What is the big deal with liquid cooling? Yeah, the engine runs a few degrees cooler, so what? The 400ex stays in a great operating range even under heavy acceleration and load for extended periods of time. There are plenty of riders with 440 and 465 big bores that still have excellent cooling with the stock setup.

With liquid cooling you have to watch coolant levels, check hoses, keep the radiator clean and unobstructed, etc. Bust a hose or spring a leak and you are done. Over heat on a 400ex and you just let it sit for a little while.

Only the yfz and trx450r come with resiviour shocks from the factory, and they are much higer priced race machines.

 

Blood, your entitled to your own opinion. Many of us feel that the 400EX is the perfect trail quad but we could be wrong so why don't you tell us what YOU recommend for a better trail quad than a 400EX.................

 

With all of the new sprot quads coming out quads like the 400EX will be obsolete quick as far as perfomance is concerned. It' still makes a good chick bike though. IMO

The advantage of liquid cooled is that you can beat the tar out of it and you don't have to deal with power fade. You race up a hill a couple times on an air-cooled bike and you will be slower each subsequent time until it gets a chance to cool off. You can feel the heat pooring off after a couple of intense runs. You just don't have that problem with liquid cooled machines.

 

Thank you "MasterRaptor".
And as for what "maddog56" said
"Over heat on a 400ex and you just let it sit for a little while".
Well screw that.
I want to ride until I need more gas, than ride some more. As the 400EX gets hot the transmission also gets difficult to shift along with engine power loss. I ride the dunes of So Cal not trails so I can't recomend a trail bike. I have a 2003 400 EX with a 11.1.1 88mm 426 piston and a Hot Cam. It hauls *** for a EX but sorry to say that this is 2005 (model year) and I cannot recomend a 400EX.
And I am sure I will get flamed but again this is just my contribution to this tread.

 

Shame on Honda for not having the technology to build a water cooled quad!!!!!!!!! Oh, wait they did back in the eighties so why didn't they put it on the 400EX? Don't they know it needs it?.................................I think its safe to trust Honda to build a quad without liquid cooling. They kinda been doing this motorcycle thing for a few years now. I can run the pi$$ out of mine for hours at a time on the trails and I never experienced this heat fade thing but the first time my radiator boils over I'm getting rid of it..............I promise!
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Guess it comes down to where and how hard you ride. For us poor guys who are stuck riding Glamis, Gordons Well, Buttercup or Superstition the air cooled bikes are at a real disadvantage.

 

Hummm? I wonder what they did before liquid cooling? I guess they just didn't ride in the desert....................[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-confused.gif[/img]

 

Okay, just something to get off my chest blasters also have 6 speed trannys, between the 400ex and raptor, go with the 400ex its a great all around quad that'll never disaspoint you, until you blow it up one day and invest hundreds of dollars to make it 4x better then the original

 

youre poor riding glamis????????? i havent even gotten to ride glamis yet, how poor does that make me?!?!?

 

400ex handles better and has reverse now. the raptor is tippy but it rides like a cadillac and i can get a new one for a good price around here.

about rezzies on stock bikes- the Z400 joins the 450R and YFZ for offerring this from the
factory for 2005.

as far as six speeds go, i prefer a 6 speed anyday. the new 4 strokes would be MUCH better with 6 vs. 5 forward gears. the 450R for one would be awesome with with this setup. it really could use some gearing tweaks, IMHO.