The XR400 Thread

[teamxr]

Just got a cop to come by and do the inspection so now im street legal. i passed with a bicycle bell as a horn and non dot tires thanks to some 150 grit and a razor blade. I love Michigan

I did find my horn signal wire and went out and got a 12v horn. problem is all my electrical is putting out 7v so you can hardley hear the horn. it doesnt matter any more now that i have my inspection but i would be nice to know how to pump that up to 12v so when i get my trail tech i can wire up to 12v if need be.

[Mooserack]

Originally Posted by Rman237

Yes, make sure the swingarm bolt isn't seized up. It's been a problem with some XR4's. It's rare but if it is seized up you're looking at more problems than you want to fool with.

This maybe a stupid question, but I will ask any way.
I am shopping for a good used XR400.
How can you check the swingarm bolt? Is it something that can be check quickly while inspecting bike, or does it require some disassembly?
Anything else to look for when looking at a used bike????
Thanks very much for the information.
Pat.
Oh, If you are on the Olympic Peninsula or in the Seattle area and have a good use XR400 for sale I'm buying.

[old brooklyn boy]

Originally Posted by old brooklyn boy

Need to find the best clutch replacement parts and a good source for them. New to me 2001 XR400R. PO rode it hard and put it away wet. Need to replace clutch activator and would really like to do the whole thing. Need to find out which of the many kits I see are worth the price and advice on baskets and inner hub. I find most places only have some things and not others. Some things that are available on Ebay can not be found on the Manufacturer's Websites. This has probably been discussed on this thread but my search skills are not up to this century.
Help!
Alfred

CLUTCH HELP PLEASE

[TerryK]

I'm only 5'6" so starting the girl can be hard work but here is we go.

Turn fuel on, turn choke on full, adjust the idle speed screw 1 turn, bring her up to TDC, pull in decompression lever so engine is just past TDC, Give it a good kick....don't touch the throttle & knock the choke back to 1st step for around a minute & then turn it off altogether.

I have a piece of fuel line on the idle screw to make it easier, reduce the idle after 5 to 10 minutes.

Only problem I have is my right leg, I broke it 2 years ago & have a pin, hurts like hell when it comes up on compression. I start it cold with my left leg, once warm it's ok with my right.

Yes I did break it on the XR

[Luke]

Originally Posted by Mooserack

This maybe a stupid question, but I will ask any way.
I am shopping for a good used XR400.
How can you check the swingarm bolt? Is it something that can be check quickly while inspecting bike, or does it require some disassembly?
Anything else to look for when looking at a used bike????
Thanks very much for the information.
Pat.
Oh, If you are on the Olympic Peninsula or in the Seattle area and have a good use XR400 for sale I'm buying.

To check the swingarm bolt, you have to unscrew the swingarm nut and hit the bolt out with a hammer. Not something a seller is likely to let you do. I've checked five different swingarm bolts, and none were very hard to get out. I wouldn't worry about it. Just have a big hammer and drift available when you go to work on it.

General inspection is the same as any other bike.

On a stand: check the wheel, steering head and rear suspension bearings for slop or notchyness.
Spin the wheels to see if they're not wonky.

Make sure control cables operate smoothly.
Brakes: check the feel, and look at the rotors, calipers and pads.
Check the suspension action. It should be smooth and damped.
Fluid leaks: engine, oil lines, forks, shock, brakes.

Air filter- take it out and check for gunk in the carb inlet.
Electrics.
Tires, brake pads, chain, sprockets: They're consumables. Just make sure they're good enough for the test ride and/or ride home. Don't forget tire pressure.
Test ride. Does everything feel about right? Do you like the bike?

Check for fluid leaks again after the test ride.
Engine oil. Dirty is ok, sparkly isn't. The level should be right.

Double check anything aftermarket for proper installation. Try to get take-off parts with the bike (especially the carb).

Paperwork. Get a bill of sale and a clear title, registration and whatever else WA wants.





Oh, and no, mine's not for sale.

[eakins]

most importantly above everything else!

if it has a skid plate, remove it and look for a rusted through frame down there.

Originally Posted by Luke

To check the swingarm bolt, you have to unscrew the swingarm nut and hit the bolt out with a hammer. Not something a seller is likely to let you do. I've checked five different swingarm bolts, and none were very hard to get out. I wouldn't worry about it. Just have a big hammer and drift available when you go to work on it.

General inspection is the same as any other bike.

On a stand: check the wheel, steering head and rear suspension bearings for slop or notchyness.
Spin the wheels to see if they're not wonky.

Make sure control cables operate smoothly.
Brakes: check the feel, and look at the rotors, calipers and pads.
Check the suspension action. It should be smooth and damped.
Fluid leaks: engine, oil lines, forks, shock, brakes.

Air filter- take it out and check for gunk in the carb inlet.
Electrics.
Tires, brake pads, chain, sprockets: They're consumables. Just make sure they're good enough for the test ride and/or ride home. Don't forget tire pressure.
Test ride. Does everything feel about right? Do you like the bike?

Check for fluid leaks again after the test ride.
Engine oil. Dirty is ok, sparkly isn't. The level should be right.

Double check anything aftermarket for proper installation. Try to get take-off parts with the bike (especially the carb).

Paperwork. Get a bill of sale and a clear title, registration and whatever else WA wants.





Oh, and no, mine's not for sale.

[Mooserack]

Luke and eakins, thanks for the info and tips.
If all goes well I will be looking at two or three this upcoming week.

Thanks again.

[teamxr]

Originally Posted by TerryK

I'm only 5'6" so starting the girl can be hard work but here is we go.

Turn fuel on, turn choke on full, adjust the idle speed screw 1 turn, bring her up to TDC, pull in decompression lever so engine is just past TDC, Give it a good kick....don't touch the throttle & knock the choke back to 1st step for around a minute & then turn it off altogether.

I have a piece of fuel line on the idle screw to make it easier, reduce the idle after 5 to 10 minutes.

Only problem I have is my right leg, I broke it 2 years ago & have a pin, hurts like hell when it comes up on compression. I start it cold with my left leg, once warm it's ok with my right.

Yes I did break it on the XR

i started doing a turn on the throttle screw yesterday after relizing thats why it would stay running. what a big diifference on warm up it makes

[Mooserack]

I have another question about used 400's for you XR gurus.

Should the front sprocket be tight on the shaft coming out of the transmission?
I looked at a bike last week, the front sprocket wiggled on the shaft, there was also a rusty residue at the area where the sprocket interfaced with the shaft. To me, that did not seem correct.
How should the sprocket fit upon the shaft?

Thanks for your time.
Pat.

[Gladly]

Originally Posted by DrLewall

the stator may not be up to par for the street..I suspect you have the stock stator in it and if so, it will not be enuff to power street leagl accessories like turn sigs, horn, brake lites etc..you may be able to get away with the stock stator, and thats a big MAY..good luck

I'm running the stock stator and I've had no issues

YMMV

[Luke]

Originally Posted by Mooserack

I have another question about used 400's for you XR gurus.

Should the front sprocket be tight on the shaft coming out of the transmission?
I looked at a bike last week, the front sprocket wiggled on the shaft, there was also a rusty residue at the area where the sprocket interfaced with the shaft. To me, that did not seem correct.
How should the sprocket fit upon the shaft?

Thanks for your time.
Pat.

That sounds typical. The sprocket is designed to float on the shaft. How much is a matter of feel. If you're expecting the sprocket to be rigidly attached to the shaft, it will feel like a lot.

The sprocket should twist on the shaft, but not rotate very much- if that makes sense. Twisting corrects chain misalignment, rotation is the change from accelerating to engine braking. The shaft will rotate a lot, of course, even with the bike in gear.

IMO, the splines should be lubricated, which will prevent the rust. They aren't lubricated at all from the factory.

[Mooserack]

Luke,
That makes sense, Thanks for the info.
Pat.

[TerryK]

Originally Posted by teamxr

i started doing a turn on the throttle screw yesterday after relizing thats why it would stay running. what a big diifference on warm up it makes

I hope that was of some help, the short length of fuel hose on the idle screw makes it easier to adjust...I can even knock it back while riding.

[cribaby]

Originally Posted by [poser]

Has anyone run the Perilli Scorpion Pro?

http://www.bikebandit.com/product/3787

What do you think?

I am on my third one and they work very well here in the so cal desert, they seem to wear decent on the street (I don't put alot of pavement miles in though).

It's made for soft/med terrain and therefore it handles the sandy/soft extremely well, but has good tractablity on all types of surfaces. I ripped all of the side knobs off the last one running it hard/fast on rocky/hardpack fire roads, (tire still performed for the remainer of the year).

Charlie

[TARider]

Self bump

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=509287