Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/125972
~. Heart of the beast. An 85mm piston rattles around in there. Note sound deadeners on fins. That iii' round thing above the exhaust port is a dirt shield for the compression release. What we mean by aggressively toothed pegs and rear brake. Pegs are ad justable. MX front brake was barely adequate • pavement panic; light and controllable for off-road. '. ' Turning over some wet topsoil. What a tractor! 34 (Continued from page 21) " tront t o h elp them survive (they did) . In our h alting progress through the rough , we managed to d est roy th e front wh eel driv e speedo cab le and tweak the shi fte r enough ' to ca use the sele ctor to h ang up on downshifts. In six su ccessive passes through the mud, the wet grit stretch ed the stock chain like the proverbial rubber band On the plus side, the electrics remained fault -proof. Everything blinked, hooted, sparked, or glowed when c alled upon, c r a s he s notwithstanding. Carburetion likewise, and the engine was a one to five kick starter , hot or cold. We had no seizures, ju st warnings. h passed a tank of injector oil fo r every fo ur tan ks of gas, more or less. We est imat e a maximum 45 MPG on the pavement, and about two h ours riding per tankful iii the dirt. So you're aski ng - with all th e grip es, ho w c o me we had fun? It mus t be th e casual versatilit y of the beas t , the long list o f things it will do adeq ua tely if . not well , an d the tremendo us p otenti a l o f , th is split-pe rsonality motorcycle to lean in eith er di rec t io n , street o r dirt : give n a littl e im agina t ive rework. For teasers, co nside r tha t th e DT400B will pull at least o ne tooth (likely two) more o n the coun te rsha ft to give it 100 mph ca pa bility before. yo u even bother to trick out th e en gin e fo r more top end. There are way s to bring the bike 's braking an d suspensio n up to its road sp eed potential, but we d on 't recommend any hal f-measur es. It 's a total-involvement trip fo r someone who wants a unique cafe racer an d p urely academic, to any one: else. Dangerous , even. Fo r dirt, th e DT400B need s better tires , to tall y d iffer en t sh ocks, softer for k springs, a new chain and differen t grips, for star te rs. The ta nk's too small for long-distance cross-co untry ' rid ing. Primary kic kst art 's terrific , but while bur ied in mud, we suddenly realized wh y Sp anish bikes have the kickstarter at the to p of the en gine cases, rather than low, like the DT400. Win a point, lose a po int. So wh at has Yam ah a dish ed us? A big 0 1' p la ybike with intriguing possibilities and a sp lit p ersonality. With its fau lts, th e DT400 allo ws the buyer with a o ne-bike budget to park th e th irs ty van and go riding every day of the week. In today 's ec o no my , th a t ~ru~ a lo t. • Specifications Wheelbase • . . .. . . . .. . • . ..• • ... . .55.5 in. Seat he ight (unload ed ) . . . . . . . • . . . . . 32 in. Minimum ground clearance Weight (claimed) .8 .7 in. ... . •. . . .272 lb. (124 Kg) Engine: Displacement 397cc Bore x stroke . . . . . . . . •. •. ... .85 x 70mm Ignition . .. . .. ... • . . .. . . ... . COl timed 2.9mm BTDC Carburetor . . . . . .• . ... • Mikuni VM32SS/ 1 Fuel capacity • .. .. . . . . . . ... . . . . . 2.4 gal. Injector oil 1.6 qt. Tires . . . . '......... . ••. . ... . 3.00 x 21 F 4 .00 x lB R Tire pressures 13/23 psi Front (dirt /street) . . . .• . .. . .• . . , 6/26 psi Rear Electrical: 6 volt 4 Amp-h r. Batt . Steer ing: . Rake • • . • . . . • • . . . . . . . . .• . .. . 27.5 deg . Trail . • . • . . . . . • . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .5.3 in.