i will never argue with honda reliability record, but a sport quad rider who care about performance like me is always ready to repair his own machines himself if they do broke. and the 400 ex is a reliable machine but has no power to spare. but it is a very good machine for someone who want to ride without worries. i prefer two strokes machines cause they deliver the kind of power i'm lookin for. but i always make sure they are in top shape before i go and i use only the best for them. people often make the same mistake about the way they treat two strokes machines. they treat them like they are 4 strokes!!! this is a big mistake. a 4 stroke has high level of tolerance towards abuse. in a 4 stroke you can put bad gazoline, forget to change oil and not have a maintenance schedule. a two stroke on the other hand needs constant maintenance, the best oil and the highest grade gazoline. but in return it will give you the edge on anything.

 

hold on they aint slow at all(44ex) for about 500.00 they will take a z400 . and for another 2 or 3 hundred they will smoke it i know this caus i have 2 400ex and 1 banshee.
white brothers e-sierespipe jetkit air filter(k&n) 36tooth rear 15tooth front and 11:1 piston stage 1 hotcam total of 835.00 and it is a badazz quad top speed 78mph and smokes 400z and polaris 500
and is still a very very very dependable machine that requires minumum maintaince
thank you very much!!!!!!!!!!

 

All that matters is that you like it. I had a 2001 Raptor and alot of people bad mouth them also but i don't care. It was a great quad nothin but good times. Don't listen to all those people putting down the 400ex. The only reason I sold it was i moved. I am currently looking at Raptors, yfz450,and trx450r but still undecided. I can't wait to go riding. Damn i miss it. It doesn't matter what you ride as long as you enjoy it.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

 

were talking about stock quad. bone stock yes it is slow.

 

bone stock show me an atv fanatic that keeps a quad stock . and i will show you kid that daddy said no to!

 

I wouldn't worry to much about the bashers of the 400ex. It is a time tested machine. It wheelies the best, has lots of power, can take a beating, handles awesomes, jumps, climbs, etc. I do think that Honda needs to make a decision in regards to the 400ex though. They need to decide if they are going to update the 400ex with reverse and a little more power or move to a totally different platform.

Honestly, I can't in good faith recommend the 400ex to someone that wants to primarily trail ride and own a 400cc machine. Currently, the Z400 and KFX400 are better machines in the 400cc class. Also, it is rumored that Suzuki will put out a 450cc quad with reverse, huge power and electric start. This will put some hurt on the 450R and the YFZ450.

I thought the 400EX was great but I wanted more power. The 450R was the answer to the power issue of the 400ex. I am glad the 450R maintained many of the characteristics of the 400ex. I think honda should drop the 400ex and make the following three quad models for the 400cc and above sport quads.

450R
450EX (450R with electric start, reverse, geared for trails and dunes)
650EX (650cc with electric start, reverse, geared for trails and dunes)

Although the 450R is an awesome machine, it is not the quad for everyone. The stock gearing is a little tall (easily fixed), no reverse and kick start. The hypothetical 450EX would be a sweeeeeet machine and wouldn't weigh 20-30lbs more than the 450R. The 650EX would be a great quad for the big bore enthusiasts who don't mind a bigger beefier machine.

Long story short, If the 450R had electric start- it would be the 400EX on steroids. My 450R didn't lug as well as my slightly modded 400ex and was slightly disappointing at first. Luckily it was a simple and cheap fix.

The 400EX is an great quad, but in present form it is in the beginning stages of becoming obsolete to BUYERS OF NEW QUADS. Sure people will continue to buy the 400EX if changes are not made, but more individuals will look at the other 400cc machines and less will buy the 400EX over better equipped and newer technology machines.

Not trying to start a flame fest, I've owned a new 300ex, a used and slightly modded 400EX and now the 450R. Trust me, I bleed red and want to see Honda dominate the ATV market. That means better products for all the ride red fans.

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

 

It is like anything else.As soon as the "latest and greatest" thing comes out,all of a sudden the quad that was soooo great 2 years ago is all of a sudden a "slow clunker".The truth is the 400ex was a good quad in 1999 and it is a good one in 2004.Heck the 250r is still a great quad and it has been around longer than alot of the members of this forum.Bottom line is...don't let someone else decide what bike you like.

 

I'm with learning2fly, I'll take a 650ex if ever offered. Bottom line is if everyone enjoys their sport quads today, they should be thanking Honda for building the 400EX and starting the craze up again.

 

the 400ex is a great quad!! Superb handling and reliability...and a smooth as silk ride. And for speed? Who cares if it isnt the FASTEST quad ever. The YFZ, DS nor the 450R are the fastest stock quads either even when they want to think it is. A motor is a motor and can be made to run with any other quad out there if you want it to, and that's what it boils down to.

I choose Honda because honda quads have superb handling and reliability.
IMO, if you can have a quad that handles great, can be made to go as fast as you want and is reliable...then thats the perfect quad.

 

Dude, the 400ex is a high watermark for all 400 cc quads. Then engine is bullet proof, it handles, it jumps, and it crashes well. I have a buddy that ramed his Z400 over the same log I rammed my 400ex over and thru. I kept going with out a mark, we had to replace almost his whole front end. Yeah, the Uki's/Maha's/Kawa' are faster, but how many Baja 1000's have they won? I bought mine to ride, not to work on. Although I don't mind a few beers and wrenching on it a little bit, but that should be to mod it up a little, not to fix stuff that shouldn't be breaking. You can't beat honda man........and for about a extra grand, you can shut alot of people up on one.