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THE TWTex XR400 Thread.

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You'd said the bike has 100 miles??? A) does it have an odometer that cannot be reset?

All I'm getting at is- how much do you trust this friend. I've got friends that, if they say its got 100 miles on it, its got 100 miles on it. I've also got friends where "100miles" really means "an unquantifiable number of miles, but the trip meter says 100, so I say it's got 100 miles, grand total"

If it really has 100 miles, your cam chain is fine. In the future, if you ever find yourself ordering something from RockyMountain, (for instance, if youve got to replace leaking, deteriorated valve stem seals) go ahead and get the clutch cover gasket, as well as the cam chain from the 450r. Its a direct swap, WAY stronger, and literally half the price as the OEM. IF there's any question to the mileage of the bike, I'd go ahead and replace it, but that's me, and I've done 2 in the last two months.
IMG_20150320_103236320_zps216wqftn.jpg


I'd drain every drop of fluid in that bike. Oil from the frame, and there's two drains on the motor, at the bottom of the crank case too. If it was me, I'd drain the oil, and pull the filter on Friday after work, and let it drain till Saturday afternoon.

Again, this is contingent on an actual 100 miles on the odo, but that motors not even fully broke in yet. Use Shell Rotella T 15/40 oil. Don't get the synthetic stuff (Rotella T5) until after that next oil change, which should occur pretty soon (maybe 100 miles) the idea is to get all that nasty old oil washed out, and get those rings good and worn in. Synthetic is too slippery for this.

At this point, you'll know if you need new valve stem seals, which will also require a head gasket. (Its at THIS POINT you go ahead and replace the cam chain) if that motor hasn't been turned over in 8 years, the valve seals are likely dried and will leak. (White smoke on start-up)

Obviously the carb is gonna need a thorough cleaning. Carb cleaner, or acetone, and guitar wire. Works good ;-)

For the brake fluid change- remove the cover from the resivor. Get a pice of clear tube with an inside diameter small enough to fit snug over the bleeder valve on the caliper. Pump the brake until the resivor is almost empty, and fill it with fresh fluid. Keep this up until your getting clean new fluid from the bleeder. This idea here is to keep from getting air in your system, which, on the front brakes on this bike is a ****.
 
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If this guy says its 100 miles, it's 100 miles.

What you say about the chain makes sense. If I break into anything I'll switch it out.
 
bucho1999 said:
A friend of mine just offered me a 1997 Honda XR400 that has 100 miles on it. He's also throwing in a still-in-the-box Baja kit to make it street legal.

It hasn't been started in 8 years.

He said it's mine for whatever I want to pay him for it. I haven't even seen it yet.

Looking for input on price. In a couple of weeks, will also be looking for input on how to set it up for the TAT or something like that.

Super excited to get this bike set up.
Thanks in advance!
Click to expand...

Check your pms.
 
Okay, here's the bulb
IMG_20150524_082730073_zpsgrvqd47x.jpg


Here it is in the lens
IMG_20150524_083021695_zpskpgsuikm.jpg



Here's the socket
IMG_20150524_082831970_zpsdkib1ynt.jpg


Here's the lens, sans bulb.
IMG_20150524_082947209_zpspyvd6nm0.jpg


Anyone know what this is called. Its not the BA20D, like a
originally thought
 
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thrill-billy85 said:
... Obviously the carb is gonna need a thorough cleaning. Carb cleaner, or acetone, and guitar wire. Works good ;-)
Years ago I was gifted with a little set of tip cleaners from Forney Welding Supply. Any welding supply shop should have them.
LINKY

*snip*
For the brake fluid change- remove the cover from the resivor. Get a pice of clear tube with an inside diameter small enough to fit snug over the bleeder valve on the caliper. Pump the brake until the resivor is almost empty, and fill it with fresh fluid. Keep this up until your getting clean new fluid from the bleeder. This idea here is to keep from getting air in your system, which, on the front brakes on this bike is a ****.
Click to expand...

Those clear vent lines from "wet" bike batteries are ideal for this. One end on the bleeder, make a loop up, then down to a small glass jar, held to the rim with a clothespin. You can see what's going on and - taa daaa - no mess.

#7 still with you. Thanks for the reminder to throw one of those batt vent tubes into the stuff that's headed for Baja, tomorrow.:rider:

Edit: We're #507X.
 
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garfey said:
Those clear vent lines from "wet" bike batteries are ideal for this. One end on the bleeder, make a loop up, then down to a small glass jar, held to the rim with a clothespin. You can see what's going on and - taa daaa - no mess.

#7 still with you. Thanks for the reminder to throw one of those batt vent tubes into the stuff that's headed for Baja, tomorrow.:rider:

Edit: We're #507X.
Click to expand...

Yep, the loop is critical. Prevents air from getting back in.
 
thrill-billy85 said:
The acrebis 5.8 carries the most fuel, and keeps it as low as possible. I think its one of the better looking tanks.
Click to expand...
There are a couple guys here on TWT who installed the big "Exxon Valdes" 5.8's on their XR650's, neither cared for them. Extremely top heavy when full and awkward at any time. Since the 400 is about 100lbs lighter than the 650 I would assume it to be even that much more bulky.
My IMS 4.0 is adequate for most long rides. I rode the LA-Barstow to Vegas a couple years ago and the longest stretch between fuel stops was like 130 miles, even with the pumper carb 'pumping', I never hit reserve.

CIMG1856Copy.jpg


I was carrying 1.5 gals in a Kolpin aux tank ^^ mounted to the rack but I never needed it until we decided to return to California via Death Valley. :eek2: I used every bit of it on that leg. 300 miles at 70mph, even with a 16T it was wound up like a 23hour clock! :lol2:

CIMG1820Copy.jpg
 
thrill-billy85 said:
Anyone know what this is called. Its not the BA20D, like a
originally thought
Click to expand...

Leon to the rescue!

that is a headlight, Bulb and socket from the XR600R!
that is what's known as a P15D-25-1 bulb
Honda part number: 34901-MN1-671
but who wants the dim stock bulb when you can have

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-White-Bulb-H6M-H6-35-35W-12v-35w-35w-35-Watt-Head-Light-PX15d-P15d-25-1-/251308516243?hash=item3a8327a393&vxp=mtr

LED!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/P15D-25-1-LED-50W-Cree-Xenon-White-bulb-Quad-Bike-ATV-Moped-Scooter-Motorbike-1x-/251801590648?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3aa08b5b78&vxp=mtr
 
focus frenzy said:
but who wants the dim stock bulb when you can have

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-White-Bulb-H6M-H6-35-35W-12v-35w-35w-35-Watt-Head-Light-PX15d-P15d-25-1-/251308516243?hash=item3a8327a393&vxp=mtr

LED!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/P15D-25-1-LED-50W-Cree-Xenon-White-bulb-Quad-Bike-ATV-Moped-Scooter-Motorbike-1x-/251801590648?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3aa08b5b78&vxp=mtr
Click to expand...
You might find either one of those bulbs at NAPA for a fraction of the price, albeit under a different part #. Take the original in and let them cross reference it for aftermarket LED's. Companies like KC sell a ton of LED's packaged with their name on it, I bet NAPA sells the exact same bulbs. For example, my Baja Designs kit bulb is available anywhere.
The stock XR4 or XR6 bulb is a standard automotive bulb so buying one from Honda is a waste of $. Also, you're wasting your time on halogen or LED bulbs until you rewind the stator.
 
focus frenzy said:
Leon to the rescue!

that is a headlight, Bulb and socket from the XR600R!
that is what's known as a P15D-25-1 bulb
Honda part number: 34901-MN1-671
but who wants the dim stock bulb when you can have

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Super-White-Bulb-H6M-H6-35-35W-12v-35w-35w-35-Watt-Head-Light-PX15d-P15d-25-1-/251308516243?hash=item3a8327a393&vxp=mtr

LED!!!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/P15D-25-1-LED-50W-Cree-Xenon-White-bulb-Quad-Bike-ATV-Moped-Scooter-Motorbike-1x-/251801590648?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_15&hash=item3aa08b5b78&vxp=mtr
Click to expand...

I spent a large portion of a rainy afternoon trying to figure that out.

How do you like your BBQ?
 
thrill-billy85 said:
Why's that? I've got a stock stator but the headlight circuit is now DC. Won't that work?
Click to expand...
I don't think they makes that much difference. I put a high intensity bulb in my XR200 and it's not much brighter than stock. The 400's stock bulb was practically useless compared to the BD AC high/low with the rewound stator, extremely bright compared to stock. :sun:
 
Rman of 237 said:
I don't think they makes that much difference. I put a high intensity bulb in my XR200 and it's not much brighter than stock. The 400's stock bulb was practically useless compared to the BD AC high/low with the rewound stator, extremely bright compared to stock. :sun:
Click to expand...


When you say 'high intensity' you're referring an true HID light, with a ballast and all? Or just a higher wattage bulb?

I ask because a lot of folks think they're putting in a high intensity bulb, but really is only a higher wattage bulb. The stator is only going to put out what its gonna put out.

For instance the Sylvania Silver Star 65w H6 bulb puts out 1300 lumens.

The Cyclops H6 LED bulb at only 40w puts out a staggering 3800 lumens. That's almost three times the light, for 25 less watts.

So I figure- I've got about 85watts cruising, and say 50 watts at idle, off my lighting circuit. For arguments sake, well average that out to 65w. My taillight, with brake light uses 9/12w, respectively. Again, for the same of easy math, well average that to 10w.

I've still got 55 watts to play with, and all that's left to do is power the headlight.

If I were to install a 55w bulb, it'd never reach its max output. Even though the numbers are there... For some reason, and I'm not sure why, I'd need about 65w, to power a 55w bulb to its fullest. So that's a no go.

So... I've got 55w to play with, so well say I need to have a bulb with a max wattage of around say 40w so I'm getting 100% of what the bulb has to offer. So, let's say I install this 30w led bulb. That calls for 25w less than what I've got, so in the worst case scenario, I've still got 2100 lumens, compared to the 250-500 lumen output of the stock bulb.

I guess if I was had the highbeams on, while braking, blowing the horn, and charging my phone, the horn might not be as loud, but probably not as I've also got a battery for that situation. ;-)

Screenshot_2015-05-25-09-19-18_zpsfqah8suh.png


Point is some people think they're getting more light (lumens) with a higher wattage bulb, but if you don't have the wattage to make it happen, you're actually hurting yourself. That said, you CAN get more lumens, for less wattage with CREE LED bulbs, or TRUE HID ballast lights.
 
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thrill-billy85 said:
When you say 'high intensity' you're referring an true HID light, with a ballast and all? Or just a higher wattage bulb?
Click to expand...
I was referring to the blue bulb that Focus Frenzy mentioned above ^. There aren't many other options for the XR200, maybe there are now so I'll have to look into it. The trouble is, both my 200 and my 3wheeler only have lighting coils rather than a true stator like the bigger XR's. Neither Ricky nor DB offer any kind of rewind.
I'll admit I never even researched brighter bulbs for the stock XR4, I jumped right into the BD kit with the 100w stator. Same with my KDX but I bought it that way as the PO had already installed the same BD kit.
 
the #1 problem with the LED bulb is you wont be able to tell where you are going.
the reflector and lens focus light originating from a exact point.
the LED bulb emits light from multiple spots away from the original spot producing a very out of focus light.
 
focus frenzy said:
the #1 problem with the LED bulb is you wont be able to tell where you are going.
the reflector and lens focus light originating from a exact point.
the LED bulb emits light from multiple spots away from the original spot producing a very out of focus light.
Click to expand...


Yeah, and I understand how that's important, but it looks like the bulb I posted, and will order has like a little HID spotlight built into the end, which I understand is supposed to help with that.
 
I do know that light housings, and their respective lights, are engineered component sets. You can change out parts, but you're veering away from the engineered design, and as Focus pointed out, the reflector(s) and lights won't direct light the same way if the bulb isn't perfectly positioned. That's where the "recommended" bulb comes into play.

In any event, if you just want to light up in front of you, throw light down the road, as it were, there are a lot of LED options available. This site has a bunch of offerings, and there are plenty more. Cost is your biggest limitation.

2800 Kelvin is the color of your typical household light.

3200 Kelvin is the color of your typical photo-flood light (think 300W shop light).

5500 Kelvin is the approximate color of sunlight, and is considered white.

7000 Kelvin is the has moved well away from white light to blue light.

9500 Kelvin is the color of the star Vega, extremely blue.

3800- to 4800 Kelvin is a common florescent phosphor mix range for shop lights and some OEM HID lights. But incandescent, phosphor based lights and discharge type lights can be difficult to compare.
 
I've also read that warmer lights are better for off road, which I guess is why you still see SCORE, and Baja guys with giant halogen lights, vs 80-million lumen light bars.

I'll probably just get the factory bulb. I really don't want an excuse to ride at night. That's almost gotten me killed every time.


The dual beam (hi/lo) in the 35w range are kind of hard to come by for a decent price. I'll use the weak hi/lo bulb to pass inspection, then install a 35w led in the warmest color I can get, thereafter. I'm honestly most focused on getting this thing plated and inspected. ;-)
 
Another option I tried, was installing an HID retrofit kit in the Polisport housing. I used some really large o-rings between the bulb and housing to space it out to the point that the light was focused properly the way the halogen bulb does.

It was a 35w ballast (measured draw at 13v warmed up was 2.7A) but the stator would not not keep up and the light would drain the battery after about 4 hours on the road.

I plan to return to that setup after upgrading stator, or maybe switch to a BD led setup.
 
stealthcrf said:
Another option I tried, was installing an HID retrofit kit in the Polisport housing. I used some really large o-rings between the bulb and housing to space it out to the point that the light was focused properly the way the halogen bulb does.

It was a 35w ballast (measured draw at 13v warmed up was 2.7A) but the stator would not not keep up and the light would drain the battery after about 4 hours on the road.

I plan to return to that setup after upgrading stator, or maybe switch to a BD led setup.
Click to expand...


Was that on the xr400 or the 200?
 
Ah just go dessert style and mount a 7-1/2 standard headlight and put the trucklite sealed LED light in it.
It uses two 27watt CREE LED's one for low and both for high, puts out a very bright wide beam on low and sets things down the road on fire on high.
Best of all, it is DOT certified.
 
Weld pulley to sprocket then fabricate bracket to mount Delco one wire alternator.
 
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