I bought a 99 400ex let my dad ride it, he got hooked and so he went out and bought a 2000. no problem right? Wrong we line them up his is faster. OK I think, i will fix this, so i go buy a fmf power core 4 pipe and a white brother rev limiter, a uni air filter and jet up to 158 on the main. I THINK it feels faster now and of course it is louder, much louder. So we pull them out today i am all prepared to win and what happens he beats me by arguably the same distance AND HIS IS STILL BONE STOCK. Here is the riddle what in the world am I doing wrong here. and why wouldn't this help me. He is having way to much fun beating me espcially after he knows i just spent about 400 bucks thinking i was going to go faster i need some help and advice thanx

 

Same thing happened with two of our regular Harescramble guys. One who had been running a 300Ex went & bought a 2001 400EX. The other guy was running a modified 1999 400EX & the stock 2001 model is faster! Honda has done something, but we don't know what. The guess is a different cam that changes the torque curve for the better. The solution for the guy who had the 99 400EX. He took off his expensive shocks, pipe, etc., and bolted them on the 2001 model that he traded his 99 in on!!

 

Try checking the throttle adjustment and anything else obvious (air filter, chain adjustment & lubrication, free rolling drag, tire weight, actual size & pressure, etc).

Switch riders, check results.

Honda has not done anything different to the engines. It is also not uncommon for a brand new bike to be able to outrun one that is a couple of years old, especially if it is raced. Also there are some pipes/mods that actually hurt HP & don't work well, just ask the YZF guys, many times if you just add a pipe or slip on silencer, you are just moving the power around, not creating more...

Sometimes the differences in "identical" engines can be quite substantial for various reasons.

I have outran piped bikes with my stock 400EX before in drag races, mine also outrun's a friends that is upgraded exactly the same as mine (same year, tires, jetting, sprockets, etc). We weigh about the same, I actually may weigh a little more. When we traded bikes, mine was still faster.

 

The problem is that you bought a FMF pipe. You gain lots of sound put lose power

 

chris660R that is a bunch of BS about the FMF stuff.. FMF is sweet, just a little late getting into the 4-stroke class of exaust... As for the drag issue.. More than likely your throttle adjustment is messed up.. Search the forum for "throttle adjustment"

 

Gabe.. are you running stock shocks on that 400... Most of it still looks stock... IF so... DAMN!!! those are some far jumps for a stock setup... Also that bottom pic of the 50ft double? did you case that.. It looks like you are about to endo it into the other side...

 

The throttle stop is easy to adjust. Just keep fiddling with it until you can haer the carb bottoming out and not the thumb throttle. It might also be that your dad is a better rider. Don't be affraid to get after the R's! It's a Honda.

 

50' double? At which track (I guess I don't know which pic you are talking about)? Anyway, nope, all were landed good, the pic was probably just taken early, before the jump peaked. If you are talking about the big air pic on the main page, that is the 82' (peak to peak) double at Radical Robs, I was clearing that by about 20', landing on the middle of the down ramp. You can also see me pointing the nose down for the landing.

My bike is mostly stock, currently I have TCS shocks all around, but a lot of those pics were taken with stock shocks, kinda a mixture. Really the aftermarket shocks don't allow me to do more, they are just more forgiving on me and the bike if I don't land quite like I want. Landing those doubles (even the 82' one) is really nice, as long as you don't under or over jump. On the 82' one, if a person clears about 100'~110', you land so softly you don't even feel like you left the ground.

I also have a .mpg of the smaller 50-60' double at Chris's track with the 8N Ford tractor in the background (that pic is actually a still from the video) if anyone wants, I'll e-mail it to them.

 

hey, im from Minnesota also, Im from around Roseville.