It has begun... 99 Rebuild!

[redswr]

alright so i was kinda putting off doing my rebuild thread until i found some income and now i've got it so here we go! I've had this bike since 05 when i bought it off a co worker and it was my first real dirt bike so it holds a place in my heart and probably hold onto it forever. Seen a lot of people doing complete rebuilds and decided to get rid of my 07 WR and put some money into my 99.

When i bought it:

After my intial mods (FMF pipe, Powerbomb header, sharpie wheels and painted side plates)

then i bought my of and let my brother use it... he sold it to a crack head and it ended up getting pretty bad ?

so i tore it all down to replace all the wear parts, clean the carb, repair the forks and get it powder coated. Thinking on what color plastics to get at the moment but just got the powder coat back today and I already laced up the wheels

Still wondering about the motor though i rode it all of 1/4 mile before i tore it down but it sounded good

[MANIAC998]

Looks good so far! Hopefully the engine is still sound. Make sure you flush out the frame really well if it was sandblasted. I had alot of sand in my '98 when I had that powdercoated. Maniac

[SXP]

alright so i was kinda putting off doing my rebuild thread until i found some income and now i've got it so here we go! I've had this bike since 05 when i bought it off a co worker and it was my first real dirt bike so it holds a place in my heart and probably hold onto it forever. Seen a lot of people doing complete rebuilds and decided to get rid of my 07 WR and put some money into my 99.

When i bought it:

After my intial mods (FMF pipe, Powerbomb header, sharpie wheels and painted side plates)

then i bought my of and let my brother use it... he sold it to a crack head and it ended up getting pretty bad ?

so i tore it all down to replace all the wear parts, clean the carb, repair the forks and get it powder coated. Thinking on what color plastics to get at the moment but just got the powder coat back today and I already laced up the wheels

Still wondering about the motor though i rode it all of 1/4 mile before i tore it down but it sounded good

Is the VIN still visible? Did the guy who did the work take measures to mask it off?

[SXP]

It's very cool to see all these old 400s getting so much love. There are at least four threads running right now with work in progress. I have two 400s in my garage and one of them is nearing the time for a tear down and rebuild. These threads might just be the motivation I need.

[redswr]

Is the VIN still visible? Did the guy who did the work take measures to mask it off?

Hmm I doubt he did... I haven't looked at it yet though.

I relaced the wheels tonight cause of reasons I'd rather not share..lol. They're right now though so that's all that counts! I've got my box of parts sitting here too but they sent me the wrong rear wheel bearings so I can't yet true the back

PS: powder coat sucks putting things back together! Spent some time with my files tonight but hopefully I don't have to bust out the tap set!

[Markjb85]

glad to see another 400 being rebuilt, looks like its going to come out nice.

Can i have your rims? i havnt touched mine yet and was going to do them the same as yours.

[ArcticWR400]

Just wanted to echo others' sentiments here that it's great to see people still willing to put time and effort into the older bikes.

I have a 400 that will need some work of the next while and since riding season is almost over, rebuild season is almost here!

Please keep the progress reports and pics coming! Its my motivation to get mine all torn down (or mostly torn down) and have what needs repair repaired / replaced and then reassemble it. Will need the rear shock worked over and possibly the front forks too, some welding done.

Looking for a used headpipe, midpipe, and can. IF anyone DOES have any of those to fit a '99 that they are willing to part with for a decently low price, please msg me. I will of course pay all shipping on top of the cost of purchase.

Will also be replacing the sideplates and rear fender, going to a YZF rear fender (already did the front, and put a newer headlight on it) and an LED tail-light / plate holder. hoping to get new bark-busters and a new set of levers that are either polished billet aluminum or anodized billet aluminum, shorties in the power pull style. New case covers, new skid plate, new crank plugs, brake light switches front and rear, rear tire, and need to replace the bearings in the pro-link i think... brake pads and a whole lot of degreasing, cleaning, polishing, and spare time and voila!

Well thats the plan anyhow... we'll see how that matches up with the limited funds I have available and the "Honey - DO" list

[LIVETOSHRED]

Looks great! I love the wheels!

Stoked to see another 400 come back and kick ass! I am planning on taking mine to the dirt for the first time this sunday.

[redswr]

Arctic... Let me look around, I may have the stock head pipe.

Shred... Thanks man, you were right on blowing through any budget...lol. I wish I could get a black tank like you did but I think the white plastics will look good if theres a lot of blue on them. May have to get a different headlight though it's all black and don't think it'll look right

[redswr]

ok so i got the steering put on and went ahead and put the subframe, seat and tank on just to see what it looks like, anyone know a good way to make a tank look better?

[LIVETOSHRED]

Looks awesome!

[redswr]

ok got my forks rebuilt tonight... new bushings and seals, hopefully the right amount of oil cause yamaha marks it by mm instead of oz's, i put 16 in it (half the bottle...lol) my MMI buddy was there and said go ahead if it blows the seals it blows them hopefully it doesn't though.

[redswr]

someone find me black side panels...

[miweber929]

ok got my forks rebuilt tonight... new bushings and seals, hopefully the right amount of oil cause yamaha marks it by mm instead of oz's, i put 16 in it (half the bottle...lol) my MMI buddy was there and said go ahead if it blows the seals it blows them hopefully it doesn't though.

There are usually 2 specs for fork oil in the manuals: volume (in oz.'s) and level, measured in mm's from the top tube with the fork fully compressed and no spring in it.

The Volume spec lets you know about how much you will need to fill the fork but the most important measurement is the fill level from the top or you will have shit riding suspension that WILL blow fork seals if over full or be spongy as he'll if under.

Surprised your MMI buddy didn't know that.

Look up the specs and do it right, or leaking fork oil can destroy your brake pads or worse.

Mike

[redswr]

he took every course except yamaha

i just looked up an old thread and it said a quart per side ? but thats from a lone time member with 5,000+ posts. How come anyone hasn't figured out the oz? the whole mm thing seems dumb to me...lol

[ArcticWR400]

Arctic... Let me look around, I may have the stock head pipe.

Thanks for taking a look! Fire a PM my way if you come across it ?

Lovin the look of those wheels... wish there was a powder coater in my area... might have to send my stuff off.

[redswr]

little update... went and picked up a 5lb bag of baking soda and started blasting my engine and swing arm, i just have one of the cheap hand held sand blasters with the little hopper so it's coming a long real slow. Almost outta baking soda with one side of my swing arm so i decided i'm just going to grab the sander with some 2,000 grit i had left over from polishing my 07's frame and hit it with that cause it's mostly flat unlike the engine. pics tomorrow if the rain holds off (just got a little carport to work in)

[redswr]

plastics ordered and i found a good deal on black side panels finally! another $200 down the drain but i got both fenders (mx) side panels, shrouds, mud guard and a new petcock.

[LIVETOSHRED]

plastics ordered and i found a good deal on black side panels finally! another $200 down the drain but i got both fenders (mx) side panels, shrouds, mud guard and a new petcock.

Trust me, it adds up real quick!

But when it's all said and done, you will be so stoked!

[redswr]

Trust me, it adds up real quick!

But when it's all said and done, you will be so stoked!

Yeah I can't wait till it's done! I keep kicking myself everytime I drop money into it cause I know I owe a lot of people a lot of money but what started out as paying off credit cards and putting a little bit of money into my bikes turned into racking up another credit card ill have it all payed for but I'm not making any headway from selling my 07