I can get a pair of new 250r fenders for 170.00 new.I can't belive you even compare the 400ex to the 250r. You have obviously never ridden one. As for the handling, and preformance in the woods, look at what all the xc pros race in the woods. Not one fourstroke has won a race in mx or xc ever. There is a resone the pros race them. Don't settle for second best, get a 250r. You do not have to rebuild them every winter. The truth is you need to rebuild them every three years. Most the guys that do every winter are prefectionist.

 

Don't kill me, I just have a little suggestion. Why not try a Raptor? If it's trails you are riding most, you should definitely check out a Raptor. Just a suggestion!

 

Mxer,get a 250R if you can find one it may need some work but in the end you have a one hell of a good machine.I am not saying 400ex is not a good machine. Just partial to the 250R.whoever told you it would foul plugs must not of had it set up wrong..rode mine for years{woods,feids beaches,etc.} only time it ever fouled plug was letting sit & idle for avery long time{should have turned it off}or if I let someine ride it who did not run at a higher rpm.Recently started building another {have 1}250R,gonna put a bunch of goodies on this one.
I like the 250R so much might build a third one also. If you ever need stock parts let me know.

 

Buy an R. Don't ever wonder what you're missing.

 

If you were to race and could afford the maintanince of the 250R but for the trails you do I would reccomend a 400. Some of these people in hear have never even ridden a 250R (myself included) are telling you it is the greatest just because that is what the pros ride. The also forgot to mention that the pros get paid to trash their bikes. You on the other hand have to pay if something breaks. I assume you know how to use a clutch and since you already ride a fourstroke I would stay with a fourstroke. As long as your on a Honda and I knew they are both better than any Yamaha sport quad I have ever ridden.

 

I have owned both I owned my 250R like 9 yrs ago when I was 16. I think you could probably ride it well enough and all that, but I think you might enjoy the 400EX better. First off it is so easy to fly on the 400EX as well as on the 250R, but the 400EX just seems to instill more confidence than the 250R to me. If you said you wanted to race than I would say the 250R is better because so many people run them, and it is cheaper to modify than a 400EX, I am getting mine done right now and it is almost twice as much. The one advantage to trail riders that the 250R has is it is an insane hillclimber. I have climbed hills with it that I didnt even think I would make it up and then look back down it and say hey that was easy.

I know you dont think you care about maintenance, but you should. Unless, you completely go over a 250R you will systematically be tearing it down. I know I had one that was only about 5yrs old when I bought it and I had to do major work on it. It is only reasonable to expect that a 12-14 yr. old machine that is of a high performance nature could and or will need major work done to it.

Adam Smith

99 400EX

 

Get the R.
It is STILL the machine all others are measured against.
Just 'cause it isn't new doesn't mean squat.
If you don't get the R you will wonder about what you missed.
From the first time I rode and R after riding everything else I could get my hands on, I knew it was the machine to have.
Now I have 2 of them.
When I die, they're gonna bury them with me!

 

I believe that Steve Holbert won 1 or 2 GNCC's aboard a Sparks Modified 400EX.

 

Having went from racing a couple of 250R's to switching to a 400EX, I offer up this opinion. The 250R is without question the best performer of the two. However, it is very tough to find a 250R that has not been ragged out. And if you do, it is probably a race machine and will cost upwards of $7,000. One thing I had problems with was the 10 year old gearbox. Even though the bearings were kept fresh, etc... The gears and shafts as a whole had finally had enough and I had to replace every single piece in the tranny to be sure that it wouldn't fail. That was over 600.00 and I got the parts for well under retail. Now that I have my 400, I really like it. It certainly isn't stock, but I did race it fairly stock for the first month or so and did just fine on it.

If your planning on mostly trail riding, I'd say the 400 is your best bet as it will cost you a lot less money in the long run. If your going to race or just like what you've heard about the 250R, go for it. Just make sure you find a good one.

As for the Raptor, I'd say that you should definately ride one first, as you should both the 400 and the 250R. I loved the power, but I have issues with the handling and the joke of a swingarm that it has. In my admittedly short time riding one, It felt like the chassis and motor were developed independently and then put together. The only word I can think of to describe it is that the Raptor feels "nervous" to me. With more time, it may feel better to me, but those are my initial feelings about it.

The most important thing is that once you get your quad... get out and enjoy it!