the 450r is more of a race quad. 400ex is a perfect trail riding quad, although it wont have as much power. the 400ex will also be alot more reliable. 450r might not have reverse? but maybe? the 400ex will. if your not too worried about having the quad fly, sounds like the 400ex is a better bike, usually cheaper also. good luck

 

yeah im not to worried about going extremly fast, my buddy just bought a yfz450 if i get the 400ex will i be able to keep up with him?

 

if you want the same power as him buy the 450r, depends on how he rides really.
the 400ex is a good starter quad

 

personally id got forthe 450, doesnt make much sense youll never be happy bc ur buddy has a race quad so ull end up buy one within a year anyways, so save urself money over time and get the 450

 

400ex:
-good trail quad
-outdated air cooled engine that hasn't had any major updates in the past how many years
-soft suspension that can't handle large jumps
-large aftermarket supply of parts, mods, and accessories
-reverse

450r:
-decent race quad
-cam mods really wake them up
-suspension is okay for a race quad:better than 400ex suspension
-vast amount of aftermarket parts like the 400ex
-no reverse

It really depends on how you are going to ride. I suggest the 450 if you want to be competitive with your buddy's yfz. You also can do all sorts of riding: trails, mx, etc.

 

how reliable is the 450r because i dont have a whole lot of money to be putting into fixing my bike all the time

 

Get a consumer 450r. I've talked to some buddies that race them and they say for a consumer model go with the kick start version though as the electric start ones tend to have starter issues. 400ex's are rock solid quads and are a LOT of fun. Don't let people shy you away from them. They are really fun machines and are proven!

 

if it were me i would get the 450.

Your buddy will dust the ex when ever you race but you should be able to keep up on the trails as long as hes not flying. i would be more inclined to let the maintenance go longer on the ex but the power sacrafice compared to the 450 is to big for me.

 

Honda makes a good overall unit, I own a 2003 EX 400, and I love it. I've been looking for a 450r for a while now, but the 400 has always been extremely solid. I've beat the living tar out of it and it just keeps kickin, a buddy of mine has one and has put that thing through hell and back, where no machine should ever go and it never skips a beat. They have plenty of pep for a 400. I payed 1700 for mine, of course people are gonna say go with the 450r there is a quite noticeable difference in power, but if your strapped for cash go with the 400, it wont dissapoint you.

 

Yea there's a reason why they have made them from 99 til current!

 

If i get the 450r what kind of maintenance is involved to keep them running solid for a long time?

 

Just your basic maintenance basically. Change the oil pretty regularly, grease it, clean it, keep the clutch cable adjusted properly, and just take care of it.

 

One thing to be aware of when it comes to changing oil, you are almost certainly going to have to change the oil on the 450 more often. On my quad, it is recommended to change oil every 10 hours for race usage. You can get away with 20 or so hours if you trail ride. I would definitely check the specs on how often you need to do oil changes before purchasing one.

When you clean the quad, do NOT over wash it! It won't start with a crank case full of water. Grease it after you wash it. I use WD 40 over the whole thing. Prevents rust and makes it look good. Then anything that's polished aluminum, shine it up with some Mother's aluminum polish.

You also need to lube the chain regularly. (You should do this on any quad that's chain driven.) Make sure there is no slack in the chain (By this I mean not an overwhelming amount, you will have some slack, check the owners manual for the recommended amount). When new, a chain will stretch more than it will in the rest of it's life, so keep a close eye on this.