MOTOCROSS ACTION TEST……

Ever since that first orange tanker hit the tracks in 1971, people have been buying, racing and falling off 400s in mass‑ production numbers. They bought ‘em ’cause they were far and away the cheapest way to go big-bore racing; they raced ‘em ’cause, “Lookit what that Belgian dude does on one;” and they fell off because the Cyclone had to be the most evil package of raw power and horrible handling ever produced. So the bike became a legend in its own time, and the legend was a horror story. Rosy-cheeked farm boys could always be counted on to enter the Transylvania Grand Prix on Cy­clones, with the Marquis de Sade as their sponsor. Blood City was the result, and Billy Dracula cleaned off the course.

Why so? Is the legend of the TM400 for real? And, if so, is it still valid in 1974? Read the rest of this entry »

Reassembly in progress, and its a beauty…

The parts have all come back from being restored and now ready for reassembly.

The tank has had a professional respray with new decals and remaining small fittings have ben replated, ready to be put back together.

After all the time it took in getting the bike done it was now ready to hit the race track.  Given our busy schedule we were not able to give it much testing (rode it up and down the driveway) but we enrolled at a local vmx meeting anyway. The bike looked good without any scratches at the beginning of the day.

Phil, took the bike to start line of a 125cc grid for all grades without any ride time on it at all, in fact it was his first vmx race! So, instructions for the first few races were about getting the feel of it and getting confidence. Within a few races he started to get up to full throttle and was pulling top 3 finishes , eventually getting a 1st place win. He certainly got the KX noticed.

So, what issues did we have. There were a few loose bolts but no big deal, springs holding the exhaust allowed too much movement so we added more springs in key places. Most significant item to come loose was a top eyelet somehow unwound off the rear shock shaft so the shock swung away, the sping itself came off with top holding cap and there was still a lap to go in the race and only one shock still working. Finished 2nd with only one rear shock, tough little buggers these bikes. After finding the sping and cap on the side of track we put them all back on the bike ok in time for next race. No other issues at all, power was good, kicked up strong roost and hit the few jumps at speed, handled real well.

Lesson: get to know how to use Locktite

Wow be unto the 125 class buyer. It is now officially Decision Time. We’ll take it for granted that you want to win, and you want to spend as little as you have in order to wn (or do reasonably well) in that class.

Up until now, you’ve been faced with several alternatives, let’s examine a few of them in retrospect Read the rest of this entry »

Original dealer brochure for the Suzuki TM400

Original brochure showing what they looked like new!

This one could be a bit of a challenge, to restore and to ride. For now it is placed against the wall of the garage waiting its turn.

Came across this 1972 test in a DIRT BIKE magazine to tame the 71 – 72 TM400 Cyclone motors, I have heard of other solutions using the TS400 ignition systems but I have not found any written tests on that yet. Not sure if the 74 model needed the same treatment as the 75 TM400 was said to be ok but by then the RM series were out and that was the end of the TM’s.

A BOLT-ON SOLUTION for TM400 sweaty palms?

Some people have this healthy fear of snakes. Others cringe inwardly when they find themselves alone in a dark room. Yet others can’t stand being up high, or even worse-flying in an airplane. All of these fears pale by comparison to the fear-inducing potential of a stock 400 Suzuki MXer. This is one of the truly Frightening Machines Of All Time.

What makes it increase your pueker power? Part of the problem lies with the frame. another part with the suspension—but the bulk of the guilt lies with the power band of the engine.

There is no such thing as “just a little more” from the twist grip on the TM 400. Nosirree. You either get a giant handful or the engine stalls. This phenomenon is, of course. caused by the lack of flywheel weight. A logical cure, then, would be to bolt on some weight to slow the rev buildup down to a more usable level. Remember, power that does not get to the ground is wasted power. And slower building revs mean that the bike will be easier to ride. At least in theory.

Read the rest of this entry »