alright... a guy sent me a PM and kinda helped me come up with this idea. or this theory anyways... alrigfht... i wanted to get a predator... i think it is by far the best quad for what i want... in stock form. its also 6grand. here is what i am thinking... what happens if you pick up a used 400EX for around 2500$ *which around here you can do that pretty easily* and you put 1500$ into it in mods. then what happens? you have a 400EX that has around 45hp? 40hp? something like that? and you have a predator that has 48hp to the wheels. how would the 400 compare now? what i am getting at is would it be better to build up an old 400EX since you can get them so cheap now rather than buy a new quad? i know the suspension is gonna be better on the predator and on the 450s... but for 4000$ VS 6000$ i think i can live with that. and if it was geared right i think it would be really hard to beat in the woods. what do you all think? let me know!

 

40-45hp is rwhp is going to be pretty damn hard to pull off. i would go for the predator. it's like you can do all this work to a 400ex and have to worry about stuff not working or you can buy the pred that has the power and suspension stock. your choice though, but if it were up to me i would hold out till i could buy the pred

 

How tight are your trails??? The woods I ride are so tight that you never get out of 3rd gear. Big horesepower is just a waste in a situation like that. I pick a piped 400EX as a great machine for this kind of riding. Better yet, a built 300EX!

 

a perfectly built 440ex will beat a lot of quads out there today, but i don't think you will get 45 hp with just 1500 into it. i'd go with the 400ex and put the extra money into it, you'll have something that is just as nice if not nicer and will beat a predator

 

alright... heres the thing... the predator is going to be faster and have way better handling out of the box than the 400ex is going to have. BUT.... here is my theory... my thoughts are that you cant get a quad faster than 50mph in the woods i ride in... and you can only do that in one spot. so if you re-gear the EX to have really fast accelleration and a low top speed i think it would be just as fast in the woods as the predator... because you can only harness so much power before you get tons of wheel spin. granted.. when you come out of the woods and run on backroads or something you are gonna get killed since your quad doesnt run any faster than 50mph. but in the woods i think it would make the 2 pretty comparable. i was lookin around on ebay and i have found like 440EX race bikes for 3k i have been lookin through the local trade paper and found the same deals. so i figure if i could find a nice 400EX that hasnt been abused but with some decent mods for under 2800$ and that would give me somewhere to start. what do you guys think? i dont really care about top speed.. i will gear it differently to get whatever i want out of it when it comes to that aspect.. but im talking just in Bang for the Buck terms... which do you think would be better for trails? and yes the trails are gonna be pretty tight.

another thing i found is that aftermarket stuff for 400ex is EVERYWHERE there is like NO "cheap" aftermarket parts for the predator, like 500$ for a set of plastic.. USED! and on ebay i can get a full set of 400EX plastics for like 140$ lol... so i mean its just gonna get cheaper and cheaper as the new quads come out... so i think i could build a pretty freakin sweet budget woods racer for about half the price that i would have to spend on the predator. i mean with the 450R mods you can do to a 400EX i guess that makes the suspension REALLY nice.. and i have read something about the carb working on it as well. but i am not sure about that uet... so anyways give me any feedback you have for this... lata!

 

You can get roughly 42hp out of a mildly built 416EX(11:1 piston, HRC cam, XR250 CDI, 450R carb, full exhaust) here is a dyno to prove it.

416EX Dynos

My 416EX is very similar to the one pushing out 42hp except I have an aggressive port and polish. I just installed the 450R carb today and haven't had a chance to try it yet, but it screamed with the stock rejetted carb. I would suspect mine will be pushing around 43-44hp given the port and polish and I have less than $600 into the engine. I did the work myself including the port and polish and purchased the parts either lightly used or new surplus. I also have revalved 450R front shocks that I picked up for a bargain, and they are very nice.

 

What do you need a 500cc quad for when you can't get out of third gear. While the predator is a great bike, why would you consider paying for the extra hp and suspension in the pred when odds are you won't ever use it. Save yourself the dough and go with the 400. Beef it up alittle and take the family on a little vacation, with the left over money, to help justify your new purchase, IMHO. Besides, Honda's are bulletproof so you'll know it will be running for years to come. Which ever way you choose, there is no loser. Enjoy the new bike and keep us posted on your decision.

 

i have to say you guys on this site have to be the best source of info out there..you guys have been so helpful with assisting me in my decision its unbelievable... anywyas, dinaps... that was my point exactly.. what good is the 500 if i cant get it out of 3rd gear? ive never ridden a 400EX but i imagine it would be pretty fast in the woods i had a 300EX a while back and it was bored out and stuff and it was almost as much as you could handle in the woods i ride in. anywas i am going to do some more research in the 400EX catagory. i will keep you all posted. later guys!

 

You won't be disappointed with the 400ex. The only draw back to the 400 is that it lacks reverse, unless you drop 5700 bucks for an 05. I too thought about the predator but after reading the reviews and talking to some people, I decided to go with the 400ex. Have to say, it was the best decision I've made. Keep us posted, Dinaps.

 

If you're considering the Pred for $6,000, then why aren't you considering the 450R?? I got mine for $6,175. 450R handles twice as good as my old 400.......just something to think about.