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View Full Version : OK So its a YAMAHA! lol



HemiChallenger71
11-12-2002, 11:55 PM
I plan on buying a bike like this, a TM or TX 400, of the erly 80's or so. What years are yours? I remember yours being from the 70's. Any tips on buying a bike like this, and would you recommend it for a first time dirt bike rider?

lushatc200x
11-13-2002, 12:14 AM
i owned a tm 400 and a ts 400 and from what i read no first time dirtbike rider should be on them. no 1 should its supposidly the most unstable bike ever made i believe. the frame geometry was wak and the sumbioytch would jump from 1 rpm range to another just like that. it wasnt a power band either it had sumtin to do with the electrical system on it. just to let you know 350xrider has 1 he might get rid of. never heard of a tx 400

TimSr
11-13-2002, 12:20 AM
Dittos to that. A death trap! Fun to ride though. I have a 71 TM400 project bike Im working on for vintage MX racing. Good luck finding one from the early 80's. the TM was replaced by the RM in 1975. The TS was made for many yeasr after, though I dont know when the 400 was discontinued. I sold an 81 TS250 last year. They are great bikes for beginners. Plenty of power and plenty fast, but a very controllable straight line mid range power band, instead of the violent top end rip and scream you get from MX bikes.

lushatc200x
11-13-2002, 12:30 AM
i read that many mx racers for suzuki left the track with a limp after throwing a leg over one of thos they say u could be riding along and trailprotrailpro rpms just shoot from sayy 2000 to 4000 like that and u couldnt do anything bout it but hold on or put the brake on. but i know where a tm 400 and a ts 400 r ts might be 4 sale along with the tm 400. tm is in good shape motor wise and frame wise but needs some tlc. get a pipe for it and it would run and ride.

OldSchoolin86
11-13-2002, 09:30 AM
Sorry buddy I don't have any experience with one of these.

350Xrider
11-13-2002, 06:20 PM
Yep, I have a 71 TM 400 and a 73 TS 400 the TS isn't to bad of shape but the TM needs all the plastics and rear shocks. I have a picture of the TS but it has RM 400 plastics on it. The TM was dubbed the Most Dangerous bike of all time. It has a bad rep. Also is said to have cranked out 40 horses.I have a few articles I could post the url to also. If you can get your hands on one of these bikes I would say go for it if it is reasonable they are becoming more and more expensive. One of the most popular Vintage MX bikes around. I have a Gasket kit on order to fix mine currently. I also need a pipe for it they are near impossible to find unless you buy a brand new one from Vintage Iron, and that costs a few dollars. So Tim Sr or anyone else that has a pipe they would like to sell half way reasonable I need it. Also as TimSr. mentioned, you will be hard pressed to find a TM400 in the 80's, they only made them from 71-75. And the TS came out in I believe 72 and quit in 77 or 79 to the best of my knowledge.

350Xrider
11-13-2002, 06:24 PM
Here are some pics of the TS with the RM plastics.

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VADYApYY3vAblHDYFqBOYT!9uNMJmyq6xDY50XlxPPMhEaKXe phnsHJunYdndgL63rCuJ3pDt8*!rTWPzkntZyDFSj7qDHhaDGt mxBN8b3vDHfy*PogY2fUOnVg9YAT3/TM-400-Left.BMP?dc=4675382458867957319

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0VQDeAgkZ5RMblHDYFqBOYfi!9s!d2zUWA1K8!TjuEwJZC72bt 48P5AQ9iI1H6q9ol9Lr8mrk8ypV59!gWLZktYGujWQLOvHASoc Y5KwCXkwpKoPQHXKkjyZ10kClXUMj/TM-400-Right.BMP?dc=4675382460307550821


http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UQDeAg4YmsOD2U1JX*7j9DgMA8Bh4D4sPDIVRPH2htqJF2NZh Mq5wbIoRKXdEYMRcpCi0rdHxRUwzycJ6QNv!vwlyZyn5PVyToX aFitrgv1XfMxoKbP2Rgbism2qK4z4/TM400-Rear.BMP?dc=4675382460501519497

http://groups.msn.com/_Secure/0UgDcAo0YL!mD2U1JX*7j9Ku2jFWuVFIaM8*zzo1CX6vCfF*vr FjJCwG4jUXRRtuSeOQ*bl6Ev4Jhf4In!QFROvbHcg26Xslno6x bHsZQpt7XSiVUmTLhaOK9hM0CTmMh/TM400-Front.BMP?dc=4675382460709384779

350Xrider
11-13-2002, 06:26 PM
I dunno why these aren't working, but if you copy and paste the url's they will work.

The site is on html for defalt so anything like this must be written in html to work. I already fixed them for you.
;) OldSchoolin86

HemiChallenger71
11-14-2002, 12:27 AM
Thanks 350xrider, sorry I got your name mixed up. The bike I looked at has a monoshock rear swingarm, and the motor looks very different. The motor on this bike fits together very nicely, and you can barley tell where the jug and head are separate. The plastics are all yellow, and the seat is black with yamaha on it.

On to the mechanical stuff. The tires are pretty new, and not worn in much. The front brakes and rear brakes are very good also, both drums f/r. The guy also said he ran 32:1 mix in it, and it smelled like cheep oil. The air filter came loose and broke off the last time he rode it about a month ago. The bike would not idle,and kicked over very very easy. When I did it withmy hand it seemed to have some compression, but nothing like my old blaster. The part where the pipe and jug connect has a bad rubber piece in it and needs to be replaced, it is leaking. It looked like it had been leaking for a while. The pipe needs to be replaced probably too, it had a dent in it, and was leaking where it connected to the spark arrestor also. I Did not ride it because it was dark, and I have never ridden a bike that big before. The seat is just the right height, so my feet will touch the ground. Also one of the front forks is leaking, but I'm not to worried about it. I plan on riding it monday to see how things are. The clutch felt pretty good tonite. Thanks again guys.

11-14-2002, 12:43 AM
well then its not a tm 400 cause they r suzukis you may be looking at a 465 yamaha or a 490. is the swingarm a 2 piece or 1 piece. if its a 1 piece i belive its a 490 and if its a 2 piece its the 465.

HemiChallenger71
11-14-2002, 11:45 PM
I'm not sure if it's 1 or 2 piece, but the engine says 396cc's. Could the exhaust leak cause a hole to be burnt into the piston because of poor back pressure?

TimSr
11-15-2002, 01:05 AM
I parted out a 1975 400MX Yamaha. Mine was white but I think they were also made in Yellow. They also had the IT400 the same year which was blue. These almost the same other than the IT's headlight, and were both monoshock, and air cooled. The IT had a plastic tank. The 400MX had an aluminum one. Maybe this will help.

HemiChallenger71
11-15-2002, 05:01 PM
Thanks Tim. I'm kinda concerned with the leaky exhaust, and what possibly damage it can do to the bike. Because maybe if it's fixed, it wont need a new piston and rings and an overbore so soon.

350Xrider
11-15-2002, 06:18 PM
yeah, that could be the problem. I would make sure and fix that leak before I went messing around with it, and make sure all the jetting is correct, a lot of times for some reason people will jet them to lean or warp the head or something like that causing an air leak, thus a hole in the piston or a seizure.

DIGGER DOG
11-18-2002, 10:56 PM
what do yall think about a 76 TT 500