New (to me) '05 400ex **questions**

[Seibert_JW]

Hey y'all, I'm new to this forum, and I have some questions about my quad. First off, I'm not new to atvs, been around and had me all my life. I'm 18 and have owned several 4x4s.. I'm 6'1" and 280. Big guy. Lol. the closest I've come to a sport atv was my '86 Suzuki LT230. The thing was a tank. anyways, on to the good stuff. 05 400ex. Completely stock + rear ITP Holeshots. I trail ride, I do not race, drag, dunes, etc. So PLEASE keep that in mind when recommending answers. I don't need ridiculous power increases or boring or cams and stuff. Btw, I'm a bit OCD, so I like stuff sectioned and separated, hopefully that makes y'all's life as easy as it makes mine.

I bought this 05 400ex for $1600

Okay, so thanks to Pappy and multiple others, I've been able to search the threads and perform some maintanence to my quad... STARTING with me completely tearing apart the rear end.

1) I need bearings. I'm not sure if I'll need a carrier as well (will post pics soon). So, what bearings do you recommend? If I need a carrier, I know to look for a double bearing carrier with a grease zerk.

2) I need sprockets (F&R) and a chain. What do y'all recommend? I do a lot of trail riding. I don't race track. Very little jumping. A good bit of farm and trails. Trees. Hill climbing. Etc.

3) I'm fat. Let's be honest. so these stock front shocks suck. I'm looking for an upgrade. I know 450r shocks and yfz shocks etc. But my main question is what can i get that will provide best comfort without seriously sacrificing ride height. Because of the trails. Back shock seems just fine for now.

4) I know it's little, but it didn't come with a tail light... And I want one. Will the OEM be just a tail light or a brake/tail light?

5) She needs pads.... BRAKE PADS GUYS. COME ON! She was low on brake fluid so I checked the pads and sure enough.. Anyways, is it worth my time to redo the pads and stick with stock? Or are the 450 brakes (F&R) worth the upgrade?

6) Since everything is stock, so is the exhaust and header. Quite frankly, I just want it to sound better, I'm not racing. I'm just looking for a good sounding exhaust system. I like deep throaty exhaust, but I prefer it not to be painfully loud when I'm riding. I've been looking at the DMC afterburner and FMF Powercore 4. No, I'm not interested in the Q4. Not my thing.

7) I do know I'll have to rejet. From what I've gathered, it's really a guessing game, an art, and no real science to it. But I think I'll start with a 42 pilot and 155-168 main. I live in Delaware (US), so the weathers all over. Hot summers. Cold winters. From what I've read, a 42 pilot helps with choking and cold starts.

8) I'll also be looking for an HID kit, I just want to know what you run and what wattage seems to work best.

9) I'm not a fan of the red. I wear/drive/like ALL black. Flat black. I want to paint the plastics. What's your opinion on how to paint the plastics?

10) A co-worker of mine runs a Polaris 500. He said, because of the ethanol in (premium) pump gas, he uses BLUE MARINE STA-BIL. I don't want to eat a hole in my carb from running pump gas, so is this the right stuff to use? Or is there something else I should try?

11) I'm changing the oil and oil filter and air filter. Air filter I'm using a UNI with outer wears cover and holes in the top of my air box lid. What oil and oil filter should I use? Since it's a used quad, I know honda recommends the GN4 or whatever it is... But I'm not sure if the last guy used a fully synthetic oil.. :help:

12) what other tips/tricks/ quirks can you tell me about to help me get the most out of and understand my 400ex?

Thank yall so much for any and all help you can give me. I truly appreciate it and I'll be around on these forums for awhile!!

[DragonGunner]

Hey y'all, I'm new to this forum, and I have some questions about my quad. First off, I'm not new to atvs, been around and had me all my life. I'm 18 and have owned several 4x4s.. I'm 6'1" and 280. Big guy. Lol. the closest I've come to a sport atv was my '86 Suzuki LT230. The thing was a tank. anyways, on to the good stuff. 05 400ex. Completely stock + rear ITP Holeshots. I trail ride, I do not race, drag, dunes, etc. So PLEASE keep that in mind when recommending answers. I don't need ridiculous power increases or boring or cams and stuff. Btw, I'm a bit OCD, so I like stuff sectioned and separated, hopefully that makes y'all's life as easy as it makes mine.

I bought this 05 400ex for $1600

Okay, so thanks to Pappy and multiple others, I've been able to search the threads and perform some maintanence to my quad... STARTING with me completely tearing apart the rear end.

1) I need bearings. I'm not sure if I'll need a carrier as well (will post pics soon). So, what bearings do you recommend? If I need a carrier, I know to look for a double bearing carrier with a grease zerk.

2) I need sprockets (F&R) and a chain. What do y'all recommend? I do a lot of trail riding. I don't race track. Very little jumping. A good bit of farm and trails. Trees. Hill climbing. Etc.

3) I'm fat. Let's be honest. so these stock front shocks suck. I'm looking for an upgrade. I know 450r shocks and yfz shocks etc. But my main question is what can i get that will provide best comfort without seriously sacrificing ride height. Because of the trails. Back shock seems just fine for now.

4) I know it's little, but it didn't come with a tail light... And I want one. Will the OEM be just a tail light or a brake/tail light?

5) She needs pads.... BRAKE PADS GUYS. COME ON! She was low on brake fluid so I checked the pads and sure enough.. Anyways, is it worth my time to redo the pads and stick with stock? Or are the 450 brakes (F&R) worth the upgrade?

6) Since everything is stock, so is the exhaust and header. Quite frankly, I just want it to sound better, I'm not racing. I'm just looking for a good sounding exhaust system. I like deep throaty exhaust, but I prefer it not to be painfully loud when I'm riding. I've been looking at the DMC afterburner and FMF Powercore 4. No, I'm not interested in the Q4. Not my thing.

7) I do know I'll have to rejet. From what I've gathered, it's really a guessing game, an art, and no real science to it. But I think I'll start with a 42 pilot and 155-168 main. I live in Delaware (US), so the weathers all over. Hot summers. Cold winters. From what I've read, a 42 pilot helps with choking and cold starts.

8) I'll also be looking for an HID kit, I just want to know what you run and what wattage seems to work best.

9) I'm not a fan of the red. I wear/drive/like ALL black. Flat black. I want to paint the plastics. What's your opinion on how to paint the plastics?

10) A co-worker of mine runs a Polaris 500. He said, because of the ethanol in (premium) pump gas, he uses BLUE MARINE STA-BIL. I don't want to eat a hole in my carb from running pump gas, so is this the right stuff to use? Or is there something else I should try?

11) I'm changing the oil and oil filter and air filter. Air filter I'm using a UNI with outer wears cover and holes in the top of my air box lid. What oil and oil filter should I use? Since it's a used quad, I know honda recommends the GN4 or whatever it is... But I'm not sure if the last guy used a fully synthetic oil.. :help:

12) what other tips/tricks/ quirks can you tell me about to help me get the most out of and understand my 400ex?

Thank yall so much for any and all help you can give me. I truly appreciate it and I'll be around on these forums for awhile!!

1. All Ball Bearings...ebay

2. Renthal last forever, expensive. I also run Sun Star, cheaper do pretty good IMHO.

3. 450R shocks should work good for you.

5. I buy the cheapest brake pads on ebay...metal cintered holds up to mud and sand pretty good.

6. Pick one you like....I have ran White Brothers and CT Racing....you might like HMF.

7. Good start on jetting, if you run lid on you won't need to go up much on the main.


9. I wouldn't paint. Get use to it or buy Black...Black shows EVERY sratch, and dirt...worse color IMHO.

10. Never heard of pump gas eating a carb. I run 93 Sunoco but I have high compression...it burns clean.

11. I run Spectra oil in both my quads, its the best IMHO. Others will say use cheaper Rotex, I would not argue with that, they seem to have good things to say about it. I don't run synthetic in the EX.

12. Keep reading this forum. In mud let air pressure out of tires...down to 2-4 lbs, other wise around 6-8 in rear, I run 10 up front.

[#484]

If you can use just bearings-All Balls are good, just remove a seal and pack them with grease before installing , for chain and sprockets you can't go wrong with Primary Drive brand from Rockymountainatv.com-they are cheap and good , Trx 450r front shocks are a great upgrade and can be had reasonably priced , brake pads-oem Honda or EBC brand will work fine , not sure if 05 had a brake light or not? , you will get a million answers for exhaust-FMF will be a great performing pipe and not overly loud , that jetting that you listed will get you real close , UNI filter will be good , Rotella 15w40 oil is he most popular for the 400 , use a good quality brand pump gas and a good ethanol treatment like Lucas brand and you will be fine , change oil aften , clean the air filter after every few rides , keep everything clean and greased and enjoy beating the heck out of your 400ex they are very reliable trail machines that are hard to beat!

[CJM]

-All balls bearings, I would agree with 484 and grease them. If you need a carrier buy a lonestar cast or billet or a similar knock off off ebay.

-Primary drive sprockets and chain, replace everything at the same time.

-450r shocks should work well, they are stiffer than 400ex shocks so with your weight they should work well. yfz shocks will be too soft. to run the 450r shocks simply buy a carriage bolt and then knock off the nut on the underside the shock mount and replace with the carriage bolt facing up. You will also have to cut away and grind about 1/8" off the shock mount for it to clear. Takes all of 5 mins. If you search a bit its been covered before here.

-Buy an OEM light off ebay, used, etc here. You want one off a 05+ 400 or 450r

-I like ebc pads, cant go wrong with severe duty pads.

-42 pilot, remove airbox lid and run a 150 main if you dont modify much else. Put an exhaust on up the main 1-2 sizes

-Dont bother with an HID kit, buy an LED lightbar setup and be amazed how much better it is or dont bother. I honestly never rode that much at night myself. Friend did the HID kit from ddm tuning tho and it was ok.

-All exhausts are going to be loud, if you keep the quiet core in it wont have any power. Whole point of putting in an exhaust. I like HMF personally.

-Dont paint the plastics, it will come right off after a ride and look horrible. Live with red or buy new plastics.

-Run 93 pump gas, if the quad sits for more than a 4 weeks dump the gas in your car or lawnmower. I never have issues myself and never use any treatment. If the quad is gonna sit a LONG time drain the carb and run the quad out of gas and shut off the fuel petcock

-Dump the airbox lid, dont bother with a uni and an outwears cover on the uni itself. GOnna choke the heck out of the engine. More flow=better. Spend the coin and get either an outerwears lid cover or an actual EHS outerwears lid with the cover built in. Keep the uni filter, far superior to a KN.

-Rotella 15w-40 white bottle or if you prefer synthetic mobil 1 15w-50. I ran both and mobil stayed cleaner longer but 1 quart is 7 bucks vs a gallon of rotella for 13. I ran honda oem filters as well as tusk, its all the same really.

-Overall the 400 benefits well from an exhaust and removing the airbox lid. Unless your gonna crack the engine open dont expect power comparable to a 450. But these 400s are no slouch overall.

[KKiowaTJ]

There is no ethanol in premium gas, Thus the reason its a dollar more. I live in the ethanol capital of the world and have never had any problems with 90+ pump gas. If you 'think' its in it, You're wrong! The only true way around it is race fuel or a can of VP if you are anal, 'Treatments' are just like a Band-Aid.

Primary drive is the best bang for the buck. Same if not better tensile strength on chain and get steel sprockets.

Oil, I have countless hours of hard riding and 10w-40 GN4 and a Honda filter has never done me wrong. Yeah, Diesel oil is cheaper, You get what ya pay for. The rotella or whatever is made by Pennzoil, Enough said!

450r shocks are great, Cheap and effective.

Painting it black will look like chit, Ride Red!

Pipe wise, HMF is just bolt on loud chit sounding exhaust, The DMC or Curtis sparks is the way to go.

Brake pads, I buy cheap ebay ones. They are the same size all around and seem to last just as long or longer than EBC's and I only pay $12 dollars.

If its all stock, Look into the XR400R parts swap list and go that route.

Other than that, Just go ride it and find what you think it needs and or what you will benefit from. Good luck

[CJM]

KKiowaTJ, shell makes rotella.

[Seibert_JW]

Y'all are awesome. Thank y'all so much for all y'all's insight!! Will have pics tomorrow!!!!

[KKiowaTJ]

KKiowaTJ, shell makes rotella.

I was thinking of something totally different when I left that part. Shell actually owns Pennzoil, Has for 12 years, But not relevant to this. If the OP wants to run it, Its just as good as the next and many people run it flawlessly.

[kt1148]

If you're interested I have some 450r front shocks I need to sell.
I sold my 07 400 back in April & still have them and a nice front bumper.
IMG_0601.jpgIMG_0073.jpg

[CJM]

I was thinking of something totally different when I left that part. Shell actually owns Pennzoil, Has for 12 years, But not relevant to this. If the OP wants to run it, Its just as good as the next and many people run it flawlessly.

good point