HA! i never gave that much thought! i would have to change my user name! lol. thanks for all the replies guys. maybe at some point i would be so debt free that i wouldnt mind have 2 wheeler payments.... and then i woke up. but! im thinking that when the time comes im going to go test drive both wheelers to see which one i like better. i know how the 400ex is, and i loved how reliable. sucks i wanted more power from a 450, and didnt realize that they are not night and day different! i did try out an 07 R and it felt like it had tons more power than my 05 EX. so i traded a kid straight up for his 05 R which needed some cosmetics done to it. no doubt its faster, but after reading up on my new trade to find out they had crank bearing problems... WTF... i just check the oil filter every couple rides to make sure there isnt any metal shavings in it. i do like the overall power of my 450r though, but the chassis feels exactly like my 400ex did. anyways, hopefully the time will come soon enough, i also want to try out a new 450R... but time will tell

 

Yea dirtwheels picked the z over both of them because of the fun factor. they said its eaiser to whip around and have fun on and handled great. It got the best fuel mileage. The ds used 5.6 gal and the raptor used 5.2 and the z400 used 3.76 after a 100 mile ride. Be advised that the z also had to be reved alot harder and kept at high throttle to keep up with the bigger bore machines! I agree with the 09 z winning too! I have the 09 z400 and love it, i ride ALOT of tight trails on my z and never have to rev it up high. They did some valve work on the 09 to give it more bottom end over the old Z's. When i bought my Z it was between the 400ex or the raptor 700. The 400ex might be proven reliable but is outdated!!! it was almost the same price as the 09 z and you get ALOT more on the z. Efi,piggybackshocks, liquid cooled, 11.3-1 comp ratio, dual overhead cam..... And the raptor 700 is nice but way to much $$$$$. I think the 09 z is the best bargin. Also look at your july 09 august issue raptor 700 vs 09 z400, z400 won that too. Dirtwheels claims the raptor 700 only produces 7 more rear wheel horsepower then the 2009 z400, they also said the z was not even out of dust when racing the raptor. I also read that alot of people say the z400 is reliable too! Imo i would go with the 09 z400, but if you wanna spend more $$ go with the raptor. Both are great machines.

 

well i definately wouldnt choose a raptor. or any yamaha for that matter. growing up i went through too many yamahas. i definately rode my EX way harder and replaced 3 sets of rear wheel bearings in 5 years. amazing!! im hoping honda will update the 400ex sometime soon! EFI, more performance oriented power delivery. thats just a port and polish away from the factory! time will tell.

 

That would be awosome if honda did come out with a new 400 ex. That last time they updated it was 05 in which they added reverse and did some styling changes. I agree honda has got the bullet proof reputation but there way out dated and now adays thats not what people are looking for.

 

Yeah, stock the 450's really lack that easy riding trailing ability.
They stall too dang easy.

The 400's have the stall resistance that make them a smart choice for trails.
They are just so lame in power though...


If I were you, I would just look into building the 450R for low end. A friend of mine has an 07 or 08 built with as much stall resistance as my 400EX and all the benefits of the 450 as well.

I'd look into finding out if a flywheel weight will work on your engine.
I swear I think that's part of what the builder did to his.

In other words, I don't think it is so much the 450's don't make low power as it is the rotating engine mass is just so much lighter and so much easier to stop.

A Rekluse clutch is another option.


As for the feel... feeling just like the 400EX... can't make that go away.

 

the z400's are a little faster then the ex but the ex has great bottom end and handles very nicely. if you think the 3-5 mph. diffrence is what you want get the z. if you want better handleing, 400ex all the way.