Which would suit me better? Now I'm not sure what brand I'm going to go with yet but I mostly ride trails. Is a 400 going to be much better then the 450 for trails? Does the 450 have a major difference in power, or is all the hype on them because of their handling?

I'm coming off a quadracer, I love 2 strokes but I'm no mechanic, so I'm better off on a 4 stroke.

 

the 400s are way better on trails than the 450s. the 450 does have alot more power but it is in the wrong place (makes a ton of power in higher rpms) for trail riding. btw have you looked at raptor 700s at all? i have one and love it for trail riding. it has the power of a 450 but also makes a very good trail ride because it make a lot of power in lower rpms unlike the 450s.

 

2-strokes are way way more simple than 4-storkes! What the 450's did, was try to duplicate that revey 2-stroke feeling with a cleaner running 4-stroke engine.

The Honda 400EX is the best trail quad of all time! The engine is torquey, and you can just lug throught the thechnical sections.

The Suzuki Z400 likes to rev more. It is a fine trail quad, but requires some clutch slipping in the technical stuff.

The Raptor 700 is all torque, and all that displacement is just wasted on a tight trail.

All of the 450's need to be ridden reved out! On a tight trail, they are absolutely miserable (to much clutch slipping required)...they want to go fast, but that requires open country.

I only ride my 450 in the open desert. the 400EX is my trail quad, and the Rancher 420 is my 4wd. Of all of these, the EX is the best all-around machine, but it is the least powerful of the bunch!

 

yes I know 2 strokes are simpler then a 4 stroke. But when compairing a 2004 4 stroke to an '87 2 stroke, the 2 stroke is going to need much more work and maintainance.

 

The 450 are Higher reving because they came from the 450 Motocross bike the Manufactures had first, then they just put them in there sport ATVs later on. If anyone has question about there 450 motors they can also go to a Motorcross forum for answers.

 

If "work and maintenance " is all you are worried about, by all means get the Honda 400EX. It is based on the venerable XR400 engine, and is probably the most durable, trouble free machine on the planet!

I got my EX in 99, and it has to have way over 10,000 miles on it, and I have never touched the engine.....