400EX vs. 450r for amature XC racing

[HORSE45]

I'm 15 and coming up on the end of my first racing season. Lately I've felt I'm actually capable of using most of the bikes speed (there are still things I can do to be faster of course), so I'm wandering if I should keep the 400 and get faster on it or go ahead and get a 450 now? I've seen ALOT of people say a 400 isn't at much of a disadvantage in XC if set up correctly. I recently picked up my first sponsor VANILLA GORILLA RACING and am really excited to see where I can go with racing. Thanks for any advice guys.

[honda400ex2003]

i would tend to agree that a well built 400ex in the woods wont be a whole lot different than a 450r if you arent racing against them.

good suspension, a torquey motor with some good cooling mods to keep it from getting warm and heat soaking, good tires, and a good rider will run well in xc.

what do you have done for mods to your 400? are you running with 450s in the same am class? how are doing in comparison to a 450 in the class if you are?

steve

[DragonGunner]

I raced a lot of XC type races on my 400EX and beat a lot of 450R….however one place the 450R shines is open stretches, they will pull away and make passing more difficult. My son raced very good on my old Race 400EX but then moved up to the R and that same year won the Quad B championship here locally. If your serious about racing, as much as I like the 400EX I would recommend you step up to the 450R, your going to end up there anyway sooner or later. Best wishes to you racing….

[CJM]

Excellent in tight spots, but once it is open they will pull away from you. If your build is on a budget the EX would be my choice as its cheap to build and maintain over the 450.

[HORSE45]

The only engine/power mods I have on it is a White Bro's slip on, k&n, drilled air box lid and a jet kit. I have trx450r shocks up front with a Hygear triple rate kit on the way and a GT Thunder XC link coming in for the rear. I'm running GBC XC masters in all 4 corners with 14/38 gearing. I also added a ROX 2'' riser, I want to get fat bars soon and some other things to get it dialed in for me.

Also, does anyone have any advice on gaining more sponsors/what companies to ask/how to make a good resume??? Thanks in advance for any advice!

[OZ-T]

Anything to do with racing I'd go with the R, that's what they are made for. The 400EX was a race quad in it's day, but that was in 1999 when there weren't many competitors but the Banshee and Warrior out yet. Once the big thumpers started coming out, the 400EX became a trail/off road quad from then on. A 450R will walk all over a 400 no sweat, with great handling and much better suspension to boot. Only downside to an R is they are much higher maintenance and don't have reverse, most are kick start too. They have a separate gear and crank case so different oils need to be used in each along with it being liquid cooled instead of air cooled.

[400man]

The only engine/power mods I have on it is a White Bro's slip on, k&n, drilled air box lid and a jet kit. I have trx450r shocks up front with a Hygear triple rate kit on the way and a GT Thunder XC link coming in for the rear. I'm running GBC XC masters in all 4 corners with 14/38 gearing. I also added a ROX 2'' riser, I want to get fat bars soon and some other things to get it dialed in for me.

Also, does anyone have any advice on gaining more sponsors/what companies to ask/how to make a good resume??? Thanks in advance for any advice!

the only disadvantage the 400ex has to the 450r is the raw power, it will win everytime in the wide open sections in the races. at one point I had both a 05 450r and a 01 400ex. I kept the 400ex cause I was way more comfortable riding it and another main reason was how simple it was to work on and it felt so much more reliable.

if all you have is a slip on exhaust, theres a lot more you can do to wake up the power.one of the best proven setups is to go with a 11:1 piston, stage 2 hotcam, opened up stock header or bigger aftermarket header, and either a 04-05 450r carb or a fcr carb from a yfz450. you can do even more than this, depending on how much work and money you want to put into it.

and suspension, send your shocks to a builder and have them setup for you with the xc linkage and it will ride way better than it does now.

[HORSE45]

I think one of my next upgrades will be valving on my shocks. I'm going to wait till later in the season to do any power upgrades so I know I can handle what I have. Thanks alot for the info 400man

[OZ-T]

Anything to do with racing I'd go for the R, you'll spend a hefty chunk of change just getting a EX to match a stock R. The 400EX was a great performer in it's day before the 450's came along and it was game over.

[BlasterEaten250]

I'd just like to throw out there that I did my first XC race on a 400ex with stock suspension and got 3rd in Open B and 16th overall for the day. I think I was one of three people there with anything besides a 450. Not saying a 450 isn't going to help, but a lot of it is the rider.