as many on this forum alone have proved time and time again.

[PrideRider]

idk stickman thts weird...thanks for the info CJM i should be getting a call this week to hear tht it's all in running order ill let you guys know how good its running....

[mineralgrey01gt]

Originally posted by PrideRider
no didnt get a chance to ride it i knew going into the trade it needed some work but i didnt think it would be a rebuild job cause he told me it was just rebulit bored and everything so i just figured it was something small....just looking to get some ideas on what ppl have for setups i have about a grand to send on it so i wanna do it right this time its my first 400 previously owned a 87 J arm banshee...shouldve kept it lol

Completely your fault then. No reason to ***** when your the one that screwed up

[PrideRider]

no thts what i get for taking someones word for it....you know everyone aint a shady a ss hole like you or this guy in my case....thanks for your opinion but i dont really care tht you still beg your mother to breast feed you...have a nice day!!

[mineralgrey01gt]

Originally posted by PrideRider
no thts what i get for taking someones word for it....you know everyone aint a shady a ss hole like you or this guy in my case....thanks for your opinion but i dont really care tht you still beg your mother to breast feed you...have a nice day!!

No reword that. Thats what you get for being a dumbass and not riding the quad before you made the trade and thoroughly looking it over. No excuses can be had for not taking the right path for a trade. If thats the best come back you have then you really need to stay off the internet. No wonder you got screwed so bad.

[PrideRider]

Originally posted by mineralgrey01gt
No reword that. Thats what you get for being a dumbass and not riding the quad before you made the trade and thoroughly looking it over. No excuses can be had for not taking the right path for a trade. If thats the best come back you have then you really need to stay off the internet. No wonder you got screwed so bad.


whatever dude!!! get all but hurt i dont really care what you think about the deal i got i traded a 1500 cr250r for a 04 at least 2500 quad dont think 900 bucks worth of work makes it a bad trade for me but a jacka ss tht doesnt know anything might...go comment on the LTR450 Threads cause we all know what a mistake you made buying a Susuckie

[mineralgrey01gt]

Originally posted by PrideRider
whatever dude!!! get all but hurt i dont really care what you think about the deal i got i traded a 1500 cr250r for a 04 at least 2500 quad dont think 900 bucks worth of work makes it a bad trade for me but a jacka ss tht doesnt know anything might...go comment on the LTR450 Threads cause we all know what a mistake you made buying a Susuckie

EDIT: To anyone that read this before my edit I apologize. I thought about it and i refuse to stoop down to this noob's level. Now PrideRider if you got something else to say PM me because im not taking this public any longer. Ill be the bigger person here and discuss this privately. Be a man and tell me something like you just did in a pm and we can take it from there. Thanks.

[joshcb7]

I'll start with,you all know way more than me but im thinking of buying a 400 off of cl and other than general good condition and running crappy how can I avoid this problem.I will ride it first but still on a unfamiliar atv i wont be able to tell everything.I had a dirtbike and have rode my friends quads but im still a nOob when buying used atv's of CL and dont want a lemon