"In my area, almost everyone drops a tooth on the front as soon as they get their quad. We have lots of hills and very tight woods and top speed is not a worry. How often do you really ride wide open in high gear for any period of time?"

When I first dropped a tooth on my 400ex, I regretted it. However, I now love it. I only lost a bit of speed and the engine revs higher now when it's pinned in 5th, but it doens't lose power when I get to steep hills and what not. The benefits of the lower gearing on bottom end outweigh the negative factors of lower gearing on top end. I can lift the front end up in 5th and I can wheelie much easier. I can drive really slow without even touching the clutch. If I think the bike is abot to stall, all I have to do is give it some gas and it'll rev back up again (don't even have to touch the clutch).

I can imagine that the 400ex is probably an incredibly fun machine with even lower gearing (say maybe a 14/39 or 40 combo). I don't think going down to a 13 tooth will add to enjoyment though.

 

jed do you slip the clutch when you pull it up in 5th? (jw)

 

Nope. I get it up to about mid range RPM and then pull back on the handlebars and then give it full throttle. It's much easier to do in lower gears but it's definately possible in 5th gear especially with the mods that I have. My ports are ported and polished (something like that) and I have a K&N Air Filter (with those two mods, more air goes in along with more fuel) and DG pipe helps get the exhaust out quicker. However, my pipe is only a slip on so if I had a full system (headers and stuff), I could have much more power I think. Also the 14 tooth front sprocket really helps it lift.

Lifting it up in 5th is definately possible with a stock 400ex. I've seen my friend do it. It's much tougher to do though. Most of the time though. Although it's great doing wheelies in 5th, it is more thrilling to be able to shift while you're doing wheelies. I can get it right up to 5th and I don't even consider myself a pro yet.

 

i lowered my front sproket on my 01 400ex and wanted just a little more revso i added Magnum rev-box and boy did that help. i actually ended up gaining about 2-3 mph more top end and it lets me hill shoot much faster. it only costed me $50 and i consider it a great invesment.

 

I just went for a little rip without the air box lid on and I swear it, I feel extra power when there's no lid on. It lifts so much crazier and the wheels spin like nuts.

400ex pwns.