XR400 maintenance: Part 2 Changing fork oil with fluid capacity and torque specs (in description)

[@thereadinesschannel7610]

I’m in the process of this very thing on my old 400…..I’m old moto racer from 80s and I still love this machine over any bike I’ve owned. I can ride this slow bike pretty fast vs a fast bike slow. Getting harder to find parts for her though …man I do wish Honda would bring this bike back with few minimal upgrades and a reasonable price tag. I think motorcycle sales would get better if the factories would realize that.

[@Garage2Trail]

That’s awesome! I think you are 100% correct. If they sold these again with some slight upgrades at a price under or around 5k, they sell like hotcakes.

[@richards7073]

Motorcycle maintenance is so relaxing to watch, art form

[@Garage2Trail]

I agree…it’s relaxing to do as well. Kinda like doing a jigsaw puzzle and being able to sit back and admire it when done

[@jeschreindl]

Definitely looked like it was due. Nice work giving it some love 👍🏻

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you! I think this was the factory fill. I just got this bike recently and when I picked it up the guy just took the stock tires off!

[@jeschreindl]

@@Garage2Trail oh wow that’s crazy!

[@Essiee261]

Thanks

[@sirjolly81]

great video. Im about to tackle this on a friends bike. Simple forks are great. Done a few Open chamber forks and 1 showa twin chamber. not a fan of those. when i did my yamaha xt660 forks i bought the cheapest oil to flush the forks first. Clear out the contaminated old oil.

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you! Good idea with flushing out the forks

[@Захреныч]

Спасибо. Очень радует когда человек хорошо следит за своим конём )

[@stuartmetcalfe547]

Hi. Great video. I was riding my 2000 XR400 around Devon this weekend and the front end was bouncing around over rocks and wouldn't let me pick a line. Guess fork oil change is my first step...don't think its been done in 5000 miles from new and 23 years. Shame on me.....😢

[@Garage2Trail]

Thanks you! Yeah you are probably due lol…easy thing to forget about though. Especially with these bikes and the low maintenance they ask for!

[@Fieldyfan94]

@@Garage2Trailhey I’ve been thinking about doing this on my 85 xr600r I’ve never done this before is there anything I should know?

[@eliodedominicis100]

hello. how are you. I am from Argentina. How much oil does each suspension take? Thank you

[@Garage2Trail]

Hello there! I would recommend measuring the level from the top with a homemade dipstick like I made in the video because it’s tough to get every last drop of oil out unless you completely disassemble them. If your bike is a ‘96 or ‘97 model, it says the oil should be 100mm (3.9in) from the top. If it’s a ‘97 or later, it should be 116mm (4.6in) from the top.

[@mattplant7342]

GREAT VIDEO

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you Matt!

[@mattplant7342]

@@Garage2Trail I have just bought an XR400R so this will come in handy!

[@alcomoto]

Thank you for the video! Are those custom turn signal brackets that mount to the triple clamp? I would like to do something similar to mine

[@Garage2Trail]

Thanks for watching! Those are all included in the Tusk dual sport kit. I got mine off rockymountainatvmc.com and they work great for my application. Not a full on road bike but enough to get from trail to trail.

[@alcomoto]

Awesome thank you!

[@TMG1994]

What kind of speedometer/odometer is on your XR400?

[@Garage2Trail]

It was a cheap eBay mph speedo that I found a couple years ago. The Baja designs one is no longer in production or I would have gotten one of those. I have one of those on my 650R and it’s better quality than the one on my 400

[@TMG1994]

@@Garage2Trail good to know. Were you able to use the factory cable?

[@Garage2Trail]

Yup it fit right up!

[@seanhazzard1647]

Great video! I have the same front suspension on a project bike (not Honda) but not sure what the adjustments should be. How many turns in or out on the screw on top. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

[@Garage2Trail]

Thank you Sean! I would start by going full in and counting the clicks to full out and starting in the middle. From there I would fine tune to suit your riding style. That’s what I did. Feel the extremes of both ends of the adjustment and find the sweet spot.

[@christopherfleming5409]

Question: I followed this video last year for a fork oil change and it’s great. Since then I bought stiffer springs. Would I be able to leave the forks on the bike and swap springs?

[@Garage2Trail]

I don’t see why not. Try to lift the front end off the ground and loosen the fork caps. Should be able to lift the springs out then.

[@christopherfleming5409]

@@Garage2Trail no luck on keeping them on. Just went ahead and yanked one of them tonight and I’ll do the other tomorrow. Couldn’t get a wrench on the tub to loosen the cap.

[@Garage2Trail]

Did you try loosening the top pinch bolt on the triple tree? Or did you mean you couldn’t get a straight shot with a socket?

[@christopherfleming5409]

@@Garage2Trail I couldn’t get a wrench on the Rod lock nut because I couldn’t lower the fork tube. Just a tough angle.

[@christopherfleming5409]

@@Garage2Trail One more question: I have the manual but can’t locate any torque specs on the pinch bolts. I went ahead and and torqued them to 20 ft/lb. Any thoughts on that?

[@cristianstanleymunozsoto5597]

You have part 3? For xr 400

[@Garage2Trail]

Hello, I have a couple other wrenching vids on the 400 here in this playlist: XR400 videos kzbin.info/aero/PLiThBUYGGNyl7dzo7El25eHpx9-_ZwYvx Is there something you were looking for on it?

[@emfelling8384]

how do you like your xr400, I'm thinking of buying one, I ride trails road and sometimes a cornfield or two

[@Garage2Trail]

I love this bike. So much so that I bought a second one to put a dual sport kit on. My ‘98 (not in this video) has been on the original top end since new. Never uses oil and doesn’t smoke. Just change the oil regularly and keep the filter clean and it’s never given me any trouble. Not the fastest bike on the top end but down low and midrange it’s got a ton of torque and pulling power. This 2001 is also on the original top end as far as I can tell. I just picked it up a few years ago and the owner basically rode it in fields. You can’t go wrong with one of these bikes unless you are a desert or motocross rider.

[@emfelling8384]

@@Garage2Trail great thanks, I think I will for sure go with one, they seem like a great bike

[@Garage2Trail]

Yup definitely a cult following with them now. If you have any questions while you are looking feel free to ask!

[@emfelling8384]

@@Garage2Trail ok thanks!

[@guypeyton7355]

What tool was being used to hold the fork while you were loosening lock not, and pumping cylinder to remove air?