Newbie to Quading...

[Tech-D]

OK guys, looking to make my street bike my track/race only bike. But I get the itch to ride every nice day this time of year.

To curb my addiction I'm looking to pickup an 400EX.

I always hated these questions on the sport bike forums. But here it is...

1. Is the 400EX too large for a first time quader?

I'm looking to get a quad that can last me a few years 3 - 5 preferably. I don't want to go too small then have to upgrade later.

Right now Honda has some really nice financing and since the little woman said "NO" to the new CBR600RR, I told her that I'm going to go dirt then. :) So it's between the 300EX and the 400EX.

I currently have an old CR250R that I am selling so I know something of dirt, but the last multi wheeled vehicle I was on was a trike. (Showing my age.) :)

Also where are the good places to rip in PA. I'm in a little town of Sellersville, which is about 30min North of Philly.

Thanks in advance,

[lil400exman]

well if your going to race i reccomend a 250r.A 400ex will be fine but 250r's have a lower ride hide which will keep you planted and kikin.A 400ex is a great woods machine but it lacks in the power department. A 416ex kit of a 426 or 440 from a engine builder can really change that. A built atv racer for mx will cost (base machine not top of the line parts) including price of quad (250r or 400ex around 3k) would probably be around 5,500 dollars. Since you are new to the sport you do not need all the highest tech racing equipment. Now you may to upgrade to it but these products will ease you into tuning your bike and everyhting so when you do get a advced setup it wont be to hard to learn how. Nut yes a 400ex would be good for you to start out with. But i prefer for racing a 250r cause of its power and modability. And in Pa theres ton of places to ride go to your dnr page and type in motorcycle trails or something like that and you can find all of them. I hope this post helped;)

[p@iNn3ck]

Hey... simple answer to question 1.... No way. Definitely get the 400 not the 300. You'll be fine on it. I got my first quad in Dec and it was a 400.... love it! You sound like you've got some experience on 2 and 3 wheels, so wouldn't think the 400 would be a stretch for ya. Plus it will last.... you won't HAVE to upgrade, but if you want to... there's plenty of upgrades available. All depends on what you want to do with it.

Sorry can't help with the PA ride spots, but there's a bunch of guys on here from the east coast areas that know.

[Tech-D]

Originally posted by lil400exman
well if your going to race i reccomend a 250r.

Sorry my bad, I'm actually racing my Street bike. Not dirt. :) I'm wanting to get off the streets with my bike.

[Glow Plug]

go with the 400ex over the 300ex won't be sorry :D

[lil400exman]

even though man a 250r will have better resale value than a ex................... no offense i had a 400ex but now that i have my r i cant go back:devil

[400grl]

400ex - the 300EX will be too small for you. The 400 has power, and you can get lots more for it when you want it. It's great all round in stock form - you can trail ride, dune ride, and track ride, and when you want to get heavy into one of the above, there are mods everywhere for it! :) And it's going to last......

[Honda4trax250x]

go with the 400ex u would grow out of the 300ex in no time

[Doibugu2]

Easy answer to the question is get the 400. You will be kicking yourself in the butt if you don't. I'm 27 and just bought my first quad last year and had no problem learning to use the power. You also have more experience in riding than I did.

The only other suggustion I made give is that the price of a used 400 has dropped considerably. If you can swing it, I bet you could save at least $1k and get a great 400 with some mods over a brand new 400.

There really is not much point in buying brand new. You only get a 6 month warrenty, which is almost pointless. And if you stick around here, if something does break, you can find almost all the info here how to fix it.

Take a look in the for sale section to see what I'm talking about.

[wilkin250r]

If you have any riding experience at all (and you obviously do) then you will outgrow the 300EX in three months and be looking to upgrade. The 400EX has a very nice powerband that is easy to control, and great handling characteristics. My girlfriend has a 400EX. It's easy enough that she can ride it with confidence, yet fast enough that it scares her. And if she can ride it (I hope she doesn't read this) then anybody can.

It's really the best of both worlds, easy enough for a basic beginner, yet powerful enough so that you can actually DO something with it and have some fun with it.

[Stevie-D]

as for ridin spost in PA, there is Raush creek, dang, theres another one, cant remember it:confused: anyway, theres a bunch of abandonded coal piles up in northeast pa, along with countless railroad beds to ride on. or, you could always come up here and ride with me on my track:p

[Tech-D]

Thanks for all the info guys/gal.

Being from the sportbikes world, I was afraid that this would be compared to a newbie hoping on a brand new R1. Which is really stupid.

My friend just got back from his business trip and even said all the same things you all said. He raced quads some years ago and said I would be able to handle the 400 without any problems.

He also has a place up at Bonner's Lake in Hazelton and said there is a place right next door that is good riding. He's just upset because he has been going there for 15+ years for free doing all "no rules" riding that he liked. So other then that he said up there would be perfect.

Thanks again for all the info. The reason I am going new is Honda has a really good deal on any of their products up till the end of April. So I will be talking to my dealer this weekend.

Hope to catch up and ride with some of the locals.

[GOMER007]

go with the 400 :eek2: I just got my 400 im dec. and i love it sooooooo mutch. im 13 and the power is just right ( but i still want more!!!) you wont bee dis-u-pontied :blah :blah

[bradley300]

if you get a 300, you will have a sig like mine in 6 months.

[#77]

You would be happy with a 400. I own a 300, a Mojave, a DS 650, and the 400 is a great bike. I am somewhat concerned with you outgrowing the power of the 400 easily, though. I rode one at Pismo Beach, CA, and craved more power. Since you are coming from streetbikes, you know what power feels like. I hate to say it but you may be disappointed with the 400's power. But, on the contrary, the 400 has the best handling chassis on the market. Plus, it is a very reliable machine that has been around for a few years and plenty of upgrades are available for it. It is a very solid machine, and anyone would be happy on it. However, anyone who craves power (just about everyone, right?) will have to do a fair amount of modification to make the 400 rip.

I am sure you would be happy with one, but test ride one first to make sure the power is surprising before you buy it. I have always found it good to be somewhat intimidated by a machine when you first start out. This way, you learn to respect the machine and learn to get the most out of it without simply cranking it to the max.

Happy quad shopping!:)

[zfire_28]

one of my favorite things about the 400ex is that it is the best quad for riding wheelies. if nothing else you can have a blast riding wheelies all day long.

[killed300ex]

I would definitly get the 400 i have the 300 and i am already sick of it even though it was my first quad after 6 months i was sick of it. Id definitly get the 400 plus its not like your not use to the power clutchin ect....definitly get the 400 imho
killed

[Dune Surfer]

I love my 426, But..... The power is pretty weak stock. You might want to check out the Z-400, More power, water cooled, nice ride.