post a tip!!

[cals400ex]

i always think these threads are interesting and very helpful. if anyone has a random tip about their bike or procedure for fixing or installing an item, post them. i believe the new comers really benefit and learn from these posts. anything is welcome.


lets see, how can i start things off....

make sure you do not over torque the bolts on your bike. it is not fun getting a stripped bolt off. a torque wrench can come in handy.

[danney f]

Here is one that I posted not to long ago. Some ppl thought it would be a waste of time, but I think it made it easier when I change my drive chains.

"If ya replaceing the stocker, just cut it or get a chain braker. A small little tip is to once you have the old chain cut/broke is to link the new chain to one end of the old one, than as you pull the old one off it will feed the new one right around the front sprocket. Like I said just a small tip, but it makes it a little easier."

putting a small washer between the top steering stem brackets will loosen up a tight steering stem..:cool: Especially an aftermarket one with PC on it...



K&N filter cleaner will take that greasy crap off of your swingarm too....:eek:

Brain dead today so i can't think of many..:ermm:

[Pappy]

remove and lube the swing arm pivot bolt often...or it can get real ugly:scary:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid76/pf89fa9e50005ce591879f639b3b63050/fb47916a.jpg

Originally posted by Pappy
remove and lube the swing arm pivot bolt often...or it can get real ugly:scary:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid76/pf89fa9e50005ce591879f639b3b63050/fb47916a.jpg



Pappy's tip is probably the most important thing you can do on an annual basis or you will TRULY be sorry...:mad:

[300exOH]

You can use the BLUE locktite on all your bolts to eliminate loosing parts on the trail.

You can use anti-seize lubricant on your swingarm pivot bolt. You can get it at places like NAPA for a few bucks.

Use an oil specifically designed for wet clutch apps. NOT regular motor oil.

[300exazzkikr]

Check your gas and oil before you ride...:D

I tried.:rolleyes:

[Hotdog]

To loosen a stripped phillips screw. Put some lapping compound on your screw driver and i will not let it slip.

[400exr]

Get a service manual. It will save you a lot of time, and headachs.

[R-Crazy]

always run correct tire pressures in ALL tires to egt the best riding you can.

make sure the carb is jetted right. spark plau testing is easy and fast.

to test a spark plug, run the bike wide open in 3rd or 4th (or any gear, but just wide open) and kill the bike without letting the revs drop. take out the plut (be careful, it will be hot). should be chocolate-chocolate/gray in color. black is too rich, white is too lean.

ALWAYS WEAR A HELMET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and any other riding gear u can get.

have fun whenever you ride, if you dont, ur doing sumthin wrong.

come on to EXriders on a regular basis to leanr anything and everything about quads.

dave

[Taco]

Mobil1 15w50 is fine to use in your quad:D

[DEAL]

A pair of vise grips, can of Wd40 and a roll of duct tape will fix anything.

don't eat yellow snow.

[F-16Guy]

Before you tear your motor down, do two things:
1) Wash the bike thoroughly. (obviously)
2) Number all of the bolt heads and their corresponding hole locations with a permanent marker before you remove them. This makes reassembly almost error proof a few weeks later when you've forgotten where all of the bolts go.

[remlapr]

I've got three I think are good:

Carry a medium sized closed end wrench with you - when you roll or flip your bike and bend your levers all to crap - you can just slide the wrench down the lever and use the wrench to bend it back, you can also find a rock or piece of wood that is the right size and put it between the lever and the grip to give you leverage.

Buy either a section of 1 1/2 - 2" diameter metal pipe from home depot or a piece of automotive ehaust from someplace like pep boys that is at least 2ft in lenght and keep it in your truck when you go riding. When you roll or flip your bike and bend your bars - especially the stockers - you can slide one end over the grip and bend the bars back straight.

Carry some tape that is mean to be used for the grips on tennis rackets or baseball bats with you - it can be used to repair a torn up grip - or even to make a temporary grip if needed.

[Chanman420q]

if u cut ur front fenders use electrical tape as a guide when cutting

[Fast250EX]

Had to check out my left front fender for this one: Never ride with a passenger.:D

Seriously, always be sure to check your fender braces often. I was riding on the track most of the day and my fender was flapping around. I noticed I lost a screw to the brace. Unless you wanna get shaved fenders the easy way, this is a pretty important tip.;)

[hondarider2006]

when its time to get new tires, GET NEW TIRES! Don't hessitate. If you do...bad things are almost garaunteed to happen to you..:rolleyes:

[stupid driver]

let your engine warm up thoroughly before you take off. IT will save ya

[2000400EX]

don't pee into the wind!!:blah: .....sorry guys I had to do it, hea it's a tip ain't it?:devil:

[400exride.red]

just a quicky i covered under a different post (250 ex cams ? i think) when doin after market cams that require hard facing look too your local auto motive cam regrinders they do due hard facing and wont be so terribly expensive was like $40 too due a 400 ex rocker arm set

[F-16Guy]

Originally posted by 400exride.red
just a quicky i covered under a different post (250 ex cams ? i think) when doin after market cams that require hard facing look too your local auto motive cam regrinders they do due hard facing and wont be so terribly expensive was like $40 too due a 400 ex rocker arm set
Now that's a pretty good tip. Anything you can do to avoid the "ATV mark-up" would be a good idea.

[stupid driver]

Originally posted by 2000400EX
don't pee into the wind!!:blah: .....sorry guys I had to do it, hea it's a tip ain't it?:devil:

dont stand downwind from someone takin a pee. :rolleyes: :blah: :macho

[cals400ex]

i am already learning a lot of things that i didn't know.

by the way, i already knew where not to pee ( in a head wind) and where not to stand when someone else is peeing (down wind). i also knew that it wasn't wise to eat a lemonade colored snow ball. lol

keep up the good work.

[400exride.red]

hey just a comment more than a tip could we get a tip section on the forum board couse this is a fun thread and real useful butt i dont like gettin he he dont pee in the wind as a responce too a thread in my email just a comment would also help w the constant suspension basics setup ??? that r plaugin those forums a real newbie and old timer ??? comment tip place would be fun just my .02

[stupid driver]

Originally posted by 400exride.red
hey just a comment more than a tip could we get a tip section on the forum board couse this is a fun thread and real useful butt i dont like gettin he he dont pee in the wind as a responce too a thread in my email just a comment would also help w the constant suspension basics setup ??? that r plaugin those forums a real newbie and old timer ??? comment tip place would be fun just my .02

i agree, a tip section would be nice

[powersmoke03]

Every third or fourth tank when your done ridin swith your fuel to Reserve. That way you can move some of that sediment thru the carb instead of having it collect at the bottom and all come thru at one time when you need reserve. Kinda like the rule that you shouldn't run your car all the way to empty cause it sucks all the trash at the bottom thru. A little bit at a time is better than a whole buch a once.

Sean

yah...that idea with the rerve sound slogical to me...ill do that from now on...i already run my truck to the bottom all the time so no junk is gonna get in there. :blah:

[Woodsrider]

Always replace the aluminum crush washers on both drain bolts when doing an oil change. They are not meant to be reused, and replacing them will help to prevent overtorqueing the bolt and cracking the tank.

Oh, and never borrow gas from someone on a two-stroke:D

[CUZ'n]

don pee uphill....yer shoes git messy:mad:

[RIDER11X]

Originally posted by Pappy
remove and lube the swing arm pivot bolt often...or it can get real ugly:scary:
http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid76/pf89fa9e50005ce591879f639b3b63050/fb47916a.jpg Thanks Pappy for the motivational picture you posted that got my butt out to the garage to lube my pivot bolt that I haven't pulled to grease since it was new. The bolt slid out with just a little force and was in the gummy stage of grease getting ready to get much worse. Thanks again!:p

[RIDER11X]

1. Change oil every 20 hrs. and sooner in hotter conditions.

2. When replacing high wear items, buy double the needed amount. One on the quad, one on the shelf. Saves on shipping costs, and starts a spare parts inventory.

:cool:

[Pappy]

Originally posted by RIDER11X
Thanks Pappy for the motivational picture you posted that got my butt out to the garage to lube my pivot bolt that I haven't pulled to grease since it was new. The bolt slid out with just a little force and was in the gummy stage of grease getting ready to get much worse. Thanks again!:p

well its not the easiest job in the world but should be done. my pivot bolt had siezed to the clutch side swing arm sleeve and wasnt about to come out:mad: next time i run acroos this ill cut each side of the bolt before i try beating it out....would have saved me a swing arm:eek:

50 ATV Tips (http://www.atving.us/atvtips3.html)

[kickin440]

Originally posted by Pappy
well its not the easiest job in the world but should be done. my pivot bolt had siezed to the clutch side swing arm sleeve and wasnt about to come out:mad: next time i run acroos this ill cut each side of the bolt before i try beating it out....would have saved me a swing arm:eek:

Mine was siezed on the clutch side to and before cutting the swingarm like that I got out the torch and cut the bolt and the bushing in the one spot that it goes between the motor and the swingarm and tapped it in towards the motor instead of trying to beat the bolt out of the bushing. You can only cut about an inch at a time but A bolt and bushings are a whole lot cheaper than a swingarm. Just thought I would add this to save someone else the trouble.;)

[swamprider7]

When installing graphics kits, use Sticker ON! That stuff is a lifesaver!

[Ryan]

Don't hesitate to replace any parts that are needed. It could save you money in the long run. Kinda like I just blew off getting a new piston and rings and ended up scoring my cyclinder wall.

When you put a hole in your side wall of your tire, don't bother trying to plug it. It will need to be patched from the inside.

If you bend your stock handle bars badly, replace them, don't just bend them back. I ended up falling off the quad when my handle snapped in half.

Wear a helmet!

[4TraxRider]

Spend your money on the bars that are a little bent, or the tires that could be replaced, not new graphics and plastic. It's on the inside that counts, not what it looks like. Quads are not like riceburners in that effect.:rolleyes:

[PHIL_B54]

blow out the area around the spark plug before you remove it.

kinda obvious, but when i did my piston/cam i blew off the engine, pulled the plug and finished tearing it down. when i removed my head there were 2 grass/weed seeds sitting on top of my piston. i guess i didnt blow it off good enough. i also had a couple of scores (all but one honed out) on my cylinder wall in the front side under my exahust. i figure in the past i changed my plug without blowing it out and something fell in. i dont think seeds would do much, but sand would....

[mikey726]

Twice a year I clean and grease all my supension bearings, not just the swingarm, but the linkage too, and I put a heavy coat of never-seize on the bolts.
Also, something that I don't think a lot of people realize is that your brake calipers are supposed to slide on their mounting brackets. Every spring I pull the calipers off and clean and grease the slider pins. One is kind of an allen head bolt, and the other is a pin attached to the bracket. The boots on the bolt tear easily, so buy new ones, and they're a major pain to get back in:mad: It doesn't seem like a big deal, but I like to make sure everything on my quad works properly.