The shoe string project!

[MtnEX]

They may know the camber is going to be pretty close at those settings for caster, as one will affect the other on heims.

I just use a square for camber and run just a little... like 1/4" in off the square at the top sidewall of the tire.

[KKiowaTJ]

Ill most likely just assemble them the way they say and go from there. Worst that can happen is I have to take it all apart and start over.
It went from 80 degrees yesterday to possible chance of snow tomorrow so I hope to get to it at the end of the week. That and truck is down for a bit.
But I guess when im taking it apart, Ill just measure/find degree and write them down from what I have now and have something to go off of for the ball joint/spindle side. Thanks for the help, Ill keep the square handy and try 1/4" first.

[KKiowaTJ]

Well, Im finally getting around to fixing her up! The clutch is going in tomorrow and then from there, Ill snow ride until cold as crap and then strip her down.
My clutch held up for being on the last adjustment and having neutral drops when I would fan the clutch like a 2 stroke. Cheap lesson learned thanks to the forum and many O' write-ups and help!

I think im going to crack into the motor as well, Im gonna try for a 2015 run! I don't know where or how many, Class or mx/GNCC, But going to try it at 33/34yrs old. I could not afford a motor and always put the $$ into the suspension, So I dropped from 260ish, Down to 198 even, Im 6'4 BTW.
So if it is stock, Ill be happy as a pig in chit! As it is now, I feel competitive, Just out to have fun. So a HRC XR kit, New valves and dial it in along with it being fresh, Will have enough IMO for what im looking to do and if not at least all Honda parts. This is 'if' I can find said parts to make it happen these days.

But still have a new set of tires and bajas ready to bolt on, A-arms, axle all the way down. Only thing that will be reused is the sprocket bolt/nut(s) I keep forgetting. OEM out, Aftermarket in. That way I have spare parts. Lastly, When I get it together and dialed in, My suspension guy said he knows what I want now, But wants to see my riding style to be spot on. Cant argue with that, Just going with my 450r fronts and stock rear/link with maybe a new spring.

But, Ya Just a heads up on why 6 months and nothing to show for it. But ill get some pic's of stock and from there. Most likely hold off on arms, certain wheel/tire(s) and axle until after winter teardown.

[KKiowaTJ]

Well, Today I reassured myself WHY you should do you're own work!
I decided that for $116 out the door, My time and money was worth more and they would have it done in an hour +/-. I took action for the fact, Id end up tearing it apart one night, And whoring up forums on 'how to assemble' cause I didn't follow through and or pics/factory manual I did have or take.

Took in my quad, Full clutch kit, Gasket, Oil and filter. It has/had a brand new OEM clutch cable on it, After install and getting home, The cable is still in the same spot I had it on when a slipping clutch?
So I got the mofo out to test ride it in the middle of work, The ******* wouldn't find neutral to save its life and was either in a gear or out and I actually killed my quad more times in the short time than I have since I joined!
New perch, AOF, and all, And im stuck with a guy saying 'it was adjusted and rode fine'! More less my problem on shotty pro Honda work!
So I had to tell a client I had something I needed to do real quick in my back yard and shouldn't take long. So I told her if she wants to see what happens when **** don't fit my bill, Ill blow the thing up, Nuke it beyond usefulness. I dumped the clutch and went around my house pinned to my mini oval and held it wide F'N open.
In first it looped around so I gave it hell coming out and pinned 2nd. That thing had no intentions of blowing, That lil red ******* was laying down all 28-32hp it had! Point and shoot it was nasty. I was hooking good like it should.

At the arm, It has the normal play/slack 1/4 or so and after a few adjustments on the AOF, I got it to where I 'might' be able to live with it. Now I have never had this in any quad or bike I have ever owned! I have usually always done my own mods and repairs unless machine and case work.

I asked for and was happy to give my old parts back so I could look at them and have the springs in case the hard ones now are too much. They still look good IMO, Ill post a pic soon of them. Not burning at all, Or even a hint of heat displacement. Steels are good looking too? Nothing adds up IMO!
A couple friends and the friend who took me when I had no truck to get it, Said the whole quad is too nice and showroom for the year, The motor/tranny don't have enough hours to be a problem. The guys who did the work when I asked about the basket fingers, Said its either newer, Or that is the OEM clutch and basket. Yeah, People buy and ride a couple hours a year and garage them and keep them spotless like me, But why is my Honda cable already trashed? Nobody I know can answer that! But from the look of the other clutch, Seems good to me.
Reason for change was it was neutral dropping when I would clutch up 3/4th gear along with two stroke cornering. I still fan the clutch, But rarely. The client thought I was going to wad up in the fence or high side, But said it was fun to watch lol.

Sorry for the long rant, But pisses me off when a Honda dealer screws up a simple F'N clutch swap. But if anyone could weigh in, Is this typical of a 400ex with a new HD clutch with springs? No neutral for a bit and no adjustment cable wise/minimal? Cant see a new cable being stretched, But ill post up pic's of the old clutch and cable adjustment case side with both being new. Thanks for any advice

[MtnEX]

Hummm... I missed something somewhere I guess. Kinda lost on the base problem.

Sounds like the clutch that came out of it was looking fine and the one that is in it now has the same issue as before?

I don't quite understand the cable issue. Do you not have the freeplay you want at the lever? Or is the clutch slipping?

Or are you having a trans issue where it's popping out of gear?

[KKiowaTJ]

Sorry, Got lost in a rant lol.

A new clutch cable out of the Honda plastic sleeve is 'supposedly' stretched already. I do have decent slack at the case side, But its set where the old stretched one was. They never took it off the bracket IMO. But, The arm is in position and engages and disengages 'ok'.

The problem I had, Was when trying to fan or clutch up the front in 3/4th gear, It started slipping/high rpm's and slush with no bite. Sometimes it would grab, But I stopped fanning and using it and had no problems.

New clutch, Its either in gear rolling or will die, No real slipping, Just run up the rpms and dump to get going. But when moving, It seems like it has more bite with no clutch and I only tried it a couple times and no tranny/slip problem.

I have never had this problem on any other clutch I have done, Bike or quad. Cable or engage/disengage. Ill try and snap a pic.

[rooster300ex]

Turn the stock lug nuts around for flat. I also use washers

If you turn you lug nuts around, for sure use washers or the lung nuts will gouge in to your brand new shiny rims.

[CJM]

It sounds to me like they didnt assemble the clutch right. Or perhaps they put the wrong oil in. Clutch is a super easy thing to do, its possible they over tightened the pressure plate bolts (literally hand tight is correct), or put the clutch together wrong. Time to take it apart. Maybeif your careful you can reuse the gasket.

[KKiowaTJ]

That's the only thing I can do, Take it apart and reassemble it. I took them everything needed, Honda oil/filter, OEM cover gasket, clutch kit etc. I pushed it in the garage and shut the door I was so disappointed in the lack of skill I thought would be the best course.

Oh well, Cant dwell on it forever, I wanna ride lol. Ill give it another ride/chance today and see if I was in a hurry, Rider error etc when I took it for a spin. Hopefully its like a few friends told me, Just a new, Stiff clutch/springs and old was 'ok', Just not you're 'ok'. I do tend to get anal and perfection at minimum on some things. Ill take it out after bit and see what happens.

I took and cropped pic's, But still to big, So ill try and get something to work then too. Thanks for the help so far

[MtnEX]

Something BE WRONG.

My 400EX will take off from a dead standstill in 1st gear just by letting the clutch lever out slowly. And it is HARD to stall the thing down no matter what I do once riding. It's like a tractor.

As far as the cable and the freeplay slack adjustment I have never paid much attention, but most machines have a mass adjust down at the engine lever and a freeplay adjust up at the bars. Most you just set the freeplay to your PREFERENCE pretty much so long as you don't adjust it to where there is none at all, as that can make it ride on the throwout all the time and also start to slip as the clutch wears in.

The freeplay I like at the lever depends on the bike and how I ride it. A 400 I am not real anal about it and will usually run more freeplay because they are so forgiving... motors have a lot of inertia. 450 I am pretty anal. I run just enough to know I have freeplay because I want it to start into slipping pretty fast as I reach for the old lever, because they are not as forgiving... motors have very little inertia.