I have been doing a lot of reading on these two quads lately. I am leaning towards the 400ex because i trail ride mostly some local tracks and love to wheelie. But I am haveing a had time not to buy a 450r because of the power. Which ever one i buy it will be an 05 b/c i can get a deal on both models in the same 05 model. which sould i get?

 

If your not going to do any hardcore racing go with the 400 you will be glad you have reverse on the trails. Also with the money you save you can put stage 1 mods and get more power out of it.

 

Like he said you can use the money you save to hop up the motor on the 400 and maybe buy some 450r front shocks for it, then a race between the two bikes would pretty much be dependant on rider skill. If you do like I did and buy a 11:1 piston and cam for the 400, you'll be able to drop a couple teeth off your rear sprocket and increase your top end speed without losing too much low end.. so it wouldn't be lacking in that department either. I'm not sure if there is a seperate 400cc class but if there is, you'd have a faster quad than many of the other racers out there. Not the case if you got yourself a 450r, because the competition is tougher.

 

thats why i am leaning towars it but is it possible to regear the 450r to be a better trail quad without loosing to much top end?

 

the stock gearing on both bikes allows them to hit the rev limiter in top gear. Sure, you'd be able to gear the 450r down so you don't have to feather the clutch as much when you're going slow through the trails. Or you could just force yourself to ride it faster through the same trails by NOT being on the clutch all the time. Here's the way I see it... You gear down the 450r for your individual needs in the trails, you will end up having a SLOW 450r when your buddies want to see what it's got up top. If you gear UP a 400ex, everyone will be wondering what the heck you did to it to make it go that fast in the straights. I like sleepers, and that's exactly what you'd have. Some might consider your 400ex an intermediate quad until you lose them on an open road because they're bouncing off their rev limiters and you're still pulling. Just my opinion though man, I mean if I had the money and no one to impress, I'd get the 450r too. But the fact of the matter is, any fairy with some cash could go and buy a 450r and go fast, but I have respect for the people who can make a 400ex go just as fast.

 

I've had both bikes and the 400 "needs" a pipe and filter and the 05 450r needs one less tooth up front ($7 and 15 minutes), if you ride the trails with your wife and or girlfriend get the 400 if it's going to be you and the guys get the R.



Tom

 

Get the R. I never use reverse trail riding, and the difference in power between the two is unreal. You'll need at least an 11:1 piston, stage 2 cam, headwork, and a full pipe on the 400ex to keep up with an 05 or newer 450r. If I had to do it all over again, I would have just bought an R.

 

What kind of price difference are you looking at?

To make it simple just look at the 450r as a well modded 400ex, and then consider the price diff and your real needs, and then what it would cost to bring the 400 up to the performance of the 450 etc.

Though my 400 (really a 440) is geared up (smaller rear sprocket) its not what really makes the difference as you need to have the power to make use of the gearing otherwise your going to lose the bottom for the top etc.

I know the 05 and up 400's use a diff front sprocket so keep that in mind when considering ratios also.

I cant really look at these two models as being on a level playing field etc, and except for suspension and misc stuff the 450 is more inline with my fully modded 440 performance wise, and a stock 400 is just begging for attention. Not that there is anything wrong with a newer or new 400ex, but if your looking at it for performance use, racing or just play racing etc you would be better off with a 450r that would be in a different league.

If your not looking for all out performance or have budget issues then the 400ex may be a better overall purchase for you. If you or another reader here is looking for a serious value and will consider used then look into the many used modded and even stock 400ex for sale out there at some insanely cheap prices.

I have been seeing older models (99-2000) for around $1,000-$2500 in all kinds of conditions from messed up to clean and stock, to nicely modded, and some even fully modded (stuff that costs hundreds or thousands new).

I purchased mine used at a killer price (and even before the price drops when the 450's were out) with all kinds of goodies on it, but it did need some work due to neglect or mechanic error etc. That was not a problem for me because I usually go over my stuff and update it anyhow, but could be an issue if you had to pay a dealer for the work. Though I got thousands into mine (and countless hours of my time) I am very pleased with the results, but if the 450r (or any of the newer 450's) was out I most likely would have made a different decision.

You cant deny the increases in technology and design of the newer machines, and even just between the two hondas there are considerable differences (damn do I wish my 400 was liquid cooled [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] ), but if your never going to make use of or take advantage of these features then why pay for them!!

I think either way you decide between the two you will be good to go, but if you do your homework, and are totally honest with yourself in how you ride and intend to ride etc you will make the right decision, but still neither is a bad choice anyhow.

Good luck!!

 

wait until they come out with the EFI version of the 450r then pounce!

 

I have both. I like the R for riding fast in more open country, but it is geared to tall for really tight trail riding, even though I went down one tooth on the front sprocket. The EX will lug down, so it makes an excellent tight trail ride.

The Z400 falls somewhere in between the R and EX, and I see it as the best all-around machine out there........