how easy is it to change out a stock for a hot cam in a 400ex? do i need to mess with valve shims and all of that? thanks

 

Nope you don't have to mess with shims. It's pretty easy although I would suggest getting a manual.

 

The cam swap is pretty strait foward but it does help if you have a manual, and you will not have to mess with the shims. As far as cam selection stage 1 is more of an allaround cam, and the stage 2 is more of a mid to a topend cam. I was tring to figure out if i should get the stage 1 or the 2, but i was told that the stage 2 works better with a high comp piston, so i got the stage 1 bc i am still running the stock piston.
Now as far as performance gains i could not be happier with the stage 1 cam. I raced my friends z400 that has a 13.5:1 comp piston, new intake and exhaust cams, titanium valves, ported and polished, 41mm FCR carb, and a full PC full system. When i raced him b4 i had my cam (with my sparks pipe) we were dead even. We are both decent riders and weigh about the same. And now with the cam we raced and i beat him by about 7 bikes. We raced again and this time i gave him 5 and the break (just in case you dont know, 5 bike lenghts in front of me and he got to leave first) and i cought him in the first 40 yrds, and still beat him by 3 bike lengths. Everyone that i ride with just cant believe how fast my 400 is. They all say i must have gotten a really good one, i bought it new in july of 04. I also raced a stock 450r that had the hrc endcap and was rejetted and beat him by about 1 bike.
So either way, if you go with a hot cam i dont think you will be disapointed.

 

no offence but the z with those mods, will surely beat you..... the z rider must not know how to ride, because i know just throwing a cam in will help but not that much.

v581

 

Yea, i know it should beat me, but that's the thing, it dont. And even when my 400ex was stock except for the sparks x-6 system i would stay right beside him. I know that its not right but it happens all the time. No matter who rides the z400 if i ride my bike i can beat it. And just the cam alone i know should not make that big of a diff but it really did for me. Before the cam my bike ran a 9.5 sec in the 1/8th mile on asphault at 64 mph. And my buddys z400 with all those mods only ran a 9.1, and that was the best time that bike posted all nite long, and there was several riders that dragged the bike. So yeah, its got me why i beat it, but all i know is that i do, and now that i have put the cam in my bike is running a 8.9 to a 9.3 in the 1/8th mile. So go figure.