bigbear08

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Jul 27, 2009
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i just picked it up tonight for $900! the fork seals leak a bit, but he gave me new seals with it along with the fork covers. it runs good once its warmed up, but it has a slight hiccup every so often when idleing and it seems like it idles a little high. there is no crack in the carb boot. i just havent gotten to tinker with it yet. i know im going to have some questions to ask about this bike later, but now i want to get some sleep. one thing i dont know is how difficult is it to replace the shock seals? im pretty good at fixing thing, but i have no clue about the forks. i'll have pics up tomorrow of the bike.
 

bigbear08

Member
Jul 27, 2009
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i found that there is a piece in the exhaust tip i can remove on this bike to get more power, but the allen head bolts holding it on are stripped out. the chrome metal piece is stopping me from getting vise grips on the two bolts. what can i do to get them out, and will doing this affect the jetting much?
 

bigbear08

Member
Jul 27, 2009
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i got another question. what should the valve clearance be on the intake and exhaust? i want to check them, but dont know what they should be.

EDIT:nevermind, found the specs in the owners manual. :)
 

Ol'89r

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Jan 27, 2000
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bigbear08 said:
i found that there is a piece in the exhaust tip i can remove on this bike to get more power, but the allen head bolts holding it on are stripped out. the chrome metal piece is stopping me from getting vise grips on the two bolts. what can i do to get them out, and will doing this affect the jetting much?

It probably won't affect the jetting much but,it will affect your neighbors and your ability to ride in the future. PLEASE, keep your bike as quiet as possible. There are other ways to get more HP without pissing off your neighbors and getting riding areas closed for the rest of us.
 

bigbear08

Member
Jul 27, 2009
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here are the pictures of my new bike. the engine and exhaust are stock and it doesnt leak oil anywhere.

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EDIT:its just kinda annoying having the exhaust squeak when its running. right now my grizzly 550 is louder than the xr and nobody has complained about it. and for i only plan to ride on my property for the rest of this years riding time. if i go on the trails nearby, i could always put it back in. but i dont even know how im going to get it out yet.
 

bigbear08

Member
Jul 27, 2009
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i tried it without the diffuser in and it was WAY to loud so i put it back in. its still got all the power i need the way it is. one thing i want to do is replace the fork seals on it because they are leaking. can i do this myself or are there some special tools that i will need?
 

Ol'89r

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Jan 27, 2000
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bigbear08 said:
i tried it without the diffuser in and it was WAY to loud so i put it back in. its still got all the power i need
can i do this myself or are there some special tools that i will need?

Good for you. :cool:

Your forks are conventional and pretty easy to work on. Look in your manual for how to dissasemble them. You can make a seal driver to put the new seals in by taking a piece of PVC pipe the correct size or using a socket on top of the seal to drive it in. The old seals will pry out. Check your manual for retaining clips/circlips. Can't remember if there is a retaining clip on top of the seal or not. If there is, you will need to remove that first.
 

bigbear08

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Jul 27, 2009
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i have the book that you would get when you buy a new bike, but not the repair manual. i will have to get one before i start to take the forks apart. but right now im going to adjust the valves cause they're a little noisy. is there a place where i can get a cheap repair manual for the xr? the cheapest i found was around $25 for a clymer manual.
 

Ol'89r

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It would be the best $ 25.00 you ever spent. I would suggest getting one before you adjust your valves.

There are online manuals available but I'm not sure where.

You can also go on the Service Honda site and look at the parts breakdown on your forks. Check the Service Honda link on the left.
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bigbear08

Member
Jul 27, 2009
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i checked the valves and i only had to adjust the right intake valve. im going to see how much a local shop will fix the fork for, and if its not too much, might just do that.
 

bigbear08

Member
Jul 27, 2009
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forget having a shop do it! they want $120 to fix them with me having the seals and the forks off the bike! is there any special tools required to change the seals? what kind of oil do they need and where can i get some?
 

Ol'89r

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Jan 27, 2000
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Ol'89r said:
Your forks are conventional and pretty easy to work on. Look in your manual for how to dissasemble them. You can make a seal driver to put the new seals in by taking a piece of PVC pipe the correct size or using a socket on top of the seal to drive it in. The old seals will pry out. Check your manual for retaining clips/circlips. Can't remember if there is a retaining clip on top of the seal or not. If there is, you will need to remove that first.

Invest in a service manual. It will tell you how to do it and how much oil to use.
 

bigbear08

Member
Jul 27, 2009
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i just had a friend help me with the forks on my xr 400. we had to make a tool to get the forks apart, so we only got one side done tonight. i didnt realize how much the fork oil costs! it takes 570cc for each side, so i had to get 2quarts at $19 a piece! but it will be done tomorrow and now i know how to do them myself.
 

Ol'89r

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Jan 27, 2000
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bigbear08 said:
but it will be done tomorrow and now i know how to do them myself.

Good for you bigbear. :cool:

If you just take your time and look at the parts breakdown, it's pretty easy to figure out.
 

bigbear08

Member
Jul 27, 2009
54
0
got the forks done tonight and they work alot better than before! i still dont have the dampening set right for me, but they work better than before. the oil that came out of them was grey and looks like it had water in it. but the snow will be here soon, so its almost time to put it up. thanks for all the help so far.
 
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