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I like things that are rare and cool.
These days, whether a yellow Yamaha is cool or not is strictly
dependant on your personal taste, but it can’t be argued that they are
rare. I personally like the
electric blue that Yamahas leave Japan with, but there’s something about
a yellow one that’s, well…special.
So, the planets aligned, I watched Ty Davis ride a yellow YZ400 on
a golf course in the Time To Ride video, and I built one for
myself. The bike started out
as a 40-hour old 1999 YZ400 that I had been using for motocross.
It was sort of the step-child of my garage, with my ’98 YZ400
being my primary cross country racing machine.
However, as with any race horse, the older thumper had to be put
out to pasture, and a shiny 2000 YZ426 was now the motocrosser in the
family. So…it was time to
build a new off-roader.
Anyhow, the project took most of
the winter, and I could have written a real documentary, but I decided to
just hit the highlights of the finished product instead.
Hopefully, you’ll see some things that will help you with your
own project racer.
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| The Roaring Twenties: The cross country races in North Texas typically involve more
than a few hard, flat, sweeping corners.
Wet or dry, this 20” Dunlop D756 sticks like glue.
To guarantee that the new wheel was always doing what it should, MX
Tech supplied a revised fork setup that also fixed the blown mid-valves I
had. |
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Running gear:
Experience shows that the DID X-Ring chain has excellent durability
with about half the friction of a standard o-ring model. Of course, durability is a good thing, and Excel rims laced
with Buchanan stainless steel spokes complete a super strong wheel package
designed just for that. |
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Hub
of activity:
Mark Marshall of Marshall Precision Machine in Denton, Texas makes
these killer CNC machined aluminum hubs in black and silver, along with
various other goodies for your trick scoot
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| Cheap
insurance:
There’s no need to supply the logic for the MSR Brake Snake, but
what might not be obvious is that the paint has been stripped from the
clutch cover. Raw magnesium
is tricker than painted and scratched magnesium any day, but especially on
Sunday |
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Shining
like a new dime:
Well, until the first race, that is.
Custom Chrome in Garland, Texas does lots of very cool motorcycle
and hot rod parts, and they assisted in the spiffiness here as well.
Some folks allow as how chrome plating will make steel brittle, but
these boys heat treat to get rid of the excess hydrogen that can cause the
problem. Thanks also to Duane
and the boys at BBR for turning me on to the shorty kickstarter for YZ
thumpers. It makes it easier
to get your boot on it, and for the same amount of kick, you actually spin
the motor faster. Translation: easier starting
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A
crowded bar:
When I ride like a spode and stall the bike, the Terrycable remote
hot start helps get things running quickly again.
The Boyesen Flex-Grip is easy on a twice-broken left wrist, and the
Magura HYMEC juice clutch with the Enduro Engineering needle bearing lever
is pure sweet butter
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If only it were the Start button:
All the hardware on the left side of the bars required a
compromise, and this is it. I’ve
been riding the bike for a month now, and I still forget it’s there, but
it works good, just like the Motion Pro Terminator T2 throttle cables and
the Cycra Pro-Bend aluminum handgaurds.
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| Holey
perforated plastic, Batman:
If Mr. Davis thinks they need more air, then I agree.
At the very least, they look cooler. Lurking in the background there is an FMF Power Bomb header
and a Power Core IV Squared muffler.
Other than that, a fresh set of rings, a slight valve adjustment,
and the addition of an 8 oz. Terrycable flywheel weight, the motor is bone
stock. |
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Wetsuit:
The jury is still out on the neoprene Seal Savers.
While they may keep a lot of stuff out, it’s clear that the stuff
that does get in stays there. Whether
that makes for more of a problem with the oh-so-delicate Kayaba seals
remains to be seen.
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Reservoir
Dog:
If you haven’t noticed that the pipe roasts the rear brake
reservoir on YZ thumpers, then you aren’t riding the same ones I am.
Repeated temperature cycles make the plastic brittle, and you know
what happens then…
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Neutral
ground:
The Terrycable neutral switch eliminator doesn’t do anything for
performance and unless you’ll be doing a sound check in Europe, serves
no practical purpose. It’s
cool though, and it cleans up the wiring harness.
The IMS cast stainless footpegs are also unnecessary…until you
bend a stock one like I did.
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I been framed:
I decided the yellow motif just wasn’t going to be complete with
a blue frame, and since I needed to take almost everything off anyway, why
not powdercoat? Custom Powder
Coating, a shop in Dallas that does carts, dragsters, Harleys, and other
go-fast stuff helped me with a gloss metallic grey that will go with any
color plastic.
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| Messy:
At 5’ 11”, I’m just tall enough to benefit from the Ceet High
Henry replica seatfoam, which is about 1” taller than stock.
During a 2 hour cross country race, the energy I save in the
sitting-to-standing transition pays big dividends. The only problem was the squarish cross section of the
saddle, which inhibited turning. A
light touch with the new, clean hard grinding wheel turned out to be the
easiest way to sculpt the foam to my liking.
It left a very smooth cut that only needed minimal cleanup with 60
grit sandpaper. |
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Bondo:
The nature of urethane foam casting creates bubbles even in a good
quality foam like this one. Silicon
makes an excellent filler that remains pliable.
Stuff the holes full, then use a plastic knife to smooth the pooky
to match the surrounding profile.
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The finished product: This rebuild sort of took on a life of it’s own about half
way through, and while it may not be the trickest bike around, I’m
totally pleased with the way it turned out.
There’s nothing like starting a season knowing everything is
squared away, and looking swanky don’t hurt none either.
As projects go, I guess this one really
isn't that big of a deal, but regardless of that there's a few folks that
deserve some shout outs for lending a hand. Cycra, Decal Works, and
FMF all produce excellent products that have given me terrific service
over the years. For the rest of the stuff, huge props to Central
Yamaha in Plano, Texas!! Those guys understand what real customer
service is all about, and they certainly made this effort less than it
might have been at some other shops, if you know what I mean. The
maddest respect, however, has to go to my good friend Pat
"Patman" Hall, because without his patience and skills, this
project would never have made it to the web for your perusal. He's
good folks and a good riding buddy. Thanks, man.
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