Author Topic: 400ex with a Ft500 motor  (Read 20531 times)

hondarider1988

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400ex with a Ft500 motor
« on: February 07, 2015, 05:07:02 am »
ok guys im puting a Ft500 motor onto a 400ex frame i know little about the FT500s but i know they are almost the same as the 400 motors but what i want to learn is will the head/cam work off a 400ex or will any parts off a XL/XR fix because i race atvs and 400 motor just doesnt have the power im looking for and does anyone know where to get any part to beef up this motor like a bore kit bigger cam?

J6G1Z

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Re: 400ex with a Ft500 motor
« Reply #1 on: February 07, 2015, 09:46:08 am »
MegaCycle grinds camshafts for the FT500: http://www.megacyclecams.com/catalog/Page30.pdf
They also offer camshaft needle bearings vs. using the original bushed surfaces.

An after-market rod is good insurance.

There are several big bore kits available from various sources. One is XR's Only: http://www.xrsonly.com
Another is Movin' Mikes: https://movinmikes.com/XR_XL_FT_500_Honda.html

Many folks feel that a larger bore is unnecessary & prefer to run a higher compression piston on a stock bore. Raising the compression, or going with a larger bore will impact starter performance. You will need a good tune, strong battery & a starting procedure that fires the engine as quickly as possible.

Here are a few posts that you should scan through:
http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=5.0
http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=10.0
http://ascot500.com/index.php?topic=74.0

Here is a post on an FT Ascot engine that was swapped into a Kawasaki Lakota: http://ggordon528.tripod.com/shop/wheeler.html

That's about all that I have at this time.

Good luck.
J.
« Last Edit: February 07, 2015, 11:36:37 am by J6G1Z »