ok after looking at a few quads ive come down to these 2: 400ex and z400
but i want to know if either of them will be powerful enough to be able to take the jumps at the local track and if there good in the trails
since i will be using it on the trails just as much as on the track. even though im turing 15 next week im 6'1 and 205lbs so im starting to worry if i will be able to make all the jumps at the track from take off to landing
but last time i was at the track i was watching a seemingly stock honda (wasnt sure if it was a 400ex or 450r since they look so much alike) and i dont know if the guy was just taking it easy or he just didnt have enough power to make the jumps completely

 

my buddy owned both and probably prefers Hondas in general. Anyways, he said there was no comparison; the z400 blew away his 400EX. ALSO: z400 has reverse, 400ex didn't have reverse until sometime around '05 or newer. you'll like having reverse in the bush. and we trail ride way more than bush ride.

 

well im going to be getting new so both the 400ex and sezuki will have reverse so im not really worried about that

 

I'm 6'6" tall and 270 lbs. and my Z400 is powerful. I change all the fluids at the required intervals and use 89 octane gas in mine. I can get major air and with the ITP Holeshot XCR's on the rear, I get plenty of traction and fly through the corners on the trail. I blow peoples' minds when they see my big *** keep'n up with the EX's. and rev. helps more than you know, especially when you're racing and know the configuration of reverse. The faster you can put it in reverse, the faster you can get back to the race. Plus w/ the Z, there's alot more little things that are inexpensive you can do to get that little bit of umph compared to the EX. My buddy has one and was talikng about his whooping up on a Z at the trails we all go to around here. When he seen that he couldn't lose me, that's with him on his EX (he weighs about 100 lbs.) and me on my Z (270 lbs.) he got me to the side away from everybody else, He was trying to trade me quads and trying to give me boot.
I'm not saying mines badass or anything though....

 

you'll love the Z I;ve got an 04 and have yet to need to mod it for more power ,but really easy to get more ,

 

Both are pretty comparable. On the trails, the nod would go to the ex. It's just geared better for the trails. The z to me has the better suspension, so would be able to take the hard hits from jumping. Not to say you couldn't upgrade the ex and it would work just as well. The z would get the nod if you do any dune riding as well.

As far as not having reverse, unless you are going to race, they're both light and easy to pick up. On a track, by the time you put it in reverse, your behind anyway.

 

i thot it was racers who don't need reverse, and that's why it's not there...for the 1% of the buyers who don't need reverse cuz they ONLY race. Getting off the quad to heave it around is a PITA. In muck or water, it's even worse. And what about when you just nose into some water and realize it's too deep and you wanna back up? I think reverse is a great feature to have. YES, you can get around it by man-handling the quad, but it's just way nicer to have than not to have.

anyways, all this ranting about reverse is irrelevant as woody1 says he's buying new.

 

yes like flanders said im buying new so they both have reverse i dont know why everyone is still talking about it <_<

 

never had any problem on my Z while trail riding ,and I really like the liquid cooling ,

 

Both manufactures make reliable with great craftsmanship so all that is left are the obvious in your face differences between the two in options and tecnology. Although the same displacement the LTZ400 with it water/radiator fan cooled and DOHC engine and race quality adjustable suspension (just to name some) is by far a 2 generations ahead in technology over the Honda 400ex. No brainer.