Just bought '05 WR450. Need advice.

[EagleMark]

I just bought an '05 WR450 with 280 miles on it (still has the original tire). I am coming from a '86 TT600 and let me just say when I got on the 450, I could NOT believe the speed and power!

The only mods that have been done to it that I know of is the gray wire has been cut, and the throttle stop taken out. The exhaust has been replaced with a White Brothers E2.

I am getting back into riding after many years (my son is 10 and has an XR80), so I know I can't expect to ride like I used to. I grew up climbing hills. It is what I love the most, so I am looking forward to finding some great places to ride in Alabama.

Now for the questions:

What other mods should I do before I take it to the trails in a couple of weeks?

The E2 doesn't have the spark arrestor and is very loud. How can I make it quiet? I put the factory tailpipe back on for now.

I noticed the link to ThumperFaq but that is for the WR250. Do the same mods apply to the WR450?

Finally (and most importantly), I am 5'8", so the bike is a little tall for me. Where can I find detailed instructions on lowering it a little bit?

Thanks. Hope everyone is patient with the newbie questions that will come your way.

[tomo wr]

I just bought an '05 WR450 with 280 miles on it (still has the original tire). I am coming from a '86 TT600 and let me just say when I got on the 450, I could NOT believe the speed and power!

The only mods that have been done to it that I know of is the gray wire has been cut, and the throttle stop taken out. The exhaust has been replaced with a White Brothers E2.

I am getting back into riding after many years (my son is 10 and has an XR80), so I know I can't expect to ride like I used to. I grew up climbing hills. It is what I love the most, so I am looking forward to finding some great places to ride in Alabama.

Now for the questions:

What other mods should I do before I take it to the trails in a couple of weeks?

The E2 doesn't have the spark arrestor and is very loud. How can I make it quiet? I put the factory tailpipe back on for now.

I noticed the link to ThumperFaq but that is for the WR250. Do the same mods apply to the WR450?

Finally (and most importantly), I am 5'8", so the bike is a little tall for me. Where can I find detailed instructions on lowering it a little bit?

Thanks. Hope everyone is patient with the newbie questions that will come your way.

just want to ask where and what is and dose the gray wire do ?

[EagleMark]

just want to ask where and what is and dose the gray wire do ?

Look here for an explanation: http://www.thumperfaq.com/gray_wire.htm

[Vegemite_luva]

=

=Finally (and most importantly), I am 5'8", so the bike is a little tall for me. Where can I find detailed instructions on lowering it a little bit?

I am 5'8" too with a 30" inseam and have a 03 WR450F. I cut 1.25" of seat foam out which certainly helped. I am looking into getting spacers installed inside the front forks and rear shock. This is a relatively cheap method of lowering the bike without too much adverse affects to the suspension. Many suspension pros say a revalve is necessary but I am going to see if I can get away without it and maybe just change the settings(oil, clickers, etc). The spacer will basically push the suspension into it's travel thus increasing the initial preload threshold. This would actually work out for me because I also needed a heavier spring and wanted faster reacting rebound.

[xr250ryder]

Has the AIS removal been done to the bike? If not try getting that. Major difference.

[EagleMark]

How do I check if the AIS removal has been done?

Thanks

[face_plant]

ais removal is discontinued

look for a steel pipe comming out of the head and lots of tubes and a rats nest of tubes and wires.

has the bike been jetted? stock air filter?

my 05 is sick compared to the the 07's

i got a big gun, jetting not needed and a stock air filter..

but i am in west virginia way up north so it may be different over there

bout the grey wire i like the power down belo so i kept it intact, and it is real greasy here do i kept the airbox stock too

[EagleMark]

ais removal is discontinued

look for a steel pipe comming out of the head and lots of tubes and a rats nest of tubes and wires.

AIS removal has not been done. What do you mean by discontinued?

I don't think it has been jetted. I don't even know where to start with all of these mods <sigh>.

[Johnny34]

When I bought my 05 WR there were 4 things that I considered most important to do. They were (1) removing the airbox snorkle to let more air in, (2) remove the retrictor baffle from the stock muffler to let more air out, (3) install the YZ throttle stop, (4) re-jet that sucker! 175 main and 48 pilot if I remember correctly. The FAQ for the 250 WR does apply to the 450 so don't worry about that.

I later changed the gearing to 13/51 since I ride in hilly wooded areas. I needed tractor power and the stock gearing was a too tall. I also romoved the AIS with a kit I bought from TT. It's a lame vacuum valve contraption used for smog certification. The AIS valve is mounted on the right side above the kick starter and has tubes running to the intake and exhaust areas on the head. Didn't notice a difference once gone.

I can't comment on lowering a bike. I'm 6'6" so I lowered my pegs (yay PowerPegz) and have played around with bar height. I did recently adjust my sag back into spec and that made a huge difference on the last ride.

[EagleMark]

When I bought my 05 WR there were 4 things that I considered most important to do. They were (1) removing the airbox snorkle to let more air in, (2) remove the retrictor baffle from the stock muffler to let more air out, (3) install the YZ throttle stop, (4) re-jet that sucker! 175 main and 48 pilot if I remember correctly. The FAQ for the 250 WR does apply to the 450 so don't worry about that.

Thanks for the info! I know I'm 2 for 4 here. The throttle stop has been adjusted, fixed, removed, replaced, etc. The restrictor baffle has been removed from the stock muffler.

How do you remove the airbox snorkle? I'm looking at http://www.thumperfaq.com/airbox.htm but there seems to be a lot of info. How did you do it?

I have never re-jet a bike before so I am studying http://www.thumperfaq.com/jetting.htm. I don't think my 450 has been re-jetted.

[Just_a_trail_rider]

I'm 5-9 with a 31 inch inseam. Don't lower the bike. Just learn how to keep moving and don't put your feet down. (I say this not knowing the type of riding that you do)

Aside from the "free mods" everyone is talking about, this bike really needs a new set of springs for the suspension. If you do that, you will roll right over most things on the trail and not need to put your feet down.

I also don't think this bike turns very well until you get the suspension dialed in.

I have an 05 also and its a blast.

[EagleMark]

Don't lower the bike. Just learn how to keep moving and don't put your feet down.

The 450 is already lower than my TT-600. It is definitely not an issue while riding trails. But, I love hill climbing and it would be much better if the bike was lower if I get stuck. You have to also realize that I spent many years riding dual shock TT-500s (I still have a 1979 with less than 500 miles on it) and could sit on them with my feet flat on the ground.

I know that I will keep the WR450 for a long time, so I want it to be as perfect as possible.

What are the pros for keeping it higher? Ride? Suspension?

What suspension did you put on your bike?

[EagleMark]

Any thoughts on silencing the White Brothers E2?

[Johnny34]

Thanks for the info! I know I'm 2 for 4 here. The throttle stop has been adjusted, fixed, removed, replaced, etc. The restrictor baffle has been removed from the stock muffler.

How do you remove the airbox snorkle? I'm looking at http://www.thumperfaq.com/airbox.htm but there seems to be a lot of info. How did you do it?

I have never re-jet a bike before so I am studying http://www.thumperfaq.com/jetting.htm. I don't think my 450 has been re-jetted.

The air box snorkel is a bit of pain to take out but worth it. Take your seat off and look down into your airbox. If there is a plastic insert inside the air intake just pry it out to make the intake opening larger. The insert has to pass by the rivits that attach the battery strap hold down thing so it is a little tight. It may have already been removed so you'll have to look for yourself.

The jetting difficulty depends on your comfort level and ability. I prefer to unbolt the top of the sub-frame to make more room and then pull the carb completely off the bike. Some people will do it with the carb still on the bike but they just turn the carb sideways after removing the linkage. Just refer to the manual for more info on the jets and how to access them. It's not that hard and the owners manual helps a lot.

[Just_a_trail_rider]

What are the pros for keeping it higher? Ride? Suspension?

What suspension did you put on your bike?

I've got the same bike as you.

Yes... higher ride = more suspension to work with. More suspesion means you can handle bigger obstacles.

I am in a desert/enduro club and I constantly trying to keep up with the faster riders in the club. One thing that I do sometimes that I shouldn't do is to slow down and try to navigate over/around obstacles like rocks and roots by dabbing my feet. This never works and I end up with a lot of low speed, off balance tip overs. And that's what tempts you to lower your bike.

The faster guys keep their speed and momentum up and they roll right over that stuff. I'm learning to do that more and more. Everytime I do, I have done much better than I thought I would. So instead of slowing down, I now try to stand up, speed up, pick a good line, look further up the trail and let the motor and suspension get me through it. Everytime I don't do that, I have problems. Its a learning process.

Put the bike in second, take your hand off the clutch and twist the throttle. Do not let the engine stall or shut off. If you start to slow down and lose momentum, try giving it more gas instead of more clutch. You've got everything you need with that bike to get through quite a bit of stuff.

For suspension, I simply replaced my fork and shock springs with RaceTech springs (www.racetech.com). Set your sag and adjust your clickers. I'm 5-9, 210lbs and its more than good enough for my riding skills. I'm learning and getting more confident as I ride more.

Back to the original point... don't lower it, keep moving and you won't need to put your feet down. Other guys on TT will probably agree with a lot of what I am saying.

[Just_a_trail_rider]

Any thoughts on silencing the White Brothers E2?

Most pipes have a quiet insert that you can get that will quiet them down to 96db's. You probably have to look it up somewhere.

btw... quiet is good. I have the stock pipe with the pro moto billet insert and it always tests at around 93db. I still have plenty of power.

[EagleMark]

Thanks for the help and good advice. I pulled the old TT600 out and discovered that the WR450 is about the same height.

As for the mods, I plan to check the airbox and silence the muffler for now. I will ride it as is for a while and then look at jetting it or doing other mods later.

First real ride is next weekend! Can't wait to get back into it!! ?