01TRX300EX
09-13-2003, 02:37 PM
Well my uncle just recently bought a brand new 2004 400EX, and let me tell you, it aint half bad. Now I've never ridden a 2003 or lower 400EX with the different carburetor so I don't know how it compares. I'll still try and give the best review possible.
Engine: Seemed a little soft off the bottom, maybe I just wasn't used to it, but it did pull pretty well in midrange. It didn't seem to pull 5th gear all that well either, again, could be a result of it being my first time on it, and yes I do realize that the engine characterists such as bottom end, midrange and top end do not refer to what gear you are in.
Handling: Wow, now I know what you all were talking about when you said it handled so well, it always brought the front end up when it needed to be up, but at the same time it was stay planted when I needed it to do that, very stable in turns that would have my 300EX on two tires. It also flew very well over jumps, always willing to make corrections in mid air, felt very flickable through anything.
Suspension: Front worked really well I thought, the rear felt like the rebound could be a little quicker over rolling bumps, it seemed to pack up more than my 300EX, but I am sure with a little adjustment that could be worked out, I just didn't want to mess with it since it was not mine.
Comfort: Really comfortable, seat was soft but not overly soft, bars seemed a little low to me, but then again I am used to the bars on my 300EX, but overall, I pretty much sat on it and felt comfortable.
Overall I really liked the 400EX, I would sure like to ride a Z400 to compare to though. If there is one thing I missed though was having reverse, call me lazy, but I would much rather pull up the lever on my 300EX then get off everytime to push it back, and everyone with me agreed on that, but I know there are a lot of you that won't agree with me on that and believe reverse is not necessary, so I won't go into to much on that because I don't really want this to turn into a flaming war over something stupid like that.
Engine: Seemed a little soft off the bottom, maybe I just wasn't used to it, but it did pull pretty well in midrange. It didn't seem to pull 5th gear all that well either, again, could be a result of it being my first time on it, and yes I do realize that the engine characterists such as bottom end, midrange and top end do not refer to what gear you are in.
Handling: Wow, now I know what you all were talking about when you said it handled so well, it always brought the front end up when it needed to be up, but at the same time it was stay planted when I needed it to do that, very stable in turns that would have my 300EX on two tires. It also flew very well over jumps, always willing to make corrections in mid air, felt very flickable through anything.
Suspension: Front worked really well I thought, the rear felt like the rebound could be a little quicker over rolling bumps, it seemed to pack up more than my 300EX, but I am sure with a little adjustment that could be worked out, I just didn't want to mess with it since it was not mine.
Comfort: Really comfortable, seat was soft but not overly soft, bars seemed a little low to me, but then again I am used to the bars on my 300EX, but overall, I pretty much sat on it and felt comfortable.
Overall I really liked the 400EX, I would sure like to ride a Z400 to compare to though. If there is one thing I missed though was having reverse, call me lazy, but I would much rather pull up the lever on my 300EX then get off everytime to push it back, and everyone with me agreed on that, but I know there are a lot of you that won't agree with me on that and believe reverse is not necessary, so I won't go into to much on that because I don't really want this to turn into a flaming war over something stupid like that.