Look What Followed Me Home

[CJM]

04, stage II hotcam, FMF full exhaust, some other misc crap. Its in ok shape, need TLC really. Ran good.

Only problem is very slight crack where the bolt goes into the case for the chain guard. Im gonna have it tig welded as its super tiny. I wish this wasnt a problem on these quads, but it seems every single one I looked at had this issue. Hell, one I looked at was leaking oil all over and the case was snapped and the kid didnt have a clue!

I bought it for the right price tho, guy was desperate, too bad it doesnt have a title tho.

[Stickman400]

What was "The right price"? Anyway looks like a good solid quad. I have also seen a few 450Rs around here with a cracked case by the sprocket. It won't take much to make that thing into a head turning beast. They are already fast from the factory so it doesn't need much to get it scary fast. I will tell you one thing right now, buy a Hotcam shim kit. Otherwise you can't adjust the valves unless you buy individual ones from a dealer or website. Welcome to the 450 world CJM!

[chronicsmoke]

I knew one day you'd turn to the darkside, Mark. :D

It looks good! Any plans in the near future for it?

[CJM]

I paid 2500 the guy wanted 3250. He threw in some beat acerbis handguards and a tusk clutch kit.

Maybe I coulda got him down more but I felt it was fair. I tried to find one for less but these things are worth gold it seems. I looked at a few, they all cracked by the case, why is it so hard to adjust the damn chain IDK? The other one with the case snapped the guy wanted 2800! I drove 2 hours cause the guy had a title and told me the quad was mint, sadly it wasnt loll.

You want one in mint shape its 3500-4000-for a kicker thats 7-8 years old! Want an EX and they give them away for 1500 round here it seems.

I had to have a kicker for several reasons:
-Better frontend. The 06+ feels too dang wide to me
-No battery, no worrying bout that crap
-I hate the FCR carbs, what a pain to tune right
-Just to be different having something only made for 2 yrs.

It looks better in the pics than in person, but its all cosmetic really beside the case. One of the lower a-arms is slightly bent at the ball joint too I just noticed. However those will either be replaced with stockers for now or maybe Ill spring for some GTT arms (500 bucks cant be beat for some +1's imho). otherwise its all stupid little parts.

To do list:
-Go over top to bottom, check all bolts and nuts
-Uni filter, get rid of KN
-Engine degreaser
-Weld case crack
-MSR AOF clutch lever
-New brake lever, its bent (already on its way)
-Chain slider/Roller/Guard
-Exhaust wrap
EHS lid (gonna make my own with the material and some metal-80 bucks is not worth it!)
-Front bumper
-Rear grab bar
-Rev box maybe (whats a good one)
-Repack exhaust
-06+ swinger conversion
-Swingarm skid

Thats about it for now. Its a small to do list really to make it good. Over the winter I figure Im gonna tear it down to the frame, paint the frame and such.

Also, its slightly hard to start. I might up the pilot to a 50 or play with the fuel/air screw. Quad needs both choke and hotstart pulled to crank over. Could be the gas too I spose since it probably been sitting it seems. Thats about it. Not bad imho, not great tho.

[2001400exrida]

which bolt hole are you talking about? the one that holds the case saver in? The first thing i would do when you get that tigged is get yourself a poly case save, either the UPP or the moose racing one. Welcome to the 450 world. You will also want to get rid of that exhaust if you're looking for any type of performance, FMF makes a terrible exhaust for the quads, i've seen dyno's where the stock pipe with baffle out had the same performance, lol. Just my experience, good looking machine dude!

[CJM]

Yea its the upper chainguard/case saver bolt. Im gonna call the guy about tigging it todaym, hopefully he dont want an arm and a leg. Poly saver is already on order

Exhaust in due time, gotta clean up the quad. Just had to sand down the spindle slightly where the guy didnt tighten the tierod enough and it gouged it about 1/8 of an inch at the nut. No big deal tho.

Rode it around my yard, not to sound stupid but how long before the fan should come on, temp light only comes on when I started it after it got a bit hot. Otherwise fan didnt come on, fan appears to be hooked up properly.

Also found by the key switch they spliced something in, not sure what it was but its run off a red/grey stripe wire and black/grey stripe. It looks like a factory wire but IDK wtf its for, its a yellow with grey stripe and its spliced into those wires using those horrible blue wiring splices.

Otherwise everything else seems to be ok with the quad.

[dustin_j]

Nice buy! I wish mine was a kicker. Your plans sound good. Throw up some more pictures after you get everything cleaned up and gone over.

[AtvKid4Eva]

On my 05' ive only ever has the fan come on ONCE and that was in the dead heat at silver lake with paddles on. Other than that even riding on a hot summer day pretty hard ive never had the fan come on. It takes a lot. Some people wire them to run all the time tho.

[LeGaCyGiAnT124]

I would hotwire the fan if I were you. My fan never used to come on. I have shorted a few out, but I would rather short out a fan every other year than to replace a motor from getting too hot. The only thing you need to do to short it out is cut the ground from the fan plug and ground it to the frame. It's easy and keeps the bike a lot cooler. I want to say its the green wire, but don't quote me.

Looks like a solid bike. Change the oil often (especially the transmission) and it will be good to you. They are very good bikes. Don't let the gas sit in it more than a month. The ethanol makes these bikes run horrible. It will bog out and cut out. I run Pump 93 with no issues at all and I have an HRC Kit in mine.

Stick with a stock CDI Box. Unless you get a Dynatek or Vortex they are all junk. I tried different ones and they don't work at all.

Get pics of that wire you are talking about by the key switch and we might be able to help you out. Feel free to ask more questions. They are many knowledgeable people here including myself that have much time involved with the 04-05 Honda's. I swear I know these bikes inside and out and can even tell you issues without looking at it.


Another thing I would do is pull out the pivot bolt and grease it. You don't want these things to seize up. As long as you do it once a year with good water proof grease it's very easy. I would also check your shock linkage bearings. They take a lot of abuse and if they were not maintained, it's a good possibility that they could be bad. I know I had all of my bearings break last year when I took them out over the winter. Not greasing them for a year did that. I would do them about every 4-6 months depending on how much you actually ride/race. Good luck with your 450. You will love it! I have had mine since 09', and plan to have it for much longer. They are very good bikes and reliable.

[2001400exrida]

The tranny oil does not need changed as often as the motor oil. I do the motor every 10 hours and the tranny gets changed every other motor oil change.

Consider that the motor oil is running on less than 1 qt, the tranny does not share the oil with the motor so you don't have to worry about having burned up motor oil going into the tranny.

Motor oil should be changed more often than tranny if you're not changing them both everytime that is.

[CJM]

Thanks for the info guys.

Looking further at the case saver hole, its done, its actually cracked off in a small spot. Its a blind hole (doesnt go thru) so thats a good thing). HOWEVER Im sure my welding guy can fix it, now if he would just call me back.

Just degreased the hell out of the engine, its pretty good now but needs some more TLC.

Already know about the swinger bolt from the 400-hope it comes out. It does, it gets anti-sieze on it.

What kinda oil do you guys like to use? I run rotella 15w-40 in the 400.

Probably going to wire the fan to either be temp driven off the rad or toggle switch and Ill turn it on as I please.

Heres the pics of the cracked hole and the wires. The wires go to the key switch.

[CJM]

Cracked bolt hole, sorry its blurry.

[Stickman400]

If it's a grey/red wire I'm pretty sure that's the TORS bypass mod on these things. Atleast that's what it is on the '06+ And Shell 15-40 is what I run in both engine and tranny.

[Balaz_73*00]

You should gut the harness and wire the fan to run constantly. DnB has some really nice schematics. With a gutted harness you will have virtually no room for problems. And if you do, you will easily be able to find it. I love my gutted harness. I also run the rotella 15w-40. I'd get that hole welded and just run a heli-coil in it if the threads are shot. Should be fine. Slap that poly case saver on and you wont have any visual flaws.

[CJM]

Nice, Ill pick up some rotella at wallyworld today with some more engine degreaser. Man IDK how people can let these things get so full of gunk. He didnt wash it all that good so any leaks woulda been there-there were none.

Still waiting on the welder to call, oh well no real rush.

Got the pivot bolt out after some fun, its pitted a bit and I believe I probably need bearings-but for now it should be ok. I greased the hell out of it.

[levi624]

Try running maxima extra 4 15w50. I have ran that oil all the time except for breaking in a new top end. It saves the valves. I bought my 05 new and have only had to do the valves once and I race desert. I just another 05 mint for 2800.

[DnB_racing]

Originally posted by CJM
Only problem is very slight crack where the bolt goes into the case for the chain guard. Im gonna have it tig welded as its super tiny. I wish this wasnt a problem on these quads, but it seems every single one I looked at had this issue.

this is usually because people dont change there chain as often as they should ... and then when they do they go the cheap route,

a new quality chain along with a good guard and guide, and there would be much less problems

but more to the point...I hope you enjoy your new toy!!

if you need any help just ask, this section has some good people,
a few knuckleheads but thats to be expected, lol:rolleyes:

[LeGaCyGiAnT124]

Originally posted by 2001400exrida
The tranny oil does not need changed as often as the motor oil. I do the motor every 10 hours and the tranny gets changed every other motor oil change.

Consider that the motor oil is running on less than 1 qt, the tranny does not share the oil with the motor so you don't have to worry about having burned up motor oil going into the tranny.

Motor oil should be changed more often than tranny if you're not changing them both everytime that is.

Why do you say this? Everytime I have changed my oil my transmission oil is worse than the engine oil. I change both sides and the filter every 4-6 racing hours on the motor.

I agree with gutting your harness too! I eliminated my headlights, tail light, TPS sensor, ect. The only electrical stuff it has now is the Stator, CDI Box, Rectifier, Coil, Spark Plug Cap, and the fan.

[chronicsmoke]

My clutch side oil usually has hints of clutch fibres mixed in making it look grey. I'd think that'd be worse on internal parts than the engine oil. My engine oil looks cleaner for sure when I drop the oil out of it.

I always drop the two of them at the same time (after 4-6 hrs).. no reason not too. I also cut open my filter every change to check for early signs of the crank bearing failure.

My fan doesn't really come on often unless I'm not moving fast. Last race I was at I finished the moto, came back to the trailer and left my bike idle for a minute while I walked away to take my helmet off. When I came back there was a huge cloud of smoke coming off, my heart sank, but I noticed the wire connector for the fan came off and coolent was blowing out of the reservoir hose.. Maybe it was sabotoge :scary: lol

[01boneless]

nice ride marc!!!!

[CJM]

Ill have to check on the fan wiring. Ill probably wire it to a toggle and just run it when I feel its getting hot, thats how I have the EX setup.

Personally I like to change my oil every 2-3 rides, which is like 15 hours or so.

I dropped it off to get welded, guy said $125 but thats better than case and bearings and whatnot.

The chain on it, IDK wtf it is but its got red links to it-but its an o-ring. Ill probably replace it with a DID 520 sooner than later. I bought a plastic case saver, seen them save more than a few cases cause they deform and absorb the impact.

[DnB_racing]

Originally posted by CJM

The chain on it, IDK wtf it is but its got red links to it-but its an o-ring. Ill probably replace it with a DID 520 sooner than later. ive seen more then one of those colored chains destroy a set of cases,

if my memory serves me right, they have a 7500 tensile strength, as compared to 10500 on a DID

[DnB_racing]

Originally posted by chronicsmoke
but I noticed the wire connector for the fan came off and coolent was blowing out of the reservoir hose.. Maybe it was sabotoge :scary: lol ive had this happen also .first time I just closed up the stakeon to make sure it was tight. but after time and a few not so perfect landings it happened again

to be sure it would never happen again
I took my dreamil with a tiny drill bit and drilled through both parts and tied them together with small gauge wire to keep it attached

[CJM]

Originally posted by DnB_racing
ive seen more then one of those colored chains destroy a set of cases,

if my memory serves me right, they have a 7500 tensile strength, as compared to 10500 on a DID

Exactly. No idea what kinda chain it is, just has the red links. I run a did xring on my 400 b/c I know its one of the best.

Ah to think: I got the 400 all squared away pretty much besides front shocks/arms. Now I can start over with this lol..

[2001400exrida]

Originally posted by chronicsmoke
My clutch side oil usually has hints of clutch fibres mixed in making it look grey. I'd think that'd be worse on internal parts than the engine oil. My engine oil looks cleaner for sure when I drop the oil out of it.


"looks cleaner" does not mean the oil viscosity is the same as the day you put it in. Motor oil won't have the clutch fiber inpurities no, but it has been exposed to much more extreme heat and regardless of what you think it will breakdown faster than the tranny oil which is almost translucent when it comes out (besides fibers). Tranny oil always shows fibers, but the motor oil is my main focus, i do tranny every other change.

[ride red 14]

I run rotella synthetic (blue jug) in the motor side and rotella(white jug) in the tranny side. We run 2 hour harescrambles with or 04 and 05's. I change the oil, both sides, and filter after every race. Cheap insurance against a motor rebuild.
You can unplug the wire from the temp sending unit and ground it to run your fan all the time. Everybody we race with does this without issues. Enjoy your new ride!

[CJM]

The temp sending unit is mounted to the water pump? I see wires coming off the rad onto that if I recall.

[ride red 14]

The sending unit is by the thermostat housing. Follow your top radiator hose from the radiator to the housing. Unplug the wire and extend it to wherever you choose to ground it.

[CJM]

Thanks.

[ride red 14]

I wonder if the yellow wires coming off the key switch is where someone had a tether switch wired in at sometime.

[CJM]

Originally posted by ride red 14
I wonder if the yellow wires coming off the key switch is where someone had a tether switch wired in at sometime.

I suppose its possible. The wires lead nowhere that I can see, just spliced in. Im probably going to clean it up and remove them.

[chronicsmoke]

Originally posted by DnB_racing
to be sure it would never happen again
I took my dreamil with a tiny drill bit and drilled through both parts and tied them together with small gauge wire to keep it attached

Thanks for the tip DnB:macho

[CJM]

The engine was DIRTY, all the aluminum parts were quite oxidized. Want them to come out dang shiny-almost like new-eagle one mag wheel cleaner. Stuff is corrosive as hell but wont damage plastic. Spray on, let sit 30 secs, rinse off with soapy water then rinse with water.

Thing looks 100x better now.

On another note: Seems Ill have to dig into the carb, it doesnt want to start after I have tipped it up to clean it or whatever for any length of time. I took the airbox lid off and the airbos was full of gas-with the petcock on "off" what gives? Bad petcock, bad float? Reminds me, went to drain the bowl out the other day from the little screw near the choke-gas wouldnt stop flowing on off either..

[ride red 14]

Bad petcock. Have 2 of them laying on my workbench. Dont even know why i saved them.

[CJM]

Yea bad petcock indeed. I just pulled the tank and it leaks on off. Also the machine wouldnt start now worth a damn. Hope I didnt get something important wet or whatever...

Bright side the engine, holy hell its almost as clean as brand new.

[LeGaCyGiAnT124]

Post pics of the engine. I would like to see the difference. Yes, the petcock is bad like you said. The ethanol is not good to sit in the tank for long periods of time. I had to replace my petcock a month or two ago.

[CJM]

Not the best pic, but you can see where the finish is rubbed off the cover from a boot-but the rest of the metal is nice. Slightly oxidized but 100x better than being all grimy and black.

Compare that to the pic of the broken case saver area.

[Stickman400]

I went out today and had my 450 blow a bunch of oil out of one of the breather hoses and had oil all over everything under the seat. So I stripped it down and powerwashed it, then squirted it down with some Eagle One I had left over from my 400 build and washed it x2 and it made mine look almost brand new also. That stuff works wonders. I wasn't sure how it would do against the oil but it worked great.

[CJM]

i swear it cleans everything, and it wont harm plastic!

Working on the carb tomorrow. Going to do 50 pilot to start.

[CJM]

Haha..oh yea its jetted accoring to the guy I bought it from (I knew it!). Yea, totally stock.. Least all he did was a filter and exhaust so it should be ok.

Upped pilot to a 50, might throw a 52 in just to see when I get it back together. Thinking Of going 125 main? It has a 118 now. All Im going to do is put a uni filter on, outwears lid and not much else for now.

[01boneless]

Originally posted by CJM
Haha..oh yea its jetted accoring to the guy I bought it from (I knew it!). Yea, totally stock.. Least all he did was a filter and exhaust so it should be ok.

Upped pilot to a 50, might throw a 52 in just to see when I get it back together. Thinking Of going 125 main? It has a 118 now. All Im going to do is put a uni filter on, outwears lid and not much else for now.
175 main at 2.5 turns out.....these take bigger main jumps from stock then the 400's .....mine used to have a filter and pipe and ran perfect on a 178 , 48, 2.25 turns

[CJM]

I figured as much bud. never understood why they used a 118 stock.

Im gonna try 175, 50, 1.5 turn out and see. Shouldnt even need the choke after that probably.

Also, lol I used up nearly the entire bottle of the eagle mag wheel cleaner. The suckers dang near spotless.

[2001400exrida]

If i'm not mistaken the 175 may be a little small.....keep in mind the jetting specs for the 06+ carbs will be different. The FCR's run a smaller main. A good starting point is the HRC kit jetting specs (185m, 3rd notch on needle). BAsically if you have a cam, a full pipe, and lid off you will want to run a 185 main jet.

the newer carbs run a smaller main since they are FCR

I've got a full system, k&n lid off, and HRC cam and i'm at 185 main, stock pilot, 2.75 turns out, and 4th notch from the top on the needle.
Also, these don't respond so well to the larger pilots, i wasn't able to get a 50 to work on mine so i stuck with the 48. The 400ex carb really likes the larger pilots, these 450's can handle the stock one most of the time. With the kicker you will want to use the choke. My starts on the first kick with the choke on, then i just turn it off and it idles perfect. Again, these aren't like the 400's, they're a different beast when it comes to tuning the carb.

With my pro circuit slip on, lid off, and the hrc cam i had a 175 pilot. IF i was you CJM i'd put the 185 in.

[chronicsmoke]

Running a full exhaust, HRC Kit with a 185 also.. Only a few feet above sea level.

[CJM]

Thanks guys.

Ill give the 185 main and see how the pilot goes.

[finsteratv]

Sweet bike man! Planning on keeping both quads? I was debating buying another 400..But then my dirtbike bug hit, and now im getting a 50 also..haha

[CJM]

Probably gonna keep both. Should one break I dont have sit out. Course storing them is a problem. Got a small shed that I just worked to make it have a slightly larger door opening and I threw out tons of junk and rearranged stuff. I also cleaned up the garage to fit the whatever quad goes in there better. I could fill a 2 car garage with all the crap I got.

Working on the case saver mount. Can someone measure (prefer in mm) how far the top mount sits out from the case? I forgot to measure before I did it and the welder globbed it up good purposely.

Also, the shift shaft seal seems bad. I pushed it in a bit since it was sticking out and it appears to be leaking slightly. These push on or go on from the inside? In the parts diagram on RMATV it looks like #32?

[Balaz_73*00]

It just pushes on from the outside.

[CJM]

Originally posted by Balaz_73*00
It just pushes on from the outside.

Figured as much. Thank you.

As for the case saver mount, really need to know how far it sticks out. Right now Im sure its out to far, as the bottom wont line up right either. On the EX the saver sits against the case-is it the same on the 450?

[CJM]

Case savers mounted up, I think i shoulda used a slightly smaller drill bit b/c the bolt is ever so slightly loose after tapping. Can always go up to 1/4" or 7mm I suppose. Gonna throw some loctite in there for good measure.

Hope I didnt choose a bad case saver cause it looks to dang thick to fit a 14t sprocket and the chain in there. Got a 13t now I dont really want. We shall see.

Got my FMF exhaust off and cleaned it up. Its in good shape and gonna be sold once my CT comes. I learned from my EX, if the head studs come out with the bolt be DAMN careful, they can snap in the head!!! new bolts and studs on order.

Finally totally cleaned the whole quad. Holy hell was it nasty caked on coal dust with oil from oil changes (good thing actually, goes to show you the guy changed the oil). Eagle mag cleaner Ill say again is the shiznit!

Gas tank petcock wont come off, so waiting on a tank to come.

Right now Im just painting up the the motor mounts gloss black for the heck of it while I wait for stuff to come.

[AtvKid4Eva]

When i went to swap my 05' tank to the 08' one to run the tank cover, i took the old petcock out of the 05' tank to sell..one of that damn thread inserts spun and i had to cut it out..kinda reminds me of a set of $600 Hipers i had that spun ever bolt insert and were junk after 1yr. Not the best design.:rolleyes:

[CJM]

Thats pretty much why i need a new tank. The inserts just spin and wont let the bolts come off. I decided since I could get the tank Id just leave it be to mess with another time.

I agree its a dumb design.

[2001400exrida]

i've got a tank and petcock sitting at home, let me know if you want it.

[CJM]

Originally posted by 2001400exrida
i've got a tank and petcock sitting at home, let me know if you want it.

Thanks for the offer but baileygunns sent me out a tank yesterday. Should be here tomorrow or thurs at latest. If theres an issue Ill get ahold of ya.

Going over everything else, so long as the motor runs well (it did when I tested it but ya never know), everything is great.

I cleaned up the massive gunk all over it and its clean.
Drilled and tapped for a grease zerk for the stem.
Exhaust is on its way (an FMF full or possibly slip on IDK for sure) will be for sale soon. It looks like a slip on cause someone took off the stock header guard and ground down the studs for it it seems. Also uses a collar from header to slip on. Its in good shape tho..
Got a line on some nice wheels hopefully by early sept.


Otherwise everythings great with it. Got a large order for RMATV Im going to place in a day or so and it should be up and ready to ride.

[CJM]

Welp she runs. Sounds ok, dont think the valves need to be done b/c it turns right over very easily just pumping the throttle 3x and using the choke when cold. But it does have that distinct honda valve train rattle.

Changed the oil, what an annoying capacity this thing has. .58 qt trans and .87 qt engine? I wound up finding a baked beans can and measured out about .60 trans and probably closer to 1qt engine. Im sure that tiny amount wont matter.

Anyways Im happy as a pig in poop, it runs, its good-now im just waiting on my chain to come. Old one is pretty bad.

Heres a recent pic. I took the nerfs off to change the tranny oil.

[Stickman400]

Looks damn good. Nice and shiny, but needs a bumper of some kind. If the head is ticking like the 400, it needs the valves checked, they should be completely quiet. And those '04-'05s have the view window on the engine side and the check plug on the tranny side don't they? Mines like that and it is a piece of cake to change the oil, almost easier than the 400.

[CJM]

Yep, view is on side which is nice. Im gonna check the valves sometime next week to be sure.

The pic makes the plastics look nice, but man they are scratched a bit.

[ride red 14]

easiest way we have found to change the tranny oil is to stand the bike on its grab bar. we use a small long funnel that will fit between the frame and swingarm. put it in a jar to drain and bungy cord the jar to the swingarm. take your drain plug out and let it drain. no mess or taking skidplate or nerf bars loose.

use your sightglass for the engine side and fill it to the high mark and start your motor. let it run for a few seconds and shut it off. fill it again to high mark and your good. tranny side is just as easy, just use the small 10mm bolt in front of the quick change clutch cover. fill it until it runs out there and your done.no need to measure your oils doing it like this. hope this helps.

[CJM]

Thanks for the info ride red.

My problem isnt so much draining it, its just getting a socket onto the tranny drain bolt. The pegs for the nerfs are in the way period. Not a huge deal as I was planning on switching to another brand, but for now an annoyance.

Ill keep in mind how you explained to fill it, much easier than measuring.

@ Stick:
Not sure what kinda bumper Im gonna run. Alba makes a nice one that looks on. I really like the PRM on my 400 but they are $$$. The plastics look ok b/c I used mop n glow but they are scratched to hell. Happens anyways, mine are beat and looked near brand new just 6 months ago when i bought them used.

[Stickman400]

I have an IMS bumper on my 450 and it looks good. They are kinda small and don't offer lots of pretection but they look good and are cheap. Also I want to add that I read an article on another site on how to change the oil and it said that after you added the oil in the tranny side and it flowed out the check hole, to add alittle more after you re-install the plug. But I did that twice and had quite a bit of oil get blown out the breather hose both times on that side (hence my recent thread). So I'm guessing once it starts draining out, re-install the plug and leave it be, just as ride red said.

[DnB_racing]

Originally posted by ride red 14
easiest way we have found to change the tranny oil is to stand the bike on its grab bar. we use a small long funnel that will fit between the frame and swingarm. put it in a jar to drain and bungy cord the jar to the swingarm. take your drain plug out and let it drain. no mess or taking skidplate or nerf bars loose.

use your sightglass for the engine side and fill it to the high mark and start your motor. let it run for a few seconds and shut it off. fill it again to high mark and your good. tranny side is just as easy, just use the small 10mm bolt in front of the quick change clutch cover. fill it until it runs out there and your done.no need to measure your oils doing it like this. hope this helps.

when you drain this way ,,,, not all the oil comes out, it still leaves whats heavy and at the bottom, basically what you want to get out,
look were the drain bolt is located, when on its grab bar the drain bolt is no longer the lowest point

it might take longer but its worth getting every drop out you can get, by keeping the quad on all 4 tires
especially the last part, with all the residue and deposits,

and when using the weep hole to determine when full, it is easy to over fill, make sure to stop filling a few times to let ALL the oil settle... if you just keep pouring the oil til you see the weep starting to drip it will be way over full, go real slow to allow the oil to settle into the case ..

being over full has almost as many issues as being under full,
it only take a couple seconds to measure then along with using the visual reference marks, you will be sure to have the right amount,

then with kill switch off give it a few kick or push the start button on the +06 er, to move the oil before actual starting, to prevent dry starts,and to fill the oil filter then let oil settle again and check again, then start and stop let settle and check again.

do this after every tank of fuel and your motor will last much longer, use rotella on both sides its cheap enough to change this often,

remember the best oil is clean oil, you can spend 15 dollars a quart, but if its old oil its bad oil!!!
I cant afford to run expensive oil and keep it new but i can afford the rotella

its actually a good idea to always give your machine a few kicks before letting it start to get the oil moving back to the top. this way you will always have a lubed up motor and no dry starts

[CJM]

Thats why I measured it instead of using the weep hole. Ive done the weep hole method on other things (such as rear axles) and like DnB said-very easy to overfill. On a rear axle it doesnt matter too much-but on a small engine its very bad.

[Baileygunns]

Take your rear brake lever off (6mm allen) then use an extension with a wobble end to get a socket down onto the tranny drain... I had proarmor nerfs on my 04/05 and had the same issue. I found it easier the taking the nerfs off.

[CJM]

Tha AC nerfs believe it or not are held on with just a bolt at the motor mounts-rest is all friction fit at the peg and at the front by the frame-or I could be missing a u bolt. But they dont move otherwise.

[Baileygunns]

There should be a bolt going vertical through the pro peg too... My pro armors attached to the rear lower a-arm bolt and the pro peg.Plus they were a little tweaked from hard landings so it made them a little frustrating to slide them in and out. The AC nerfs in the 06 I have are like what you're saying but I have a bolt in the pro peg

Just options.. One bolt for the brake lever or 2 bolts for the nerfs.. Call me lazy, lol

[Stickman400]

Man that sounds a little annoying. On the '06+ the drain for the tranny is over on the other side below the shifter and very easy to get to.

[Balaz_73*00]

Originally posted by Stickman400
Also I want to add that I read an article on another site on how to change the oil and it said that after you added the oil in the tranny side and it flowed out the check hole, to add alittle more after you re-install the plug. But I did that twice and had quite a bit of oil get blown out the breather hose both times on that side (hence my recent thread). So I'm guessing once it starts draining out, re-install the plug and leave it be, just as ride red said.

You can only use that method on the 04-05. On a 06+ you will over fill everytime and have your issue.

[Stickman400]

Ahhh, alright, thanks, I'll be sure not to do that anymore. I'm getting tired of having to take all the plastic and airbox off and having to blast everything off with de-greaser and powerwash the f**k out of it everytime it does it.

EDIT: Yep, that guide was on a '04-'05, and back when I first bought my 450 I didn't know they changed the locations for all the plugs and everything from '04-'05 to '06+. Here's the guide, it's from over on the .org http://www.rockinhorseweb.com/transmission_oil_change_for_trx4.htm

[CJM]

Not a single other bolt on these nerfs. Nada on the propeg-but I could make one up I suppose. They are gonna get replaced sooner or later with some tusk nerfs-I cant kill them on my EX and they mount (least on the ex) at the subframe and motor mounts.

Got my CT racing exhaust today thanks to D Bergstrom! Its very nice.

Not too much is left to do. Gotta get the jetting right. Im thinking I might be rich or the carb is flooding out. Starts up fine but I shut it down, went to kick it back over and it wouldnt start no matter what I did. Drained the carb bowl using the screw in it and the line and even with the gas off it kept flowing :confused: However once I drained a bit off and tried it kicked right over fine and idled away easy. Thinking the float and float needle might need to be replaced.

[Baileygunns]

Are you sure you're lining up the petcock right? I know that one shuts off.. I had that tank sitting on my bench with gas in it with out a drop coming out. Pop the fuel line off the carb and shut the petcock off and see what it does. If it doesn't shut off let me know.. I'll send your money back.

I can snap a pic of the bolt and txt it to you if you want.. All the nerfs I've seen have one. Wouldn't be hard to drill through the Jeff and peg and drop a bolt in it for peace of mind.

[CJM]

Im gonna recheck it today Bailey. Im thinking perhaps the carb got gummed up a bit maybe again. I iknow when I shut it off and tried to blow thru it, it wouldnt go so it was fine. IDK.

[Baileygunns]

If you open the drain the float will drop no mater what... So the only way to stop flow is through the petcock. A gummy carb isn't going to keep it flowing, if anything it will stop it.

Double check and let me know..

[CJM]

Its not the tank. I just removed the tank and made sure it was on off and nothing came out.

Maybe the carb bowl is just very large or something..IDK. I looked at the plug, havent rode it really but its tan not black and its not full of gas and wet.

Im going to take apart the carb again. My guess is the float needle is sticking.

[CJM]

Think I got it, took apart the carb and the pilot was slightly loose. Probably wasnt sealing and leaking fuel down.

[CJM]

Took it out today for a good ride. Might be slightly lean, header turned blue a little. Otherwise had no issues starting it or riding it besides a loose tie rod end I tightened while out there (I coulda sworn I cranked it down before too..its prob bad).

Really need a steering stabilizer, dang steering feels way to easy than Im used too. Gonna check the nut on the stem to be sure tho.

Seal behind the shifter shaft looks bad. But seal at the clutch arm where it goes into the case is bad period.Cant do it without taking it down to the cases so its not gonna be fixed till I do a piston later this winter. Its not leaking horribly really. not enough to worry.

Otherwise no issues, ran fine and had plenty of power.

[CJM]

Welp, small update:

I had put off fixing the 450 for other repairs to various things (like my truck), when I noticed the 400 has been vibrating alot more than usual. Took that down and noticed the timing chain was done and timing was off a tooth. Started it back up after repairs and still vibrating bad. I believe the 400 has a bad crank at this point so its gonna sit.

450 runs well, but needs the valves done. Probably gonna get that done this weekend or so. Otherwise seems to run well, I had it out last sunday and had no real problems except starting it (b/c of valves) is a pain when its cold.

I had wanted to do a BBK but I think Im going to break the 450 down and do a 12:1 and port job instead, BBK is nice but Id like reliability over power.

[hondaracerkid00]

gotta love when find good deals, i myself got a absolute amazing deal about 2months ago also, for the little that it needs

[CJM]

Yea it was a pretty good deal overall. Not a screaming deal but a decent one. Around here its hard to find stuff that isnt abused or they want 2-3x for the value of it.

I could buy an 05 yfz450 for 1600 according to the ad I found today. The seller claims needs tires but I bet its got the oiling problem. I had the cash Id buy it and flip it lol.