More 05 free mod ???'s from FNG

[Texas4play]

Anyone?

Elton

What's your elevation and temperature right now??? How does the bike feel: starting, 1/4 throttle, 1/2 throttle, full throttle?

[elton]

What's your elevation and temperature right now??? How does the bike feel: starting, 1/4 throttle, 1/2 throttle, full throttle?

I'm 560 ASL.

Starts great, idles great, throttle response starts slow but builds as the revs go up, from 1/4 to full throttle its awesome.

Thanks,

Elton

[elton]

...Oops forgot the temp: the temp that I have been riding in since getting the bike on 12.26.04 has ranged from 20 to 60 degrees; still acts as described above.

Thanks,

Elton

[Lowedog]

It should be noted that the 05 WR's needle is not adjustable. This makes it necessary to replace it if any mods to the exhaust and airbox are done. I would highly reccomend JD's kit for the simple fact that it's the quickest way to get your jetting dialed in. JD has done all the research for you and his needles are truely unique and unmatched. His needles have a triple taper that combines the best of what 3 standard needles would provide you at differing throttle positions.

Also just blocking off the AIS will not in itself cure any backfiring. What we have found is that even with proper jetting there is still a popping on decel that is directly related to the AIS. By blocking it off the popping is eliminated. So by blocking off the AIS you will be able to jet your bike easier by knowing that a popping on decel is caused by jetting and not that AIS.

Hope this helps ?

Lowedog

[CharlesFP]

I just finished all the free mods, minus the AIS mod, and I am astonished at how powerful the bike is. The only other bike I've ridden that pulls that hard was a 98 KX 500. I'm no wrencher by any stretch,yet I had no trouble with the mods. I almost went the YZ needle/standard jet route myself, but I am glad I used the JD jet kit because it came with nobrainer style instructions and specs, as wells enough jets to ride at any elavation or humidity level. I am still baffled at just how tame the bike was in stock form. Selling the WR 450 that way is like selling a Porshe 911 GT2 that only revs to 3000 rpm!! Does anyone have Dyno results of the WR before and after the mods? That would be very telling. I feel sorry for the poor souls that don't do the mods. The stock WR was only a tad faster than my KLX 300 R.

Also, I would like to know, if anyone can answer, is the AIS mod worth the trouble? Does it add power on top of eliminating popping?

Advice to non-wrenchers: Do the mod, just make sure you have a good assortment of non-standard metric tools and some patience. Use the JD Kit for sure. It has detailed instructions and pics that make the carb work easy as pie. The oil change procedure for the WR 450 is much more difficult than all the mods combined.

[elton]

I just finished all the free mods, minus the AIS mod, and I am astonished at how powerful the bike is...snip

Ditto!

Hey guys, thanks. I've been hesitant since my bike is running so well after doing the primary (4) free mods. However, I'm getting motivated to actually install my Lowedog anti-AIS kit, order the JD kit and give it a shot. I've just been riding it too much to take time to start learning how to wrench it ?

Elton

[elton]

The oil change procedure for the WR 450 is much more difficult than all the mods combined.

Hey, where is a good step by step outline for the oil change procedure?

I've never changed the oil on anything except a Porsche 911 (79, 84, 86, 89). Since all here recommend 300 mile oil changes for the WR; I'm about due, as my dealer did the first.

Elton

[WRookie]

Hey, where is a good step by step outline for the oil change procedure?

Elton

Look in chapter 3 of your manual.

[mtrablue]

some tips on the oil change. warm the motor up. when you do so, most of the oil will be in the frame. remove the drain screw from the front of the frame. be careful. with most of the oil is in the frame, it will come straight out of the drain hole. it'll soak the front tire and garage floor if you don't deflect it with something.

most of us only check/clean the screen in the oil line that's in front of the bike, once a year. make sure your dealer did it at the first oil change. if you do it, it's easier to romove the entire line. loosen the hose clamp so the fitting can rotate in the rubber line and unscrew. unbolt the hard line fitting from the side of the motor and remove as one peice. watch the o-ring.

remove the drain plug from the bottom of the motor. don't worry there won't be alot of oil. most of it was in the frame. the small drain screw down on the side of the motor (it's the small hex head) is in the same catagory as the screen. once a year. to be honest, after i saw how little oil came out, i don't ever mess with it any more.

most of us only change the filter every other oil change. the K&N is a good filter. for oil, not air.

when you refill, only add one quart first. pour it in the hole in the ignition side of the motor with the black plastic filler plug. (i know i don't need to say that but you'd be suprised how many first timers ask) warm the motor up. let it sit for a couple minutes ( i mean two, not half an hour ) and check you level. then you'll know how much of the remaining .2 quarts to add.

[elton]

Thanks for the tips; I do better with "cliff-notes" vs. full text of owner's manuals!

Elton

[WheelsUp]

I'm sensing some confusion on the term "snorkel".

The snorkel refers to the airbox intake tube. It's actually an acoustic baffle, though some believe that it's function is to keep water and mud out of the airbox.

Water and mud aren't an issue.... as removing it only lowers the air intake by about an inch, but it increases the area of the intake by about 50%.

http://www.thumperfaq.com/airbox.htm

The top half of the page shows the '01/'02 WR, which has no battery. You can either remove the entire lid, or cut holes and install filtered Uni vents.

About halfway down you'll find the updates for the E-start models, which shove the battery above the filter.

This is one place where people are drilling rivets and you don't have to. The battery mounting clip is riveted to the airbox. The snorkel is snapped in kinda' under it. If you drill out the rivets, the snorkel just slips free. With a buddy, you can have him gently pull up on the snorkel while you get in there with a small screwdriver and pry the airbox lid/battery clip away from the snorkel (release the battery strap and flip the battery up onto the tank). This will allow it to pop free.

For the exhaust baffle, things changed from '04 to '05.

http://www.thumperfaq.com/baffle.htm

'04 and older had a MUCH larger tailpipe, and the baffle was held in by a setscrew. Remove the setscrew and the plug comes out.

'05 went to a lighter aluminum pipe, but also to a smaller tailpipe. It's bent, so it takes on the appearance of a snorkel, but this is the only thread where I've ever heard it referred to as a snorkel.

Two ways to take care of this. Drill out the two rivets and pull the small insert out and the pipe is still quiet enough to pass a 96db test, or remove the entire tailpipe and reinstall the cone and it will be pretty loud... probably as loud as an unplugged '04 or a stock YZ (106db!) You'll still have the small exit area of the cone, but a little more expansion room behind the spark arrestor will help it flow better.

Personally, if I wanted more than I could get by removing the exhaust baffle, I'd go for an FMF-Q for public lands. For closed tracks, take your pick ?

[elton]

I was going to do a oil change today; since it was raining on my ride day.

But the manual says to replace washer(s) and gaskets(s); do you'all keep such misc. spare parts to do oil changes, etc.?

I'm concerned that many items in the manual show torque lbs all over the place; even the end-cap and silencer for the exhaust free_mod that I did -- hell, I just used hex wrench(s), did not know you could buy a "torque hex wrench". The oil change also has torque lbs all over the place, but does not list torque wrenches needed in the tools section.

Reading the service manual and all the special tools I need makes me wonder about me doing my own maintenance; also, wonder if my dealer did all of the items in the initial service check-list.

The manual says to do oil changes 1,200 miles after the initial 600 mile service -- anyone agree with this? I had my dealer do the initial at 100 miles and most hear say oil changes every 300 miles, filter every 600 miles.

Elton

[jasilva]

, or remove the entire tailpipe and reinstall the cone and it will be pretty loud... probably as loud as an unplugged '04 or a stock YZ (106db!) You'll still have the small exit area of the cone, but a little more expansion room behind the spark arrestor will help it flow better.

Personally, if I wanted more than I could get by removing the exhaust baffle, I'd go for an FMF-Q for public lands. For closed tracks, take your pick ?

Don't bother with just drilling the rivets and removing the inner baffle. Take the entire tailpipe assembly out and leave the SA in place with the cone section over it. Its well under 96db this way. I asked the ranger at Carnegie to check mine with this set up and he said don't bother it's not even close to 96.

Joe

[WheelsUp]

But the manual says to replace washer(s) and gaskets(s); do you'all keep such misc. spare parts to do oil changes, etc.?

I treat it like my car. Inspect and replace as needed. Some say this is not wise for the copper washer, but even the old cracked nylon washer on my '69 Buick never leaked.

For the oil filter housing, same for the O-rings. Buy a set and keep them in the toolbox, but only replace as needed. They'll last a long time.

did not know you could buy a "torque hex wrench".

You can buy 1/4" and 3/8" drive parts that fit a standard ratchet that are fitted with hex ends. No, you can't put a beam wrench on an allen key ?

The oil change also has torque lbs all over the place, but does not list torque wrenches needed in the tools section.

If you have much experience wrenching on aluminum, you'll know when it's right and you'll know when it's too tight. Most of the parts are 7.5 ft/lbs, which you can EASILY overdo with a standard allen key.

The majorly important parts to use a good quality torque wrench on is when you service the valves. The journal caps ARE the bearing surfaces... there is no steel sleeve on the head/cap assembly. Running those over spec will smash the head bosses out of round and hose your engine. A lot of guys suggest going 10 inch/lbs UNDER spec for this job.

wonder if my dealer did all of the items in the initial service check-list.

Probably not ?

The manual says to do oil changes 1,200 miles after the initial 600 mile service -- anyone agree with this? I had my dealer do the initial at 100 miles and most hear say oil changes every 300 miles, filter every 600 miles.

WAAAAY too long. I'm pretty sure my manual calls for 600km (370miles) changes with filter service every-other change. Conventional wisdom is for oil changes every 60-200 miles and filter service every-other oil change.

Ya... 60-200 is quite a range. How hard are you on the bike? If you slip the clutch a lot, then you'll want to change sooner. If you race, you'll want to change after every race.

Ya know... I look at 3000 mile service on a passenger car to be "recreational oil changes" (I run M1-5w30 at 7,500 intervals), but these bikes are high revving, and share the lubrication with the tranny AND clutch. Given that it only costs $20 and 30 minutes to change the oil and filter, I don't see a reason not to change often.

[Beef]

I am pretty familiar with wrenching, but not on stuff that requires highly accurate torque measurements. I already had a foot-lbs torque wrench, but I just went down to Harbor Freight, and bought a 1/4" drive, inch-lbs torque wrench for about $20. It probably isn't as accurate as a $150 wrench, but I can pretty much guarantee it will be more accurate than my hand alone. ?

In my experience, even more important than exact factory-spec torque measurements, is SYMETRIC torque measurements. Whether it be putting the lug-nuts on a wheel, or wrenching down your head bolts, having all bolts tightened down evenly is the most important thing. So even if I am off by 3-4 inch pounds, as long as I am off by the same 3-4 inch pounds on all the bolts, everything should be fine.

As for oil changes, I agree on changing it sooner. My rule of thumb is for average riding, change the oil every 10 hours, filter every other change. Hard riding, every 5 hours and inspect the filter, changing if needed. I don't go by miles, 'cause sometimes I ride harder when I go slower, and easier when I go faster.

I did a bunch of research into different kinds of oil, and ended up settling on Shell Rotella-T Synthetic. It is every bit as good as Mobile-1, and less than half the price. Neither are quite as good as Amsoil, but are WAY better than conventional oils. I can do a regular oil change for about $4, and $9 with a filter. $20 is rediculus.

[Rip Wheeler]

I purchased a Matco flex head 1/4" drive clicker type torque wrench in "inch lbs" just for working on motorcylces and keep it here at home. Pricey though at $210

http://www.matcotools.com/Catalog/toolcatalog.jsp?cattype=T&cat=2108&page=1舊

[WheelsUp]

Ya, the Matco at $210 or the Proto at $140 are really your best bets.

I've got a $20 Autozone 1/2" drive, as well as a large Husky 3/8" drive ($50) and short Craftsman 3/8" drive in inch-pounds ($75). I'll trust the Craftsman for valves, but the only thing I trust the $20 one for is lug nuts... if they're not right ON 80lbs it's not the end of the world, but if they're uneven it can warp rotors. I don't trust $20 torque wrenches for anything that has to be within 10%

Another thing to be careful of when changing the oil is that the threads will generally be VERY well lubricated. When in doubt, go a little under spec.

[elton]

Wow. All of this info is raising more questions. I'm used to 70's era 2-strokes and nil maint. -- this is stressing me out.

Do the other bikes listed require the WR's maint. schedule?

Regarding the oil to use: my dealer hard-sold me that motor-cycle oil should be used for the tranny additives -- that Honda oil was best, would make the WR shift better (?).

I have only the oil; thus don't want to do a oil change unless I have the replacement washers, o-rings, filter, etc. -- thus can't do it today.

I had no idea I needed to torque-wrench anything, thought I was set with this from Wal-Mart:

http://www.stanleytools.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=HT+MECH+SETS&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=89-806&SDesc=151pc+Professional+Grade%26%23153%3B+Mechanics+Tool+Set

My WR has 265 (hard) miles on it; my dealer "allegedly" did all on the initial service @ 100 miles along with my kid's bikes -- but he could not have done all since he did not charge me for a spark plug as he did with the kids bikes.

The oil on the dipstick looks clean/new -- I'm going to ride, worry about maint. next weekend ?

Elton

[WheelsUp]

I was surprised. At 130 miles, the oil on the dipstick looked brand new. When I drained it, it looked like hot coco.

The 60-200 mile maint interval is more preventative than anything. The problem is, we have a 30 day warranty, so if we follow Yamaha's directions and the engine blows up, it's our dime. The tradeoff to more frequent oil changes is, like Wrooster's experience, 4000 miles and he's just now had to shim his valves.

The topic of oil has been beaten to death. TT members have been beaten to death over it. At any given time, we have at least 3 or 4 "which oil should I use" threads going... I finally created a poll "Which oil do you use" and requested that it remain polite. Surprisingly, it has, and there's some good information there, but the software limits options to 15, so about 25% of the responses are "other".

My personal opinion, Mobil-1 Delvac or Truck and SUV. It's a 5w-40, so it's a little lighter than a 10w40 but still good to better than 100 degrees.

For a 10w40, Mobil-1 MX4T.

One of the more popular oils is Mobil-1 RedCap 15w50, but IMHO, it's a little thick, though about 20% of responses to my poll indicate that is what they use.

Cost? Motorcycle shop wants $4.99 for Yamalube 4. They want $7.99 for Yamalube 4R (semi-synthetic), and they want $9.99 for MX4T.

Wal-Mart wants $4.81 for redcap or Truck & SUV, or $6.95 for MX4T.

The most important factor is to never ever ever use an oil tagged as "Energy Conserving". These oils are friction modified and will cause clutch slippage problems.

Ya... I like synthetics, and since our bikes only use 3 quarts for two oil changes, it's not as costly as running synth in a car. Yes, my Tundra get's 7 quarts of M1 5w-30 every 7500 miles ?

As far as the Honda oils, I'm sure they are good, but they really are probably the same as Yamalube. Motorcycle builders don't make oil. They buy it from one of the oil companies and mark it up. The Honda air filter service kit is a NoToil kit with different paint and costs $2 more. Be careful with Honda, as the trans/clutch and crankcase are separate. Friction-modified (EC) oils are acceptable in the crankcase, but never in the trans/clutch.

Really and for truly, you're going to find that your WR450F is going to be WAY more reliable than the old 2-strokes. My buddy always wants to keep a spark plug handy, but everything I've read indicates that they don't just suddenly foul the plug and leave you 20 miles from camp. You don't have to premix your fuel... just dump in a can of premium and you're good to go.

CHECK the valves soon after break-in, but if you take care of the engine and stay off of the rev limiter, they'll last forever.

I keep my service manual in my truck and any time I have a few free moments on a job site I'm scanning it.

[WheelsUp]

I had no idea I needed to torque-wrench anything, thought I was set with this from Wal-Mart:

http://www.stanleytools.com/default.asp?CATEGORY=HT+MECH+SETS&TYPE=PRODUCT&PARTNUMBER=89-806&SDesc=151pc+Professional+Grade%26%23153%3B+Mechanics+Tool+Set

That is a VERY nice set, and a good torque wrench will top it off well.

You'll also need a complete set of allen keys, though a set ranging from 2mm to 6mm will probably do the job (most I've encountered have been 3, 3.5, 4, and I think a 5). Again, I would get the 3/8" drive allen set that can be used on the torque wrench if you're concerned about oil filter service.

A couple of sockets you'll also need... you'll need a 22mm for the front axle nut and a 27mm for the rear axle nut. The steering head is 30mm (90ft/lbs), and the front sprocket is 24mm. The swingarm and linkage take 22mm and 19mm (I think you have a 19 in your set).

Sear sells a nice set that goes from 19 up to 27, leaving you only needing a 30 to complete the set, but if you aren't near Sears, then you need 22, 24, 27, and 30.

I use deep sockets since they are more versatile and you can get a hand on them to help stabilize the connection.