Issue link: http://trailridermagazine.uberflip.com/i/1542902
January 2026 37 The Vape igni on doesn't require a ba ery, though it has a provision for retaining a ba ery for those who require engine-off ligh ng. Installa on was simple. Mount the new stator with the hardware provided in the stock loca on. Rotate the stator to a posi- on to make a reference mark for ming purposes. Bring the piston to Top Dead Center (TDC), zero the dial indicator, then back off to your factory ming specifica ons. For this process, we used a Mo on Pro 2-stroke ming kit. This kit includes a metric dial indicator (and extensions) that thread into a 14mm spark plug hole. In this case, we set the ming to 2.9mm Before Top Dead Center (BTDC). Our Yamaha crank rotates counterclockwise, so we rotated the crank clockwise un l the dial indicator read 2.9mm. At this point, the flywheel is installed, with the m- ing line on the flywheel and aligned with our refer- ence mark made when the stator was installed. Yup, that simple. With everything hooked up, it was me to check for a spark. With a kick of the lever, we were greet- ed with a spark so fat you could hear it crack! With fresh fuel and carb thoroughly cleaned, it was go me. There's something special about waking up a bike that's been dormant for many years, and this was no excep on. Within three kicks, the old DT400 fired to life and soon se led into a low idle. The bo- nus was incredibly bright lights from idle on up with its 180 wa s of DC power. With the bike plated for road use, bright ligh ng is a huge bonus. How does it work, you ask? Well, there's no ques- on that Kurt's got big love for old Yamaha Enduros, and this DT400 is beyond words fun. With the Vape igni on installed, the bike fires right up and pulls like a big block Chevelle. The Vape flywheel is smaller in diameter and significantly lighter than the OEM unit. Being a 400, it's a torque monster and responds well to the lighter flywheel weight, delivering a fun mid-range hit. Some ques oned my choice of gear- ing with a 39-tooth rear/15-tooth front, but it pulls it just fine. The bike's got long legs, shi ing into fi h gear, around 60, resul ng in a low-rpm cruise. The low seat height and long wheelbase also make back- ing into corners a hoot! With this project long completed, once again I'd like to thank my buddy Caleb Humphrey for laying this one in my lap. I enjoyed the project and handled it in a ma er of weeks. Since comple on, we've racked up another couple thousand miles on it, ripping around town and local logging roads. Oh yes, brand- new bikes are awesome, but when you really think about it, both old and new are quite capable of accomplishing the same job. The job of trail riding! The next step was to install the new CDI/Igni on coil. Although the factory mounts did not line up, we easily made do with what we had. Wiring is greatly simplified with plug-in connectors. As for ligh ng, all 6-volt bulbs were replaced with 12-volt op ons. Fortunately, this was also a no-brainer, and we found a sealed beam from GE that fit into the stock headlight ring like it was made for it. As for the taillight, the Lucas-style unit we mounted is 12V with an LED bulb. Since we were elimina ng the ba ery, we installed the DC Regulator/Rec fier (also provided) in the ba ery tray. Tying into the exis ng wiring harness was also a piece of cake — we spliced into a yellow wire in the harness next to our new coil. We even retained our stock kill switch by splicing into a black/white stripe wire also found in the harness. That's it!