To make a 400EX competative Were We race It takes alot of aftermarket parts to be in the top 5. My stock 400ex just won't do what I want it to do stock. and I don't want to invest alot of $ to make it competative.

 

here is something that i dont understand you guys and alot of others wish honda would come out with the 250r's again well chances are that they wont but if they did you would all shell out any where from 5000 to 7000 for it a new stock 250r. well i dont know why when you can build a way better 250,310,330, or 350 r in a good 250r stock frame with all after market parts for around the same price if you take your time and look around. i did i just took my time till i found a good deal on a 250r frame and bottom end and got good deals on the rest after market. i you want a truly great bike build it it will be better than any new stock bike ever even if it is a "race ready" stock bike. its not that hard to do if i have convicenced any of you to do this and you have any questions ask me i would love to help anyone out in any why i can if your close to where i live ill be over to help. its worth it trust me i love to hear people talk about how great their stock or close to stock quads are and laugh because they payed as much or more than i did.

 

Many people don't have the time or mechanical knowledge to build a quad. Don't expect Honda to build a ''race ready'' quad because of the volume of sales and price but we can expect a 450 or 650 (maybe both in a couple of years) soon. If I was at Honda, I would keep the 250ex for beginners, take out the 300ex and add a 450r and a 650ex. The 450r should have a good race potential with the 450 engine not too much ''detune''. So, 250ex for beginners, keep the 400ex for medium sport quad (trails), 450r for high performance and racing and the 650ex as a big bore sport quad (dune)......and then my Raptor would be for sale !

 

CreditGuy,
You hit nail on the head! Bye-bye 300ex. Don't forget adding reverse to the 400ex and I don't see why the could'nt punch it out to a 440 from the factory. I had mine done in Dec of '98 and it is on the same piston and I have never had a single problem with it.
A 450R is just what the doctor ordered. Give us race shocks from the factory and Honda reliability. That is worth paying more for, CT330. Having someone stand behind your machine and helping the average guy get it financed. It took me 9 months to get my 440 built properly due to waiting on parts and having to do some "creative accounting" so the wife would never realize I have a $14,000 quad.
650ex. Seems like a no brainer. Why haven't they done it yet?? I've heard rumors of a 750ex. Leave it to Honda to be late for the party but bring the biggest gift.

 

do you know how fast the XR650 is?? (retoricle question) when they tested it in motorcross action they said they never got it into last gear!!! they said it's incredibly fast. stock form they said it's mellow, but they're comparing it to 250, and 300 2 strokes!!! Honda-just don't detune it!!!!!!!!!

 

TRX 440,

14,000$ quad !!! I wish I could try that...I will be in Scottsdale for 5 days (Sept 18-22, Sunburst Resort) for a two days business trip [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]... I have niver ridden in sand and it is kind of my dream to do it. Is there a place I can rent a quad for a day in Scottsdale. Is there a place to ride near by (sand not track)?

 

Does anyone remember the post a long way back that asked the question "why not just get a cannondale?" Think about it. They already have a reace ready quad, but it seems that everyone is still waiting for honda to release their "race" quad. Why is that? What makes anyone think honda is going to release something better than the cannon? I'm not saying they won't or anything. Will the new honda come with fuel injection which has unlimited tuning possilities? Will it come with an aluminum frame?(It might?) Everyone is waiting for the new honda which will only have a reliability(maybe) advantage.

Another bonus of getting the cannondale is that it is made right here in the good 'ole U.S. of A. Plus, I don't think honda will ever match the customer support of cannondale. What happens if the honda has some design issues like the raptor did? Will honda take care of it? who knows. Yamaha didn't. How many times has cannondale replace and upgraded parts for free on quads that had already left the showroom floor? I am just giving you some thoughts to think about.

JaMeS

 

Take the 300ex out? Are you people insane? The 300ex is one of Honda's best selling quads right now. Why in the world would they even consider taking it out. Just because you like having all the power you can get, doesn't mean everyone else wants all that power. The 300ex is the perfect atv (except for going in reverse and turning the choke on) for those who want to go fast, but yet want to kick back every once in a while. The 300ex is a great atv! I own one, and I wouldn't trade it for a 400ex, much less anything else.

 

Rincon,
You are right. The XR650 is a very fast engine with a huge upside. I would buy a 650ex in a heartbeat [as would thousands of others, Honda] now that I ride in the desert and dunes only. I have seen XR650/400ex hybrids that looked production ready. It seems so easy for Honda to produce this quad. Why haven't they? They must have something up their sleeve. Overall, as a manufacturer, Honda has really been bucking the trends lately. Turbocharged PWC's, V-5 MotoGP bike, a gas/electric hybrid NSX replacement, these are all examples of thinking outside of the box. I've heard of the 750cc rumor from a couple of retailers and one desert racer who gets support from Honda. Who knows? I'd be happy with the 650ex like I said earlier.

Yamahagye,
Cannondale makes great products, I raced their road bikes for years and still have one. Next year, when they introduce the new 450cc engine to the public, I will strongly consider that bike. For now you have to buy a Moto 440 to get what I already have and my CT440 is faster thru 5 gears than a Speed. I'm not bragging. It's taken alot of time and $$$ to get my quad to it's current state of tune. The 400ex was the only 4stroke option back in 98 when I wanted a new quad. If I had to do it today, I would of course buy a Cannibal and build it myself. But it is amazing how far you can take a 400ex. From stock to my CT440 there is a much bigger gap than say a Cannibal to a Moto.

Creditguy,
The Sunburst Resort is very nice since the remodeling. Great pool and bar. We have meetings there every Thursday. Your not coming down for ACN are you??? Anyway, I will be there on Thursday night, let's hook up and talk quads. You can rent 400ex's at a few places here in town. The only sand around here is 4 hours away. Ever heard of Glamis? We were talking about heading out at the end of Sept. It will still be plenty hot during the day. Average high temp at Glamis on Sep 20 is 99 with an avg low of 66. Do-able. It's dark about 7pm that time a year. Good time to go night riding. BTW, where did you get the name CreditGuy?

 

in response to the "rumor" about the 3 cylinder 750ex, that was just an april fools joke on the part of dirt wheels magazine