Clutch options/opinions

[KKiowaTJ]

I was kicking around the idea of cheap and go tusk kit. Not one person I know, Ride with, Race with had anything good to say except, If you're going to sell it, That's the only time to use tusk.

I have been looking at the EBC DRC kit, DRC-F kit and the Barnett with Kevlar fibers. Im kinda up in the air on which one will be the best for my riding style. I ride the 400 like a 2stroke, I use my clutch all the time. Im trying to get away from that, But im sure its here to stay lol.

The way the kits read, The EBC DRC is cork, The DRC-F has Kevlar in it as well as the dirt digger. Is anyone running any of these kits? Or have another option I didn't list with-in a decent price?

Just wanted to hear some opinions on clutches that work well with the 400 and will hold up to my riding style. Thanks for any help and advice

[Ryan02400ex]

I have the tusk kit with HD springs and I ride it the same way you do. I have gone through too many cables to even count and am constantly adjusting it, I feel like its worn out already (probably a year and a half). I would not recommend it

[400man]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/HONDA-TRX-400EX-400-EX-1999-2008-HEAVY-DUTY-CLUTCH-KIT-/290971034945?pt=Motors_ATV_Parts_Accessories&hash=item43bf39a541&vxp=mtr

this is the clutch kit ive been using for about a year I guess. it doesn't slip unless I feather or use the clutch a lot, then I have to adjust my cable a lot while im riding. and when I let the bike cool down it goes back to normal and I have to adjust it back. Im going back to the oem Honda clutchs and springs when I have to replace it again

[CJM]

GT Thunder 8 disc kit, comes with machined pressure plate to run the extra discs. Well worth the cash.

[KKiowaTJ]

Looked at the GT thunder kit and im gonna have to save for that. That looks and sounds like what I need for aggressive clutch use but at a cost. So for the time being im going to go with a ebc DRC spring/F/S kit and hope it makes it a year or so until I can get the GT kit and or a whole new basket etc. In the mean time ill have to watch how much I use it and when/where to use it. Thanks for all the help

[jfwyatt1]

i ran a tusk for 2 years never had any trouble but it was with a hinson basket and pressure plate that may have been why it didnt give me trouble. i now run oem in everything as my buddy works for a dealership and gets me stuff at his cost.

[2001400exrida]

i also run tusk HD kit. Have heard good and bad about it, but my experience is good. My 400 has had one for 2 years and the 450 got one at the beginning of this past season. No complaints yet.

[KKiowaTJ]

I have a couple more questions regarding the clutch. I don't have the 'tool' until I get it apart and weld one up like a member posted up with the steels and re-bar.
Can I use an impact on the center nut? If I don't have time to make a tool, Can I use the impact to install it?
They used to come with cover gaskets, Do they still or do I have to hit up Honda or order? Ballpark dealer price by chance?
One im really unsure of, I watched a vid that the oem has a ring on the inside, Shows him remove it and not put it back and said its not needed, Any info on that?
Its been along time since I have done this and this one I kinda wanna do right the first time. I know I need clean surfaces on cases, Clean out sludge, Don't loose pins or O-rings.

Just want to have everything ready to comes out and go in and be back on the trail. Hate to be a newb about it and ask for crayon directions, I have read the sticky, But its my first 400 and my first four stroke. Kinda want to do it sunday if I can get all the items on a sat morning.

Funny thing too, I had to settle for a lesser kit to get by until I could go GTT8. I let my sister make some calls and in two hours, Had a ebc DRC-F kit for a few dollars more. So I ended up with what I really wanted less the big jump to GTT.

Thanks in advance on any extra info you can give, Just want it right the first time and to go smooth.

[400man]

http://i417.photobucket.com/albums/pp255/ky2stroker/018_zpsade2dd84.jpg (http://s417.photobucket.com/user/ky2stroker/media/018_zpsade2dd84.jpg.html)

you can get by with just one steel plate if you want, I think I used 2 or 3 and tack welded em together to beef it up. then just use some kind of metal bar that will fit in between the clutch basket fingers.

[KKiowaTJ]

Thanks for the pic of the tool, Ill get what I need for it and weld it up while changing it. That will make it easier IMO and better idea of 'tight'.

Nope, Kit is springs, Fibers and steels only. They used to come with a gasket, But I guess to be 'competitive' in selling parts, One less thing that bring price up even though you need it. I didn't go out of my way to check on prices, Just going to call or swing by. Totally forgot about oil and filter from the get go so ill get everything I need at Honda next week.
Thanks for all the help and tips

[CJM]

Dont need the tool if you got an impact

[Chukkinsod]

Don't mean to thread jack but wanted to ask a question, Has anyone else had issues with Barnett Dirt diggers....used to run them on everything.......I absolutely hate them as neutral is a b.... to find no matter what bike they are on (have a few buddies that ran as well) I went back to OEMs with different spring setup and Will never go back.

[Stickman400]

Almost all the reviews I've seen on them say they are junk and to avoid them. They wear out fast, fiber comes off the plate, clutch is harder to pull in for some reason. I was going too buy them from Motosport and give them a shot, but after reading the reviews I just stuck with my Tusk on the 400 and OEM on the 450 and saved my money.

[KKiowaTJ]

Glad I didn't go with a DD kit, That's what I was trying to avoid and I know oem is always tops.

I have a couple more questions on this as im trying to do my homework and cant find out what I need. I saw a vid of a guy changing out 450r clutch kit, He used a tusk. He kept mentioning a judge spring? The round spring that's in the back of the basket? Does it have to go back in? I cant find any info on that part/spring to give the true name of it.
That and the first/last fiber going into a certain groove? First one you see, Last you add assembling is what I mean. I know I need a manual, But at this time im lucky enough I got a kit to fix it.
I have tried the download links for them under a search and I cant download any and all lead to the same place it seems. Honestly, Im probably over thinking this and all but don't want more problems.
Just curious what that part is, And if I leave it or toss it aside.

[Stickman400]

It's called a judder spring, there is a mod you can do that removes it and replaces its place with another plate. Here's a link to a thread about it on the .org: http://www.trx450r.org/forum/94-suspension-chassis-drivetrain/193185-judder-spring-mod.html But if you don't want to do that then it does need to stay in. Here's a couple screen captures straight from the service manual for the clutch plate install on an 06+ 450R.

http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv192/Stickman400/Quad%20Pics/ScreenShot010_zpsa4878f51.png (http://s683.photobucket.com/user/Stickman400/media/Quad%20Pics/ScreenShot010_zpsa4878f51.png.html)
http://i683.photobucket.com/albums/vv192/Stickman400/Quad%20Pics/ScreenShot011_zps5c56667a.png (http://s683.photobucket.com/user/Stickman400/media/Quad%20Pics/ScreenShot011_zps5c56667a.png.html)

[CJM]

400 doesnt have a judder spring.

[KKiowaTJ]

Sweet, Thanks guys. I couldn't find a good vid except of the 450r. The internet is love/hate, For every thing you find, You will find opinions against it. Hard to find good info outside of here IMO only owning a 400ex. But a lot of the good links went here or the org, So it kinda works out lol.

[2001400exrida]

Yeah judder spring mod is a good quick improvement for the 450s. Also stay away from the org....lots of people posting when they shouldn't be lol.

[CJM]

What the judder mod spring does for a 450 is give it more positive engagement. After I went to the Gt thunder 8 plate setup on the 400 I never looked back. That clutch heldup for eons. You have another disc in there and it grabs much better. But you need the machined pressure plate that comes with the GTT kit, wont work otherwise. About the only annoyance is the fact its harder to push ingear with the clutch pulled in. But if you like to race your buddies the engagement is sweet!


Orgs a good place, really been better for a LONG time now. If you ever get a 450 its the place to go..

[2001400exrida]

cr500 springs are the way to go on the trx450's.

First of all I've done this mod, so I'm not basing this information off of stuff i read from trx450r.org

There are actually 2 judder springs.....they aren't really springs at all in fact, they are large size washers, nearly as big as the clutch plates. Then you replace the last fiber which is setup to match the size of the judder spring/big washer. You replace it with a full size clutch plate. So basically all you're doing is removing the 2 judder springs and the small fiber, and replace with big/normal sized plate.

Just remember always start with a fiber and end with a fiber. What the judder spring mod does is essentially makes it the dirt bike setup. Sometimes people will call it the dirt bike mod. It basically gets rid of the creep that sometimes happens when running in gear with the clutch in.

far as the org goes, it was better a long long time ago, now it's just 15 year olds and know it alls over there, lots of guys who don't know tech but tend to chat tech regardless. which is really why i wish this site the best in growing into a quality info and tech site. just my opinion, but what do i know i've only been on the org since 08, so i guess a long time to me is more than a couple years.....

[chronicsmoke]

I would say that the Tusk kit is ok for the 400..

Though I have ran a couple in my 450r and they are really nothing to write home about... if you buy the tusk kit, but two because you will need them. I am CONSTANTLY, CONSTANTLY, CONSTANTLY (you get the point) adjusting it. If I didn't have a quick adjust perch I wouldn't even run it.

The .Org is a good site, not sure where the hate comes from.. there used to be a bunch of problems with argument threads but that was 6+ months ago and it's been great since :muscle:
It gets way more activity than this 450 sectiion too so you should consider checking it out!

[KKiowaTJ]

Ill end up on a 450r, Im in the early stages of denial that I can get my 400 up to par with a 450 lol. But between this site and org, It has saved me thousand(s) already. Reason being, I can dump all the money I can into a 400, And its still a tad below or even hp wise with a stock 450.
So a 440 kit IMO is throwing money away and taking your reliability away. From all the reading, Best I have seen/read, Is the XR400 mod's and max out at a 426/427. That's where IMO the reliability starts going down from reading 'builds'and tuning becomes more of a pain etc.
For the $$, Im better off with new rings and normal maintenance on a 400 and save mod money toward a 450. Out of the box its an all around better quad except trail riding from what I have read.
Millions of opinions on the subject and they go back and fourth.

The org and bickering, Just like any other forum on the web. What is best today, Is old school tech tomorrow. I have been a member of many 4x4 sites and I have always ran the same lift/tire size. Started out I was told it wouldn't work and ill break this and that, This was in 04'-05'. Now the norm is low COG builds and I still have not broken any parts outside of the usual DD parts. I just read all opinions and the go and read another set, Sift through the BS to get what I want.

[CJM]

Yea, I was once there too. In denial the 400 could do it all, it can to a degree but you will always lose to the 450 in an open area unless they cant ride. I miss the 400 for its tractor like driving but I dont miss how much it took time and money wise to get it to perform close to a 450. Rode both the 06+ and 04-05 and I like the way the 04-05 rides, better handlong up front and the gearing is much closer to a 400ex.

[2001400exrida]

The org and bickering, Just like any other forum on the web. What is best today, Is old school tech tomorrow. I have been a member of many 4x4 sites and I have always ran the same lift/tire size. Started out I was told it wouldn't work and ill break this and that, This was in 04'-05'. Now the norm is low COG builds and I still have not broken any parts outside of the usual DD parts. I just read all opinions and the go and read another set, Sift through the BS to get what I want.

spot on buddy! And also like what you said about millions of opinions, that literally is just what most comments are unless it's true tech talk. That's why it doesn't make sense to get mad and be one sided with discussion topics. You find this on the org, they have one way of doing things and the guys who have old school tech or don't buy into the whole "forum builders and forum hype" are the guys who get put down for it. Fact is, if what you do works, then why fall into all the forum hype????it's just a bunch of monkeys repeating the same thing half the time. You will find knowledgeable members but you have to know how to take everything with a grain of salt, nobody agrees on everything. Most of the true knowledge that i have gained is not from an internet forum it's from racing and riding...talking to people at events and actually getting out and using these quads! It's a shame that the org punishes and bans people if the mods don't agree with them. Half of the mods over there don't ride. When somebody says 400's lose to 450's, they obviously feel they are faster on a 450, but trust me when i say there are plenty of guys who are super fast on a build 400 that they know how to ride.

The best part about both of these quads is that they are both honda's and both reliable as can be! maintain them and build them right and they can last years and years.

i've used the tusk on both the 400 and the 450 and I have to say it held up just fine. What i find happens before the clutches go bad is the baskets start to get grooved. The stock basket is an easy one to groove out, and on the 450's it's a pia to change cuz you have to take the side case off. In the 400's it's no biggie, especially if you have the nifty tool. I'm not one to attempt to use an impact on such a big nut that will cause the basket to spin freely, you're much better using a socket wrench and any sort of holder tool. props again for inventing that one.

[400man]

i always use an impact on the clutch nut, taking it off and putting it on. the tool mainly helps for putting it on,

[KKiowaTJ]

Im curious about one more thing. I have read and was going to follow the sticky on here that ky woods rider posted. If so, All Im doing is replacing the plates/fibers I wont need but simple hand tools wont I?
No reason to take the nut off from the steps posted, Just the arm/cover, 5 bolts, Remove/replace, Then put it back together the way it came apart. I know I would need an impact if I was removing the basket, But I just plan on a clutch kit swap.
Just a thought I had after reading it over again so I can do this easy with no problems and his sticky never mentioned that part.

[CJM]

Yea dont need anything but hand tools if you dont do the basket

[KKiowaTJ]

LMAO... I have been concerned about using an impact and this and that it passed right over. Glad to hear and im still gonna make a tool for when I get the GTT kit or just to have. Sweet, I had a day set aside for problems, This is nothing more than an extensive oil change lol. Thanks for the reply