TM400 First Ride-Sort of

[chasejj]

Well..... First of all it is beautiful and the components are impressive.
Detailing is a little rough.
1) Seat graphics and rad panels don't line up.(NBD)
2) Plastic components/seat fit is a little off.(No big deal)
3) Some fasteners look to have a little rust on them. No doubt from the salt air on the ride over and a lack of cad plating.
Remind yourself this a EURO RACE bike and will have to have a little TLC to bring it around.

Now the hard part. When new this thing is a beast to start. I am a total retard when it comes to this 4stroke starting ritual. I finally grew so frustrated and sore from kicking that I towed it behind the truck to light it up. It was very flooded(changed the plug as well).
Holy Crap this thing is a rocket once you get it running.Motor makes lots of sweet racebike kind of noise. Exhaust is not what I would call quiet.
Front end comes up easily iin the first 3 gears I tried going down my street and annoying my neighbors.I didn't even get a chance to go beyond 1/2 throttle!
I can tell that I will be VERY happy with this thing once I get the starting stuf worked out.
I am going to rig up a Dubach Hot Start button on the bars if possible. And will experiment maybe on a dyno with some jetting changes and tweaks. I'm not sure that the BK mod applies to this bike as it has a new Mikuni 40mm TDMR(roadrace downdraft style) and has all the adjustments stock!Once runnig it seems to be pretty clean but you can stall it if you lug(that may be my problem, though).
Mods already done:
Scotts damper
Promotobillet Spark Arrestor
ProValve Suspension Valving and springs(.51front and 6.0rear)

Other mods being done:
Cycra Triple Clamp Mounted Handguards(have to machine the mounts a bit to fit the TM clamps)
Boyesen Flex Grip
Fastway Pegs(really WIDE)
Removing the switchgear and horn(could be a DS I suppose) and rigging up a CR kill button and separate light mounted headlight switch) to clean up the bars
Oberg throttle tube and bearing endcap kit for the Cycra handguards.
Zipty sharkfin(custom)
Zipty axle QR setup(custom)
Dubach Racing Hot Start button(if I can adapt it)
As time goes on I will use my connections to put together some Ti bolt kits for this bike with the various vendors out there.
I am working with a TM shop in Minnesota(Rivertown) to get some frame guards made out of aluminum. We'll see if that works out.
I can't possible think of doing anything else so I won't.
:scream:

 

[kipmax]

Yep, detailing is not TM's strong point.

Tip on starting, watch Doug's video at http://www.yamaha-motor.com/new/four_stroke_fr.html and be sure to keep that throttle closed. Also, never let anyone (yourself included :D ) twist the throttle before you kick it and fill the intake with fuel. You will stand a good chance of igniting the air cleaner when it backfires.

Keep an eye on the kick lever where it hits the foot peg. We had one snap after a few months of the peg gnawing away on it.

We relocated the hot start button to the left side, just below the seat and in the triangular space between the frame tubes (sorry, no picture). It is much easier to reach that way and you can keep your right hand on the throttle. You may have to lengthen the hose slightly.

We also disconnected the auto-decompression release and installed a YZ250F manual lever. The auto unit is very difficult to keep in adjustment.

Once running, your gonna love it! It loves to be ridden aggressively. :p

 

[chasejj]

Sorry for the late response for those interested.

The first ride was at Stonyford last weekend and it was epic!
A little trouble cold starting at first so Retsenior(who has a very trick 520 pumpkin EXC) had to tow me. It lit up and all was good.
I definitely think turning the idle up is needed and I will as soon as I get the tank off to find it.
After a riding up trail 26 from Little Stony it was hot and my arms were pumped. But the bike flat out rips!!!. Awesome off the bottom and it revs to an insane top end rush. It feels a little like a 2 stroke and probably what I hear the YZ426 feels like. I cannot imagine that TM is building a 530 version! That bike would be wayyyy too much in the woods.
Clutches and shifts great with the exception of a couple of misses due to my new Sidi Force boots being stiff as hell on breakin.
Being 6-3 I wanted a taller seat. I got one and installed it this week.
FYI:For TM guys a Kawasaki 94-98 KX seat foam and covers are an exact match. I got mine in a Tall/Stiff foam version from GUTSRacing.Their seat covers have a gripper surface and ballistic nylon sides and are a definite improvement over stock. This seat is at least 1-2 inches thicker in the middle and makes the seat almost flat across the top with no swayback as you ride up the tank.
The tank BTW is very narrow and is great when you want to put some extra weight on the front wheel.
The bike LOVES to ridden aggressively in fact it demands it.We rode a lot of singletrack with switchbacks and it handled the stuff excellently. It is without a doubt the BEST handling bike I've ridden.
Suspension was initially setup by ProValve and never did anything bad, but I want to try some more preload front and rear and a bit more compression as well as it seemed a bit soft for my taste(I'm 265lbs and running .51 fronts and 6.0 rear springs).
Oh......the starting. After warm and very carefully following everyone's recommended 4 stroke method, the freakin thing started on the 1st kick most of the time and 3-4 if I screwed up.Not bad at all.
Carburetion seems like a little fine tuning could be in order to just smooth out the transition from 0-1/4.
This week I will be installing some new goodies mentioned above.
I bought some ARC levers and was disappointed to see they don't come with bearings in the pivots. So I sourced some sealed needle bearings in the correct size and will drill them and press fit then into place.
I noticed that Enduro Engineering clutch levers don't use the sealed bearing and I wonder why? Maybe they don't know about it.
Thanks to DougM and Retsenior for showing me a great ride and putting up with my new bike issues.
Overall I couldn't be happier with the TM.
:aj: :p