Author Topic: Bandit 400 Variable Valve motor owners discussions! (Read 18025 times)

gsxr400 racer · « **on:** August 23, 2006, 06:45:59 PM »

Please post info if you own a VV motor so everyone that doesnt have a VV can learn alittle more about them. and the people that have them can talk to other VV owners about there problems!

El Dopa · « **Reply #1 on:** August 23, 2006, 11:27:31 PM »

I'd be especially interested to know anything about anyone fitting the big bore kit in the red-top motor.

gsxr400 racer · « **Reply #2 on:** August 24, 2006, 12:05:38 AM »

Chris H in the UK has a VV motor with the 442 kit not mine but TTS performace kit there pistons are heavier than mine! mine weigh a gram heavier than stock. http://www.tts-performance.co.uk/tts.shtml

skolviking · « **Reply #3 on:** August 25, 2006, 04:58:43 PM »

having not riden a normal bandit I cant compare the two but I can describe mine.

Somewhere between 7and 8K the valves change them selves over and the bike seems to take on a second wind, sounds much more meaty as well once the change has been made, If youre hovering in the change region they change almost instantly like switching on and off, tugging at your wrists when it switches.

The surge isnt too sharp, I am always aware when its likely to happen when cornering and it isnt too much of an issue if I let it switch when lent over.

The only other thing to note is that the difference is much less noticable with the ti system on; I swapped for the stock system for my MOT i dont think mine is really road legal. With the stock system the throttle response was much slower, with a noticeable decrease in acceleration and more noticable cam changes.

well thats my take on the valves, would be great to hear from someone who has ridden both.

Matt

gsxr400 racer · « **Reply #4 on:** August 25, 2006, 06:19:04 PM »

Thanks matt , was waiting on you! havent heard from you in a while Its hard to answer questions on something that only a few have!
thought this section might help people out!
cheers
Jay

skolviking · « **Reply #5 on:** August 26, 2006, 04:35:49 AM »

ive been pretty busy recently, got a summer job which im putting a lot of effort in to so im not on the net as much as I am when at uni!

Im also commuting on the bandit so its getting lots more use than normal, which cant be a bad thing

gsxr400 racer · « **Reply #6 on:** August 26, 2006, 01:26:52 PM »

glad to hear fromn you, that BET TI pipe you got was it for a regular bandit or specifically for the VV?

mattylees46 · « **Reply #7 on:** August 26, 2006, 04:17:14 PM »

I own a VV bandit and I also havent ridden a non-VV bandit so cant comment on the differences.

The VV bandit goes really well for a 400, I used to own a zx6r and while the bandit would have no chance of keeping up over 80mph, up to 70mph it feels just as quick off the lights as my ninja was. I agree about the big change that you feel when the VV kicks in, theres decent pull up to 6000rpm, then from 6-8000rpm you feel a noticeable dip which can catch you out if you arent ready for it. Then once you reach 8000rpm it suddenly kicks in, the motor really growls and it just absolutely takes off

.

I went to have a new set of tyres fitted today and the mechanic there was actually trying to fix a knackered VV bandit. The guy had bought it on ebay and was tearing his hair out beacuse it was so complicated to work on! He called it an ' over-engineered piece of crap', bit harsh maybe!

Mine has run beautifully ever since I bought it though, and I think for a 13 year old bike its superb. I'm kind of dreading the big service as I reckon most garages wont have a clue how to adjust the valves and will refuse to do it, but I might be wrong!

Overall though, very good bike. The VV kick at 8000rpm means you can pootle to work keeping it under 6000rpm and you have good midrange for when you are being lazy, then when you want to play you can rev it past 8k and have some fun

gsxr400 racer · « **Reply #8 on:** August 27, 2006, 12:40:51 PM »

Anyone have a pic of a VV camshaft

benallenuk · « **Reply #9 on:** August 27, 2006, 03:44:42 PM »

Hi guys, Ive got the bandit 400 vv and have also had a '91 slingshot bandit 400.

I thought the older model seemed quicker, but i like the power delivery on the v-tec engine.

Also, I agree that the bandit 400 will beat most things from the lights. I always race larger bikes and always win up to about 60-70ish, as guys on bigger bikes dont like to do full rev and drop clutch in first gear as they might flip the bike. Not much chance of that on the b4, but it does give me that extra edge. Also its wicked through the corners.

I love the styling of the v-tec, in comparison to my mates suzuki '00 gsf-600 and the old style bandit, it really does show what a budget/bargin bin bike the 600 is. My '96 b4 v, has better brakes (4 pot vs 2), clip ons, aluminium swing arm, fuel guage, larger under-seat storage, aluminium front and rear sets.......the list goes on!!

I wouldnt buy a bandit 600 over my 400 any day. especially with my gsx-r 400 SP braced swingarm comming. LOL

Cheers

devilears · « **Reply #10 on:** September 21, 2006, 09:09:43 AM »

Hi, can any of the other b4 vv owners maybe tell me what the standard main jet size is and what size main jets you are running in your bikes. I am having a bit of a problem with my bike and the only manual I can find for the vv model is for the 97 vv, according to this the main jet size is 90, I'm just wondering if this is the same on all vv bandits.

Thanks

devilears · « **Reply #11 on:** October 07, 2006, 05:01:16 PM »

Hi, I'm having some serious problems with my vv bandit. When In high gears I`m going past 8k rpm on full throttle my bikes loses power and does not want to go any faster. In the lower gears I can also feel a slight hesitation when running full throttle at 8k rpm but once past about 10k rpm it pulls like a train again. I was wondering if any of the other vv model owners have had the same/similar problem. This also gets worse as the bike gets hotter so I am thinking maybe the oil becomes too thin when it gets hot and because of that the oil does not have enough pressure to activate the vv system. At first I thought I was running rich but I changed my jets from 100 to 90 and I still have the same problem. I would really appreciate it if someone could help me with this, it`s driving me crazy. Could any other vv model owners please tell me what kind/specification oil they are running. Does too much/too little oil maybe also cause this kind of problem? I am currently running putoline 10w-40 semi-synthetic oil. I am really hoping that maybe my problem is somehow connected to this. Otherwise I don't know what I'm gonna do!!!

Any advice or input would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

gsxr400 racer · « **Reply #12 on:** October 07, 2006, 07:27:08 PM »

maybe valve adjustment or throttle postition sensor/ cam sensor?

devilears · « **Reply #13 on:** October 07, 2006, 07:57:22 PM »

I also thought about that, but wouldn`t the valve adjustment cause it to get worse as the revs goes higher instead of getting better again after 10k rpm?

Also I cant' find a throttle position sensor, or reference to this in any manuals, but it does have a cam sensor, but this looks fine to me as it is only a simple switch. And again if this was not working as it should I would tend to think that it would be getting even worse at higher revs instead of getting better again after 10k rpm?

Is it possible that this could possibly be caused by faulty plug leads/plugs or incorrect plug gaps? The main thing that bothers me about this is the fact that it gets better again as the revs get higher, and also the fact that it performs better when not fully warmed up yet. According to me all things would cause it to run even worse if the revs goes higher, instead of better as I am experiencing in the lower rev ranges?

This is just my opinion, let me know what you think.

gsxr400 racer · « **Reply #14 on:** October 07, 2006, 08:36:05 PM »

i would check the valve adjustment still