ok thanks for that info. For most of the parts i am gonna go aftermarket ie:aarms, handlebars......
For the oil tank it seems all the pros use a 400ex oil tank. How hard is it to get the tank to work? What should the motor mounts be made up. I deal with fabrictors that can make me them. Will a 400ex gas tank work? Where are you gettin the pipe from? Will there be any proablems with the spokets lining up or anything like that? I will keem in mind that guy you know you makes the swingarms, cuz lagers are like $577. But i proably won't be doing this project till the fall/winter! One more thing, how much do 400ex breaks and hubs cost?
Thank you for anwseriing all my questinos
matt

PS will i smoke 'em?

 

Where are you getting your YZ motors from and how much do they cost? I would be interested in doing this conversion.

 

As far as 400EX parts, I can't say what they cost for sure, because I am sponsored by a Honda dealer and I have my engine builder who also gives me good prices on stock parts because he gets them cheaper being a dealer also. I know East Coast ATV has built several and they said an oil tank would be approximatly $150. It's hard to make the 400EX tank work due to the frame geometry and needing to fit a raditor in it where the oil tank normally sits (The YZ engine is liquid cooled), so I'm making mine fit between the lower frame rails. Remember the pro's all run a Leagers built specifically to use the 400EX oil tank... East Coast said they will sell a pipe for $500 (I will probably mod a bike one myself) and I know a Harley builder who is a Nuclear Reactor Welder, so he does excellent work needless to say, so he said he'd make me an oil tank and help with the exhaust also. As far as everything else, that's why I'm building it from scratch, because I'm building it race ready from groung up. For lining up the sprocket, thats all up to the builder putting it together properly. No it's not cheap to do a project like this, but the guy I know who has built one has $7,500 into his and he has Lonestar a-arms, Custom Axis suspension, and so on. So its really not that bad when my friend has $7,500 in just chassis and suspension for Leager's. But then that all depends on the deals you come across, I got super lucky to find an unheard-of deal on a bike, and after selling parts I don't need I have only $1,000 in my engine, carb, and electrical, whereas most people may have up to $3,500 in there's (Thats only after selling the chassis also)... Yes you can buy a motor from Yamaha, but only the complete bottom-end and then the top-end parts. After that you will have over $4,000 into the engine alone, but then you still need the carb, and electrical...

As far as you Smoken Em, that depends on your riding abilities. A person can have the most money in the world in their quad, but if they can't ride it, then they will still get smoked. I always get a kick out of those "My quads faster than your's or whatever post's", because that doesn't matter. Just because I can lap 250R motorcyles at the local MX track mean that my quad is faster in a drag, HECK NO!!!

But yes, the YZ400 does run well, where they will be faster is in the long run. The 4-stroke doesn't tire you like a 2-stroke does, so in a long race thats a big plus when you have a 4-stroke that can keep up everywhere else also...

Sickman

 

Sickman,
Thanks for all your help man. But i have been doing some thinging about what oyu said about 'Smoke EM' and i decided i really am not that experience for a bike that powerful right now so here is my new plan: OVer the summer when the 2001s come out i am gonna buy a new 400ex. I am just going to do chasis mods to it like aarms and stuff like that. Once i get more experence and need more power for racing i will update the engine to the YZ. Which would proably be next year. I will sell all/most of the stock ex parts. And i could proably get like 1500+ for the ex motor.

I think this way would be the best to go. Cuz i know for a fact that a YZ wouldbe to much for me now and that i would just be wasting money!

But thtanks for your help and good luck with yours!

matt

 

Are you going to stay classed based by 400cc, if not. I would opt for a XR650R liquid cooled engine in the 400EX frame. It will probably cost the same and you have more cc's. There is also open class competion. This combo I mentioned seems like the best dune and trail quad.
Good luck.

 

Right on 4 Tacate! I was reading down through this post and was thinking the same thing, go big with the Honda 650! You also get the electric start if you go that route. You still have the water cooling to deal with. Not sure how the motor would mount up in the 400ex chassis.

Bruce
2000 Banshee
99 400ex
99 wolverine

 

I gots one! Lonestar YZ426 250R frame, aftermarket oil tank/cooler, beadlock rims and Maxxis RZR tires. 4 inch extended rear axle, 6 inch extended front A-arms, Works shocks, Mac's racing plastics and seat, Burgard steering stem, clamps, and low bars. ASV cluch lever, Supertrap exhaust, AC grab bar, AC Nerf Bars, AC front bumper, and a Lonestar swingarm.

 

Yz426 hey I have that bike now bro!?! Its exactly like that to the T just dont have all stickers on it. Where are you from?