I recently purchased used 450 shocks for the front of my son’s quad (stock 400ex). We are trying to improve the front end of his quad so it will be more stable when taking corners, and we would like to improve the way the quad reacts to jumps, holes, rocks etc.. I am thinking about upgrading the A-arms to provide a little more suspension travel and better feel for the rider. Can anyone recommend steps I can take to improve the suspension? What about brands, where will I get the most Bang for my buck. Thanks

PS. Son just raced at Unadilla and the stock 400ex suspension was really rough on him. My son stands about 6ft 3in and his weight is about 230lbs.

 

I was searching thru the internet and I came across a site the mentioned an semi-automatic clutch for my sons 400ex. Does anyone have experience with one of these type clutch?? Not sure if i can find the dam website again Thanks

 

Those new shocks can be revalved/sprung for his weight and class. Cheap and can make a huge difference. I would get in touch with a shock builder and get some recommendations. Chances are the 450 shocks are longer than stockers and may have upset the handling/ride height somewhat as a result. A company that knows Honda suspension would be the best place to figure out what a arms will work. For the record, i love Houser products, and you can get the needle bearing style arms which last longer than bushing arms between rebuilds.

I wasn't aware anyone had the semi auto conversion out for the 400, but Rekluse is the big name in that area.

 

Ricky Stator (ricky stator .com) sells some wider a-arms for the 400ex. They go for a pretty decent price too

 

If he is going to be racing alot instead of dumping money into a 400 I would sale that and start with a 450 he will love the diffrence and the way it handles, Elka suspension works great!

 

well, using a 450cc engine kit might be cheaper than buying a brand new 450... plus if you already have the 450 shocks

 

Hey Scooter thanks for the feedback. I remember you giving me some advice not too long ago. Well we installed the 450 shocks and they didn't seem to make much difference. I have come to the conclusion that to get positive results I really need to upgrade the shocks, A-arms, and the steering stabilizer as a set. I think I will take your advice and start with having the shocks revalued with GT thunder and have them set to my son’s weight. I also think I will install a set of aftermarket +1 A-arms. I considered installing +2 A-arms but for hare scrambles I am afraid they might be a little wide. I will checkout the brand a-arms you mentioned. Thanks

 

Hello Dirtjunkie85,
you made a very good point. I did consider replacing my 400ex with a 450. Truth is I like the 400ex because it has reverse and it seems to be bullet proof. Its my sons first racing ATV so I am sure we will have the ATV for years to come. On the other hand I have the 2008 CRF450r and a gent has offered me a trade for a 2008 Suzuki ltr450. I am considering the trade because it would make maintenance inspections and repairs much easier with have two quads. Just a thought..Thanks

 

well, I think that the 400EX would be better for a hare scramble than an LTR, becuse the 400 has more ground clearance being a trail quad than the LTR. If you are interested more in the LTR because of the fuel injection, check outhttp://www.dirtwheelsmag. com/ME2/dirmod.asp?sid=&nm=&type=news&mod=News&mid=9A02E3B 96F2A415ABC72CB5F516B4C10&tier=3&nid=440B759C6ADA4 1668CD2FD718745A9FB
here they took an LTR and made it trail worthy. hope this helps.

 

NO prob, glad to help. The one thing about our series is pretty much every class is thick with 450's, so the ruts rarely get much deeper than what a 450 can handle. GT sells atv4play arms I believe. If you do use them for the shock work, i would get Laz's recommendations on arms as well. Actually, any shock tuner is going to need to know your setup ahead of time to get you where you want to be. I run Houser long travel xc arms and Fox Float Evol X shocks up front. They are butter smooth but to be honest, you still take quite the accumulative beating over the course of a race.

For WNYOA, the min trail width is supposed to be 50". My bro races at 48" and I am at 47. I wouldn't go any wider than 47 personally. Even then I have gotten stuck by following Blaster and 300EX lines through the trees way to often, lol.

I don't know if I would agree on the easier maintenance with 2 quads over a quad and a bike, but I do know the LTR makes a sweet woods weapon once you narrow it up some.