hotcams stage1 vs xr 400 cam

[trentowens92]

i bought a 400ex from a guy about 2 months ago,rode it three times and the rings burnt up in it.i took it apart last night and the piston is scarred and so is the cylinder wall.

I pretty much have my mind set on doing a 416.

my question is while i have it apart should i go ahead and put in a cam?i have a pretty tight budget so i cant necessarily go all out on it.but i thought about the wiseco piston and hotcams stage 1,but i have read alot about people running a xr400 cam in the ex.

most of my riding is trails and field paths.i dont race other than some buddies in a field,so i dont need a whole lot,but i just wanna get the best bang for my buck.

thanks for the help in advance

[KKiowaTJ]

I have been looking around for the same set up for a friends quad. Stick with honda parts, The xr400 cam and head gasket and a crf450 cam chain along with the piston of your choice would be the most reliable and easy to get parts for etc. To each his own, Good luck either way

[ish416]

The XR cam isn't as aggressive as even the mild stage 1 hotcam. It's a good upgrade but it's not a world of difference. The XR cam is slightly less power off idle with a stronger mid and better top end. The Stage 1 hotcam is similar but makes better power.

On the Hotcam scale, stage 0 = stock, XR cam = stage .7, Stage 1, 2 etc.

If I hadn't have gotten the XR cam for free dollars, I would have stepped it up to the stage 2 when it became available.

If you end up going high compression (10.8 - 11:1) go with a stage 2.

Also, use either XR OEM gaskets or Cometic gaskets.