new to me YZ 400f any tips?

[Ensign]

Hello,

I just bought a used '99 YZ 400f. Any tips or suggestions? Supposedly, it has a larger flywheel weight. Already has Renthal bars. I'm looking for a spark arrestor for it.

Should make a great trail bike. ;)
---
Brandon

 

[Buell]

I had a '98, they make good trail bikes. I ran an FMF power core IV on mine, performance wise it was great, but it was LOUD!! I'm talking make your ears hurt loud. :( If I was doing it again I'd get the White Brothers, at least then you can add and remove disks to tune and quiet it. ;)

Oh, and start saving up for tires.... lots of rear tires!:confused:

 

[Tony Williams]

Check this link out and click on YZ400.....

http://www.bmp.motox.org/

Don't get a LOUD pipe !!!!

 

[Chris426]

I agree with regards to saving for tires(buying a new rear again today). and if you're in the market for a silencer with a spark arrestor certainly take a look at the White Bros. e-Series. It's very tunable, and can be very quiet, or LOUD depending on the situation. I've been making a concerted effort to keep my noise levels down, while retaining power, and have been very pleased with this silencer, but I guess it all comes down to personal preference.

Good Luck, and enjoy it.

 

[MXN4FUN]

Don't waste your money on after market pipes. They just make more noise giving you the illusion of more power. I have raced and owned every Yam YZ4~ they have built, pipes don't make that big of difference. If you need a spark arrester where you ride I would suggest a Dubach pipe as his seems to mimmick stock power characteristics and are as quiet. If a gain in performance is what you are after try to buy someone's 426 stock exhaust as it is hard to improve on and probably can be had cheap. If they have been aleady fooled by the pipe manufacturers.:D I think someone makes a spark arrester end cap for the stock exhaust but the company escapes me now. Someone will know.

 

[Tony Williams]

Originally posted by MXN4FUN
I think someone makes a spark arrester end cap for the stock exhaust but the company escapes me now. Someone will know.

Again, check this link out and click on YZ400.....

http://www.bmp.motox.org/

They make a tunable muffler end cap....

 

[CRGuy]

Isn't this the Bike that happens to break the kickstarter? I know it is but what year was it? if it's 99 then I would buy some kickstarters.

 

[Ensign]

Holy cow! I bought a bike that breaks its own kickstarters? I thought people broke kickstarters. Just kidding.

I'd be interested in finding out more information on this. I would think people that have trouble starting the YZ 400f's would be the ones who experience problems breaking kickstarters.

Let me know if you can find any more info on this. Thanks.
---
Brandon

 

[Chris426]

You can also find lots of information about your bike at this address-

www.thumpertalk.com

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Originally posted by CRGuy
Isn't this the Bike that happens to break the kickstarter? I know it is but what year was it? if it's 99 then I would buy some kickstarters.

The VERY EARLY 1998 YZ400s were prone to breaking the kickstarter when new four-stroke riders tried to start them without using the compression release correctly and tried to kick against FULL compression. They cured the problem quickly in the 98 model year and the 99 model was NEVER effected by this. I still have the original kickstarter on my early 98 YZF even with the 13.8:1 compression I'm running.

Brandon - I think you'll find the 99 YZF to be a remarkably reliable bike that rivals the XRs in terms of being bulletproof.

 

[XR4 Jockey]

Uh oh, looks like Rich is getting a liitle defensive, again. Hmm, why could that be? As for the XR remark. I ride mine very, very hard and the only things I've had to replace are the tires, plugs, oil, and chain. Not the case with the YZF 400 from what I've read in these forums, Richie. Lets see some numbers about that "bulletproof" issue, since it seems you like to rely on facts.....unless it's you commenting....:eek:

 

[Ensign]

Thanks for the tips. Thanks for setting me straight about the kickstarter, Rich. I figured it was probably people goofing up. I could definitely see how you could break it when you hit the compression stroke.

I just got some oil, oil filter ($12.95 at the local dealer, OUCH!), and a new sparkplug. Cleaned the air filter out last night and oiled it and put it back in today.

Can't wait to go riding this weekend. I've ridden my buddy's YZ400 before, and I liked the way it felt compared to my XR, especially through the bumpy/woop type sections. I'm absolutely no motocrosser, but the YZ feels good to me even on trails (I'm 6'3", 250 lbs.).

I'm thinking about buying a used Stroker spark arrestor and header pipe from this guy. Anyone have any experience with this setup? I'm hoping it's no louder than stock, but I need a spark arrestor. I've heard this header clears the oil filter too (for changing). Do I need to change the jetting with this setup (elevation sea level up to 1500' or so, temps from 40F-100F)?

Thanks again.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Originally posted by XR4 Jockey
Not the case with the YZF 400 from what I've read in these forums, Richie. Lets see some numbers about that "bulletproof" issue, since it seems you like to rely on facts.....unless it's you commenting....:eek:

Your grasp of sentence structure seems to be on par with your grasp of the issues at hand, poor at best. Had you bothered to do the simplest of searches you'd find multiple posts quoting specific numbers attesting to the reliability of the YZF/WR engines from multiple owners/racers. I won't be re-hashing this or any other OLD topics for some XR rider coming late to the party with a chip on their shoulder. A little TIP genius, it's difficult NAY impossible to take seriously the reliability feedback of someone who has to pay a dealership mechanic to JET HIS BIKE, so your glowing testemonial is tainted AT BEST.

If you are trying to bait me , you'll have to dial it up a whole lot farther than that lame post. :p
One last FYI, everyone calls me Richie so that won't bother me either, dimwit.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Originally posted by Ensign
Do I need to change the jetting with this setup (elevation sea level up to 1500' or so, temps from 40F-100F)?

It's hard to say for sure. You'll probably want to pull the carb, clean the accelerator pump (it needs to be maintained regularly) and check where the jetting is at currently. James Dean and Clark Mason have been nice enough to post a ton of info on the jetting experiments they have run at www.thumpertalk.com . It's worth a look.

 

[Ensign]

Great link. Took me a couple minutes to find it, but it's pretty good. Here it is if anyone else wants it and can't find it:

http://www.thumpertalk.com/yamahawr400/Technical/Jetting_Tables/jetting_tables.html

 

[BenjaminPQ]

Just a thought.....

Reading down threw this post reminded me of a warning that a professor of mine religiously stresses "don't type anything to anyone on the internet that you wouldn't say to their face." Just something to think about boys.

 

[Tony Williams]

My '98 YZF is VERY reliable...

Just a data point... my '98 YZF is still using the original kick starter, and starts very easy, hot or cold, if you follow the proper procedure.

I find the bike to be reliable, also. Not perfect, of course. No bike is. I've only pushed the bike off the track during a race once, when the prototype Sidewinder rear sprocket collapsed under accelleration.

Here's my bike last Sunday, after a holeshot and first moto win !!!

 

[Tony Williams]

My YZF pic

OOOooooops !!! Pics can't be over 40k, so here's a smaller one.

 

[Zoomer]

I also have the original kick starter on my 98. bike is original,(except for protapers and 8 0z flywheel) (and yellow Hanna kit:p ) very reliable bike that has never let me down (Ive let the bike down a couple times!:eek: )

 

[XR4 Jockey]

Rich-

Ha, ha, ha, ha.....you crack me up. Man, I was just feeling frisky up there. But than again, you proved my point cause I knew you'd reply, and you wasted your time trying to bash me. Bait? You took it by replying. Oh yeah, riding a bike and fixing a bike are two different things, remember I've got an XR, I don't worry about fixing stuff cause nothing ever breaks.

 

[Hokie]

Originally posted by Ensign

I just got some oil, oil filter ($12.95 at the local dealer, OUCH!), and a new sparkplug. Cleaned the air filter out last night and oiled it and put it back in today.

You might want to buy a metal oil filter since they are reusable. You just clean them out (backwash them) and reuse them.

Also, keep an eye on the slide in the carb. Mine cracked last season and the bike started to idle really fast. Other than that, no problems with the bike, it is TOUGH!

Oh yeah, maybe a fastline brake line if the front brakes feel too mushy. Helps firm up the brakes a ton.

 

[Rich Rohrich]

Thanks for proving my point.