The 400...

[Uncle Bob]

Well, when I put the 400 away 5 months ago, I filled it up and added some Sta-bil ( from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/STA-BIL-22207- ... B000JJHNAW ).

So today, primed carbs and left an hour, prodded the starter on full choke and it instantly burst into life. Excellent.

I should have got a video just for JohnR's benefit. Looking forward to a ride on it now, as too late this evening to do. Here's looking forward to some decent weather over Easter.

UB

[johnr]

lol, one startup doesnt make a reliable runner. i think you will be cursing it long before i ever praise a 400 again....

[fossie]

I believe that the fuel stabiliser has saved you from hours of fun!
A fuel cat does the same but is always in the tank. Either way this is a post that wont be repeated by the person winning the bidding on the 400 on e bay at the moment........absolutely original, very low mileage , no rust, Stored for 24 years. Started well with ether ....WILL NEED CARBS SORTING it says. Oh really!

[pookie]

My 250 kat was the same, hadn't been started since October 3rd last year (mega long story, but I had all the bodywork resprayed by a guy who was hospitalised with heart problems then two days before Christmas his garage burnt down! he said 'you're lucky, your parts survived the fire' but I replied that if the job had been done in the two weeks promised the parts wouldn't have been there to escape the fire!) anyhoo, I remembered to drain the float bowls before the bodywork went away and it started first prod, was very pleased and the paint job was worth the wait, it looks great, will put some pics up when the sun comes out.

[pookie]

Sun came out today so I went for a blast on the 250 to the Thames riverside near where I live, it still makes me laugh when its screaming away at 11000 rpm at 60mph and there's still 4500 revs left ! The sprayer did a great job and even knew that the colour code was Suzuki 13L, worth waiting nearly five months for, now looking forward to the summer so I can rev its nuts off every day

[fossie]

This is the reason I let the 250 I had go, mechanical sympathy.

Have you seen what this D&k 400 is going for now £1575, with 3 days to go.
Someone will be using interesting language

[pookie]

There are more questions than answers about that 400 at dk, its unregistered so it will need money and a lot of form filling, and an mot which seems a long way away seeing as the tyres are shot (£180 for replacements) the brakes will need an overhaul, plus the carbs will need ultrasonic cleaning and fitting with viton o-rings to future proof it, the mileage (under 4000 from new) sounds highly doubtful judging by the overall condition (the engine covers have been sprayed with Halfords silver rattle can paint) and no side panel stickers, the tail unit should be dark blue and not black, it could cost up to a grand just to get it roadworthy, and at £1575 it still hasn't met its reserve! someone on here is now going to say that they are the highest bidder

[Uncle Bob]

Went out on Sunday for a blat on the 400 and started fine again, after it's brief startup on Friday night, and ran well. Did about 80 miles of some of my fave fast and twisty B roads. I still can't really ride it well though as used to the VStrom and lots of midrange to ride in - I keep forgetting to enter corners with enough revs, but I enjoyed myself which was the main thing.

I was thinking, the 250 piston velocity is actually less than the 1100's when you think about it. Using mean piston speed (as the piston varies speed over the stroke as is actually stopped and tdc and bdc (even if for a fraction of a second).

The 1100 is 66mm stroke so at the redline of 9000rpm:
(((66mm * 2) * 9000rpm) / 1000000) * 60 = 71.28kph mean piston speed

The 250 has a 33mm stroke and the redline of 15500rpm
((33mm * 2) * 15500rpm) / 1000000 * 60 = 61.38kph mean piston speed

The (stroke x 2) is for 1 revolution and (/ 1000000) to get from mm to km, then x 60 for minutes to hours.

OK the valves are going up and down more, with less valve travel so smaller diameter cams, they are turning in distance terms (pi) less as well.

For completeness the 400 with a 12500rpm redline is:
((47mm * 2) * 12500rpm) / 1000000 * 60 = 70.50kph mean piston speed

I found all that quite interesting, but that's just me.

So rev that 250 away, just keep the oil nice!

Rob

[pookie]

I know what you mean Rob, just thinking of the pistons, only slightly bigger than a fifty pence piece, travelling just over three centimetres on the stroke, with the valve stems like cocktail sticks going full chat, you just have to trust those geniuses at Suzuki who created it, I change the oil and filter every year (last year it did just 1600 miles!) filter is a hi flo hf531 and it has to be semi synthetic as that was the best oil available when the bike was first built.

[fossie]

This madness that 400 at D&k is now nearly £1900........ For that and the money it will need you could get the 750 with 1100 in tested ready to ride away.
As for the comments about tailpiece etc , this shows it is a bitsa , some SSN &SSM parts. Oooooh.
In all honesty probably a £750 bike as a non running project. We could be wrong though.