Don't see many reviews of old bikes. I had nearly nothing to go by before purchasing my 86 WR400. So I thought I would do a little writeup for those looking for info in the future. I encourage all of you to review your Vintage bikes here for reference. 
So the bike is a 1986 WR400. Stock and in good shape but not a beauty. (will be soon)
I have never ridden his vintage in fact the oldest one I had ridden and actually owned was my very first husky the 1993 610.
Fit / finish / feel:
Well it is old so it feels old. Tiny footpegs, low seat that angles forward and then slopes up at the tank, odd bulbous left side panel etc. Footpegs bother me being used to wide platforms. Will widen or replace. Seat to footpeg relationship is tight and makes standing to seating more effort than it needs to be. Seat is comfy but kinda forces you to the tank. Will replace seat with a flatter, taller more modern feeling one I will build. Overall the bike feels as old as it is. No surprise.
Suspension:
Was told before hand the forks kind suck and they do. they are OK and work well for rocky rooty stuff. Pick up trail trash very well. They get confused and floppy when pushed and will bottom EZ at speed. Both seem to be leaking real good. Nice stuff
Sending them to LTR to see if he can do anything with them. Already considering a whole front end replacement but would like to keep it stock if I can make it acceptable. Rear end works very well. Nice trail suspension. Shock needs refreshed, maybe stiffer valving and a new rubber bottom out cone.
Brakes:
The front one is crap. Heard they are crap. Mine has fork oil on it as well. Crap is what it is. Will be upgraded. Rear is surprisingly very good drum brake. I am a rear brake dragger, often times dragging the brake while applying power. I like that it is powerful enough, EZ to modulate and gets better as it heats up. I can roast a rear brake and have a few times on the trail, this one can't be overheated (no fluid) and actually works better when hot. Not the ultimate in barking but very functional as is. Might be interesting in deeper water. has grooved pads.
Handling:
Actually pretty surprising. Stable and quick turning all in one. Bike actually feels pretty light and can be flicked through the trees pretty quickly. I can see why Terry Cunningham and crew railed on these. Back then this must have been one heck of a machine as it stands up well to modern offerings. No it does not handle like my 125, duh, but VERY good indeed. Nice. Take a different approach than a modern bike but i am fully up to this having ridden many older bikes. Oh, the bike flies nice, EZ to jump and EZ to come off the jump face level. Like a 450F it is EZ to control the takeoff with a blip. (smaller woods type jumps not MX)
Motor:
I purposely saved the best for last. How does this 24 year old non power-valve motor work so well? It has maybe the best bottom end woods power ever. So controllable yet powerful. Amazing. I feel invincible on any hill. Short shift and rip. Perfect flywheel weight to power ratio. loft the front end, blast up a hill, get the rear out for a corner, it is all right there with a flick of the wrist. It is so fun I have been running up to a local area almost every night to burn some fuel. Been seeking out the nastiest loose rocky hills I can to motor up in 3rd wheeling wherever I feel. What a joy to use. It does vibrate pretty good mid to top but all you need to do is short shift it. Also by the time you get to the mid it is going so freaking fast it's time to reel her in anyway. It does have good mid and top if you want to go there, almost to much for the woods. Things happen fast when spinning it up. I just short shift and squirt around in that glorious bottom end. Sweet. The transmission shifts like butter, has a first gear that might literally let it idle up a tree and a 6th that I can't find enough room for with no gaps in between (big power allows that). the versatility is amazing. Oh, i have done nothing to the old round slide Mikuni and it carberates perfect. Cold it is 3 kicks every time and warm one kick every time. EZ starter. The motor, trans and the way it runs is for sure the highlight of this package.
Final thoughts:
I like this bike much more than anticipated. Got it on a whim because I traded a bike for it which was not in use that I got for a song, and it has a licence plate which will be useful for camping / exploring. What I found is I really like riding it. The motor, handling and relatively light weight feel make it a joy to rip around on. I feel if I sorted the brakes and suspension some I could go as fast on this as about any other bike. That is amazing to me. Bikes have evolved a long ways since this machine but it still holds up well in comparison. No, I'm not saying it is on par with current hardware, far from it, yet it does poses one great motor wrapped in a good bike to get down the trail with. This bike will see some use. Much like my beloved 94 WXC250 this bike will find a place in my garage for a long time i think. Will be a great bike for many non-competitive rides and fun times. Shes a keeper.
BTW spoke to Phillip at Husqvarna-parts.com, real nice guy full of info and has a lot of parts in stock. His personal bike is a 86 WR400 and in his opinion it is the single best motor husky ever made. (vintage I am assuming) I can't really argue with that. Says it shares a piston and some design with the air cooled 390 which is said is also a great motor. If it was balanced better and smoother mid to top I would be right there with him. 4stroke or 2 stoke this is one cool motor.
fun stuff.
BTW running Motoz Dez HT rear and Enduro IT front and they are working awesome on this bike. Had Ching Chen (or however you spell that) on it and i could not get them off quick enough.
So the bike is a 1986 WR400. Stock and in good shape but not a beauty. (will be soon)
I have never ridden his vintage in fact the oldest one I had ridden and actually owned was my very first husky the 1993 610. Fit / finish / feel:
Well it is old so it feels old. Tiny footpegs, low seat that angles forward and then slopes up at the tank, odd bulbous left side panel etc. Footpegs bother me being used to wide platforms. Will widen or replace. Seat to footpeg relationship is tight and makes standing to seating more effort than it needs to be. Seat is comfy but kinda forces you to the tank. Will replace seat with a flatter, taller more modern feeling one I will build. Overall the bike feels as old as it is. No surprise.
Suspension:
Was told before hand the forks kind suck and they do. they are OK and work well for rocky rooty stuff. Pick up trail trash very well. They get confused and floppy when pushed and will bottom EZ at speed. Both seem to be leaking real good. Nice stuff
Sending them to LTR to see if he can do anything with them. Already considering a whole front end replacement but would like to keep it stock if I can make it acceptable. Rear end works very well. Nice trail suspension. Shock needs refreshed, maybe stiffer valving and a new rubber bottom out cone. Brakes:
The front one is crap. Heard they are crap. Mine has fork oil on it as well. Crap is what it is. Will be upgraded. Rear is surprisingly very good drum brake. I am a rear brake dragger, often times dragging the brake while applying power. I like that it is powerful enough, EZ to modulate and gets better as it heats up. I can roast a rear brake and have a few times on the trail, this one can't be overheated (no fluid) and actually works better when hot. Not the ultimate in barking but very functional as is. Might be interesting in deeper water. has grooved pads.
Handling:
Actually pretty surprising. Stable and quick turning all in one. Bike actually feels pretty light and can be flicked through the trees pretty quickly. I can see why Terry Cunningham and crew railed on these. Back then this must have been one heck of a machine as it stands up well to modern offerings. No it does not handle like my 125, duh, but VERY good indeed. Nice. Take a different approach than a modern bike but i am fully up to this having ridden many older bikes. Oh, the bike flies nice, EZ to jump and EZ to come off the jump face level. Like a 450F it is EZ to control the takeoff with a blip. (smaller woods type jumps not MX)
Motor:
I purposely saved the best for last. How does this 24 year old non power-valve motor work so well? It has maybe the best bottom end woods power ever. So controllable yet powerful. Amazing. I feel invincible on any hill. Short shift and rip. Perfect flywheel weight to power ratio. loft the front end, blast up a hill, get the rear out for a corner, it is all right there with a flick of the wrist. It is so fun I have been running up to a local area almost every night to burn some fuel. Been seeking out the nastiest loose rocky hills I can to motor up in 3rd wheeling wherever I feel. What a joy to use. It does vibrate pretty good mid to top but all you need to do is short shift it. Also by the time you get to the mid it is going so freaking fast it's time to reel her in anyway. It does have good mid and top if you want to go there, almost to much for the woods. Things happen fast when spinning it up. I just short shift and squirt around in that glorious bottom end. Sweet. The transmission shifts like butter, has a first gear that might literally let it idle up a tree and a 6th that I can't find enough room for with no gaps in between (big power allows that). the versatility is amazing. Oh, i have done nothing to the old round slide Mikuni and it carberates perfect. Cold it is 3 kicks every time and warm one kick every time. EZ starter. The motor, trans and the way it runs is for sure the highlight of this package.
Final thoughts:
I like this bike much more than anticipated. Got it on a whim because I traded a bike for it which was not in use that I got for a song, and it has a licence plate which will be useful for camping / exploring. What I found is I really like riding it. The motor, handling and relatively light weight feel make it a joy to rip around on. I feel if I sorted the brakes and suspension some I could go as fast on this as about any other bike. That is amazing to me. Bikes have evolved a long ways since this machine but it still holds up well in comparison. No, I'm not saying it is on par with current hardware, far from it, yet it does poses one great motor wrapped in a good bike to get down the trail with. This bike will see some use. Much like my beloved 94 WXC250 this bike will find a place in my garage for a long time i think. Will be a great bike for many non-competitive rides and fun times. Shes a keeper.
BTW spoke to Phillip at Husqvarna-parts.com, real nice guy full of info and has a lot of parts in stock. His personal bike is a 86 WR400 and in his opinion it is the single best motor husky ever made. (vintage I am assuming) I can't really argue with that. Says it shares a piston and some design with the air cooled 390 which is said is also a great motor. If it was balanced better and smoother mid to top I would be right there with him. 4stroke or 2 stoke this is one cool motor.
fun stuff.
BTW running Motoz Dez HT rear and Enduro IT front and they are working awesome on this bike. Had Ching Chen (or however you spell that) on it and i could not get them off quick enough.
