new to the game HELP!

[groundpounder450]

im still a green horn... i have an 03' yz450f, its my first bike,and im still learing how to swing the wrench on her, i think i might have a head gasket issue. other then oil looking cloudy is there other tell tale signs that'll tell me if the gasket is the case..... also what are the beast bang for the buck mods? i wanna redo the exhaust and jet whats everyone else runnin? THANKS in advance

[FLjoyride]

It depends on what you want.. more torque on low end for tight situations and initial acceleration, or do you want to go faster with more mid and top end?

[groundpounder450]

well i ride mostly trails and top end is not a real big issue... i almost never get a chance to pop her into 4th, i would like my power to be a lil more low to mid with the bulk in the mid u know what i mean?

[FLjoyride]

Well in my opinion a heavier flywheel, combined with the stage one hotcams would give you a very good low end to mid improvement with no top end loss. If you wanted to go a step further you could get the DR D exhaust which ive heard kicks up the bottom end and of course jetting which is a good idea to do with the cams too. ZipTY carb mod is also a good choice for only $100, but I would do the first two mods first

[FLjoyride]

There is a lot of information in this forum, and the search function is very useful. If you search for flywheel or hotcams in this forum you will get all kinds of results and you can read up on everyone's opinion on them. Another real cheap mod that I forgot to mention is that you can drop the front sprocket down a tooth and get more low end, you just have to shift more often and you won't have as high of a top speed. Good luck and happy ridin'.

[groundpounder450]

thankz u've been very helpfull... ? tho.... if i drop down on the sproket will it make the motor wear faster and i have bumped up from a 48 to a 52 do u think that will be a bit much paired with a 13 tooth? thanks agian

[FLjoyride]

If you've already done that than leave the front sprocket at 14.. one tooth less in the front is equal to about 3 teeth more in the back so you have basically already dropped the front tooth 1.3333 (or rear by 4).

[flintlock28]

I have an 04' which is nearly identical.

For Woods riding and tight trails, I highly recommend a heavier flywheel weight, and a Dr. D exhaust. These two items make the bike much more trail friendly. I currrently use a Dr. D flywheel that is 6 0z. heavier than stock, although an 8 oz. heavier would probably be even better. Dr. D offers the 6,8, and 10 oz. models. (I got mine used off of #bay)

The Dr. D sa exhaust definately improves the low-end, and the mid-range, while leaving the high end pretty much unchanged. This Memorial day weekend, I did a bunch of tight trail riding, in the Mountains of North-Central Pennsylvania, and the bike tractored up hills so much better than with the stock flywheel and stock exhaust, compared to last year when I ran the stock stuff.

[groundpounder450]

how does the FWW affect the bike in wider open trails? does it take that slam out of it when u grab a handfull of throttle? theres a few trails where i go that u can lay on it but only for a breif time and when i blit the the throttle it really just spins the wheel and buy the time it grips i gotta hit the breaks, will that FFW help?

[grayracer513]

The worse the traction is, the more the flywheel will help.

[groundpounder450]

awsome thanks...can anyone help with my head gasket i have no idea what to look for other then my oil being cloudy.. i really don't wanna take it all apart untill im sure about it... thanks agian this site is is great!

[Florida_426]

If the oil is cloudy or milky you most likely have a coolant leak somewhere, and I would guess the head gasket. If you don't already have a Yamaha shop manual get one and pull the head to check the gasket. You may as well check out the piston, rings and cylinder and check/adjust the valve lash. Best of luck with the scoot.

Bill

[groundpounder450]

much appreciated!? ima get right on it:thumbsup: