Author Topic: Thinking of buying a modded B400 (Read 7721 times)

mapes · « **on:** September 26, 2005, 04:50:13 PM »

Hello everyone.

Recently my wife has gotten intrested in learning how to ride. A buddy of mine is willing to swap his B400 for one of my other bikes. I'm hoping that you folks can help me with some questions. The bandit has forks from a GSXR. I don't know the year or what CC the forks are from. The reason this becomes relevant is the speedo is not working. It looks like the there is a cable and a front wheel pickup and it looks like everything is a attached. My question is does the stock speedo work with a GSXR front end as a direct bolt on app? Also the bike seems not to idle. After reading some posts on this board it appears that this fairly common and requires a carb clean and sync. Is there anything else to look at or be wary of in the carb exhaust system? Lastly it has a GSXR rear shock. Again no idea what year bike it came off of. Is there anything there I should be aware of. I'm a pretty good wrench and I'm no stanger to cult bikes as I rebuilt and tweaked on a extremly modded hawk. Anyways thanks for any info

Red01 · « **Reply #1 on:** September 26, 2005, 05:21:06 PM »

You should try to find out what years the GSXR parts are from. You may need this info for future maintenance. Some GSXR forks do bolt in (there's info in the FAQ), some require some slight mods. The earlier GSXR's did have cable driven speedos and they should work with the B4's cable and speedo head, so if the speedo isn't working, there's something broken in the system - usually the cable breaks or the ends wear and it slips, but there could be something wrong with the drive or the speedo itself.

PitterB4 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 26, 2005, 09:20:41 PM »

Ooooh - a modded hawk? Cool!

Generally speaking, the Gix suspension parts should be a big upgrade. That assumes they are in good shape and installed correctly, of course.

Look around here a bit. Carbs and electricals are the biggest gremlins.

and good luck!

jcmjrt · « **Reply #3 on:** September 27, 2005, 12:05:15 PM »

The best upgrades to a B400 are GSXR forks and rear shock. If he has done the mods well, then you are getting a great bike. Seems like carbs always need cleaning and syching. The only other big problem that I know of is the black box. Those are fixable.

Maniac · « **Reply #4 on:** September 27, 2005, 12:31:29 PM »

Quote from: "jcmjrt"

The only other big problem that I know of is the black box. Those are fixable.

Not all of the time, but a few people have had good luck. I'd say it's 1 in 3 that don't, but it's hard to say if thats because of the unit itself or errors in the process.

Carbs are the other big weak point, as previously stated. They are small and tend to clog up easily, doesn't help that the stock 400 doesn't have a fuel filter. It's really recommended to add an inline one, it really does help.

GSXR forks and rear shock are the way to go! The big question I'd be asking is if the front was swapped just for the upgrade, or if it was swapped because the bike was wrecked. Wrecked bikes aren't always bad, but they do mean you should really pay close attention to all the welds and the frame alignment.

jcmjrt · « **Reply #5 on:** September 27, 2005, 01:54:52 PM »

"jcmjrt wrote:
The only other big problem that I know of is the black box. Those are fixable."

"maniac wrote:
Not all of the time, but a few people have had good luck. I'd say it's 1 in 3 that don't, but it's hard to say if thats because of the unit itself or errors in the process."

Have you heard of anyone who sent theirs off to the Netherlands for pro repair who hasn't gotten back a working ignition? Some people who tried DIY failed...of course, some succeeded and saved some bucks. I just paid the pro for it figuring I didn't want to risk a valuable item...especially in my case with a California ignition!!

Maniac · « **Reply #6 on:** September 27, 2005, 03:30:02 PM »

Quote from: "jcmjrt"

Have you heard of anyone who sent theirs off to the Netherlands for pro repair who hasn't gotten back a working ignition? Some people who tried DIY failed...of course, some succeeded and saved some bucks. I just paid the pro for it figuring I didn't want to risk a valuable item...especially in my case with a California ignition!!

Nope, never heard of anyone having it not come back from the Netherlands fixed. But then, I've only heard of two that sent them out that I can think of...

It's not exactly cheap to send it off to be fixed, most try it DIY. If I could find my second box I'd probally try to DIY, but I'm not sure where I put the stupid thing.

mapes · « **Reply #7 on:** September 27, 2005, 05:14:33 PM »

Quote from: "PitterB4"

Ooooh - a modded hawk? Cool!

Heh yeah I love my hawk! Heres a pic

Hey thanks for the responses. I got a couple more questions

1. I belive the front forks are off of a 91 750 GSXR (USD). I think the fork springs are too stiff does any have any suggestions for for fork spring rates rate. The rider is my wife errr I don't know her wieght but shes slim 5'8" tall woman.

2. I noticed a few things with the electrical. Namely that the blinkers are odd. One side blinks faster that the other. However both sides blink really slow if the bike is off and when the bike is on both sides speed up and slow down the blink rate to the bikes irregular idling. Is this normal? I know its an old bike...just curious.

Thanks for any more info

Maniac · « **Reply #8 on:** September 27, 2005, 05:42:29 PM »

Quote from: "mapes"

2. I noticed a few things with the electrical. Namely that the blinkers are odd. One side blinks faster that the other. However both sides blink really slow if the bike is off and when the bike is on both sides speed up and slow down the blink rate to the bikes irregular idling. Is this normal? I know its an old bike...just curious.

Thanks for any more info

Voltage regulator, maybe? How's the bike turn over when turned off, is it sluggish? Could be a bad battery as well. Is the headlight getting dim/bright along with the blinker speed?

jcmjrt · « **Reply #9 on:** September 27, 2005, 07:23:43 PM »

If you have a suspension specialist in your area that would be the best bet. If not, then you might want to call racetech and see if they could help you out with spring rates, spacers, etc. The Bandit 400 is much lighter than the GSXR750 and your wife may be lighter than the standard rider (around 160 lbs?) than the forks are generally set for. Let us know what you find out. There may be others who benefit in the future.

mapes · « **Reply #10 on:** September 27, 2005, 08:52:06 PM »

Luckily I have a friend who is racing for Aftershocks (suspension shop) maybe I can swing a deal

PitterB4 · « **Reply #11 on:** September 27, 2005, 09:18:47 PM »

Mapes - I see your in Cali. This thing doesn't have pod filters, does it? (For those who have been around here a bit - even back to the old, old board days - I'm wondering if it is Stout510s old bike.) He had put a Factory stage III jet kit on it.

That hawk is great looking. Very clean! They are so trick with the single sided swing arm.

interfuse · « **Reply #12 on:** September 28, 2005, 12:26:49 AM »

USD forks are sexy... must hunt on E-bay...

mapes · « **Reply #13 on:** September 28, 2005, 05:25:42 PM »

Quote from: "PitterB4"

Mapes - I see your in Cali. This thing doesn't have pod filters, does it? (For those who have been around here a bit - even back to the old, old board days - I'm wondering if it is Stout510s old bike.) He had put a Factory stage III jet kit on it.

That hawk is great looking. Very clean! They are so trick with the single sided swing arm.

I belive we have a winner. It does have pod filters and a bunch of stickers on the front fender. The only diff I see is that front turn signals have been incorporated into the headlight brackets. Do you have a pic of the other side? The left side foot peg has been broken and rewelded and is slightly bent. I belive it's the same bike. The stickers look right and the exhaust is the same. Good to know there may be some history on the bike around here!

The story is my friend Lon bought off of someone for his "wife". In reality he was looking for a CB-1 which he finally found.

mapes · « **Reply #14 on:** September 28, 2005, 05:30:34 PM »

Quote from: "Maniac"

Quote from: "mapes"

2. I noticed a few things with the electrical. Namely that the blinkers are odd. One side blinks faster that the other. However both sides blink really slow if the bike is off and when the bike is on both sides speed up and slow down the blink rate to the bikes irregular idling. Is this normal? I know its an old bike...just curious.

Thanks for any more info

Voltage regulator, maybe? How's the bike turn over when turned off, is it sluggish? Could be a bad battery as well. Is the headlight getting dim/bright along with the blinker speed?

The blinker prob was fixed by soldering an open and new bulbs. However why yes the headlight gets dimer/brighter along with the irractic idle.