honda400ex2003

doesnt look like much changed for 2023, still a good looking lineup. steve

Hopefully nothing but some graphics... I waited until December to get my 22 that took me 8 months to get and my 2019 x3 doesn't need to be under another model that is significantly better or had even more power. Resale will suck on them if something bigger and badder comes out. Haha. People are still waiting for 22s in both defender and x3 as well. Brp is still struggling with shortages, they just put a news letter out a couple days ago about snowmobiles being delayed for November and December delivery that could potentially ship in January. Also a bunch of changes on package items for smart shocks and electric start. Still some crazy times... In my opinion the market is already softening quite a bit. A lot more than places are letting on, that's for sure. Major orders are cancelling and production is slowing for some industries big time. Steve

i have a skidoo sled for the winter and a couple boats to add to the list of things to spend money on as well haha steve

mine seems to run about the same in the 35-40mph range. no big deal for these engines, they red line a lot higher than that. i ran my x3 in low gear for 20 miles over the weekend, up to 20mph. that was up to 6000 rpms+ at times while i was towing a polaris. it wont hurt it, its just super loud and hot in the cab. steve

it is relatively easy to replace them if you can get to the drum easy enough. sometimes you can reach in and pull out the little lock pin thats in there and wrap it back on. I have done one on my previous OG maverick but havent since. i use cable still for plowing on my rancher, i still break that one at least once a winter but id imagine that i would break a synthetic even more than that. steve

https://www.commanderforums.org/threads/defender-tune-up.65798/ you could also do something like that, which you may have already found. that seems like a simple way to do it. you could also use a flex pipe potentially. that would get my vote if you can find one that would fit in place. steve

it is worth it to pull the spark arrestor out first, they get plugged up and can cause the pipe to glow red. This might be an easier option as it is only a few 11mm bolts (if i remember correctly) to pull the cap off and pull it out. the older x3 cats you could drill through and break the guts out, the material is too hard in them now and wont allow them to be drilled easily. Not sure if that is the case on the defenders as well but you could try it. gutting the cat wont cause any issues with anything, it will be slightly louder but is negligible. I havent looked for myself but you might be able to just buy an aftermarket mid pipe for these as well. I know the x3 you can. good luck either way! steve

Got the s3 springs on today and went for a ride. Only blacktop today so it wasn't much of a test but they should be nice on the trails. Thanks for the info. Steve

100%, i was doing the same thing for a bit with mine flipped and just sitting on the seat. having it up helps a lot with keeping you stuck in the seat when on the trails. steve

will it find reverse if you move the handle back and forth while rocking it or it wont engage at all? could be a linkage issue but it doesnt sound like that is the case. steve

did the spacers help with the clunk/rattle at all. my roof is extremely loud, not sure if its the mounts or what but it sounds like someone is hitting the cage with a hammer and dinging it like a dinner bell for almost every bump. thinking about trying to add some foam pipe insulation around all of the tube mounts and hoping that will help. thoughts? steve

thanks! this seems like a good forum so far. looking forward to being a part of it. steve

definitely a fuel pump issue, as andy said spec is 51psi +/- 1. I had 51 while running and about 40 when key on power without running last week when i tested mine. it shouldnt drop off right away either, mine held for a good bit while testing it. you might be able to do a rebuild with the $65 kit from BRP otherwise a pump assembly is about $300-350. I think rocky mountain had the cheapest oem pumps but never ended up buying one. Check your plugs too while you are at it. $20 for plugs, make sure they are gapped properly. check your air filter and replace. might as well do the oil in it too LOL steve

i am going to try that in the interim, ended up buying some S3 springs last night as well so hopefully they ship quickly for me. At less than half price of the elkas and zbros stage 1s, i figured the S3 springs are worth the gamble. a lot of people have good luck with them. Steve

Anyone know of a standard duty spring that doesn't sag out like the OEM stuff? Maybe it's better price/shock wise to just go with some zbros or Elkas and be done with it? Was on some rough rocky trails today and the shocks on my XT just seemed to bottom and were rough. 6 months on them now and similar to my x3, these are starting to sag bad. Going to turn them up a click on the cam adjusters but it's only a matter of time before they do it again. Thanks Steve

Randy Fugate on facebook has a pretty nice set of brackets that works well to raise it up as well. I think they are $220 for the set. he also has reclining driver seats for the driver side. https://www.facebook.com/groups/1528128237484593/user/100010565292545/ That might be handy for you, i like mine in my defender! steve

Some other things to check for others reading in the future- Just went though this with mine, put plugs in it and so far it's been good. Gap was .010" on one of them. Fuel pressure was good and was heading towards tps sensor and crank sensor when someone suggested plugs on Facebook so I figured I'd give that a shot. .031"-.035" is spec for the hd10 for gap. Fuel pressure should be 51+/-1 psi as well if anyone checks it. Mine was running rough, misfiring and chugging bad at 10, 20, 30mph. Didn't matter if it was 87 or 91 octane. Just glad I didn't need a regular like the op. Steve

Best thing to check would be at a dealer. Otherwise you could try to piece it together from what a newer unit has in it for parts and buy it separately. The air conditioner will be the tough part, as there are a lot of components that go with that. If you are just looking for a heater, there are some good aftermarket kits out there. Inferno probably being one of the best, the bypass valve is also helpful for heat in the extreme cold. Steve

steve

heres my rides. steve

Good morning all, just wanted to introduce myself, just joined here. have had a new hd10 since december and have done a few things to it so far but mostly stock. Riding mostly WI but ride MI sometimes too. we try to make a long trip yearly to somewhere as well. also have a 2019 maverick x3 xds turbo r, a 2003 honda 400ex, and a 2016 honda rancher at in the fleet and have been riding trails since 2001. looking forward to learning more about the big bus from this group. Im a member on maverick forums and was on exriders/atvriders way back in the day as well. steve