new Z400 owner, lot of ?s

[greatwhite07]

I got a new 2007 Z400, black with red frame. I love it so far. I want what is best for my baby so I have a lot of questions.
Still on my first tank of gas so oil change is comin up. After first tank should I change oil to conventional oil or is it ok to go synthetic? I will probably go with Amsoil as I have a dealer closer than WalMart.
I bought a KN oil filter. I found no Oring in the box. Do I reuse the stock oil filter Oring or is that something I gotta buy seperate?
When should I worry about getting a manual cam chain tensioner? How long in general before the cam chain goes? Should I even worry about it? I don't race.
How exactly do I measure My drive chain slack? Right now I have 1 and1/4" slack but the chain looks loose, sags. It sags enough to touch the black swingarm guides. It just seems loose to me. Also when goin slow in first or second and I blip the throttle it feels like slack in the chain, kinda jerky. If I roll on the gas gently it is smooth as butter.
My Z is new, could you describe some engine noise that are normal for a new Z? I hear noises but not sure how to describe them.
Anyone have a Rekluse clutch? Hows the reliabilty of it?
Spark plug, looks like a ***** to get to. How do you remove it without worrying about dirt gettin into it? Gotta remove the gas tank? The way its located it seems dirt would fill up there and you can't see how clean it is around the spark plug hole.
I hope my Z proves to be as reliable as the ATV mags say. I hear people say its a reliable quad too. Then I scour the forums and see nothin but problems. Cam chain, valves, chain adj. bolts, flywheel bolts etc. I am hoping these are problems for people who modify their engines and race or ride hard. I trail ride and play around and don't plan on any big modifications.
Thanks for your help.

[Ruby Soho]

itll be reliable, depending on how hard you ride it, what mods you DO plan on doing etc...

most any STOCK motor will be farelly reliable, but as soon as you enter into high performance pistons, cams, etc.. your going to loose reliability. and as long as you do the mods right it will still be reliable

[Flynbryan19]

Keep in mind too that people go to websites to address problems. You will never see endless posts of people's quads that are working fine. They're out riding. ;) lol

I'll answer some of the ?? ya got.

The timing chain usually goes at around 100hrs. Mine went around 60-70. Go ahead and get an aftermarket DID chain. It will last MUCH longer. I personally wouldn't recommend the manual chain adjuster. I would rather replace the chain every couple years, then misadjust it or have it get too far out of spec while riding and have it trash the motor.

Valves are known as a weak point on the Z, but if you clean your filter religiously, keep fresh oil in it and keep an eye on your valve specs you should be good for a long time. I have 100+hrs on my Z and my valves haven't come out of spec since new.

Motor oil: I would just run Rotella 15w-40. Its a desiel oil and holds up GREAT. I change my oil every 25-30hrs and the oil always looks in good shape. Plus I can get an entire gallon for the price of 1 quart of Amsoil. I also reuse the o-ring for the filter, but if you like buy a new one every couple oil changes and have no worries. ;)

Chain: I put the base of the tape measure on the skid and base my measurement off of that. Your owners manual is very easy to follow for this. The adjustment bolts were problematic on the 03's, but the 04 and up is a much better design. Use a torque wrench and FOLLOW THE TORQUE SPECS. This along with keeping the threads clean on the bolts will keep you from striping them.

You have to remember, alot of people don't maintain their machines like they should. Also, as the other fella said anything you add to your quad to improve performance outside of an exhaust will shorten engine life.

[greatwhite07]

Thanks. The only mods i will do are maybe airbox mod, pipe, rejet. Right now I have a 13 tooth sprocket on the way and a full skid plate.

[Flynbryan19]

Keep in mind the open airbox will allow more dust/dirt into the carb. Its not the end of th world.......You'll just have to clean the filter more often. With the lid on I can go for 2-3 rides before I clean the filter. Without the lid I could only go 1 ride. Maybe 2 if there was no dust that day.

[jherbie28]

it sounds like you just need to get a manuel(service) and just check a few things out, youll be allright the z motor are pretty reliable and also not to bad to work on even internally. no worries brother:)

[greatwhite07]

Cool. Because its fun to ride. Hey, do they make "New Quad Smell" in a spray? LOL. Thanks for the input guys.

[1992 Trx 250x]

when you talk about the cam chain going do you mean causing any damage or just needing to be readjusted? also where do you buy your oil from? thanks

[Hotshoe18]

You have good taste in quads because me and you have the same bikes :D Just got mine about 3 months ago and have had ZERO problems up until a few days ago. I was riding with some people and a kid on a 80 dirtbike didint know what he was doing and caught my leftrear in a T-Bone. Needless to say, it totally wrecked the axle so its sitting in my shop with the rear end apart. I plan on a g-force ajustable axle due to its low price and quality. Anyways, I too hear quite a bit of engine noise... It sounds like I can hear the piston going up and down in the sleeve... If anyone can tell me the common noises, I would appreciate it :)

[Lampy1978]

I have 2 2003 z400. I'm sure you will be very happy with yours.

The spark plug is prone to getting all sorts of fun stuff crammed into it. I smear a little dielectric grease around the grommet at the top of the engine. This stops anything from seeping in. It's not necessary, but saves you some headaches later on when you need to change plugs.

[indyZrider]

the cam chain goes really fast when people big bore or put in the hotcams. extra stress = faster wear. you shouldnt worry about that until about 100 hours. the spark is a little tight to get to but use the tool kit that comes with the quad and you can take it out without removing anything but the ignition wire. they are reliable to the extent of the maintenance as with anything. you treat it nice and she'll give you hours of great riding. dont put a rev box on it unless you want to replace internal engine parts. a slip-on the bigger air filter and jetting properly will give you very nice gains. the only thing i recommend is when you do replace your cam chain put in a did chain and get kibblewhite valves and drze valve springs. this will bulletproof your motor. the valve springs for the drze are dual rate and will not let you float a valve. i say get new valves because the stockers are junk and will start to cup over time. so make sure you keep your valves adjusted. take it to the dealer or do it yourself. i suggest you learn how to do it yourself that way you know what your really working with instead of some d!c#weed dealer mechanic saying he adjusted your valves and didnt. all the negative being said it is an amazing bike. comfortable and nimble.

[Moto250X_Rider]

u will get some noise .....i know what u are hearing ...it's normal
there a solid quad and u can't go wrong....i love mine and u will love yours...show it love and it will show u nothing but power

[drnez]

Its a good idea to locktite the flywheel bolts, they have been known to back out and sheer off.

get a service manual, its your best friend.

[450ERRRRRR!]

Your chain will streatch real fast on a new bike, so without even looking at it I'm sure it needs tighting up a little. I run with out a lid also and have added an outwears lid cover. It keeps from having to clean the filter so often. It's not perfect but it does catch a whole lot of crud that would have landed on my fi;lter. I'm running a 25 pilot and stock needle and a 160 main. Use OEM kleihn jets and you cant go wrong. I've added a Whitbrothers E2 exhaust and it sounds awesome. Good luck with your quad, I like them better than my 450R.