I love trails. I like some hills but not as much as them haha
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I love trails. I like some hills but not as much as them haha
The 416 build and full XC setup from this thread are continuing to do everything I ask of it. A couple pics from my last riding trip and going again tomorrow:
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/94196939@N02/14059517059" title="20140519_115651 by Troy Blodgett, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm3.staticflickr.com/2931/14059517059_41a726a480_b.jpg" width="1024" height="576" alt="20140519_115651"></a>
The hill below is steep but what makes climbing it sketchy is the mud hole at the bottom and the tree roots at the top. The valley stays wet and every time I have climbed it that mud hole is always there, but that's what gets the adrenaline pumping!
<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/94196939@N02/14059501108" title="20140519_161732 by Troy Blodgett, on Flickr"><img src="https://farm6.staticflickr.com/5491/14059501108_53c72dd2a2_b.jpg" width="1024" height="576" alt="20140519_161732"></a>
Recap the mods for us... I have lost track.
2006 400EX
- Cylinder bored to 416cc (87mm) & JE 10.8:1 piston
- Stage 2 Hotcam
- HD head studs
- Cometic Gasket kit
- Lap valves & new valve stem seals
- My own “clean up” port job to remove casting flaws & add knife edge to intake port divider
- CRF450R HD timing chain
- 450R carb (190 main/48 pilot/2.5 turns)
- Fabricated my own custom “Outerwears” lid
- Grind header welds on pipe
- Lonestar +2 a-arms
- Tusk steel braided +2 front brake lines
- Front 450R shocks revalved & dual springs by GT Thunder
- Rear shock revalved & spring by GT Thunder
- GT XC rear shock link
- Pro Taper SE ATV Hi bars
- ODI Ruffian lock-on grips
- Precision shock & vibe bar clamps
- CCP Steering stabilizer
- MSR AOF Clutch perch/lever
- Tusk hand guards
- remove & grease swingarm pivot bolt
- Baja 4 + 1 front rims
- Beadlock 3 + 5 rear rims
- Holeshot XCR front & rear tires
- GT Thunder swing arm skid plate
- TM chain slider on skid plate
this spring 2014 I completed:
- installed +2 Eyeball Engineering swing arm
- new front & rear sprockets plus new longer chain for extended swing arm
- installed Moose poly case saver
- 450 front brake swap for larger pads and twin pistons
- installed full frame skid plate
- new Douglas .190 red label rear wheels with Ohtsu MR/501 tires for hill climbing
- grease every bushing in the shocks, a-arms, and rear linkage
- installed new axle carrier bearings
- adjusted valve clearance
Now starting the 3rd year of running my EX since this build and I add a little more each year. I pretty much only go hill climbing with it now so my setup reflects that.
This winter/spring 2015 I completed:
- installed new Lonestar +4 swing arm
- new Rock 8x8 beadlocks with 22" 4-snow tires for hill climbing
- new 12-40 sprockets for the 22" tires plus new longer chain for extended swingarm
- stiffer rear shock spring for the increased leverage of the longer swingarm
- Teixeira Tech rear sprocket guard
- swapped the rear brake caliper, stay, and rotor from my 250R over to the EX for more ground clearance over that huge EX rotor
- replaced all bushings/bearings in the rear shock linkage
- new CT Racing full exhaust
Yes 12-40 gearing is really low but I run 13-39 with 20" tires and I never use 1st gear. I have tried several combinations and that works the best for the extreme hill climbing I am doing but I will say it sucks for fast trail riding as the gears are so short. As far as trail riding goes I am pleasantly surprised that the +4 swingarm didn't slow me down on the trails as much as I thought it would. I can still loft the front end over obstacles at speed and can still keep up no problem when blitzing the trails with my buddies on their 450's who used to race expert class XC.
I went to the smaller rotor and sprocket guard as I decided to run without a swingarm skid plate this year. Even though I had the GT Thunder XC version that was tight to the swingarm it still would get hung up in the ruts. This is also why I went to the 22" tires but I will run my 20's and change gearing sometimes depending on where I am going.
Pic I took yesterday:
https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7628/...c8dfcc27_c.jpg416EX 2015 by Blodg15, on Flickr
I am the first one to climb in this video from April 4th 2015 (before I installed the CT exhaust). The hills never look like much in the videos but you can tell it is not easy when the next guys tries it several times. He also has a +4 swingarm on his Z400 and he tried the hill 4 or 5 times and never made it. This hill has no run like many of the tougher hills we climb.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7iUEibSO3Y
Long live the EX!
awesome bike. you guys are crazy on those hills. I get nervous when I have to hit a steep hill in a race. ive messed up a few times in the past and it has cost me some dough$ to fix stuff. just wondering if you have tried a 450r rear brake caliper vs the 250r caliper? I know the 450r caliper is a single piston and the 250r is a dual piston, are rotors the same size? yfz450 front calipers are a awesome bolt on upgrade too if you havent done it yet.
Thanks 400man, I initial thought was to swap the rear brakes over to 450R components until I decided to part out my 250R chassis. That way I didn't have to buy anything so it saved me $180 or whatever it would have cost to get the 450R caliper, rotor, and stay off ebay.
I do have the YFZ 450 front calipers when I upgraded to them last year. And I was glad to have them yesterday going down all these huge sketchy downhills lol.
For Evereyones information::: DO NOT bother to buy heavy duty Tusk springs from Rocky Mountain ATV. They are NOT any stronger than stock. I bought some. Tested on a spring tester and they Are no stronger !! Same pressure at Installed height and at Compressed height. I called and the acted like I was wrong. I said I tested them and they still did nothing. Liars and thieves!!!