MY 2 cents about ATVs.

[Martin Blair]

I got to thinking and i really want the new honda 450 but after thinking a while whats the big deal about everyone having to have the best quad out there, i ahvwe a 400ex and its a great bike no affence to others but its better then 300ex, 250ex, warriors, lokotas and mojaves, ect. It handles bettter then the raptor, the only quads that are about it IMO are the two new 450s, beside cannondale but there not mass produced. A 400ex can hange with z400s and kfxs, and i can beat raptors and stock banshees on mine.

So whats the big deal if you got a 400ex its a good bike why does everyone want a new 450, even people with 300exs its better, look at it like you could have a 250ex, or a mojave, or lokata, or hell even a warrior, but you dont you ahve something better, there always going to be someone that can beat you, you cant win everyday.

And in the C B and A class even it doesnt really matter what bike the driver is what matters more, that only come into play in open and pro classes, still a good driver on a 400ex can bet a average driver on a new yzf450 on the track, and suspension is more important then motor power usually if the bike comes into play at all, the only type of racing where the motor matters that much i can see would be drag racing, but a 416 or 426 kit can hang right there with these new 450s if you know your bike and how to drive.

thats my 2 cents.

Your overall point is a good one and one I share but like I have said b4 there are so many who are just gonna have to get the newest or biggest or bestest etc so I guess we just deal with it. or ****** and complain about them like I do :D

I started a thread in the past that was basically trying to get to the bottom of why the pro's are as good as they are, and the example I used was that Chris Borich had at that time raced a mostly stock Z400 and at a local D6 harescramble and easily defeated all the heavily modded machines in the 4 stroke A class.

I know it would have been that much different on a more race ready machine but obviously the rider made most of the diff and the competition was a-class riders who are far from slow and damn fast in their own right etc.

Makes you wonder.

[Martin Blair]

yeah i want the new crf450r but im only 15 and got to thinking a 400ex is a good bike, im rebuilding the suspesnion and motor a bit for Xc racing this winter, then im going to get better and riding. the rider makes more of a differnce then most people think.

Originally posted by HN400exracer
I got to thinking and i really want the new honda 450 but after thinking a while whats the big deal about everyone having to have the best quad out there, i ahvwe a 400ex and its a great bike no affence to others but its better then 300ex, 250ex, warriors, lokotas and mojaves, ect. It handles bettter then the raptor, the only quads that are about it IMO are the two new 450s, beside cannondale but there not mass produced. A 400ex can hange with z400s and kfxs, and i can beat raptors and stock banshees on mine.

So whats the big deal if you got a 400ex its a good bike why does everyone want a new 450, even people with 300exs its better, look at it like you could have a 250ex, or a mojave, or lokata, or hell even a warrior, but you dont you ahve something better, there always going to be someone that can beat you, you cant win everyday.

And in the C B and A class even it doesnt really matter what bike the driver is what matters more, that only come into play in open and pro classes, still a good driver on a 400ex can bet a average driver on a new yzf450 on the track, and suspension is more important then motor power usually if the bike comes into play at all, the only type of racing where the motor matters that much i can see would be drag racing, but a 416 or 426 kit can hang right there with these new 450s if you know your bike and how to drive.

thats my 2 cents.


i dont know about you guys but b and a u need more motor than c, there fully worked 250rs mostly and a few new 450s, a excellent rider can win on anything some g uys just need that lil edge to get the job doen, alot of it has to do with your riding style

Originally posted by HN400exracer
yeah i want the new crf450r but im only 15 and got to thinking a 400ex is a good bike, im rebuilding the suspesnion and motor a bit for Xc racing this winter, then im going to get better and riding. the rider makes more of a differnce then most people think.


see your in denial, i was too its ok, but the ex is a good bike but it just doesnt cut it if your equal with another guys who is one a yfz or a worked r

[RIDER11X]

Originally posted by HN400exracer
yeah i want the new crf450r but im only 15 and got to thinking a 400ex is a good bike, im rebuilding the suspesnion and motor a bit for Xc racing this winter, then im going to get better and riding. the rider makes more of a differnce then most people think.
I believe you are all 100% right on this. You can buy the machine, but you can't buy skills!

[Martin Blair]

Originally posted by freeride132
see your in denial, i was too its ok, but the ex is a good bike but it just doesnt cut it if your equal with another guys who is one a yfz or a worked r

im in denial, huh? o know the 400ex is a little out of date, my point is its still a great bike, and if you know your bike and how to ride it you can still win.

this winter i will be doing alot to my bike, 416, suspesnion, and im sure i can beat alot of guy on these new 450s, maybe not in a drag but in the woods or on the track.

[markeg192]

I think it depends on your ability and the class you ride in. If you ride in Beg. or C or even B a 400ex is prolly as fast as you are. Now once you get into A or Expert you will need a faster bike to match your ability. I'm slow so I'm gonna just ride my 440 and save my money.

[Martin Blair]

most racers out hear in 4 stroke b and some in a open just run 400exs with pipes and works shcoks, they just spend alot of seat time and know how to ride, i places 7th in my cklass first time out, so i think i did ok, im goign to do some work on the bike with winter 416, suspension, and more seat time, but personally i think its more rider then machine until you get up there into the pro classes, buy then you will hopefully be sponsered, evne in a and b classes so you shouldnt ahve to soend a ton no your bike if your serious about racing for a carrer you ride a sponsers bike.

[markeg192]

Hey there's a XC race do by Springfield Mo. this Sunday if your up for it.

[popo]

Originally posted by RIDER11X
I believe you are all 100% right on this. You can buy the machine, but you can't buy skills!

I agree with you 100% about the skills. Dropping a lot of $$$ into the best aftermarket parts out there for my Z. I thought I had the world by the balls and would do great.

WRONG, I will be the first to admit. You have to be in shape to be good. I have had a bad season due to the fact of being out of shape. And that is the number one goal coming into the second part of the GNCC season.

Perfect example, Look at the Howl boys. Stock bikes kicking butt.

b class here everyone has worked stuff, crf 450s, 250rs a couple 460exs

[RIDER11X]

Originally posted by popo


Perfect example, Look at the Howl boys. Stock bikes kicking butt.

Great example! Everyone wonders how they do it. Here's a clue...............You can't buy it!;)

[markeg192]

Originally posted by freeride132
b class here everyone has worked stuff, crf 450s, 250rs a couple 460exs

Thats tough unless you got lots of money or more talent.

[outacontrol31]

I agree also theres no use in buying a bigger bike if you ain't got the skill and i guarentee you over half the people that buy the 450's would be just as fast on 400's, BUT when you do meet that person that's got equal skill to you and your on a 400 and he's on a 450, doesn't matter how good you are a rider of equal skill will always win an the 450, it's faster out of the box, more race ready, to make a 400 as good as a stock 450 you would have to drop at least 3k if not more, mind as well start with the 450:scary:

[Woody_YFZ]

I agree. 90% skill, 10% bike. I can tell you I do a lot better on my YFZ than I did on my Raptor and that is purely because of teh handling and the suspension, not the speed. The Raptor had more than enough motor. My point is that you really need good handling and good suspension if you want to survive, then motor. No matter what the case is, you've got to have skills.

[Nausty]

Yeah I gotta agree. Is all I really have performance wise on my quad is k&n filter, exhaust, shocks and axle and I don't have a problem at all keeping up with people with better bikes than me. I still don't think i'm pushing my machine to the limit either.:ermm: Even if you do have a slower machine than the next guy if you beat him you know he can't make any excuses and you know your auviously the better rider and it makes winning that much better. I'm willing to bet most 90% of the riders getting these new quads can't push a mildly built 400 to the limit, little else their *gasp* crf450 or yzf440 quad.

Thats why I think in classes c, b and a its pretty much all rider and in pro is where it gets to the point where they have to milk them for all they got constantly.


lol, this post reminds me of a really big guy I raced. Fully built 440 and I smoked him and I still had stock width.

Originally posted by freeride132
see your in denial, i was too its ok, but the ex is a good bike but it just doesnt cut it if your equal with another guys who is one a yfz or a worked r

I couldnt disagree more :)

Think of it this way the 400ex modded PROPERLY is far from a out dated slug and will handle all the newer stuff just fine. You have to believe thats true because it is. The problem is going to be that once the newer machines get set up right and are similarly modded the benefits of the dohc and liquid cooling are going to become a factor and this is where the EX got short changed.

Do you think that the guys running pro prod with 500cc engines in their ex's are slow? You cant once you realize they are pushing or ahead of the modded r's and everything else in the two pro classes. This is where its both quad and rider and though many are looking at the newer machines for some new "advantage" remember that the honda powered riders have been finishing before the newer dohc liquid cooled machines that are running close to the same engine mods etc.

So what I am getting to is the EX is far from dead performance wise but you need to get it set up properly and put the right rider on it.

[YLW400]

Doesn't DOug Eichner still run a 400EX based quad??


I think it also kinda depends on where you are on the map....As far as District # too. One of the top 5 guys in "A" class district 7 runs a 400EX...He is just a good rider...B class is full of them...I saw a guy from on here on a BONE stock 400EX run at Budds in "A' class and get 2nd :huh . Lemme guess, the rest of the A riders were slow I guess.

[MOFO]

freeride, you need to get your head out of your arse. You make it sound like these 450's are going to make everyone a pro or A class racer. Give me a break.... :rolleyes:


I'll lay down a months paycheck betting that there WILL be guys out there with 400ex based quads, beating people who buy the 450's that cant ride them as good.

[Martin Blair]

Originally posted by markeg192
Hey there's a XC race do by Springfield Mo. this Sunday if your up for it.

nope this si the last weekend before school starts, i got bunhc of things i need to do arround the house :(

After i get my bike done this winter im just goign to put some seatime on it and start lossing a little bit of wiegh for next season. right now im debating a 416 or just throw aall my money into the suspension.