1. Husqvarna Motorcycles Made In Sweden - About 1988 and older

New Project - 1986 WR400

Discussion in 'Vintage/Left Kickers' started by MotoFo, Aug 23, 2016.

  1. MotoFo Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Richmond, CA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1974/5 250CR, 1981 430CR, 1986 400WR
    Other Motorcycles:
    Yamaha TY175, Yamaha TY250, CRF150F
    Just picked this one up. $500 and the guy threw in a mint Hallman chest protector and a mid-80s Arai helmet. First thing to do is the cleaning and inspection. The bike – I'm now the third owner – came with the owners manual the two-stroke motor manual but I have not been able to find a parts list for the 1986 models. Anyone out there have one they could share? I've read a lot of great things about this bike. My goal is to get it plated and make it into a dual sport.

    Cheers!

    [IMG]
  2. Bigbill Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    '83 250wr
    Other Motorcycles:
    0 right now
    Yup had one just like it, stupid me I parted with it. Nice even flow of power throughout the power band. Great find right price too.
  3. 87husky500xc Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Dayton NV
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2020 tx300i and a few vintage bikes
    Other Motorcycles:
    77 honda xr-75..
    Man that's a healthy looking ride! Awesome score for the price and the 400s are awesome machines. Those wheels even don't look to faded compared to most I've seen. Grease up that linkage! The needle bearings need frequent greasing on the 85s and 86s. Another thing to look out for is the pipe mount under the tank often is very close to the tank and also pipe usually very close to coolant hoses over water pump. Just thing I've noticed with both my 85s. Otherwise grease her up and have fun! Congrats on a great looking bike
  4. Eric The Leg Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Currently Tacoma, WA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1986 WR400, 1985 WRX400, 1979 WR250
    Other Motorcycles:
    83 Kawasaki KZ 440
    I've had my '86 WR400 for most of my life (not joking)!
    Yours looks pretty good!

    I run Metzeler uni-cross tires. They're a DOT knobby that fit the bike well.

    The swingarm bearings are mostly standard bearings that you can get from your local bearing shop. The I-link bearings are a little tricky though. The ones that came stock on the bike are 24mm long, which are hard to find, but you can replace them with a pair of 12mm long bearings stacked end-to-end (if you need me to go grab a list of bearing sizes, let me know). The seals in the swingarm are a "Q4123" - or at-least those fit fairly well- if you search Amazon for that, you can buy them by the 100. If you want to replace the universal bearings in the ohlins and tip of your Y-link, I suggest hitting up one of the vintage husky sites.

    Two options (that I'm aware of) for reeds:
    1) V-force reed sets. There is a set that replaces the intake boot while you're at it.
    2) Boyesen sells a set of reeds (616) that fits the bike. There are also two-piece carb boots available to make future replacement (if necessary) a bit easier.

    I don't see the petcock in your picture. Could just be hidden by dirt. If it is missing (or leaking), you can try searching for "Acerbis petcock" on Amazon or ebay. Just pay attention to what direction the fuel spout leaves the petcock.

    Parts manuals - a good source for download is husqvarna-parts.com

    Sprockets, JT Sprockets makes good ones. Their calculator doesn't give you the right number of teeth though. You can fairly easily find the correct # of teeth (at-least for the stock setup) in the parts manual.
    steadydirt and 87husky500xc like this.
  5. RUF Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    SACRAMENTO
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    510 air, 400WR 85, 430WR 87
    Other Motorcycles:
    BMW R80GS, GILERA 175RC 1972........
  6. RUF Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    SACRAMENTO
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    510 air, 400WR 85, 430WR 87
    Other Motorcycles:
    BMW R80GS, GILERA 175RC 1972........
    Motofo, BINGO !
    You have found the best model for me !
    Am sure you will enjoy it after some jobs.
    :cheers: !!!
    RUF
  7. ruwfo Administrator

    Location:
    NJ
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1980 390CR, 1982 430CR, 1984 400WR
    Other Motorcycles:
    1985 250XC, 2016 FJ-09
    Great motor, awesome woods bike, perfect gearing, BUT it vibrates a lot, so short shift it & check head bolts if you do twist the throttle a lot..
    Steer it with the rear wheel, cause it's kind of tall..
  8. Darrel78 Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Central Arkansas
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    87 WR430
    I dual sport my '87 WR430; these bikes work very well for such service!
    steadydirt likes this.
  9. wrx Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    845 newyork
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1973 to 1986 husky's various models
    Other Motorcycles:
    RM -250 / Buell / Penton 400 mc5
    sweet score, good luck with it
  10. 2premo Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Northern NV
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    98 WR360, 1987 WR430, 1988 XC430
    Other Motorcycles:
    Sherco 300, 2002 KTM 380EXC
    quite a bike for 500
    score :thumbsup:
  11. Bigbill Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    '83 250wr
    Other Motorcycles:
    0 right now
    I paid $150 for mine. The only thing wrong was the PO had the clutch cover off and didn't align the return spring for the shifter in the case during reassembly. I fixed that and cleaned the carb and she was perfect. I installed a threaded sleeve for a compression release in the head. I could start it easily. I believe it was a crosscountry WRX? She easily ate my buddy's kx250 down the straights. I get a kick out of that when it happens. They have no clue. Be careful things don't appear to be going fast like they really are. The '86 400 LC is one of the fastest husqvarnas I had in the 27 bike collection.
    steadydirt likes this.
  12. wrx Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    845 newyork
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1973 to 1986 husky's various models
    Other Motorcycles:
    RM -250 / Buell / Penton 400 mc5
    WRX was a 1 year only bike and that was in 1985.
    oldbikedude likes this.
  13. MotoFo Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Richmond, CA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1974/5 250CR, 1981 430CR, 1986 400WR
    Other Motorcycles:
    Yamaha TY175, Yamaha TY250, CRF150F
    Thank you all for the positive responses.

    RUF - Thanks for the link. That is exactly what I was looking for – its on my computer now. I see you're in Sac. I'm in Richmond.

    87Husky500xc - Thanks for the info on the pipe mount. I'll check that out.

    Eric the Leg - Great info! My intake manifold is toast. It sounds like I can replace with V-force reed set and also get a performance gain.

    The guy I purchased the bike from said he rode enduros with it. He also said it has been sitting in his garage since 1997. I'd say the Jackhammer enduro at Stonyford must have been the last one for him. A closer look revealed that the subframe is missing a bolt, the front brake rotor is way loose and, more concerning, is the top mount for the right radiator is broken (as shown). I'll need to look closer and refer to the parts list to find out what needs to be replaced. There must be a bolt that runs through the frame and secures the mount. I'm sure I'll find more…

    [IMG]
  14. 87husky500xc Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    Dayton NV
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2020 tx300i and a few vintage bikes
    Other Motorcycles:
    77 honda xr-75..
    They are rubber isolators and husqvarna-parts.com or I'm sure there are other sources as well. I know at one point I googled rubber isolators and came up with a bunch of options but ended up getting them from Phillip at the site above. They can be kind of a pain to get out of the frame but at least the radiator tab isn't broken
    MotoFo likes this.
  15. Eric The Leg Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Currently Tacoma, WA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1986 WR400, 1985 WRX400, 1979 WR250
    Other Motorcycles:
    83 Kawasaki KZ 440
    To remove the rubber isolator what I do is cut away as much of the rubber as possible, the go back and forth lightly with my angle grinder to make a groove in the middle of the metal plate on the frame side of the isolator. Then I use channel lock pliers to grip the metal plate opposite the grove and squeeze until the plate folds down. Then you have a tab to grab a hold of and back out what is left of the isolator. Most of the husky part suppliers can sell you one. When replacing the full set it can make more sense to Google or amazon search the isolators. They are double stud, m6, 20mm long, I don't remember the isolator diameter, I want to say 18mm.
    MotoFo likes this.
  16. Bigbill Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    '83 250wr
    Other Motorcycles:
    0 right now
    I grab the inside steel washer with a water pump pliers then unscrew it. When all else fails I do the above
    MotoFo likes this.
  17. steadydirt Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Ontario
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    2007 2002 wr 250 1994 wxe 250
    Other Motorcycles:
    fj 1100 cb500 cb350 rt 200 xs 650
    Inspect the clutch pressure plate- it will need adjusting anyway.
    if there is wear on the pressure plate, you can chuck it up in a lathe and re -leave the inside of the contact area[a very small step/taper can f0rm and the clutch will slip in the top gears at wot]
    MotoFo likes this.
  18. Joe Chod Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    upstate NY
    the rotor is not loose.....it was a floating rotor.
    Eric The Leg, oldbikedude and RUF like this.
  19. Joe Chod Husqvarna
    Pro Class

    Location:
    upstate NY
    just did an 86 WR250 for fred hoess to race in this years six days in spain in the vintage class. alot to do on those. the vibrate alot even the 250. loctite and more loctite. crank was bareley in spec from production key is to get crank as balance as possible isolastic mounts are like 1 buck from mcmaster car
  20. MotoFo Husqvarna
    AA Class

    Location:
    Richmond, CA
    Husqvarna Motorcycle:
    1974/5 250CR, 1981 430CR, 1986 400WR
    Other Motorcycles:
    Yamaha TY175, Yamaha TY250, CRF150F
    Joe Chod - Thanks for the info on the rotor–very helpful. I would not have known. I've read several posts about the unbalanced crank. Someone mentioned about swapping out with a later crank. I'll need to find the post. Isolastic mounts – I take it are for the motor.

    I looked up the Vforce reed – around $300. I'm not ready for that. Anyone have a decent intake manifold they want to part with?