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Shiny's adventure with dirtbikes

30K views 571 replies 33 participants last post by  shinyribs 
#1 ·
So,I dig the KLR, but it didn't quite fill the bill in the offroad department. Who da thunkit? So I bought this '98 XR400R. Street title, partially installed Baja Designs dual sport kit. The engine was supposedly rebuilt, but who really knows without digging in? Looking the bike over I could easily see fresh gaskets where the cases had been split, and the seller had a clean looking shop...so I took the risk. His claim: new piston/pin, new rod bearings, new cam chain. Fingers crossed.


As I got it. Dingy, but looked solid. Hardware looking healthy, no crushed frame tubes, but a pretty badly bent rear rim. Started easily and felt strong, but I have no experience with these bikes to judge against. Talked him down to $1,200 and loaded her up. Baja Design kits are $500 and the street title has to be worth something. I figure if the engine dies I'm not in it too badly anyway.



As always, my new bike needed fork seals. But at least I finally own a bike that won't be needing a fork swap right off the bat! This is a first for me. Never had a cartridge fork apart before, but it wasn't a bad job. Turned up a fork seal driver and cleaned up a couple dings on the legs. Good to go.



Took her out for a ride and it had a pretty loud valve tick. Checked the lash, it was good. Did some research and found out the auto decompression system is known for going wonky on these bikes. When you press off the auto decomp it leaves oiling passages exposed. Typical approach is to put a sleeve over the passages and call it good, but there were a couple pressed in pins that I didn't like the look of. So I made a sleeve that would capture them as well.

Stock set up.



Exposed passages and pins.



Fixed.



Cam chain was supposed to be new, but it wasn't. Cam chain tensioner was just about at the end of it's travel. Found out that a CRF450 cam chain swaps right on, is a few bucks cheaper and is two plates wider, so stronger. Win-win. :thumbsup: Motor seemed clean inside. Cam lobes and rocker faces look nice.



Took her back out, tick was gone. :) With the auto decomp gone it was easier to start and a low speed stumble I was having was gone. Altogether just ran better. 2nd and 3rd gear power wheelies at will. The auto decomp was intermittently opening an exhaust valve. Motor was nice and quiet now. Went to change the oil and it was filthy. Black and speckly. :doh: Ran a couple gallons of gasoline through the motor, frame, oil lines and cooler. Figured the PO didn't clean things as well as he should've. The lie about the cam chain isn't giving me much hope about the engine in general. Didn't find anything alarming in any of the oil screens, though.

With the engine running strong, the clutch started slipping in higher gears. Pulled her open and found glazed steels. Springs and frictions are well within specs. Scuffed up the steels, back together....4th gear power wheelies if I hit it right, 5th gear clutch wheelies are easy. This thing is a horse. :shocker:

But....clutch started slipping again after a few rides. Tore back in to the clutch. Steels are completely polished smooth already :wtf: Took another look at the frictions plates and they're hard. Almost feel like ceramic. Dropped the oil to have a look....black and speckly....fook. Maybe the frictions have gone hard somehow ( baked? overheated?) and are grinding up the steels to make this dirty oil? Engine runs too strong/quiet to take a chance, so it's time to dig in.
 
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#58 ·
Re: XR400R

Poor surface finish aside, the steering damper is the shit. I can see why they command the money they do. I was hoping it wasn't just some blingy placebo part, but riding mud today was like... "ooh, ahh! This really works!".

There's more to them than what I thought. They really should advertise their features better.

I instantly wanted​ one for the KLR. :(
 
#62 ·
Re: XR400R

It's light enough to pull it with my pinky. Clutch modulation feel is better than I expected. I figured being hydraulic would feel kinda dead. It's got more range of motion than stock, so you don't have to move the lever as far. Finding neutral is super easy. And since this is the "Street" master cylinder it's got a mirror mount and the lever ( breakaway lever,too) is formed to clear switchgear.

These things are usually about $300 but I found this eBay seller listing these for TRX 400's for $208 shipped. TRX is the quad version of this motor, so drill one hole in the slave mounting bracket and you're good to go.
 
#63 ·
Re: XR400R

I've been very tempted by this before:



http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Clutch-Ma...694212?hash=item5d711d2604:g:7pUAAOSwZKBZGWYY

It's so cheap that I wanted to give it a try but I'd already spent £50 on a Triump perch, adjustable lever & genuine cable and to do this conversion would cost me at least the same again so I kinda figured "how much better could it actually be?"

...And then you come along talking about mouth kissing and shit so I've started reconsidering.

Hmm.
 
#64 ·
Re: XR400R

I don't know much about all the different clutch kits, but KTM, Husaberg and Husqvarna have been using Magura clutch master cylinders for a long time. The master cylinder that came in my kit is the same one KTM uses on the 690 Enduro. The lever is formed to clear handlebar switch gear.

If it's in your budget, I'd highly recommend it. If you'd need to save up for it, I'd say it's worth the wait. I'm notoriously cheap and always determined to find another way , but I see me owning lots of Magura clutch kits in my future.

I like that they use mineral vs dot fluid, too. Mineral oil doesn't attract water, so they fluid never needs changing. Permanent, unless you open the system for some reason. If they've been installed as original equipment on so many Euro bikes that makes me think that replacement parts should be easily obtainable in the future. However, the slaves are marketed as non-rebuildable. I think a replacement slave is like $40-50, so not that bad anyway. Most slave rebuild kits run about $30 anyway.

My kit was advertised as for a TRX400 ( quad version of my bike) and was said to come with the decomp lever, but I doubted that. They confirmed it did come with the decomp, but it showed up without it. No real surprise, and I don't like the decomp on the left anyway. The kit was $208 to my door and they refunded me $25 for not sending the decomp setup. Win-win.

Oh, and you can buy different tips for the slave and move the clutch to another bike in the future. Buy one and refit it for any bike in the future.
 
#67 ·
Re: XR400R

:LolLolLolLol:

Well they make one for a Blaster 200 which would fit mine but I guess the hose would be too long. I'll keep an eye out for a used one from a similar bike and I can always get a tip to fit.

I found this thread where a guy installs a chinese version on his blaster: http://www.blasterforum.com/threads/cheap-40-hydraulic-clutch-kit.39225/

The bottom line is that it was a waste of money so I think I'll avoid the cheap shit.
 
#70 ·
#71 ·
Re: XR400R

In that case.

Because it's fucking awesome to be road legal ( eventually) on a bike that can go anywhere ( fuck curbs), never needs a battery or keys, can crawl at walking speed or cruise at 70, doesn't carry water and weighs the same as I do once geared up.

But I reckon this isn't the forum for that. Which is cool. I wouldn't pout if it was removed.
 
#76 ·
Re: XR400R

Playing around on a new hillclimb I haven't got up yet. After many failed attempts I was getting tired. Bike chasing you back down the hill and all. The last attempt wasn't going well, and I was getting tired, so I just ghosted it over the top. Pin it, jump off the pegs and let her soar :LolLolLolLol:

Totally worth it.
 
#80 ·
Re: XR400R

Dude, you take part rear shocks more regularly than I actually set foot in the garage these days!

Playing around on a new hillclimb I haven't got up yet. After many failed attempts I was getting tired. Bike chasing you back down the hill and all. The last attempt wasn't going well, and I was getting tired, so I just ghosted it over the top. Pin it, jump off the pegs and let her soar :LolLolLolLol:

Totally worth it.
Wish I could bring the CRF over to your pad and have you take me round some of your local trails.
 
#77 ·
Re: XR400R

These forks desperately needed fork bushings. So I ordered everything to rebuild the forks and a new seal head for the rear shock. The rear shock on these bikes are notorious for poor rebound control. Sharp edge hits ( read: every damn log you jump) wants to buck you off. I'm positive the rear shock has never been opened. It smelled absolutely rancid in there. Had everything fully cleaned up and ready to reassemble....then decided to buy a Gold Valve for the rear shock :) Things will be on hold while that arrives, but I think it will be worth it.

 
#82 ·
Re: XR400R

Keep us/me posted on the shock. My XR250 isn't terrible but it could use some love. Know of any common shock swaps for these?
I rebuilt my XR250 shock when I got it, big improvement and all I did was clean & reassemble w a new seal.

My 400R had reworked forks and shock, but I never got to take it out for a real ride before selling.
 
#79 ·
Re: XR400R

I'm sure you probably know, but there's tons of DIY stuff on XR 250 and 400 suspension on Thumpertalk. If you can stand to sift through it all, there may be a compatible swap, but I don't know of any.

I don't know about the 250, but the 400 has a pretty decent fork for enduro/trail riding, but it's not much for jumping. I found some info online about playing with the stock shims on the compression valves in the forks and it made a HUGE difference in the plushness IMO. Does the 250 shock have rebound issues, too?
 
#83 ·
Re: XR400R

I'm sure you probably know, but there's tons of DIY stuff on XR 250 and 400 suspension on Thumpertalk. If you can stand to sift through it all, there may be a compatible swap, but I don't know of any.

I don't know about the 250, but the 400 has a pretty decent fork for enduro/trail riding, but it's not much for jumping. I found some info online about playing with the stock shims on the compression valves in the forks and it made a HUGE difference in the plushness IMO. Does the 250 shock have rebound issues, too?
I only have $173 into the bike and it runs great and looks good so I can't really complain. Even so, the suspension could be better. I don't go on that forum much but I suppose it's worth a look before I start buying stuff.
I rebuilt my XR250 shock when I got it, big improvement and all I did was clean & reassemble w a new seal.

My 400R had reworked forks and shock, but I never got to take it out for a real ride before selling.
That's probably what I'll end up doing just because it's simple and cheap.
 
#85 ·
Re: XR400R

So, the Gold Valve isn't happening. Dealing with Racetech is a bit of a circus, so scratch that. The stock valve in the shock actually has huge ports, so a different valve isn't really necessary. Besides, you can always port your own valve to flow better. The only thing you gain by buying their kit is knowledge. I'm not sure it's worth $170 to buy their "correct" shim stack, so I think I'll just wing it.

The compression damping is fine, but the rebound damping is weak. I might just order some shims to firm up the rebound stacks and play with the valve tuning myself. I'll give me a fun project to fiddle with.

Shim stacks aren't rocket science. They're just leaf springs that block off your valve ports. Add or remove tension by juggling shim diameter and thickness of the stack/number of shims. Sounds easy enough... right??
 
#86 ·
Re: XR400R

I can only speak of my experience with race tech gold valve kits. Bought one for the Dr supermoto, when you buy the kit you get access to their site to setup the shim stack for your needs.

All I could come up with was dirt orientated setups. Nothing supermoto specific. I placed a call to them and got a real person within minutes who over the phone setup a supermoto based shim stack for me and was happy to help me out and really patient with my questions.

The rear shock works flawlessly on the road and handles light trails off road with ease.


How many times do you want to pull the rear shock out of the bike, pull the rear shock apart, replace fluids, and recharge with nitrogen because you want to guess and check on shim stacks?

I say build the shock once with a gold valve. Call them up and go over your specific needs for the shock and they will get it right for you.
 
#87 ·
Re: XR400R

I went to RT's site and looked up the kit for my bike. It wasn't clickable and didn't have a price, it was just giving me a part number, but no way to order it. Check it out yoursself: 1988 Honda XR400R. The GV kit is the only part "available" for that bike that is not clickable.

So I called and talked to a guy there who took my order via phone. I gave him my PayPal address to send me an invoice and that was that. Next day, I get an email from a lady there telling me that they don't accept PayPal, only credit cards. Dafuq? I hate ordering via credit card over the phone, and I'm damn sure not gonna do it via email. Their site can't let me order it through the site, so fuck it.

Also, if you do a simple google search for XR400R Gold Valve you get a bunch of ads from different vendors. RT charges $170 for the kit, the vendors charge $132-139 typically. But it's a different part number than what the site will give you. When I asked the lady about it, she said the kit's are new for these bikes and that she doubts those vendors actually have kits for my bike. Mkay...

I do know that RT has a new version of the GV out now, and that is why there are two different part numbers, but they only give the newest version part number on their site.

That's why I'm gonna wing it. Probably. I might hit up one of the eBay vendors and verify their kits are supplying you with the one-time access code you need. But I don't mind winging anyway.
 
#89 ·
Re: XR400R

The Gold Valve kit came today. The jet that goes in the valve needs to be drilled to a certain size per application, so I have to buy a micro drill bit set now. That's not a huge deal, but the jet was missing in my kit :doh: I went ahead and used my access code to see what they're recommended setup is, and they are specifying more turns out on my rebound clicker than is available. Needless to say, I'm not blown away by RaceTech at the moment. Looking forward to another round of contradictory emails to come. :)

And Partzilla is taking their sweet time sending out the parts I ordered from them. They sat on the order for 4 business days before shipping it. At least I think they've shipped it? I got an email letting me know they took my money 4 days later, but no mention of tracking numbers it anything.

Finally, I wouldn't have had to order anything from Partzilla at all if AllBalls' complete fork bushing kit included all 8 of the bushings required instead of just the 4 that go in the sliders....Hey, AllBalls...the damper rod moves with the stanchions, ya know.

This ordering shit online is kinda...well, shit.

I just want my dirt bike back. I'm starting to get dangerously tempted to see what the FZ is capable of on dirt...
 
#92 ·
Re: XR400R

I went ahead and used my access code to see what they're recommended setup is, and they are specifying more turns out on my rebound clicker than is available. Needless to say, I'm not blown away by RaceTech at the moment. Looking forward to another round of contradictory emails to come. :)...
F-that emailing them crap, give them a call...
 
#90 ·
Re: XR400R

I hate to be the guy to cause you further delays, but... don't use anything other than oem fork parts. Unless you enjoy being down for fork fixes, that is.
 
#109 ·
Re: XR400R

I hate to be the guy to cause you further delays, but... don't use anything other than oem fork parts. Unless you enjoy being down for fork fixes, that is.
This man speaks the truth.

AllBalls bushings in the forks. Trying to set the sag and I've got over 30mm of stiction area :doh: absolutely horrible. I figured maybe they would not last as long or something, but that's completely unusable.

Back to nothing but OEM for me.

Havent had a chance to ride this thing. Actually just got finished getting it all back together last night. Had to straighten out subframe and weld up a crack. The forks feel awful ( should be a fun ride today...), but the shock feels promising. Even just getting on and off the bike the suspension has a more controlled feel to it, if that makes any sense. Using RT's recommendations on initial settings put my sag dead on the money. Confidence inspiring...
 
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