Take a bone-stock V, add a $25 Polaris white spring and a Z-400 will never touch it without some very expensive modifications.

 

Also depends on the terrain you are riding on. V's seem to be much better on flat ground than in the dunes.

KevinM- I doubt that. Before I had major mods to my motor I had a gutted stock pipe, filter, HotCams ($250), and it improved 8.5 horses on the dyno (with proper jetting of course) on top end alone, not to mention 6 from bottom to mid. Altogether it cost me around $300, less than a full pipe. Now I seriously doubt that the new spring would do that much for performance.

My next door neighbor has a V, I'm actually watching him ride across the street in the desert right now. He's got dual PC's, and does well on the pavement drags, but take him to the dunes and watch him make it halfway up comp before he has to turn around.

Not knocking the V, it's definetly a cool quad and fun to ride, but it does have limitations due to its weight and traction problems.

 

And that's my point. You're going to have to spend a few hundred dollars just to try and stay ahead of a V with a spring change. I'm guessing your neighbor even with the duals knows nothing about dialing in the clutch, so he has pretty much wasted his money on the pipes. The clutching is everything.

 

exactly.

Kevin: what spring have you settled on for trail riding?

 

Here's the deal, my neighbor also has a v-force with a clutch kit a dual yoshi's with a k&n and i still beat him. Not by much though especialy when he gets a hole shot. But actully on the dune s the v-force will not make it up a steep hill with stock tires, i know was at glamis with my neighbor with the v-force. But when he put the paddles on, he was equal if not faster than me up the hill. The v force cant use stock tires in the dunes at has to use the paddles. I was greatly suprised

 

I can climb China wall (at Glamis) with my knobbies on. The stock tires are not the best for the sand, but I can go all over with the knobbies. Comp hill would be easy, since it is so flat these days.

 

I have one of each.and i will not ride the 400 . Yes the 700 is big, but the ride is so much better I.M.O.

 

I've only raced 1 v force. And that was on comp. hill at Sand mtn. Nevada. The owner also had a Z400.
My KFX absolutely murdered that thing. Mines not stock though, and the V was. Both of us had paddles though.
I really like the V, so don't think I'm ******* on it. Maybe that particular one just didn't run that well.
But I've alway heard they are faster than 400s.

 

I had a KFX 400 until about two weeks ago and went riding with my buddy all the time that had a 700. To provide some of my experiences to some of the information stated so far in this thread.

KFX 400 was bullet proof with zero problems...frame or anything...the bike jumped farther and hit the rough stuff harder and did not have one single problem the entire time i owned...nothing...held up like a champ. The 700 blew a seal twice and spit oil all over the clutch system...could have been mechanic error...other than that the 700 held up great. Both will require general mainteance with the 700 requiring additional attention to belt (CVT)

As far as cost and making the 700 quicker cheaper...neither me or my buddy seen that. I purchased the 400, pipe, pro design air flow kit, k/n filter, and taxes for 850 dollars less (6150) than he just purchased the 700 ($7000)...i know the price has dropped on both since we bought them. In the purchased setup the KFX was quicker in my opinion...however the 700 would hold its own off the line.

He purchased a dual exhaust, modified air intake, a pink spring, and a new foam filter (About 900 dollars) and the 700 come alot more alive and would handle the 400 off the line and on top. You can put cams or carb and turn it back around by investing another 500 in the 400...just pending what you want. Both good trail bikes, 700 better the rougher the terrain, 400 better in the sand and on the track. So it depends on where you ride and how you ride, your size, do you want to shift or not, and if money is an issue...both great bikes.

 

Good review Bosox...that sounds about right.