If you are buying a Honda only to be the fastest you are buying a Honda for the wrong reasons. Even a 650EX probably would not be the fastest quad. Honda's are never the fastest, the best handling probably. But not the fastest. That's just not Honda's thing.

 

The 400ex already has the best handling so I'm thinkin a 650ex will have the speed and power.

 

Honda Does generate a lot of power from there engines.
I mean look at my Recon its only 229cc and it will out handle go faster and generate more horspower than probably all the other new 250'cc utility engines out there. And most of the ones out there are 249cc. Honda is still able to make the best 250cc ATV with 20 less cc's. Now yes the 400EX raptor difference is on a much larger scale but its still the same idea. I would have to agree that a Honda 650 would be much better and produce more power than the yamaha powerplant.
good observation "Samhonda"

 

Screw the big bore war! I want the CR450 motor in a quad. I mean c'mon, 55 ponies and all aluminum and titanium. It would destroy a Raptor and DS. Probably be twice as reliable too[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif[/img]

On a side note: I believe when Honda debuts this bike (CR450) Yamaha is going to be on their toes real quick! Did you hear that Yamaha already plans on bumping the YZ to a 450 to compete with Honda.
Hmmm, imagine that.

 

Pepprdog said it best. You won't see that much of a difference in power on short runs but as the distance increases it becomes obvious how much more power a Raptor has. CC for CC they both have about the same power. For example, I recently raced a guy with a 200 HP car with my heavier 260 HP car and off the line it was pretty darn close but when he was doing 110 MPH I was doing 125 MPH. When he was running out of speed I was still accelerating away pretty strongly.

The 400 ex is a great quad and should be judged on it's merits but in all honesty it is not in the same power league as a 660 cc machine.

 

I agree with everytning that Bermbanger has said so far. You wouldn't even need to bore it out to a 500. I bet if the new CR450 motor went in the EX frame, there would be no competiton.

 

If Honda would release the 450 I know thats what I would buy next. It would kill the competition. What would Yamaha do next? If Cannondale had lower prices and can prove there selves for reliability they will eventually put everybody else out of competition for sport quads. I hope they do so that it will push manufactures like Honda to put more models out.

 

What is the Raptor? LIke $6500? If you give the 400EX $500 worth of mods, it will compete with a raptor. Besides, it is wider, and has more suspension travel. One other thing, when you say that Honda hasn't always had the fastest quad, but has a better handling and more reliable bike, I disagree. When the 400EX came out, what was there, the Banshee and Warrior? When it first came out it was fast. I agree that RIGHT NOW that Honda doesn't have the fastest bike, but give it time. They want to make it right, and not rush things like Yamaha did.

 

Bottom line is does it really matter who has the fastest machine out. It is just like cars and will change every year or so. Honda's not worried as I'm sure Yamaha is no either. Both will go on competing for the buyers market and both will keep making better machines. Better machines for the customer is all that matters. If you want fast buy a crotch rocket. Fastest thing you can buy for on a few thousand!!!!

 

I am sure that either a CR450 or XR650 motor will be going into an EX frame soon and when it does everyone else is going to be scrambling to make something better. I would rather have the 450 motor but 650 would be nice. You know what, now that I think about it, if Honda produces a new better faster EX than what will the other companies do? They could keep bumping up the displacement, or they could start reproducing 2-strokes. Don't get your hopes up, but it could happen.