new 400 ex owner

[deadman]

im a total newbie with this 400ex in fact this is the first quad ive ever owned and ive only ridden a few times that ended badly. ive been riding bikes since i was 4 or 5 and im 35 now. my last bike was a kx250f and a kx250 before that. anyhow ive always wanted a quad and i found this 1999 400ex as a trade for my kx250f and i went for it....it needs work but everything is there . main thing it needs is a timing chain. i got the 400ex from a local bike shop who rebuilt the top end but the owner didnt want to put a new timing chain in it while it was apart so he put it together like this and said it ran but could tell it needed a timing chain and tentioner. is there anything else i should look for as far as problems that these things have?

[Jayskee]

Welcome! These bikes are pretty solid, reliable and easy to fix being air cooled. I don't know why that guy didn't replace the timing chain if he was already in the motor. Anyways, do yourself a favor and replace it with a honda crf 450r chain. And check the spring loaded tensioner...if you look from the rear on the cylinder near the exhaust it's held in by 2 bolts. They go bad too ... What part of Pa are you from?

[jman7290]

Welcome to the site, there is a great group of people on here with large amounts of info that can pretty much help you through the whole quad. You may also want to check the two timing chain guides for wear and replace if needed.

[deadman]

Originally posted by Jayskee
Welcome! These bikes are pretty solid, reliable and easy to fix being air cooled. I don't know why that guy didn't replace the timing chain if he was already in the motor. Anyways, do yourself a favor and replace it with a honda crf 450r chain. And check the spring loaded tensioner...if you look from the rear on the cylinder near the exhaust it's held in by 2 bolts. They go bad too ... What part of Pa are you from?

im in new stanton