Honda XR400: Gordon’s mods, frame repair, starting procedure and ride along

quick first ride and walk around of my 1998 XR400 that I've owned since 1999. I run down the modifications and repairs I've done and show the starting procedure I use to help people out that might be struggling to start an old XR.
Gordon’s Mods (this site is not mine. Just linking to it): mydirtbike.com/gordon-mods

[@jamesbramblett3346]

Honda xr’s are legendary. I have a 99 Xr400 converted to e start (trx400 parts)

[@ClassXIRoads]

Thanks for the time it takes to edit and post these viedos. I absolutely love the XR400R platform. I had 4 of them (96,98,2000 and 2002) all at the same time, all one kick starters, got all of them for cheap from guys that said they wouldn't start at all or very hard to start. I rode the 96 and kept the others ready to go for friends to come along to drag my sorry ass back to my wife if i crashed. LOL. I would tell everyone that i let ride them THE PROCEDURE for one kick start, same as you did compression release in a few kicks though to clear it out, let go of compression release and bring it up to hard TDC, kicker back to top and give one good kick, lights off every time. Stopped riding 2 years ago I'm 68 and just can't do it any more. Got tons of clips on youtube from when I did.

[@Garage2Trail]

Thanks! I’m having a good time making them too so it doesn’t feel like “work”. Plus I get to spend time riding and wrenching!

[@derekmoore1612]

Still have any to sell😆

[@ClassXIRoads]

@@derekmoore1612 Sorry, None left they went like hotcakes when I put them on the market.

[@doccops]

Nice one, I'm going to have to watch some more of your vids I think ;) Had a XR4, two XR650R's and now running two old DR350's alongside a KTM500. Love the old bikes..

[@Garage2Trail]

Thanks! I still have my two XR400s and the 650R. I’ll never sell them.

[@steviedee71]

Your buddy did an amazing job on the frame that’s awesome, I wish I had a buddy like that, I had an old Yamaha banshee frame that rotted out. XR sweet cool you kept it for 20 years 🤙

[@Garage2Trail]

Thanks, yes I am very lucky. I always let him ride it when he comes into town 😀

[@edjacobson8480]

Love my 1997 Honda XR 400 because it wheelies easy, starts easy, goes through deep sand without crashing.

[@Garage2Trail]

It’s one of the most versatile and simple dirt bikes ever made for sure.

[@trevorjameson3213]

Very nice. It's always great to see someone who has kept their bike for so long. I had an '02 XR400R and a '99 XR250R for many years. They were both great bikes and completely trouble-free for all the years I had them. They were both awesome and I could never choose a favorite because they each were great in different situations, the 250 was incredible in the woods and tight single track, and the 400 was awesome in Colorado because the higher displacement provided more power at altitude and more speed in the open terrain and fire roads up there. .

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you! I can’t ever see myself selling it. It’s been on so many rides and adventures I’m sentimentally attached to it. Have been for a while now lol. Friend of mine had a 99 XR250 as well and he eventually put the 280 kit in it making it quite possibly the ultimate woods bike in the early 2000s.

[@jeschreindl]

Love the old XRs always wanted one. Fun too how long you’ve had that one.

[@CreekLifeTV]

After watching the rest of the video, this looks just like our farm, from the woods to the tree carving...damn near thought you were trespassin!!! haha

[@Garage2Trail]

Haha I would never trespass….and film it ;-)

[@ambikesandboards]

I'm new to the xr platform and I love it so far. Amazing bikes thanks for sharing

[@Garage2Trail]

Welcome! I still have both of my 400s and a 650R even with a “modern” bike in the stable. I’ll never sell them! Great timeless bikes.

[@brantleygarrett7076]

awesome! love the vid! Been riding my 2004 since I bought it new. Still tough as ever and great fun to ride. She's always been garage kept and in beautiful condition. It would break my heart to ever have to sell it.

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you! Keep her…I know I’ll be holding on to mine! It’s my “go-to” bike for sure. Has never let me down.

[@jspreparednessandself-reli4856]

Great video buddy ! I have the same bike , haven’t had mine but about a year I didn’t know anything about the Gordon mods! Thanks

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you! It’s been a great bike and with a few tweaks like that it makes it even better. I highly recommend doing those mods and if you have any questions feel free to reach out!

[@buddywilson104]

Great bikes. I own two. A 99' and an 01'. I raced the 99' in a GP a few months ago and won my class. Awesome reliable bikes. Honda never should have stopped building these. Would be nice with e-start I have to admit. Thanks for the video.

[@Garage2Trail]

Nice! Way to represent the XR! They really shouldn’t have stopped. I feel Honda lost their ear a bit during the mid 2000s focusing on just motocross bikes. They could sell a ton of these bikes again if they just equip them with e-start and maybe upgrade the forks. That’s all they’d have to do!

[@Mgizler1]

Another great video man. We are about the same age judging by you being 19 in 1999. I would have been 18, and I have wanted one of these bikes since then. I waited until last year at 40 when I finally picked one up. It’s been a bit of a basket case, but I love it. 25 years of two strokes abs I finally on my dream bike. Definitely need to meet up and ride. We are right in each other’s back yards. Absolutely loving the content!!

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you! Seems my XR400 and XR650R videos are getting the most attention. There will be more! Where did you say you were located again? I live in the north hills and the trails I grew up on are still mostly intact but we use our dual sports to jump from trail to trail. There is still a few spots where you might be able to park and ride though. The vids on this bike have been on a small chunk of woods where I grew up riding. Maybe we could come out your way if you have trails you know of and then figure out how to show you the stuff out here

[@Mgizler1]

@@Garage2Trail I am in Washington Township. Right next to plum and murrysville. There’s some riding out here. I need to do some recon and see if it is still open and available. It’s been a little while since I’ve been out there because the bike was down.

[@jamiebra92]

Glad you were able to save her i just bought a 96 xr400 earlier this year for $2k aud rear wheel was shagged so i i bought a set of talon excels was well worth it i love riding this xr400 The swiss army knife of dirtbike's Good at everything great at nothing 🤙.

[@CreekLifeTV]

love the video and the Scott Summers parts! ride on!

[@Garage2Trail]

Scott Summers was/is my idol!

[@CreekLifeTV]

@@Garage2Trail totally agree, when I was a kid and raced GNCC I would watch him use trees for berms

[@tieoneon1614]

XR's, KDX, KLX-R's....back when Japan care about trail bikes. I wish I never sold my KLX300r Stroker.

[@Garage2Trail]

You got that right! Now it’s all about modeling every dirt bike off of the motocross version.

[@tieoneon1614]

@@Garage2Trail Kayo and GPX {USA Motor Toys, but are China based} actually have great trail bikes affordable. Iv got one currently. They got an air cooled bike thats closest to the modern XR.

[@Garage2Trail]

@@tieoneon1614 oh wow I’ve never even heard of them. I think part of the problem is so many places have been either developed or shut down to ride putting less focus on the classic “woods bike” model.

[@OldDirtBikes]

Love this vid thanks for sharing. Theres just something special about having a bike this long and from nearly new, life changes so much in that much time but the bike remains the same and reminds us of younger days as always looking back theses always seems better times well in my experience. Will definitely do these gorden mods to mine . Any advice on jetting thinking of going 62 pilot and 162 main . Ordered a carb rebuild kit ready as soon as it arrives will be sorting it . Just finished my resto but it dose seem under powered 😢 . Great vids 👍👍👍

[@Garage2Trail]

I agree 100%! The memories of epic rides, races, wrecks and places I’ve been on this bike live in my mind every time I ride it or even just look at it. As for the jetting I’m using the 160 main and 60 pilot in my 2001 which still has the stock carb. This 98 however has a Mikuni pumper carb on it though. Here’s a link to the full and detailed “Gordon Mods” for your reference. www.thumpertalk.com/forums/topic/37397-gordons-mods-for-xr400/ Good luck and keep me posted on how you make out or have any questions!

[@fernandodavidpoma7891]

great video!!!! thanks for sharing it. Just keep this 400r whith You..never sell it! I have a '00 XR250R(The red one) and a '99 Kawasaki KLX300r with me..i consider them both the Best ever dirty bikes ever Made..we are in 2022 and never a problem! just normal mantainance. Congrats again for this 400r man!!!! beautiful

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you! Oh believe me, I’ll never sell it. I also have the plated 2001 XR400 that I won’t be selling as well. My favorite bike regardless of the outdated tech. It just always works and works well for me!

[@fernandodavidpoma7891]

@@Garage2Trail 👍🇯🇵❤️💪💪💪💪💪💪

[@IAT682]

I have a 1997 xr400 and its the best bike for me

[@Garage2Trail]

I’ll never sell mine and still ride it to this day even with a modern lightweight 2 stroke Beta enduro in my stable. The XR is a special bike.

[@paxtonspeed]

Cool bike

[@Garage2Trail]

Thanks! It’s probably my all time favorite bike.

[@frankiemarchese2978]

Nice! Just got a 2003 xr400r, previous owner did all of the mods except for getting rid of the header welds. Im going to leave them. Jetting is 62/160. Starts easy, no hesitation, it rips. Gearing is 13/47, too short. Im going to get a 14t up front. I think I will like that, if not ill bump to 15t

[@Garage2Trail]

Enjoy it! These are great bikes. I’ll never sell mine

[@ButtSnorkler9000]

I have the same setup with a race tech shock, definitely wanna upgrade the forks I’ll have to try a fork brace for now though

[@Garage2Trail]

How do you like the race techs?

[@ButtSnorkler9000]

@@Garage2Trail it’s awesome! More smooth in high speed whoops than my ktm as long as I keep the front wheel up

[@Garage2Trail]

@@ButtSnorkler9000 wow that’s cool. My 400s (and XRs in general) never liked whooped out spots. I may have to give them a try! Thanks for the heads up

[@JeffsLittleEngineService]

righton thanksman

[@1991enduro]

glad u mentioned the mikuni pumper carb ive ordered one but its for my 96 xr250r its coming from mikuni oz so australia i cant wait and i think my top dead centre has gone you know the hack to starting it i cant find that sweet spot ??im going to take off the auto decompression lever and see how that pans out hopefully sub rocers and top end r all good these bikes are bomb proof mine was jetted terribly and run ok and run all day lol

[@Garage2Trail]

I usually get the kicker to where it’s harder to push down from the top but just nudge It down slowly until it “clicks” (hard to explain). That’s TDC. Then I let the kicker go back to the top and give it one big kick from there.

[@iainlynch2909]

Thanks for running though all these aspects that making owning the XR so much more fun. Do you think it worth sealing the inside of the frame with wax as is commonly done on cars/trucks? That may prevent the corrosion coming back if the drain holes get clogged again.

[@Garage2Trail]

I COMPLETELY forgot to mention that in the video! I’ll have to bring that up in another one. I actually did fill the frame up with “fluid film” aerosol lube after it was all fixed up. Thanks for the reminder!

[@1176hambone]

@@Garage2Trail I read that for Aircraft they chemically de-rust and then treat with Boiled linseed oil.

[@Garage2Trail]

@@1176hambone I think I read something about that on a forum somewhere too. Thanks for sharing!

[@brianbennett6978]

Got the same bike. Pushed it in the out building 10 years ago and forgot about it. To hard to start. Thinking about pulling it back out and see if I can get it running.

[@Garage2Trail]

The fuel system will definitely need cleaned if it’s been that long. It can even be tough if it’s been sitting a few months sometimes. You really should get it going though…once you do they are easy to maintain.

[@brianbennett6978]

@@Garage2Trail started with a SL 175. Went to a xr200r. Then got the 400 and had it maybe a year. Never left the yard. Parked it and got a KLR 650.

[@brianbennett6978]

@@Garage2Trail where u at. Looks like wv. I’m in wv.

[@Garage2Trail]

@@brianbennett6978 I had an ‘87 XR200 as my first “bigger” bike in ‘96. Great bikes.

[@Garage2Trail]

@@brianbennett6978 close..this video is from PA. Just a bit north of Pittsburgh.

[@1982travm]

What part of the country is that? Nice 400 btw.. I'm working on bringing back my 97 now.

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you! This is near Pittsburgh PA. What all do you need to do on yours?

[@SNxr400r]

A lot of good information here..thanks for sharing...I just upgraded my Stator to 200 watts and got a new CDI box so my electrical is in good shape...What gearing are you using? My bike came with a 16 front and stock rear....

[@Garage2Trail]

Thanks for watching! I’m running 14 front and stock on the rear (I think 45) on this bike. This one is used for straight up tight woods and technical stuff so top end speed isn’t important. It makes 2nd gear perfect for night stuff and nasty climbs. Enough speed but has more grunt. On my dual sport 400 I kept the stock gearing (15 front, 45 rear) so it handles the backroads better. What’s the 16 front like and what kind of riding do you do?

[@SNxr400r]

@@Garage2Trail Thanks for a quick reply, really enjoy your channel....I just got this bike last July...I've been doing upgrades... Had to clean and rebuild the carb..it was NASTY, then replaced the stator with a 200watt...so one leg does the dual sport lights (The bike is street legal) the other leg runs my GPS and future LED front light. Replaced the coil and CDI box...So everything in the electrical department is all good. I rode xr400r years ago with a 14/45 gearing...but this is the first one I have seen with a 16 front...my guess is the old owner wanted more speed on the road... Anyways..I have 14,15, and 16 front sprockets and will probably go either stock15 or 14. I'm an old fart these days and don't even bother with the real Gnarly shit anymore...I do a lot of motor camping and usually run a lot of gravel dirt roads...here in NC. These bikes are great for trail riding.....;-)

[@Garage2Trail]

@@SNxr400r I really appreciate that! Glad to know my channel is actually entertaining lol. That’s some good info with the stator change because the stock headlight is worthless back in the woods at night. I’ve given some thought to upgrading the stator like you did so I could get modern lighting on it. At least on my 2001 XR400 which I use for dual sport riding. I should do a quick little video on that bike too comparing the differences. What brand stator did you go with and was it pretty much plug and play?

[@SNxr400r]

@@Garage2Trail I got the 200watt stator from Ricky Stator. It's a good QUALITY part and you can call them and ask any questions about upgrades any any other electrical info. It is very easy to remove the stock one and add theirs. I'm running 2 regulators/Rectifiers as one handles the dual sport lights and the other 100 watts runs my GPS and maybe some future LED lights. I have two small Lithium battery's under the seat, which get charged when you are riding the bike. My bike has a Baja Designs dual sport kit...but they are no longer available...Tusk is the only MFG. that I know of that makes a dual sport kit for the XR400r. These are "OLD SCHOOL" bikes...but I like em.

[@derekmoore1612]

I am stuck between getting an XR-R and upgrading for street legal, or getting an XR-L and eliminating some stuff for weight reduction. I really want the R because I will be doing most of my time off road: probably 90/10. Just not sure if it's worth it. Wish that I could physically compare the 2. I was looking at the 600R or 650L for the torque and road worthy speeds without revving high. I like to cruise, not rip and tear. I'll have to look into that stator and other things for the road and see if I should get an R.

[@zachelmer9210]

What did you end up doing to fix the skid plate rattling? I’m having the same issue

[@Garage2Trail]

Originally I had put rubber trips around the frame tubes but I would advise against this because it caused my to rust years ago which has since been repaired. I just used a couple washers on the mount bolts to tighten it down a bit more now though.

[@wesb8217]

Is there any way to lower the bike without messing up the suspension. I have a 1997. And it's to tall to be comfortable on it.

[@Garage2Trail]

The only way I know is the suspension lower link and dropping the forks just a couple millimeters in the triple clamps. Some people go as far as to shave the seat foam down a bit too.

[@adildewji]

Awesome video. Thank you. (Your voice was very muffled in the helmet)

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you! Yeah, I gotta get some kind of mic in the helmet to help that.

[@martinfarrell5778]

I want one....

[@Garage2Trail]

It’s one of the best woods bikes ever made in my opinion.

[@Itsjake908]

Did the XR400 come with a street legal title from the factory just like the 650L?

[@Garage2Trail]

No it does not. I ended up doing the “Vermont trick” to get it registered/plated and insured.

[@Itsjake908]

@@Garage2Trail oh I heard of that… I guess that can work for any dirtbike, correct? I always thought it would be cool to have a little 150R/F street legal

[@Garage2Trail]

I think the requirements are it has to be older than 15 years and be 400cc or less.

[@paulgortmaker]

I know @@Garage2Trail knows this -- but given that there is a wide audience here, It depended on the country. In Europe and Australia, you could jump on and blaze down the road. But in the USA and Canada, you had to jump through hoops and add dual-sport kits for horn/turn-signals/hi-lo and do title conversions. Varied state by state or (Canada) province by province.

[@Garage2Trail]

Yup, I think some euro bikes came with street legal versions if I remember correctly

[@rhiekel]

Nice !! One quick question. I have a 2001 xr400 with the mikuni carb from XRs only. Also has the fmf pipe and header system. Cold starts fine. Hot, nearly impossible. The carb comes with some extra jets. Did you change the jetting on your bike ? In fact, it is so hard to start hot I am considering just getting rid of the bike. Too embarrassing to be trying to start it hot while all my buddies are waiting in riding gear.... Would be sad to do that, because when it finally starts, it runs like a raped ape. Instant wheelies, and loads of low end power. Anyway would appreciate any insight....

[@Garage2Trail]

Thanks! I can’t say I’ve had to do any tuning with the pumper carb since my intake and exhaust mods are very mild. I just slapped it on and went with the stock settings. I will say there are times when it’s hard to fire if I drop it but doing the procedure of getting it at TDC after a couple primer kicks with the decomp lever like in the vid usually works. Have you checked your valves recently? Might just be out of spec when hot causing your problems.

[@jaimearturoquinonez6100]

Willing to sell me the fork brace ? 😅😅😅

[@Garage2Trail]

Lol those summers racing components are rare as hens teeth. I’m always looking for another brace for my other 400.

[@brycemooreguitar]

Funny you paid 4 grand for it almost brand new i paid 3500 for mine last year🤣 totally worth it still

[@Garage2Trail]

Crazy how well they hold their value! That was 1999 when I paid that.

[@dg8676]

You had 4k at the age of 19 😂😂 must be nice being rich

[@Garage2Trail]

Nahh just irresponsible with money lol

[@alexhaywood326]

Am I the only one that noticed that he’s had most of these parts put on before the bike was even made? He has 14 year old bike and put parts on there 20 years ago. Haha

[@Garage2Trail]

This bike is 24 years old and the parts have been on there for 22 years. I’ve owned this one since 1999. 2nd owner.