Well, nostalgic is probably the best word. You have to understand back in the day, we got a flat, we had tools, irons and patch kits with us. We'd lean the bike over on the side of a ditch and we'd fix the tire. you can't have tubeless tires with spoked rims. As far as the kick start goes, that's the way men started bikes. When "electro-starts" first came out, they were referred to as "pussy starts". But that's the way things go.
I feel like you kinda misunderstand your own bike a bit 1. You complain about vibration: It's not the fact that it's a 400cc engine that causes the vibration, vibrations are an inexorable part of riding a bike; something you have to deal with. What I will say is that the fact that it's a one-lunger doesn't help the situation; it makes it waaaay worse. 2. Tubed tires: Cary a patch kit, be responsible....understand the concept that "anything that can go wrong, eventually will". You admitedly live in a dense urban environment; things like nails, and broken glass are gonna be a consistent issue in that situation. Exercise awareness of that fact and ride prepared to have to cover minor DIY roadside issues. 3. The bike isn't pleasing to the ear: Dude...it's a single-cylinder bike; it's not gonna sound like a Harley or a piped GSX-R, be realistic. If you want loud pipes, pull the muffler and unpack the damn thing, weld it back together...problem solved. 5. You keep saying "cafe racer"...this thing isn't a "cafe racer"...it's a UJM (Universal Japanese Motorcycle) re-issue bike.
I have a 2017 SR400, I don't have a problem with tube tires. The bike has a center stand so I just carry a patch kit. But I'm an old fart and used to that kind of thing. Speed and power? Just watch your RPM's when you need to pass drop a gear and if you're doing it right you'll be OK. Also, I drilled the back of the muffler with eight 1/4 inch holes. It gives you a bit more speed and power and the sound is great, not too loud and not too quiet. With the stalling as you get more experience that will go away also you'll be able to start it by feel and not need to look at the TDC window. I have big bikes but this bike brings me back to my youth.
Great honest review. I purchased mine in May '14. The day that I bought the bike I stalled it at a congested traffic light during rush hour in Indianapolis. Under stress it took me about 10 kicks before getting it up and running. Mind you that I had never ridden a MC outside of the MSF course. However, that is the only time I have ever stalled the bike up until now. The best thing about this bike is the low insurance cost relative to the majority of other newer bikes.
Thanks. Besides the fuel injection the bike is basically the same as in the 80th. They just never stopped producing them in Japan. It's not an old looking bike made for the hipsters. It is the original 😊
As far as I understand, spray sealants work just as well (or badly) on tubes as on tubeless. In fact probably a bit better on tubes. That is a great bike. No plastic panels attached with plastic clips. Everything is bolted on steel. The 70's SR500 is the same bike really. It just has a longer stroke. That, and injection and ignition aside, that is pretty much the same. It has been produced for Japan market all these years. There aren't many things like that anymore.
I'm aware this video is three years old, but I REALLY hope you've ditched the whole "loud pipes save lives" crap. Loud pipes just annoy the hell out of people, if a driver isn't going to see you, they aren't going to hear you either, modern cars seal up super well and most folks are riding down the road with ACs up and stereos blaring. Even if they do hear you, it's very unlikely they'll parse that you're a motorcycle (how many drivers do you think can ID a motorcycle engine note from any old car?), and so they'll probably not actually act on hearing that. Case in point- I have a very short, very loud can on my R6 (just to get it legal, I'm gonna replace it with a stock exhaust or something similar to stock once I've undone the fuckery the last owner did on it), loud enough to make my ears ring when I get the revs up and still louder than anything else on the road at what I usually cruise at. Been cutoff, almost run into, almost run over, more times than I care to count. You've just gotta ride like everyone is actively trying to kill you.
Great review and makes me want to write a one year review on my. SR. You can check out my review if you want but it was aimed at a global audience so I kept my English really simple. I think you bought a great bike and the build quality is second to none (especially given the price). This is my fourth bike and although the least powerful of the bunch it's by far my favourite. One thing though, if memory serves correct, these spoked wheels won't take a tubeless tyre. I confirmed that a few weeks ago but I may have been mistaken. But I do know that most spoked wheels don't take a tubeless tyre. Thanks for the review and happy, safe riding ! Edit: I changed the exhaust and added a much louder and better looking pipe and ...what a difference it made.
I am pretty sure that just tires for tube tires are not made anymore. It is because now they come with what is called a safety rim to keep the tire on the rim if there is a flat. It used to be very easy to fix a flat on tube rims but now they are so stiff in can be difficult to do. Flat fix by ride-on.com can seal some, not all nail punctures Ride On will slow the leak and allow a more controlled stop at least. Ride-on found at Amazon can help, look it up. In my opinion, tube tires should be a thing of the past and outlawed on motorcycles just from a safety point of view.
Great review. the cons were very well addressed, realistic.... especially the kick start problem for beginner bikers who will stall quite a bit in their learning process. I haven't heard anyone address that. They keep saying it is a great beginner bike because of the 399cc engine... which I'm sure is true to a degree.
Tubes are fine if something very bad happens that will strand you with tubeless .A spare tube and patchs you will never get stranded unless you can't maintain your bike in which case you don't need it.
Just curious if you have outgrown the bike with more riding experience? . Or you think its still satisfying for a new rider to keep it over the longer-term? I'm not much of a speed demon, but just wondering if you begin to seek a more refined (eg less vibration) engine and more power? Is the bike comfortable for extended riding? Or would you cap the riding to an hour or a few hours a day? Otherwise the bike is a forever classic.
yeah I just do not understand the price for this basic motorcycle. It would be like paying 60 grand for a $15,000 Kia Soul with no options. Probably the main reason that very few Yamaha SR 400's are sold. All the Yamaha dealers in my area won't even stock them they are too hard to move.
Good honest review. Would it be okay for 110kph (68mph) for an hour of riding on a motorway and country roads once every few weeks? Or too much wind intrusion and vibrations? Keen on these older style bikes, or perhaps a Neo Retro Cafe Racer like CB300R.
Hi Bryan, nice video. Hey after a year, how many miles to the tank are you averaging? And you are correct, you cant use green slime or fix a flat with tubed tires, i wish it came with mag wheels myself.
Broken in right, this bike is perfect just as it comes from the factory. It is what it is... buy it, ride it live it, and just don't stall at the light. IMO an awesome 400 that comes stock just as it should be. Yamaha knows what they're doing. Trust the brand or buy an HD and spend more time tweaking and polishng than you do riding. The SR 400 is a bad ass, bullet proof little bike that's a blast to ride and enjoy just as it is, with enough power for what It offers. It is what it was built, marketed and sold for. Best little bike I've ever owned. If you don't like yours, sell it to me for my wife to ride. I'll pay top dollar for a good used one of you haven't dumped it at a light when you stalled it.
i bet this dude smacked hes leg 500 times. i was going to go back and count lol. but the first thing i did was change my tires out on the bike. put a better ignition on it for better spark, breather. rejetted it. took the seat off and made a bobber. oh i forgot that i put a taller from rim by 2". lowered the front and back. half findered the bk finder. and changed the front sprocket by 2 teeth to give it about 15 to 18 mph more for better 70 cruzin speed. nice bike u have. ride safe my friend
Installing a Power Commander V, Short Reverse Cone Exhaust and tubeless Tyres will resolve all of your issues. If you're stalling the bike, you shouldn't be riding one...
Experienced rider here. There is no reason to have a kickstart on this bike. I have two friends that own this particular model, and it stalled at stop lights. Both bikes required an average of 5-10 kicks just to get it moving again. Crazy.
They must suck at kickstarting then. I've never stalled it in traffic, but after a year of owning it, it never takes more than one or two kicks to get it going. Warm or cold. The reason it's kickstart only is because Yamaha is trying to preserve the original design of the bike. They've been making it the same way for 40 years and there was not a push from consumers to add electric start.
Nick, not only what you wrote. Save the weight of a large battery and starter motor and even if the battery is a little low it will always kick start. I have been looking at the Suzuki TU 250 X and this Yamaha. It just depends on the type of ridding that is intended. I am 73 and do not really think I will be taking long rides anymore, just want to have a motorcycle to put around on.
Kinda like.... Like...... click click click. It is an inexpensive bike with vintage throwback appeal. Change out the exhaust, only there for CA BS requirements. Enjoy it for what it is...
Well, nostalgic is probably the best word. You have to understand back in the day, we got a flat, we had tools, irons and patch kits with us. We'd lean the bike over on the side of a ditch and we'd fix the tire. you can't have tubeless tires with spoked rims. As far as the kick start goes, that's the way men started bikes. When "electro-starts" first came out, they were referred to as "pussy starts". But that's the way things go.
I feel like you kinda misunderstand your own bike a bit
1. You complain about vibration:
It's not the fact that it's a 400cc engine that causes the vibration, vibrations are an inexorable part of riding a bike; something you have to deal with.
What I will say is that the fact that it's a one-lunger doesn't help the situation; it makes it waaaay worse.
2. Tubed tires:
Cary a patch kit, be responsible....understand the concept that "anything that can go wrong, eventually will". You admitedly live in a dense urban environment; things like nails, and broken glass are gonna be a consistent issue in that situation. Exercise awareness of that fact and ride prepared to have to cover minor DIY roadside issues.
3. The bike isn't pleasing to the ear:
Dude...it's a single-cylinder bike; it's not gonna sound like a Harley or a piped GSX-R, be realistic.
If you want loud pipes, pull the muffler and unpack the damn thing, weld it back together...problem solved.
5. You keep saying "cafe racer"...this thing isn't a "cafe racer"...it's a UJM (Universal Japanese Motorcycle) re-issue bike.
Facts on top of facts!!
I have a 2017 SR400, I don't have a problem with tube tires. The bike has a center stand so I just carry a patch kit. But I'm an old fart and used to that kind of thing. Speed and power? Just watch your RPM's when you need to pass drop a gear and if you're doing it right you'll be OK. Also, I drilled the back of the muffler with eight 1/4 inch holes. It gives you a bit more speed and power and the sound is great, not too loud and not too quiet. With the stalling as you get more experience that will go away also you'll be able to start it by feel and not need to look at the TDC window. I have big bikes but this bike brings me back to my youth.
Thanks for noting the center stand, been wondering
It pisses me off most bikes don't have them these days
Great honest review. I purchased mine in May '14. The day that I bought the bike I stalled it at a congested traffic light during rush hour in Indianapolis. Under stress it took me about 10 kicks before getting it up and running. Mind you that I had never ridden a MC outside of the MSF course. However, that is the only time I have ever stalled the bike up until now. The best thing about this bike is the low insurance cost relative to the majority of other newer bikes.
Thanks. Besides the fuel injection the bike is basically the same as in the 80th. They just never stopped producing them in Japan. It's not an old looking bike made for the hipsters. It is the original 😊
I'm no hipster and love the bike. Love classic.
I don't understand why you didn't use a full screen so we could really see the bike.
As far as I understand, spray sealants work just as well (or badly) on tubes as on tubeless. In fact probably a bit better on tubes. That is a great bike. No plastic panels attached with plastic clips. Everything is bolted on steel. The 70's SR500 is the same bike really. It just has a longer stroke. That, and injection and ignition aside, that is pretty much the same. It has been produced for Japan market all these years. There aren't many things like that anymore.
I'm aware this video is three years old, but I REALLY hope you've ditched the whole "loud pipes save lives" crap. Loud pipes just annoy the hell out of people, if a driver isn't going to see you, they aren't going to hear you either, modern cars seal up super well and most folks are riding down the road with ACs up and stereos blaring. Even if they do hear you, it's very unlikely they'll parse that you're a motorcycle (how many drivers do you think can ID a motorcycle engine note from any old car?), and so they'll probably not actually act on hearing that. Case in point- I have a very short, very loud can on my R6 (just to get it legal, I'm gonna replace it with a stock exhaust or something similar to stock once I've undone the fuckery the last owner did on it), loud enough to make my ears ring when I get the revs up and still louder than anything else on the road at what I usually cruise at. Been cutoff, almost run into, almost run over, more times than I care to count. You've just gotta ride like everyone is actively trying to kill you.
Very helpful review for those of us considering this bike. Thanks, Bryan!
Great review and makes me want to write a one year review on my. SR. You can check out my review if you want but it was aimed at a global audience so I kept my English really simple.
I think you bought a great bike and the build quality is second to none (especially given the price). This is my fourth bike and although the least powerful of the bunch it's by far my favourite.
One thing though, if memory serves correct, these spoked wheels won't take a tubeless tyre. I confirmed that a few weeks ago but I may have been mistaken. But I do know that most spoked wheels don't take a tubeless tyre.
Thanks for the review and happy, safe riding !
Edit: I changed the exhaust and added a much louder and better looking pipe and ...what a difference it made.
I am pretty sure that just tires for tube tires are not made anymore. It is because now they come with what is called a safety rim to keep the tire on the rim if there is a flat. It used to be very easy to fix a flat on tube rims but now they are so stiff in can be difficult to do. Flat fix by ride-on.com can seal some, not all nail punctures Ride On will slow the leak and allow a more controlled stop at least. Ride-on found at Amazon can help, look it up. In my opinion, tube tires should be a thing of the past and outlawed on motorcycles just from a safety point of view.
Great review. the cons were very well addressed, realistic.... especially the kick start problem for beginner bikers who will stall quite a bit in their learning process. I haven't heard anyone address that. They keep saying it is a great beginner bike because of the 399cc engine... which I'm sure is true to a degree.
Tubes are fine if something very bad happens that will strand you with tubeless .A spare tube and patchs you will never get stranded unless you can't maintain your bike in which case you don't need it.
Just curious if you have outgrown the bike with more riding experience? .
Or you think its still satisfying for a new rider to keep it over the longer-term?
I'm not much of a speed demon, but just wondering if you begin to seek a more refined (eg less vibration) engine and more power?
Is the bike comfortable for extended riding? Or would you cap the riding to an hour or a few hours a day?
Otherwise the bike is a forever classic.
yeah I just do not understand the price for this basic motorcycle. It would be like paying 60 grand for a $15,000 Kia Soul with no options. Probably the main reason that very few Yamaha SR 400's are sold. All the Yamaha dealers in my area won't even stock them they are too hard to move.
spoked wheels need tubes because they leak from the spoke holes
Good honest review. Would it be okay for 110kph (68mph) for an hour of riding on a motorway and country roads once every few weeks? Or too much wind intrusion and vibrations? Keen on these older style bikes, or perhaps a Neo Retro Cafe Racer like CB300R.
Yeah, it's fine as long as it's not more than 40 minutes at a time. After that, the vibrations get kinda annoying .
Laced wheels, means tube tires unless you get a higher end motor like BMW. Of course you probably know that by now.
Great video. I learned a lot from you.
Hi Bryan, nice video. Hey after a year, how many miles to the tank are you averaging? And you are correct, you cant use green slime or fix a flat with tubed tires, i wish it came with mag wheels myself.
Nice review, I am planning on getting my 1st bike soon. The sr 400 is also my choice.
Broken in right, this bike is perfect just as it comes from the factory. It is what it is... buy it, ride it live it, and just don't stall at the light. IMO an awesome 400 that comes stock just as it should be. Yamaha knows what they're doing. Trust the brand or buy an HD and spend more time tweaking and polishng than you do riding. The SR 400 is a bad ass, bullet proof little bike that's a blast to ride and enjoy just as it is, with enough power for what It offers. It is what it was built, marketed and sold for. Best little bike I've ever owned. If you don't like yours, sell it to me for my wife to ride. I'll pay top dollar for a good used one of you haven't dumped it at a light when you stalled it.
i bet this dude smacked hes leg 500 times. i was going to go back and count lol. but the first thing i did was change my tires out on the bike. put a better ignition on it for better spark, breather. rejetted it. took the seat off and made a bobber. oh i forgot that i put a taller from rim by 2". lowered the front and back. half findered the bk finder. and changed the front sprocket by 2 teeth to give it about 15 to 18 mph more for better 70 cruzin speed. nice bike u have. ride safe my friend
Any photo's Charles??
You jetted the fuel injection? 🤔
You didn't state why you stalled at the lights when you first had the bike.
ClayMation He's a new rider, new riders stall out by letting go of the clutch
You wanted a tachometer, which I think is useless. But you didn’t want a electric start?
Installing a Power Commander V, Short Reverse Cone Exhaust and tubeless Tyres will resolve all of your issues. If you're stalling the bike, you shouldn't be riding one...
when you have a rimset you can't have tubeless tires on them.
franzb69 You can with Cast Mag Wheels..
that's the point, that bikes doesn't have mag wheels!
Can you elaborate on what these mods will do. Cheers
Do you still have the bike? Are you still happy with it?
Have you thought about swapping out the gearing to up the speed of the sweet spot?
Yeah, my mechanic mentioned that. Definitely something to look into in the future!
100 thousand miles?!
in a year! this guy's crazy
I replayed that part 4 times thinking I miss-heard it lol
I'm LIKE 5'8"-5'9" means you're 5'8" on a good day. Lol dont be afraid that's only an inch under the average American man
damn a sweet spot of 55 , deal breaker..... fyi its not emission , its class license in japan ,below 400 CC
Good review
Experienced rider here. There is no reason to have a kickstart on this bike. I have two friends that own this particular model, and it stalled at stop lights. Both bikes required an average of 5-10 kicks just to get it moving again. Crazy.
They must suck at kickstarting then. I've never stalled it in traffic, but after a year of owning it, it never takes more than one or two kicks to get it going. Warm or cold. The reason it's kickstart only is because Yamaha is trying to preserve the original design of the bike. They've been making it the same way for 40 years and there was not a push from consumers to add electric start.
Nick, not only what you wrote. Save the weight of a large battery and starter motor and even if the battery is a little low it will always kick start. I have been looking at the Suzuki TU 250 X and this Yamaha. It just depends on the type of ridding that is intended. I am 73 and do not really think I will be taking long rides anymore, just want to have a motorcycle to put around on.
I agree the kickstart is annoying at times... =( I only stalled 2 times at a light and it is a bitch... its pretty dangerous.... Great video!
Thank you.
Enfield English.Einstein German.
It's pronounced Royal Inn-Field, not ien-feld.
It's Hen-Field, actually.
Loyal Henhouse?
En- field like the British Enfield rifle. Which it has ties to even though produced in India now.
Kinda like.... Like...... click click click. It is an inexpensive bike with vintage throwback appeal. Change out the exhaust, only there for CA BS requirements. Enjoy it for what it is...
The cons on the engine are cus is a 400 cc !!!!! Get a 1200 cc or at least a 750 cc !!! Its a no brainer !!!
Your complete lack of experience tells me you should have bought a moped
bfarm44 could you repeat yourself? I had something pretentious in my ear.
bfarm44 - what a stupid comment!