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1998 XR400R
Engine/Intake/Exhaust Mods
First, a pipe and a rejet is in order on these
bikes. I went with the Big Gun exhaust and a 60 pilot 162 main. In
addition, I punched up the intake with a K&N air filter. It isn't a race
bike, but I have tons of torque and plenty of speed now. Also, starting
is MUCH improved along with throttle response.
Suspension Mods
Next up on the mods list is the suspension.
I am a really big guy (280 lbs) so I needed a beefy suspension. The rear
has always been fine for me. I just notched it up a bit. The front
however is set for a 150lb novice rider. Rather than redoing the
front with a race suspension I thought I would throw in some new heavy duty
springs. I went with the biggest I could find at .48. The ride can
be a bit rough in the small bumps, but 99% of the time I don't even notice it.
A properly tuned front would eliminate this, but it isn't even remotely
problematic enough to make me shell out a couple hundred bucks to fix.
Comfort Mods
I made three HUGE changes to the bike and would
do them again in a heartbeat. First, was the replacement of the stock
seat and tank. I used the A Loop kit which uses the CR seat and tank I
believe. At any rate, I can finally get my weight up on the gas tank.
My riding distance was cut a bit since I lost about a gallon out of the tank,
but I generally ride trails so and extra leg stretch trip back to the car
isn't a real problem. The second change was handlebar risers.
HUGE... HUGE... HUGE... improvement! I am tall and long legged so I was
constantly banging my knees on the handlebars when cornering. Lifting
the bars up and away from my body just made the ride all around easier on my
body. The final mod was the handlebars themselves. I went with a
swept set of Renthals. I love these handlebars and would highly
recommend them to anyone.
Safety Mods
There were really only two and both I consider
requirements in some form. First, was a Baja Designs bash plate.
If you are going to ride trails, this is a requirement. Second, Acerbis
rally guards were installed. I have busted my hands too many times in
the past not wearing these. Never again I say. A few people ride
with their hands way out towards the end of the handlebars thus rub their
hands on the edges. However, us "normal" people don't even notice they
are there.
Look Enhancement
Normally I could care less how a dirt bike
looks. However, after installing the A Loop seat and tank I round myself
with a white bike using a black tank and seat. It was freaky looking
so I found some Acerbis black plastic. After installing some Acerbis
black plastic, it turned out looking great. I get a lot of compliments
on the bike now. Even more people asking what it is. I just grin.
XR400R Other Mods
Other Mods
There are a couple of other mods that have been
done to the bike that I really love. The first is the MSR tool pack.
Is basically a two piece leather kit that sits on the back fender just behind
the seat. It velcros to the base which is bolted on. A strap
on the base is then wrapped around it so it won't fly open. The kit
contains an extra plug, Robogrip pliers, MSR all-in-one toolkit (very trick
with most metric wrenches and all kinds of screwdrivers), allen wrench keys,
Leatherman utility pliers (Swiss army knife of the plier world), and an XR400
plug remover. Next up is the Panoram bike computer. This gives me
a trip meter and speedometer in addition to a host of niceties such as a lap
timer and clock.
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