LOL....those trails you speak of in WV......I have been riding them since I was a boy! WHat I am saying is on extremely steep inclines, the 400ex is not a good climber. I am not saying with the right rider it can't be done or slamming the 400ex. Just an observation from a previous 400ex owner concerning climbing.

 

opinions are like aholes. everyone has one.. I have seen a few built up ex's climb stuff most of you would crap your pants just looking at..

 

I have too. What does it mean? Nothing. With the correct rider, almost every sport atv can appear too be an excellent climber.

 

me and a couple of my friends went up north to this "gravel pit" as they call it in roscommon MI. there is some really steap stuff there. if anyone has seen huevos 4, there is the one hillclimb they were doing, where just about everyone flipped over. there is a similar hill to that up here. my friend on his ported, piped, carbed, bored, and whatever else banshee tried the hill. he came about 3/4 up the hill and had to turn around. eveything else that tried it never even came close. these hills here area amazing. if a raptor would of tried to get up that hill, it would of flipped over in about .2 seconds. even if they had the extended swingarm.

we went to another place called "bull gap" in mio MI, that place is just a really long long hill. it aint to steep, and just everything that tried it can make it. the raptors, banshees, DS's, Z's, ex's race up it all day long. the quad that usually comes out at the top are the banshees. the DS's are one of the other winners, but not as often. the ex's arent to great at the hill. and the Z's are pretty good, but all i usually see out of them are wheelies everywhere.

but if you wanna keep the raptor then i would look into the swingarm, pipes, tires, and anything else that will help ya.

but i would go with the banshee, it wastes everything.

 

oh yeah, at our website it shows the bull gap hill climb