My winter project... ideas?

[Bababouie400]

Over the winter i plan on taking my 400ex apart. I started already but im in no rush to get it done. I want to know your ideas about what i should to do it over the winter, but im on a low budget. i already plan on powdercoating my frame, a-arms, swingarm and whatever else i can think of. i will post pictures of my progress but just let me know what you guys think i should do.

[Bababouie400]

this is what it looks like

[Bababouie400]

another

[Bababouie400]

these are the only 2 pictures i have of my progress but ill take more

[Bababouie400]

...

[99RED4X4]

I would inspect all the bearings and replace as necessary (a-arm, front shock, steering stem, front wheel, swingarm, rear shock, rear shock linkage, and rear axle bearings). I did most of these last winter on mine and I can tell you two things: It REALLY improved the handling, and they are REALLY expensive.

Also, depending on the age and condition of your bike, be prepared to fight the swingarm bearing. Just do a search in google "removing swingarm bearing". The bolt tends to freeze in place making it near, if not impossible (that was my scenario) to remove.

While apart, also check all your ball joints, and tie rod ends. You DO NOT want these to fail on you while your riding. Anyone ever have a lower ball joint drop? It isn't fun at all!!!

Save money, get your work area prepared, get some boxes ready for parts, stay organized, and have fun!!

I always enjoy working on my toys!!

[Bababouie400]

as far as ive gotten

[Bababouie400]

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[Bababouie400]

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[killer400ex]

Originally posted by 99RED4X4
I would inspect all the bearings and replace as necessary (a-arm, front shock, steering stem, front wheel, swingarm, rear shock, rear shock linkage, and rear axle bearings). I did most of these last winter on mine and I can tell you two things: It REALLY improved the handling, and they are REALLY expensive.

Also, depending on the age and condition of your bike, be prepared to fight the swingarm bearing. Just do a search in google "removing swingarm bearing". The bolt tends to freeze in place making it near, if not impossible (that was my scenario) to remove.

While apart, also check all your ball joints, and tie rod ends. You DO NOT want these to fail on you while your riding. Anyone ever have a lower ball joint drop? It isn't fun at all!!!

Save money, get your work area prepared, get some boxes ready for parts, stay organized, and have fun!!

I always enjoy working on my toys!!

hahaha sounds exactly like mine a year ago, had to replace the double rollers in my axel carrier and in the swingarm, wound up actually having to use a acetylene torch to cut the dam bolt out in 2 spots and accidently melted my swing-arm in the process, that was a fun rebuild:grr:

[HondaRacing83]

i like your bike.i think it needs a black blingstar bumper the cross or the victory?
and ur pcing the frame black?niceee!um get some 450 schocks and +2's with a gforce axle.cheap mods and will make your bike look a ton better

[Bababouie400]

Everythings out besides the swingarm bolt. I can't get it out idk how to get it out either. Any ideas? I need to get it out

[CJM]

Lube it up with P Blaster and pound, pry, beat, heat, etc. Your probably gonna have to cut it out tho.

I would see if you can find an impact hammer and use that as well.

[-TheDude-]

who cares what it looks like, being pretty isnt gonna make you or the quad ride better, do you basic maits(bearing, bushings, chain and such) then get 450 rebuilds, rebuild rear shock, gt thunder link, wheels and tires then go into you motor, you cant go fast on a built motor if you dont have shocks that can handle it, then make it look pretty

[Bababouie400]

Ok well I've tried everything to get that bolt out exept cutting it idk what else to do. Any ideas? Or what do I cut it with?

[-TheDude-]

Originally posted by Bababouie400
Ok well I've tried everything to get that bolt out exept cutting it idk what else to do. Any ideas? Or what do I cut it with?
i had to cut mine out and put a new swingr on it

[Bababouie400]

Is there a certain place to cut? Thers clearly a spacer or something around the bolt itself. Can I cut right through that? And would a sawzall work?

[Bababouie400]

its been a while since i came on here last. i havnt gotten much work done since my last post due to a concussion. I have given some thought into what ill be spending money on for the four wheeler....
-450r front shocks
-416 kit, wiseco 87mm piston not sure about 10:1 or 11:1
-stage 2 hotcam
-powdercoat frame, a-arms, swingarm and whatever else i feel like

does this sound like a reliable build? what else would give me more power?

[CJM]

450r carb, change sprockets for top speed or lowend torque (depends on your riding style).

[Bababouie400]

im pretty sure i already have a 16t front sprocket but i ride in wide open pits, powerlines and then some tight trails and the 16t has been fine. But whats with the 450r carb? is it really that good of an upgrade over the stock one?

[CJM]

It adds more power b/c it is a larger carb overall (allows more fuel in) and is a popular upgrade. Look in the popular 400ex thread for more info.

[Bababouie400]

yea ive looked at it a few times but i wasnt sure about the power gains. how much do those go for?

[CJM]

Originally posted by Bababouie400
yea ive looked at it a few times but i wasnt sure about the power gains. how much do those go for?

Usually can score one for like 120 or less dollars on ebay or ask a member on here in the for sale section.

[Bababouie400]

i notice you have 450r shocks too. do they NEED to be revalved or does it matter?

[PaRedneckRiders]

Originally posted by Bababouie400
i notice you have 450r shocks too. do they NEED to be revalved or does it matter?
You should get them revalved and resprung if you plan on say real hard MX or something but for most general riders stock 450 shocks will work just fine.

Mine are redone and i love them but ive road 400s with stock 450 shocks and still like it a heck of alot more over the stock 400 shocks

[Bababouie400]

yea its mainly just pits and trails. there is a track that someone built years ago but nobody takes care of it but depending on how it looks next year ill probly start riding on there and if i actually decide to race at all then ill revalve them.


i took everything apart, its all in pieces in my basement and i cant get the a arms off of the knuckle. it looks like you can just pull it straight out but nope. how would i go about removing this?

[PaRedneckRiders]

I'm having the same prob right now, Im gonna try a tie rod end removing tool tomorrow, Im not worried if i damage my stock arms cause ill be running my housers, ill let ya know how it works

[Bababouie400]

alright cool thanks

[CJM]

I love mine, I have them adjusted quite a bit for some moderate/more harsh terrain. I mostly ride sand pits and trails and they do good. My back shock bounces me all over tho lol.

[PaRedneckRiders]

Got them out, used a ball joint removing tool and a hammer.

[Bababouie400]

Aw man I dontt think I have one of those is there any other way?

[PaRedneckRiders]

not sure man thats just the way i did it and it worked just fine

[rubbersdown]

Originally posted by Bababouie400
Aw man I dontt think I have one of those is there any other way?

just put the nut on it part way and whack it with a brass mallet or dead blow hammer.

[Bababouie400]

Ill do some research to see if there's another way but thanks for the help

But with the 416 kit should I go 10:1 or 11:1?


And If anyone has any ideas that would make my four wheeler look better or perfoorm better feel free to shoot any ideas

[CJM]

Im very happy with my 11:1, it revs quite well. See my sig for the rest of the info.

I will warn you, my old battery was ok and did crank it but I was much happier with the hayabusa battery since its a bit more powerful.

[CJM]

Dont smack the tie rod end itself, if possible thread the nut so it is almost tight and smack the spindle with a brass or dead blow mallet. You may use a steel hammer, but be careful not to bash the spindle to much.

If all else fails, you can use a large c-clamp to possibly push the end off or thread the nut of loosely and smack it and the end as a last resort.

P Blaster is your friend as is some slight heat to expand the metal.

[Bababouie400]

How can i hit the end of that with a hammer? theres no way to get a hammer in there


When i put this all back together how would i press those back into the knuckles?

And is the hayabusa battery bigger than a stock one cuz i have the battery relocated in the airbox and thats a pretty tight fit

[CJM]

Sorry, I was assuming you had at least 1 off. Try the c-clamp method or smack the spindle near the tierod with a hammer-should pop right off. I would make sure you soak it in P Blaster a good 2-3x and let sit overnight too. Also a propane torch carefully applied will slightly expand the metal but you gotta take care not to burn the boots.

You can rent a puller at any autozone or auto parts store that rents stuff.

As for the busa battery, should fit fine. it fits in my battery box with no issues. Im pretty sure the dimensions are super close. You get 40cc or so more cold cranking amps out of it.

[Bababouie400]

so i should probly get a hayabusa battery if i go 416?

and is there a huge power difference between 10:1 and 11:1? im pretty sure im just gnna go with 10:1

[PaRedneckRiders]

The bigger battery really isn't for compensating for a bigger bore, its for a higher compression ration, i would run it regardless but that's just me.

[Bababouie400]

ill look into it but i want to get the major stuff out of the way first. these things ar emoney pits

[PaRedneckRiders]

Tell me about it, i originally bought my 426 for 500 bucks to put 300 in it and sell it for like 1500.

Well that changed a little and now look at my parts list in my sig. im pretty sure you can tell im in it more than the 800 i originally planed.
I have a little over 3 times that in it now and its still climbing.

[Bababouie400]

i planned on cleaning it up and selling it last year. cleaned it and nobody wanted to buy it and i rode it all summer. i guess ill just fix it up now and keep riding it but its still 10 years old. right nows not going so good. i have a concussion and cant work so theres little money to put toward this, but im only 16 i have plenty of time. worst happens i can just part it out.

[PaRedneckRiders]

I know how ya feel man, i broke my femur and got a grade three concussion after i hit a Polaris rzr on my bike. That was August 28th 2010 Got a titanium rod in my leg now and im 15 going on 16 so should have a while to live with this crap.

[Bababouie400]

yup most of my problems are from riding. Going down some powerlines ive never been down. 5th gear pretty much topped out and all of a sudden the trail makes a extremly sharp left turn. the reason it turned was cuz there was a ravine as i like to call it. so into the ravine i went, i jumped off and hit the ground going about 50mph. i got scars all over me now thats what happens when you ride with no shirt and riding pants that zip off into shorts. my knee is still pretty messed up from that and it was about 3 months ago.


really off topic here explaining all this tho.. kinda hijacked my own thread lol

[CJM]

11:1 will of course give more power, 10:1 is ok too.

All I know is my buddy has a mildly worked 450R and I had no real issues keeping up with him with my mods.

As for riding and hitting stuff, always a good idea to ride the area slowly at first then fly thru so you know what to expect. I fell much the same way about 3 weeks ago when the trail just went basically straight down and I didnt turn sharp enough. The handlebars and clutch lever nailed my left foot and it still hurts..

[Bababouie400]

Thanks guys youve helped out alot with my decisions. i wish i came across this website a while ago, everyone gives you so detailed answers to questions.


but ill have more questions soon

[grovesbm]

Originally posted by Bababouie400
Everythings out besides the swingarm bolt. I can't get it out idk how to get it out either. Any ideas? I need to get it out



good luck with the bolt bud! took me 10 hours or so till i got the acetylene torch out and then it only took me 4 hours ........WTF would they ever put a bolt through the motor is beyond me ...... FYI the things in the motor are not bearings like everyone on here says they are just bushings ( 2 of them ) one goes in each side of back of motor ...ill try and find some time and write somethin up on here about my experiences with that MF.:cuss:

[CJM]

To remove the swing arm bolt your either gonna need a torch, something to cut it with like a grinder with cutting disc, sawzall or if you can get a hold of one a impact hammer to push it out.

Dont be surprised if it doesnt come off to easy. Once you do finally get it all done make sure you take it out frequently and grease it, I like to use wheel bearing grease.

[Bababouie400]

it turns with an air wrench but it dosnt come out at all just spins. i tried hitting it with a sledge hammer while a friend was spinning it with the air wrench but that didnt do anything but ruin the end of the bolt

[grovesbm]

well mine didnt spin with air wrench ! so you got that goin for ya!

try all other methods described on this forum! let sit with pb blaster on it's side for a couple days , while re-applying the blaster every few hours and spinning the bolt while doing so...............then probably find something that will go into the hole thats in the bolt(hollow) and will cap over the bolt so when you hit it it doesnt turn into a mushroom bolt! Then just wack away and have a great time ! you need 2 people fo sho or it will take you forever LOL may the force be with you

[Bababouie400]

well its too late for making it mushroom

but i got a couple questions
1. i want to take the shock spring off. i know i have to loosen the things i circled but then what?

[Bababouie400]

2. i plan on cutting the swingarm bolt out. i circled where i plan on cutting is this alright? and yes ill cut somewhere under the chain runner you just cant see under there in the picture

[Bababouie400]

To the top

[grovesbm]

never took my shock / spring apart....but as for the swingarm bolt when i took mine out i cut all the way through in 4 places......basically in circles 1,3 and 4 (numbering the circled sections from left to right)........the 4 th spot where i cut is on the opposite side of the 4th circle. i messed up my frame a little with the sawzaw/torch but i just sanded and primed/ clear coated it for when i rebuild it........after you make those 4 cuts your swingarm will be free.......after that i laid it on its side, found an old swingarm bolt and beat that Bazztard outta there and one of the bushings came out with it......then it took it to a vise and got the bushing off , put it in the freezer and lubed it up and it tapped in like a dream. if your removing the motor it will be a lot easier you could probably get a large c clamp or vice and get it out ....hope this makes sense>>:confused: :rolleyes:

[NacsMXer]

Originally posted by Bababouie400
well its too late for making it mushroom

but i got a couple questions
1. i want to take the shock spring off. i know i have to loosen the things i circled but then what?

Loosen the preload collars and then take a look under the bottom of the shock spring. There will be 2 half moon shape discs that are held together by small safety wire. Remove the safety wire and pull out the discs, and the spring should just slide down.