Hi all, I'm new to the forum and to atv-ing. I recently fixed-up a 96 YFM 400 Kodiak on a tight budget. I have the foll questions:

I have a Yam. R1 muffler lying around.. will I get any performance gain if i install this muffler on my atv?

My tires are really crappy and one constantly looses air. atv tires or terribly expensive in my country and I'm a student, so I was wondering if it's safe to use a tube inside the tire. what are the consequences if I use a tube? I don't really ride offroad.

I need advice/help with carb tuning. The jet needle clip is in the factory middle position and the float height is set to factory specs.. but my sparkplug is pretty carbon fouled. Should I readjust the needle and/or float for a leaner mix? Or is this okay?

thanks

 

no to the R1 muffler

yes to the tubes, not a big deal to put in tubes but why are you tires flat? Because their wore out and have bald spots? then you'll not gain much. If I knew why they were flat then I could better answer. What country are you in that you cannot get at tires at a decent price?

no to carb tuning (unless somoene has messed with it before) Find out why your plug is fouled first, is it because it's been in there forever? Is the compression ok? Does it burn oil? Replace the plug then do runs at low, mid and high throttle to see what your air fuel mix is. If you don't know how then read read read!!!

here is a thread I made, compilation of "how to jet" info sites etc




Click Me

 

Well my tires are worn.. but they're leaking mainly because the sealing surfaces are totally messed up. You know the inside wall of the tire that seals with the rim... it's very much damaged.
I'm from Guyana, South America {there's a good chance no one knows where that is!}. Poor country, all imports are heavily taxed, so when when I think about buying tires for my atv.. I gotta reconsider cause the car needs new tires and that's more important.

Before I fixed up the bike the previous owner had it sitting outside in the open for about 5 whole years! And even before that it looks like it has seen alot of abuse. So yeah, I had to loose-down the carb. to clean out rust and gum, then I put it back to together and adjusted it to factory settings according to a Clymer manual I have.
I haven't compression tested, I'm pretty sure it's burning some oil. The plug is new.. and mostly carbon fouled, no sign of oil.

Im sure you guys are appalled at the fact that I expect to have a working ATV without spending much money on it. But local dealers don't stock these parts and they have to ordered from abroad{usually Japan}. I'm in university so, I can't really afford to spend trillions on this. I any case it's rarely ridden, so I'm just looking for a quick-fix until i run intot the cash.

Thanks for the response.

 

I do happen to know where your country is [img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

I would say go to your local automotive place and take in your old plug and get a new one that matches. That should save you some money.

For your tires I would go to the local tire place and have them install tubes. ATV tires are very hard to break down without proper tools, even then they are difficult.


As for the rest of the bike I would just fix it up best you can and leave it stock. There isn't any since in stressing the engine further by trying to modify the exhaust or intake if your burning oil already. Just get it running decent and enjoy!