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400EX Parts TRX450R

Moose Racing Thumb Throttle

I installed Moose Racing thumb throttles on both the 400ex and 450R.  The Motion Pro twist throttles worked fine but it was just too hard to control in turns.

After some play riding in Glamis and testing in the Arizona desert, the Moose thumb throttle is working well and is fairly easy to push.  The longer lever takes some getting used to since it places the idle position a lot further back.

The thumb lever was binding against the brake lever dust boot on the 400.  It needs to be a little further out on the handle bars so they don’t touch.  I had to trim the gripto get the thumb throttle body where it needed to be.

The throttle stop screw on the side of the thumb throttle walked in on both units and made it impossible to give the bike any gas.  Loctite fixed that.

I also had to go back to oem style throttle cables.  The ones that come with the Motion Pro twist kit are too long.

Moose Thumb Throttles ATV, quad

Categories
400EX Parts TRX450R

How To Install Honda TRX450R Front Shocks On A TRX400EX

I ordered a set of used 450R shocks from a seller on Ebay.  They came off a 2008 TRX450R.  They didn’t look too abused, so I went ahead and installed them on my 400EX without rebuilding them.

I read about swapping 450R shocks on a 400EX in several articles on the Internet.  They all said you have to grind the shocks, but none really described how to do it.  After holding the shocks in place, I could see that it would be much better to grind a little off the upper shock mount than the actual shock body itself.

After grinding the mount, the top of the shock body still hit where the nut is welded in for the body mount. (Inside the shock  mount tab)  If you really don’t want to grind on your shocks, you could cut off the bolt and tack weld the body mount right to the top of the shock tab, but I chose to grind the shock.  It was just a tiny shave off the surface to make it fit.  If you put the top of the shock in the mounting tab and wiggle it around, trying to line up the bolt hole, you will scratch the surface of the shock enough to figure out where to grind.

With the stock front compression settings at he first notch, the front of the frame measured 12 1/2 inches from the ground.  After swapping in the 450R shocks, the same spot measures 13 inches.  The a-arms are at the bottom of their travel with no rider.  the compression on the 450R schocks is all the way at the top (no extra compression)

TRX400EX Stock Front ShocksHere is a picture of the stock 400EX front shocks before the work.  The frame height here is 12 1/2 inches

 

 

TRX400EX Stock Front Right ShockHere’s a shot of the 400ex stock front shock on the right side.

 

 

2005 TRX400EX vs 2008 TRX450R ShockThe 400ex shock is at the top of this picture.  You can see the 450r shock is a little bit longer.  When you take off the stock shocks, the a-arms drop a little.  When you put the 450r’s in, they use up all the space.

 

Honda 400EX Upper Shock MountThis is the upper shock mount before any grinding.  The shock hits the rear part of the mount at the lower curve.

 

 

Honda 400EX Upper Shock Mount After GrindingHere is the upper mount after grinding away enough material so the shock fit without hitting the inner part.  The bolt hole still wouldn’t line up.  The top of the shock needs to be ground just a tiny bit.

 

Honda TRX450R Front Shock Top After GrindingIn this picture you can see the small spot that needed to be ground off.  You could also try grinding the nut inside of the shock mount, but since it was such a small amount, I chose to do it this way.

 

TRX400EX With TRX450R ShocksYou can see the 450R shock mounted in the 400x tabs in this picture.

 

 

Honda 400EX With 450R Shocks

This is the final product.  With the 450R  shocks mounted, the front end sits half an inch higher than stock.  The suspension feels much firmer on compression and the rebound is smooth.  Gone is the bounce of the stock 400 shocks.  After riding around the yard, the front end feels way more stable, and it doesn’t lean as much turning.  The real test will be in the sandy whoops at the river bed later this week.

 

Categories
400EX TRX450R

TRX 400EX vs 450R side by side comparison

I parked the two bikes next to each other to get a comparison.  A stock 450R has almost the same footprint, but you can see here, the extra length and width these aftermarket parts add to the 450.


It will be interesting to see how the 450R handles, I still haven’t had time to take it out.

The only thing I plan on doing before the next race (besides general maintenance) is converting the thumb throttle to a twist and adding a kill switch.

The 450R had these parts when I bought it:

  • Lonestar DC4 +2.5, +1 A-arms
  • Lonestar Swing Arm, +1.5
  • Axcaliber Axle
  • Lonestar Anti Fade Lock Nut
  • Lonestar Billet Rear Caliper Mount Kit
  • Lonestar E-Brake Block Off Plate
  • Elke Stage 4 Front Shocks
  • AC Pro Nerf Bars
  • PRM Bumpers
  • Anti Vibration Steering Stem
  • Pro Taper Handle Bars
  • ESR Intake
  • DASA Racing Full Exhaust
  • 2002 CRF 450 Cam
  • Stainless Braided Brake Lines
  • K&N Cone Filter
  • Aftermarket Hood

Some of the changes I plan on making in the future:

Categories
400EX Parts

TRX450R Front Shocks Ordered

I bought a set of used front shocks from a 2007 450R off Ebay.  The last race finished off my stock 400s.  From what I’ve read, some of these bolt right on and others need to be ground down a little bit but either way they are a big upgrade from the originals.

Depending on the condition they are in, I’ll either try them out for one race or rebuild them right away.

Categories
400EX AZOP Racing

AZOP Endurance Race 2 Completed

The second endurance race of the season was in Tucson, AZ at the MC Motorsports Park.

Like the first, it was a 2 hour timed event.

I like the MX track a lot better than the Speedworld one.  The turns were wider and way better groomed.  The jumps has more kick on them.  The desert section was a lot rougher with a few wash-outs and lots of trackside cactus to avoid.
This track definitely pushed my bike harder and as a result, my front, left shock failed.  I guess it’s to be expected with the original shocks from 2005.

I completed the race at 3rd place in the Ironman class.

This was my first time riding after installing the Motion Pro Twist Throttle Kit.  I should have practiced first, but there was never time.  My speed was definitely way slower as I learned to control the throttle.  I found it difficult to slow down for turns.  It was nice to not have a sore thumb after the race though.

Here is a sequence from one of the small jumps.  You can see the suspension compress, then you can see me compress.

Jump Sequence 1 of 3This is in the air, with the suspension extended.

 

 

Jump Sequence 2 of 3 Here is the landing with suspension compressed.

 

 

Jump Sequence 3 of 3And here is me acting as suspension after the 400 ran out.

 

 

Here’s a shot of a little lean in the corner.