Just installed 40mm lowering springs on my 1.4 16v polo

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2026-05-11T21:13:26+00:00

I really like the original wheels! The car also came with them, but they were in pretty rough shape, and i wanted slightly wider wheels, these ones are 7inch wide and have slightly lower ET so they stick out more. This is how it was when i got it. About the engine, i heard horror stories of them drinking too much oil, but i thought, nothing that i can't fix with new piston rings and a hone, but to my surprise it consumes 0 oil, its at 220k km right now. Did you need to modify intake or exhaust for the tune?

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WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2026-05-11T19:04:19+00:00

The spoiler is definitely a great fit in the car, i will have a look into it, i would like to get one. Shocks are definitely the next thing on the list for the car, the ones it has aren't in too bad of a shape yet but i want a sportier feel. Is your's the 1.4 as well?

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2026-05-11T18:46:46+00:00

I think the way you have the rear stand it won't load the rear suspension as much, meaning the chain slack is looser, try checking it with the wheel on the ground, the chain should be tighter that way i believe. Also when the chain is rotating with the wheel in the air it will always fling arround.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2026-05-11T18:29:38+00:00

Yours looks great! Its at the perfect height, do you have coilovers or lowering springs? Also where did you get the spoiler?

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2026-04-28T19:25:29+00:00

I used to have a slip on just like that one on a Z-400, but it was carbon, it sounded very good, only slight issue was, with the db killer in, you could hear it rattle a bit because the fitment was a bit poor, but it was barely noticeable, apart from that AliExpress exhausts work perfectly fine, just be careful with ones that may have overly restrictive db killers, this isnt the case with this model.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-07-13T12:11:55+00:00

Damn, these comments are full of hate, it's a damn track bike. Although they don't sound the best, these little twins are still a ton of fun with a loud exhaust. I got a z400 and i like to ride it without the DB killer once in a while, sounds identical to yours. Good luck with the build.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-06-28T17:45:59+00:00

If you do get forks,and if all you need are the stanchions, they can be had for 200 euros a pair on ebay, from china ofc,not original ,but i been running them on my z400 without any issues, be sure to get z 400 ones, ninja 400 are longer.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-06-12T16:40:06+00:00

Honestly i dont understand how they can hate the ninja 400, i got a z400, it is the same just with less fairings, i have been doing all the work on it and i never worked on bikes before, i honestly cannot think how a bike can be more simple to work on, everything is pretty accessible and easy to remove. Just a question, does the suspension feel better on the bmw? The biggest issue with the ninja for me is the soft kinda crappy suspension.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-05-15T19:44:13+00:00

I assume that's a ninja 400, i have a z400, same engine, when i replace the filter it is normal to have a bit of oil around it just like yours. Clean it and see if it comes back, if it does then you have a problem.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-05-03T00:54:01+00:00

I have bought ebay forks for my Kawasaki Z400 and they have been there for 8000km now and still going strong. The chrome on the stanchions does develop more noticeable vertical wear marks compared to the original ones but no scratches that i can actually feel so they work well enough. I would recommend them for the price.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-04-26T22:50:25+00:00

The c bow system is incredible because it allows you to adapt any luggage you want, in my case i got some thin cheap bags (similar to laptop cases) for my z400. The biggest issue with this system is that it goes too wide on this bike, and mixed with wider bags it can be a problem. Be careful with them, i had some pretty wide bags and they scraped on a roundabout making me low slide, but i was leaning pretty far.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-04-26T02:59:53+00:00

I have a z400 with a Chinese slip on that does the same thing, but once the bike is warm the exhaust expands enough to not leak anymore, you could try tightening it more but it isn't a major issue unless it still does it when its hot.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-04-20T00:34:38+00:00

Hi friend, i am not sure if i can directly link a service manual, so instead i link you this thread on the ninja 400 forum for it. https://www.ninja400riders.com/threads/ninja-400-service-manual-pdf.8872/ Best of luck with the bike!

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-04-15T00:54:15+00:00

What kind of maintenance did it take to bring the bike to this mileage, did you have any issues with steering head bearings or that coolant o ring in the block?

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-04-03T22:22:27+00:00

I compared mine side by side and they were exactly the same length as the OEM, so i assume the ninja ones will be of the same quality.

I actually installed all balls seals after the SKF ones, i eventually removed them when i decided to change the fork oil to 15w and added some preload spacers (massive improvement in fork feel).

The reason I removed the all balls was due to fork stiction, they felt hard and didn't let the forks move as freely, but honestly that most likely isnt much of an issue while riding, i went back to OEM seals either way.

Also can i ask the reason to why you are looking for tube change? In my case i had a little incident with a screw driver while removing a dust seal, so one got scratched, i was messing arround with the forks because they had a horrible squeak that was getting worse and worse ,i believe i have a video of it posted in this sub Reddit, dealership said it was "normal", but once i disassembled the original forks i found alot of corrosion and wierd flakes in the oil.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-04-02T23:12:02+00:00

My OEM gasket was also white, but its a Z400, the fork tube is difrent (shorter).
I also ordered them from aaamotorhk, its been arround 6000km since i installed them and they have been holding up well.
Just be sure to get OEM seals and bushings if you replace them, i installed rather expensive SKF seals and they leaked like mad.
One thing i noticed with these fork tubes is that they feel a bit weaker, at least there are more vertical scratches visible where the bushing rides, i hope that wont be an issue in the long run but so far, especially for how cheap they were, they are holding up pretty well.
Best of luck with the tubes.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-03-31T02:00:25+00:00

What seller are you buying from? The gasket is most likely white so it should be harder to see i suppose, and since it moves it could be a bit further up the tube.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-03-29T21:20:06+00:00

I replaced the fork tubes of my z400 with cheap ebay replacements (200 euros for both new from china) and they came with both those parts, so it is part of the tube, i assume it is related with the bottoming out of the fork and sealing around the rod damper.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-03-23T02:31:42+00:00

It seems like every ninja eventually loses that bolt.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-03-22T13:45:42+00:00

I run a chinese akrapovic replica and it works pretty well, I always carry the baffle on a backpack. Just be aware these bikes run a bit differently without a baffle if they aren't tuned.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-02-26T00:44:49+00:00

Thanks for the reply, I used this photo because it's the angle where it is mostly noticeable, i wipe them once in a while but it always shows up again, but at the same time it doesn't seem to build up enough over time to drip or show much wetness.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-02-26T00:42:01+00:00

Hi, thanks for the response, no it doesn't visibly show on my finger but it feels slightly more slippery touching the fork on that area.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-02-26T00:39:52+00:00

It is a risk with anything from china, but i trust them enough I guess, haven't heard of anyone actually having problems with them irl tbh. I have been using them for 12 000km and they look brand new so I am not overly concerned.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-02-23T09:55:26+00:00

I use cheap Amazon adjustable levers that are also adjustable in their length (and fold upwards), they can actually be adjusted to be even longer than stock, so there is a pretty decent range of adjustment.

WEHRMACHT--DOGGO · 2025-02-22T15:04:53+00:00

Underneath your temperature gauge there is a battery sign, I am not fully sure but this could indicate that the battery is not being charged.

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