How close are they in a drag? Does the 440 kit make a huge difference or not? I got a buddy that is lookin to get a 400ex and he has found a clean 440ex with no time on it and a clean 400ex with no time on it, just dunno which to get?

 

if it has a cam, high-comp piston, and exhaust it should be able to beat a stock or piped raptor with the right gearing

 

i am neck and neck with a piped raptor.

 

I have 3 400exs and none of them can even come close to my lightly modded Raptor (pipe, modifed head pipe, jetting, open air box) in a drag. On a track for more than a lap is another story.

/Jon

 

check into a 440 stroker it's the 416 stroked.

 

It takes a lot of motor mods to run with a properly jetted and piped Raptor. My 416(Ross 10.8 piston & Stage 2 Hot Cam) would easily beat a stock Raptor. However it got spanked by my piped Raptor. From my Duning/Dragracing experiences, it takes a good cam, high compression, porting, and a carb for an EX to run with a properly "TUNED" piped Raptor.

 

I think you really need to look at what type of riding you do. A straight ling flat run is boring as all heck so who really cares which is faster there. On an MX track the 400ex has a much better setup and with a 400 kit and suspension set up right the Raptor is no match. In the woods it is really close in most riding but if it opens up any the Raptor will walk away. In the Sand nothing you do to the EX will get you in the Raptor range and if you did it would not take much for him to get back on top.

 

GREAT running 440's are around 42-45hp. It doesn't take much to get a Raptor there. However, most 440's are the garden variety IMS, low comp piston, no cam, no valves, no porting, ineffective exhaust and stock carb. They are much "torque-ier" than stock but don't have the hp thru the mid and on top that, say a Sparks, CT, Trinity etc..full package does. My old 440 would run WHEEL FOR WHEEL with my friends hi-comp, stock bore Raptor with a CT pipe and a Greg Rows DS650 Baja racer that was at least piped. This was up Test Hill at Gordon's Well.
So yes, there are 440's out there that run well, it's just not worth the money unless you like the simplicity and reliability of the engine and the precision of the frame/suspension [especially with +3's and long travel ZPS style shocks]

 

daimon1054 hit the nail on the head for me - straight line drag is not my type of riding. A modded 400 will walk away from even a heavily modified Raptor on a track. Doesn't matter how much hp you have if you can't control it.

For me. the Raptor is for the dunes and drags. The question is what can you do to your 400ex to keep up with the new YFZ450. I could end up on that new YFZ one day but it won't be any within the the first model year that is for sure - burned once not twice. Who knows, I may never buy another Yamaha again. If given the option by Honda, I doubt I would consider going elsewhere.

Oh yea, one more thing. I ride for fun and the skill/thrill of it. If you do have the YFZ, you better be going around the track faster because others will be expecting it. I love to fly around on my relatively stock 400ex and have others trying to keep pace. There is no excuse of why my 400ex with an open airbox and jetting is dusting a z400 or Raptor around the track/trials other than knowing it is the rider.

/Jon

 

well my friend (raptor piston cam) and my stage two ds run neck and neck edge to him 40 pounds lighter, we lined up at our comp and a guy on a honda run over very excited to race us, we look at each other and smile thinking the guy is going to eat some sand, well we were really shocked when he ran right there with us, we won by about a bike length, but we put a real hurt on most honda's it was the 416 stroked , it was a very good running machine. it ran so good that my son's is in the process of changing right now. well this was our experience it was fun for us.