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| XR400 THE STORY SO FAR...... |
| The first Honda XR400R to grace the Wood Garage was this 1996 model. Being my first true dirt bike it really opened my eyes, educated, impressed and scared the shit out of me (usually all at the same time). What the hell were they thinking when they made such a champion off-road weapon PURPLE?? YUK! I busily set about rectifying the situation, and over the 2 years I owned her, she underwent a massive asthetic transformation (as you'll see later). |
| As you can see, she ended up looking, pretty different. The first things to go were the dodgy, ripped and torn fork boots - exchanged for some neat, thick rubber Cemoto jobbies. Next the purple headlight cowl was trashed in favor of a black one..... Even at the time of purchase the plastics were scratched and tired looking, so after riding (and crashing) it for a while I eventually replaced the front and rear guards, and both side covers with UFO 'Atomic Red' guards to immitate Burner's 'Thumpernats' XR400 of the time. |
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| The final mod was the addition of a AMS 18lt fuel tank - not that I wanted a bigger tank - just that the old one was fucked, a genuine replacment cost $500 and the Acerbis 22lt tank looks too HUGE!! |
| The Old Girl Ran Outa Gas..... |
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| The trusty '96 model was getting a bit old. She served me well - thrashing through the bush, doing the odd jump and even an Enduro race - but all good things must come to an end. First the clutch went - slipping in the higher gears. Next I noticed the oil consumption was getting a bit rediculous and she was blowing a bit of smoke under acceleration, so the rings were replaced (both very costly), so by Y2K I decided an upgrade was in order...... |