Just got Z400 for myself, Z250's for the wife and 16yo, and an LT80 for the little guy.

1. Do most deploy the clutch with just a finger? I have been trying to get into the habit of using just my index finger, so I can hang on with most of my hand. With my big hands, I think I need to tighten he cable so it disengages ealier.

2. With those huge MX boots on, it's almost impossible to shift? How can this be made easier?

3. With the quad's all muddied up, can we just squirt them off with the hose? What parts don't I want to get wet?

4. How tight should the chain be?

5. What is the slide lever on the LT hand side for?

6. Are there any safety videos available?

7. They are BAD AZZ right out of the box, but eventually I may want a little more juice. Is there anything on the cheap(kinda tapped out after getting 4) that can be done to juice it up a bit.

That's it for now, BUT I'm sure I'll have more questions.

Thanks

 

I would say most seem to use the pointer/middle combo for the clutch..... but whatever works for you is best..

It takes a long time to break them in so you can feel anything.... If they are too much wear a good pair of heavy leather work boots while you break them in....

You can hose them off, but be careful around the engine and chassis seals if you use a pressure washer. With regular hose pressure you don't need to worry about that, you can hose off pretty much everythng. Just make sure you don't shoot water into the exhaust....they make plugs specifically for that purpose but you can also get really cheap alternatives at an auto parts store.

The easiest way to do this is to push the chain slack from the top, and measure two fingers, then pull the chain up until you can slide your fingers under it.... in other words the chain shoud have about two fingers worth of slack... This is a crude way to do it and technically measurements should be taken but it's been working for people for years.... I think most are around 30mm but I'm guessing...

I think you are talking about the choke lever.... You slide it down to engage the choke for cold starting... There should be directions in the manual for that but they tend to be warm blooded machines... In other words they don't like to start cold without the choke on......... You push it down to start and after is starts you push it to the middle point for a few seconds and then when it's warm enough you push it back up for warm running position....

Your selling dealer should have given you one... I was in fact under the assumption that it was a law in many states that they have to give it to you.... a lot of them offer free safety courses with purchase, and even some ATV manufaturers offer free ones too.... I would contact your dealer or Suzuki.

Well give it some time, because after you break it in and get the heavy break-in oil out of there you are going to notice a difference....... Those 400s love light oil, they seem to really light up with a good synthetic 10w40..... especially after break in....... I remember my first ride after the break-in oil was out, I was amazed at the sudden power increase.

But when the time does come they seem to really take to a pipe, jet-kit and air filter... I know a lot of guys who just go with the slip-on and jet kit and modded air box. Guys in the dunes however who want top end go with the header pipe too.

Good luck!

And one nugget of advice a wise man once said ..........learn to walk before you try to fly.............

 

Thanks, Great advice. I took all the slack out of the clutch lever and that worked better for me. I asked at the dealer, and they said they'd have to look for it. They said everyone just tosses them in the trash on the way out, so they don't save them. I want to give my kids every opportunity to educate them on how to operate/what to do...SAFETY. I lifted the shifter up a notch and it's easier to get my foot under it. Trying to teach my wife not to just keep it in 3rd. She has the Z250.

Thanks again, we're always open to advice from the more experience riders.

 

the best advice I was told was DONT FALL OFF! to late been there done that. joking aside always keep an eye on your surroundings and other riders around you, look for pot holes and dips they will come up on you without you seeing them, thats how I crashed mine over a year ago and put me in the hospital but then again I was drag racing in a camping area. so take it easy and learn how the quad feels and reacts before you add more power
and like what ss97 says respect the land your riding on, all it takes is 1 crazy to close it down
and congrats on the new rides

 

Nah, Safety and environmental issues are not a problem here.

 

Most of your questions have been answered, but you can remove the shift lever and replace one notch up, to give your boots more clearance.

 

If you plan to go on long rides/ long distance excursions make sure you have basic tools, cell phone or at least a 2mi radio, flash light, tow strap and GPS. Also, if there are common small parts that fail (like a spark plug on a two-stroke) those come in handy too. Nobody plans on an accident or breakdown, but it best to be prepared.

 

just wondering, why is safety not an issue? it should be. when ever anybody is riding,

 

And the enviromental things like littering, and dumping oil on the side of your campsite[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-frown.gif[/img]

 

Safety and environmental issues ARE MOST IMPORTANT, don't get me wrong...I just wasn't asking about them in this post. I was curious about videos, because the more sources of media you use as teaching tools, the more kids retain. I can tell them all about ascending and descending hills, but back it up with the manual, videos, etc..it make much more of an impact, and it gives credibility to what I am telling them. It's no longer their old man lecturing...in one ear and out the other.

"I lifted the shifter up a notch and it's easier to get my foot under it." That's exactly what I did, it works great now with these big azz boots.

Faster250R,
We think alike...The z250's have just enough space for the metric mini socket set, phillips screw driver, vice grips, gps, cell, and sm towel. I wish the z400 had a glove box like that.

Thanks everyone!