Just curious to see what kind of oil everyone is using in their 400ex. My is due for its first change soon. Also what seems to be the best aftermarket exhaust for the 400ex.

thanks

todd

 

Honda HP-4 or any synthtic dirtbike oil will do the job
Joe

 

I used Honda HP4 for a while, but experienced some clutch chatter. I switched back to GP4 and have had no problems in that area. The chatter was mostly from lugging the motor in 3rd gear and up. IE: possibly going to slow for the gear I was in, especially in snow. Also slight chatter on hill climbs. With the synthetic oil the tranny shifted smoother, there was less "notchy" feeling on the lever. I liked that, but I didn't like the clutch chatter.
I have not tried the synthetic oil in the sand dunes yet, but I suspect the power robbing sand would have the same effect.

[This message has been edited by philzie (edited 09-02-1999).]

 

th,
many knowledgable people advise staying away from synthetics because some, if not all, contain additives which cause your clutch to slip. I ride a Warrior and I use Pennzoil or Quaker State 10w40 exclusively. I try to change mine every 12 hours riding time as the heat generated in such a small amount of oil causes the adhesion qualities to break down fairly rapidly.
If you feel that oil changing is somewhat of a pain, check out my post entitled no muss, no fuss under other topics.

THE AZ HARD PACKER,

calmiller@kachina.net

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join the Blue Ribbon Coalition online at www.sharetrails.org



[This message has been edited by hot_shoe_cv (edited 09-02-1999).]

 

I always use Pennzoil 10w40, and keep it changed regularly. I havent changed the oil in the EX yet, I will do that after the next ride to make sure it is broken in. I have a DG skid on the bottom so i think i may have to tip the bike on its side a bit to miss draining the oil on the plate. I havent yet changed the exhaust on mine yet so i dont have any first hand experience with pipes and muffler. I heard a norleen <---- ? last weekend but i thought it was to loud. id like to have something that gives more power but still somewhat quite compared to the others. I read a ad in one of the mags for the big gun, it stated it was just a little louder then stock but gives substantial increases throughout the powerband. As far as the oil i use pennzoil 10w40

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Steve Shultz '00 400EX, 97 Forman 400, 98 Forman 400<---wifes

 

I UNDERSTAND YOU SHOULD USE THE BEST,SINCE YOU OWN THE BEST!!I USE KLOTZ 10w40 @$7.25 A QUART ,BUT YOU ONLY NEED TWO.

 

For you guys that are using Penzoil or Quaker State, Is that regular oil you would put in a car? I have read (I think in the Tech help section on this forum) that you should not use regular automotive oil because certain additives could cause the clutch to slip. I mention this only because you may want to check into it more. I do remember reading that motorcycle oils do not contain these additives and are actually made to pass higher specifications.

Maybe someone out there knows the answer.

In my 400ex, I use the Honda oil and have never had any problems. I do change it often, perhaps more than necessary.

On the pipe question, I have the FMF Powercore IV, K&N filter and Jet kit. BIG DIFFERENCE!. Can't really say that FMF is the best because I haven't ridden with the others. My opinion is that if you are going to do major work on the motor, (going to larger bore like 440 for example), you may be better off with the Big Gun. I'm told that it really begins to shine when you increase the displacement.

 

I use 10-30 Mobil 1 in my Timberwolf wiyh no problems and 10-30 Pennzoil in my Wolverine. I've read post about synthetic oil causing cam and valve wear in atvs, if this is true why doesn't overhead cam car and trucks have the same problem??? I've personally seen over 150,000 miles put on these cars without any problems!! Yea,Yea I've heard about petroleum base oils leaving a better film on metal but as I stated above ,I've yet to see any overhead cam cars and trucks have these kind of problems.

 

A motorcycle should use motorcycle oil for its transmission additives. Castrol synthetic blend 10-40 5.95 qt. straight synthetic sucks even for cars.

 

Skid plate or no, tipping the quad up on two wheels helps a lot in the oil change process.
In my opinion, frequent oil changes, that is the key. Regardless of the brand of oil you use.