buying 400ex

[emonroe89]

ok... first time posting... i bought a 400ex shortly after i starting doing research on here and youtube to find out what the ticking was... it was the timing chain... well i didnt want to pay for the repairs and i spent too much buying it so i sold it... now im buying another one, i saw that you guys told another member not to buy one with the 440kit... but thats all i can find and my last one ran and cooled just fine and that had the 440kit, i wouldnt mind the extra power so was just wondering if i sould buy one with it... going to look at one this wkend so any help would be usefull thx guys

[Honda.rider5871]

All 400ex's tick some , Aftermarket cams make them tick even worse. I wouldnt recommend buying a 440 used because you dont know if it was done right and who did it.

[emonroe89]

yeah i know bout the cam and what not but it def was timing chain i compared it to a few other quad vids on the ticking, it cld of been cam valve adj or timing and i listened to all the diff ticks n it was for sure the timing, if it was done at a dealership (town and country) do you think it shld be ok for the 440kit

[300exBorg]

I would not purchase it like that. Unless the owner can come up with proof of where it was done and the place is VERY credible. Why not just wait it out until you find one that you know is stock and YOU can do the work to it yourself or have someone do it that you know or trust. That way you don't have to worry about getting burned. By the way you should honestly have just got a repair manual for your last one. Some of them can pretty much walk you through anything depending on the manual. I had no previous experience with ATV's and after getting a manual and doing a couple other things with it on my 400ex and 300ex I feel confident to do just about anything on it.

[250ex 2010]

x2 on buying stock...
I dont know where you r looking for them at but i do notice that on Craigslist there are many that say that they have 440 kits. My personal opinion is that many of them dont really. To be honest they prob dont even know what is done to the motor themselves. No offence to anyone (bc i myself do buy and sell off of craigslist) but I dont believe anything craigslist sellers say unless they have documented proof. My opinion is to hold off and buy stock and do the work yourself (or a mechanic that you trust). Then you know exactly what is done to it and it is done to your preference.
Matt.

[TheAwesomehonda]

Hey man if you want to drive 200 miles i'll sell you my 01 426ex.. If your interested PM me...

[JOHNDOE83]

Buying something with a 440 kit is fine, a 440 kit doesnt hurt reliability at all.

The only time 440 kits are a issue is when they arent jetted properly.

Most dealers and mod shops DO NOT do any motor mods themselves, usually even a honda dealer subs out their stuff to local machine shops.

The only thing you can really screw up on a 440 is sleeve placement and machine shops are good about getting it right, also 90% of 440 kits come complete with a pre sleeved cylinder.

And worse case scenario if its a lie and it is stock, you really didnt miss out on anything.

If its not smoking and starts and runs fine and the price is right, everything else can be fixed.

[CJM]

I dont like buying things that are modified b/c you have no clue if the person who did the work is honest. Never know if it was done right, Ive seen plenty of shops who shouldnt even be in biz do HORRIBLE work.

That being said: Everything can be fixed in time with some cash.

[dxcody]

First of all, i just bought my first 440.

I hear soooo much crap from all the other ignorant riders that think they know soo much about 400's because

*440's blow head gaskets and overheat and pull headstuds blah blah blah*

Just like Johndoe said, if its jetted right, you wont have any troubles out of it. It will give you a long fun life.

*Buy a stock 400ex*

I am going to agree with that sorta,

what i mean is, buying a stock 400 has alot of advantages such as doing what YOU want to it. But there is no need to turn down a perfectly good 400ex just because it has a 440 kit.

a 440 kit is nothing but good as long as its jetted right.

[TheAwesomehonda]

Originally posted by CJM
I dont like buying things that are modified b/c you have no clue if the person who did the work is honest. Never know if it was done right, Ive seen plenty of shops who shouldnt even be in biz do HORRIBLE work.

That being said: Everything can be fixed in time with some cash. I completely agree with you man... I buy stock and do the mods I want... I even fell like that a clean stock quad is worth more then a modded quad that has been used more.

[emonroe89]

hey thanks to everyone for the help, this site is awesome, i think ill stick with stock unless they have proof and like you said its got to be a VERY dependable shop, i thought about keeping my 440ex and getting the manuel like the one guy said but i paid too much for it anyway, i dont understand people trying to high ball (compared to kbb) but is there anyway i cld tell if its got a 440kit by looking for something?

[440rdr1]

Originally posted by CJM
I dont like buying things that are modified b/c you have no clue if the person who did the work is honest. Never know if it was done right, Ive seen plenty of shops who shouldnt even be in biz do HORRIBLE work.

That being said: Everything can be fixed in time with some cash.

how bout when u buy a "worked 440" and u find the motor is completely stock haha

but now i have...(below)

moral of the story is buy stock and build

[01boneless]

Originally posted by emonroe89
hey thanks to everyone for the help, this site is awesome, i think ill stick with stock unless they have proof and like you said its got to be a VERY dependable shop, i thought about keeping my 440ex and getting the manuel like the one guy said but i paid too much for it anyway, i dont understand people trying to high ball (compared to kbb) but is there anyway i cld tell if its got a 440kit by looking for something?

only way to tell is to look in the motor at the piston

[Drfat400ex]

I think if it was a straight up kit, whole new cylinder and everything, it should have the "440cc" stamped on the side instead of the usual "397cc"

[emonroe89]

Thank you everyone for the advise...

Found a stock 02 400ex for 1400 might be able to talk him down more when i get there this wkend... anything i should know about that yr? any problems anyone knows of?