Well i recently bought a 250ex and I think i need something faster. So i have a friend that wants mine and i found a 400 i can buy. It is a 2001, what should i check for? Also i noticed these dont have a reverse? Do you think that is going to be problem? I used it a few times on my 250 also will i get used to the clutch easy or will it be a pain on climbs and such? Thanks

 

You'll love the 400EX compared to the 250.
My switched two years ago and was worried about the clutch but now she has no problems.
You'll also get used to not having reverse, neither of mine do.

 

[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]Ihave 2 EX400,s Great quads,being a 2001 i dont know how its been rode&serviced.I dont think the reverse is a big deal,I forget I even have it!!!!!!!!!!. Just watch where you park it. I know the reverse dont work well in the sand,it just burys itself. What is the price on it?? Eddie.

 

Well i saw it today, it needs some plastics, the sprocket is curled because the chain is loose. It needs brakes, the parking brake mechanism isnt working (needs new one). Its a 2000 and he will give it to me for 1275. I have no clue what to do my 250 is near mint. I can sell my 2001 250 for 1000 to my friend but i need to pay 275 extra for this.

 

what do you guys think??

 

Sounds like the owner is a cheap sucker, run and beat it, and not maintain it. Scratched plastic is just a result of riding a lot, just make sure it doesn't have creases in it from rolling over,this has a potential of frame damage if hit hard enough. Riding until the sprockets are that worn is just being plain careless or lazy, or cheap, or all the above. If he didn't do basic chain tensioning and sprocket replacement, he probably skimped on other maintenence as well. My guess the oil is probably black sludge or ran low, brakes worn down to the backing pads, etc. Take a real close look, see if the air filter has been maintained,and the air box is not caked with oil or dirt inside. Without actually seeing the quad, I know I shouldn't judge so harshly, but it is starting to sound like he ran it into the ground and now just wants to dump it on someone else. The 250-300-400 ex motors are rock solid, with basic maint. will last forever, but if abused, any motor will die a lot sooner, so make sure you take a real close look at it, and make sure the motor runs smoothly without any funny noises.If you still want it, push for him to drop the price for all the parts needed to fix it up, like sprockets, brakes, etc. A good sprocket/chain set can run you 50 - 150 bucks, depending on how good of quality you buy, brake pads are about 20-30 bucks a pair for the good metallic sintered kind, also make sure the axle bearings turn easy without making noise, there are a lot of things that need to be looked over, especially on a quad that hasn't been taken care of well. My final advice, find a friend that knows Hondas and take him along, or even better, see if you can take the quad to a shop and get an estimate on parts needed. You may find you will need another couple hundred just to get it back to good maintained condition.

 

Put the quad up on a jack (preferably all 4 wheels off the ground) and check for play in all the wheel and axle bearings.
If you can wiggle the front wheel back and forth the are worn out. Same goes for the axle bearings. Grab one of the tires and see if you can move the axle in it's housing by lifting up on the tire. Also check the swingarm bushings.
It also sounds like you're looking at a very low price for your 250EX. I guess it depends where you live. In my area a 250EX like you describe yours as would sell fro nearly $2500.00