[How do 400exs do in the dunes] - ATV Riders Forums - Honda, Yamaha, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Polaris, CanAm, Arctic Cat, Kymco ATVs

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How do 400exs do in the dunes
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Posted by: AtvRider21

Are they good at drags, hillclimbs, jumps, rippin around the dunes, and pits thanks...

Posted by: big-guy

I ride mine mostly in the dunes, and don't have any trouble. Even still have stock tires. The only thing I can't keep up with is our sandrail.

Posted by: PDunes300ex

The 400 is fun in the dunes for everthing except drags. Don't even bother racing with banshees they are territorial creatures that when spooked make a loud buzzing sound and cover you with about an acre of sand.

Posted by: rc3

They climb hills good, they are even fun to drag race, because you get in to different waves, and all the 400's and raptors can get into their own line and drag race. you will not be able to drag race a banshee, but their are so many 400's you can have fun drag racing each other. Good dunes bike

Posted by:

Ya reall great in sand dunes, might need some better back tires, cause if u ride there alot, it well wear them away

Posted by: Deathbringer

Goto my page I have a lot of pics of the 400ex's at the dunes

Posted by: out4sand

My wife and I have a 400ex and ride it in the dunes all the time. We also ride with another 5 or so people with 400ex. All of them work great! Like rc3 said, they are a blast to race as long as your racing other 4-stroke's. Climbing the super steep idiot type holes in the trees (as we call them) can be a bit more challenging but can be done if you ride your 400 well.

http://www.out4sand.com

Posted by: kid300ex

out4sand,

Got any pic's of the new swing arm? Your 400's gotta be looking mint now!!(it did before) maybe sometime we'll meet at sandlakes or somewhere

Posted by: out4sand

kid300ex thanks..yeah it's really starting to look sharp.

I don't have a picture of the new arm yet but I will take some today and try to get it onto my computer very soon.

It would be cool to mee up sometime this summer at the dunes.

Posted by: 400thumper

cool pics out4sand just don't think i would ride without a helmet .seen to many people get hurt not cool.....

Posted by: out4sand

Here are a couple pic's of the new swing arm Kid300ex - I had them shoot it with paint as we picked it up on the way to the dunes and didn't want to wait to ride it. Before memorial Day weekend it's going to be powered coated red to match the LSR steering stem.

Posted by: out4sand

Side view

Posted by: Chef

I think they work really well in the sand. Just a slip on exhaust seems to make a world of difference. A Slip on exhaust, 14 tooth sprocket, 8 paddle haulers, and Mohawks make it alot of fun...

Posted by: kid300ex

looks good out4sand! to me it doesnt look that strong for some reason (riding mostly woods here) but you are always in sand so... but looks sharp!!! how does the bike sit now?

Posted by: Rollin20s

I seen that swingarm on eBay, looks awsome!

Posted by: roostin_dale

Yea that swingarm looks weak(but sweet)! My 400ex is greeeaaat at the little sahara!

Posted by: out4sand

I guess that it could look weak (remember part of why it looks so small is that there are no skid plates of any kind, it's 3" longer then a stock arm, and it's made from round tubing. Take a good look at your stock swing arm and you notice that it's made from cast aluminum so chromoly is defiantly stronger. Granted we really only ride in the dunes but the 400 is ridden hard and we have had no problems.

check out

http://www.out4sand.com/images/Dunes/coos_bay.htm

and scroll down to May 2002 to see my wife jumping. She fly's when she is in the right mood.

Posted by: 86atc250r

Here's a video back in '99 when my 400 was bone stock - Little Sahara, OK - wasn't even running paddles.

It's about a 5mb download

Posted by: roostin_dale

could you juet describe how the stock 400ex worked! The video wont load for me! My uncle has a 400ex with a white bros. exhaust and thats it....he is taking it to little sahara with us in August!

Posted by: 86atc250r

It's 5mb - it may take a bit to download --- it's standard .mpg format and should be playable by virtually any media player....

If you get to see the video, needless to say, the 400 worked well.....

Here's some still pics from the same trip

Posted by: Razorback

quote:
Originally posted by quad_freak14
could you juet describe how the stock 400ex worked! The video wont load for me! My uncle has a 400ex with a white bros. exhaust and thats it....he is taking it to little sahara with us in August!

he won't have any problem. i was just there a couple of weeks ago. i was running paddles, but two of my friends were on 400s also and one had a wb exhaust and razr tires and the other was bone stock with stock tires and both of them had no problems whatsoever with anything, including climbing and railing all the hills. your uncle will be fine.

Posted by: Razorback

quote:
Originally posted by 86atc250r
Here's a video back in '99 when my 400 was bone stock - Little Sahara, OK - wasn't even running paddles.

It's about a 5mb download

sweet video gabe. that's back about where i wrecked at.

Posted by: 86atc250r

That used to be my favorite dune... I was hitting the lower one WOT in 4th...

After I added HP and suspension I was able to get more air and even scared myself a couple times - unfortunately no one there to take pics or video on subsequent trips.

The last couple times I've been there, the conditions on those dunes have not been good for jumping.

How you healing up?

Posted by: roostin_dale

I got the video half way loaded then my internet shut off

But from what i saw it was cool!

Posted by: Razorback

quote:
Originally posted by 86atc250r
That used to be my favorite dune... I was hitting the lower one WOT in 4th...

After I added HP and suspension I was able to get more air and even scared myself a couple times - unfortunately no one there to take pics or video on subsequent trips.

The last couple times I've been there, the conditions on those dunes have not been good for jumping.

How you healing up?

getting a lot better. i've started physical therapy on my shoulder. finally getting some good movement in it, but little strength. got the staples out of my head, too

hope to be able to race again in august. it's driving me nuts not to be able to race or practice right now.

WOT 4th gear would scare the crap out of me, too. i hit some of them pretty fast in third gear. the problem was finding a jump that had a slight slope on it for a smoother landing. i don't my flying a long ways, i just don't like a flat landing. you were pretty dang high in that video and the pics. i bet it feels a lot better now with good suspension.

Posted by: 86atc250r

Yeah, it absorbs the landings better now, but did surprisingly well with the stock setup... The front shocks were never the same after that weekend.

On a different dune, I found one I could get around a 1/8 - 1/4 mile run at and hit WOT in 5th. It would pitch you about 8' up, but the distance was incredible...

Posted by:

quote:
Originally posted by 86atc250r
The front shocks were never the same after that weekend.

Ya think...

I know my first trip out with my bone stock 400ex shocks on a MX track turned into 2 blown front shocks,,and some serious whiplash..

Posted by: 86atc250r

My shocks never really blew like some others I've seen, they just softened up really badly.

On the rear, I melted the rubber bottom out cushion.

I did a *lot* of jumping on that trip

Posted by:

quote:
Originally posted by 86atc250r

On the rear, I melted the rubber bottom out cushion.

I did a *lot* of jumping on that trip

Good lord

Did ya get your pilot's license while you were there gabe?? LMAO

Posted by: roostin_dale

thats crazy! I have works shocks! I cant really afford any of the expensive ones!! And works are the cheapes aftermarket kind!

Posted by:

I've been riding down at Dumont Dunes which has awesome dunes and hills.My 400 handles awesome with or without sand tires.if you at least have an aftermarket exhaust,you should'nt have any problems at all.

Posted by: 400EXManiac

Same here...stock tires on my 400EX had no problems handling almost anything that the dunes had to offer.

I finally received a new pair of Geckos last week, which I'll be trying out at the dunes in Christmas Valley, OR in two weeks.

Also, I have several friends that have 400EX's, and they all ride their machines on the dunes almost exclusively.

Posted by: PismoGuy400

basically the only time you have trouble w/ the stock rear tires is when starting out... if you gas it at the beginning youll be lifting your quad out of the holes...

just ease the throttle (and clutch) untill you get going...as long as you keep your momentum up, you should do fine...

Posted by: QuadJunkies

I think the 400ex handles great,stock tires ofpaddles,My only complaint was at S.t Athonys sand dunes,the dunes there are so big and steep,that there was no way for me to get up them,like choke cherry,Im going to have to do a few more mods before Aug.when we head up there again...