just got a 03 yzf450!

[freekstyle]

Hey everyone, I just bought a 03 yzf450. I havent got a chance to ride it much, just around the dealer parking lot. But even doing that I was very excited about the power. I cant believe the low end and the tall first gear ( feels like a street bike ready for a mx track) I just wanted to share my excitment with the rest of you, I've been looking for a good used 250 or 450 four stroke bike for a while ( 4 months) and I finnaly found one that is clean, well kept and in my price range. The bike looks asome, I swear it was hardly ridden at all. I guess it pays to take your time when purchasing a used bike. Anyway, Im new to thumpers and if any one has suggestions about starting, tunning, or just wants to share in my good deal on a clean used bike follow up.

Thanks.

 

[BSWIFT]

I recommend some fat bars. If you ride mx, select a tire suitable for your areas soil conditions. If you ride trails, put a 50 tooth rear sprocket on. The lower gearing will help you in tight stuff and keep your rpms in a manageable range.
The 03 has a known problem, referred to the "notchy clutch syndrome". Not every bike had the problem but there is an easy fix if your bike has not had the repair done. Look at the clutch actuation arm located just above the counter sprocket, if it appears to have been cut and rewelded, then likely the repair has been made. If you are unable to determine if the repair has been made and notice a surging when you let out on the clutch, contact me and I will get you the info for the repair. Parts will cost less than $50. I had the repair done at the dealer for free when I bought the bike new.
I now run the Rekluse Z-Start autoclutch and love it. Click their link on the left side of this page.
You may want to look into the BK mod and the TPS mod. The 'TPS mod is absolutely free and the BK mod might cost you $.05 to $5.00. These two mods really improve throttle response and clean up some flat spots in the power.
One last thing, if you trail ride, this bike is thirsty, check you fuel regularly if you don't like walking for a gas can. I use the Clark 2.3 gal tank.

 

[freekstyle]

I took the bike out today for the first time and loved it. except for one major thing. It kept dieing. I rode mostly at low to moderate rpms pulling the clutch and the engine kept stalling. Even if I gave it throttle as I heard the engine logged off it would still go dead. It takes about 5 to 10 kicks with the hot start pulled to get it going again. after it starts it would somtimes die again when I let the clutch out unless I was reving it and dropping it fairly hard. Outside of this problem the bike runs great. it idles fine and has huge power at all levels of the rpm range. But I have to come to a stop pull the hot start and kick the hell out of it every 15 minutes. Its driving me nuts. I am new to offroad four stokes and I was wondering if It can be tuned or I can sum up the problem to rider error.

 

[BSWIFT]

Check your plug. Jetting may be an issue. Remove and clean the carb, especially the pilot circuit. Check that all of the vent hoses are not clogged where the exit under the bike. Check and clean the air filter and adjust the idle. Most likely, it is a jetting issue. This bike has a very light flywheel and can easily be stalled by aggressive brakeing. BigLou has his 04 jetted perfect and can likely help you out if your plug is not nice and tan.