I'd like to take a time out and talk about the 400EX quad. First, I love mine, awesome handling, great smooth overall ride, extremely fun. Now, I have a few complaints. I'd like to know who came up with the idea of running it lean and making it a total bitch to start. Right now, my 400ex is sitting in the garage, for the first time, with a fouled plug possibly. The anger I have about this I cannot begin to tell you. Good thing no one stopped at my house when it was outside with the for sale sign earlier this evening, cuz it was never gonna start. I previously started it up to move it out on the lawn, started ok, then go out there to put it away and nothing!! Turning over, no response. Then, ill get a sputter and it'll shut off. pisses me off beyond belief. Why does it gotta be this way..... So... for the hell of it, I got the bike apart, the plastic sucks to take off, but I'm just going to change the jet for the principal of it. It never messed up ever until the weather gets a bit iffy, or if you start it, and wait a lil bit, then have to screw around with the choke. Well this time it didnt even turn over. Well, now im thinking, lets dominate this scenario and bump start it. THAT wouldnt even do it. Just pisses me off, now I feel like ranting about it and I wish Honda would change the specs. Not everyone lives in sunny warm weather all the time.

 

I have had the same problem. I switched spark plugs from the ngk to the splitfire. It starts a lot better. I also keep a spare plug in the tool case for when I'm on the trail. I have read about the Edelbrock Qwiksilver carb and everything that I have read says that it "eliminates cold hard starts." It gets pretty cold in PA so I know how you feel. Also, do you have the WB Rev Kit? If you do your machinr will not start unless the battery is at full charge.

 

dude, i hate to break it to you, but if a 3 dollar spark plus twice a year keeps your machine running, its no big deal. I do have to compliment honda on their genious air screw design (bottom of carb)

 

HAHAHAHA........And everyone thought I was crazy.......Ill say it again, Honda's, esp. the 400ex, suffers from Japanense PPE......thats **** Poor Engineering.

 

When I had my warrior I was running splitfire plugs and it NEVER, NEVER did anything like that. buy some splitfire plugs, they have a lot more kick than ngk and champions.

 

i only managed to foul a plug twice on mine in 9 degree weather with a white brothers rev box (those make it even harder to start it). the reason i fouled the plug was because i was starting it wrong. now i came up with a starting procedure that works everytime. first if its really cold out turn on the choke. next give it about 3 or 4 full pushes on the throttle. then start it while giving it a little bit of gas. it should fire up. now you gotta rev it and it might sputter a bit or even turn off just try again. keep the revs fairly low but enough to keep it goin. feel your engine to when it gets warm. when its warm but not hot enough to burn you cou can turn the choke halfway or even off but you might have to rev it longer. just keep it revved until it'll idle.

ps- changing the spark plug is a b|tch!

 

MXBUBS1 YOU MUST RIDE A POLARIS BECAUSE YOU CANT FIGURE OUT HOW TO SHIFT AND ARE TOO SCARED TO GET ANY AIR. LOOK AROUND BUB EVERYTHING OUT THERE THAT RUNS FOR A LONG TIME IS MORE THAN LIKELY JAPANESE!

 

Why not just try using a hotter plug in the winter? Thats what I do. I run DR8ES in the summer and DR7EA (i think, i'd have to look at it to be sure) and I never have a problem with plugs. I even took the choke off my X. All I do is pump the gas a coupple times and kick her over and she fires right up.

 

I have never fouled a plug and i have had mine for 2 years. Acually i have never even taken the plug out. Don't touch the throttle when you go to start it. The accelerator pump will flood it.

 

I have a 400 ex its hard to start because of the high compression. And there not much you can do about that because thats were the 400 ex power comes from its high compression and high reving capabilitys. I have had a lot of atv's utility to sports 2-stroke to 4 and 4wheel drive to 2 and yamaha to polaris and the 400ex is the most dependable bullet proof atv i have ever owned even more reliable than a yamaha timberwolf or honda recon the 400ex is truely bullet proof. My sugestion to you is stay with your honda change the spark plug to a platnium 4 prong or split fire they both are great. Oh and if any one thinks polaris is more dependable than a honda or any other japan made atv than your crazy. The two most dependable companies i have come accross is Yamaha and Honda. One of my friends have a suzki king quad 300 and simply beats the living sh** out of it every day we go riding and it never fails it is bullet proof but I dont know much about suzki because I have never owned one.