Can-Am 400 Qualifier
CAN-AM 400 QUALIFIER
The Chassis Is Updated, But It’s Still Horsepower That Makes Can-Ams Fun
CYCLE WORLD TEST
It’.s been two years since Can-Am unleashed the openclass Qualifier enduro bike on the dirt world. The bike’s progress in that time, we’re happy to report, has kept pace with the competition, though not in always predictable ways. When the original Qualifier 370 was tested a couple of years ago we concluded that, “As a first year open enduro bike, the Qualifier isn’t bad. With modern shocks, a fork modification and a 1 in. longer swing arm from a Can-Am MX-5 motocrosser the Qualifier would be hard to beat.”
Last year the big Qualifier got most of the improvements it needed. The swing arm was lengthened an inch. The Marzocchi forks were modified for improved damping characteristics, and the engine was enlarged to 399cc by increasing the stroke from 66mm to 72mm. The shocks were changed from Girling to S&W, the carb was changed from the 36mm Bing to a 38mm Mikuni and a new rear hub moved the brake backing plate to the righthand side of the wheel where a brake cable was easily connected.
Now in 1981 there is more refinement of this same machine. Our test bike was equipped with Ohlin remote reservoir shocks and dual-rate springs. The 38mm Marzocchi forks are now held in double pinch bolt aluminum triple clamps for a more rigid mounting. The 3.4 gal. plastic gas tank that used to be optional is now standard. And the gas cap on the new tank still doesn’t have a vent hose, instead the tank has a separate vent hose that doesn’t interfere with the gas cap.
By far the biggest mechanical change is in the frame. Can-Am has used the same basic double downtube chrome-moly frame for several years. When this frame was first designed Can-Ams had oil injection and the oil was carried in the huge backbone of the frame. As the bikes became more serious competition machines and the dual purpose version of the bike was dropped, the oil injection was dropped, too. That left a cavernous backbone tube under the gas tank that was unused for anything except frame strength.
Rather than redesign the entire frame, Can-Am has been using the existing frame with continued modifications. Last year the motocrossers became the first to use the frame backbone to duct fresh air from the steering head area to the airbox, and the Qualifier uses the same modification now. Two small scoops are welded to the front of the backbone, one on each side. The scoops take air from the highest location on the bike, behind the number plate where it’s also relatively dust free and hasn’t been heated by the engine, and pass that air to the airbox under the seat.
Access to the oiled K&N air filter is gained by removing the seat, which has been modified to form a good water-tight seal around the frame tubes and airbox.
Can-Am says the new air intake system increases horsepower because the incoming air is cooler and denser. It also keeps the air filter clean an incredible length of time. Compared with last year’s 250 Qualifier with a conventional air cleaner inlet, the new Qualifier can be run about 10 times the distance before the filter needs to be cleaned.
It’s a good thing the filter can stay clean so long, because reaching the filter for cleaning is a time consuming task of unbolting the six nuts that hold on the seat.
When the seat is on the bike it’s a thickly padded and very comfortable seat that doesn’t cause any discomfort even after a 150 mi. enduro. When the seat was changed with the new air intake the foam padding was also changed so that the seat is thinner, especially at the back. It’s still a comfy perch, but now it keeps the rider within reasonable distance from the ground, even with the new suspension units.
Suspension at both ends of the big Qualifier are quality pieces that mate perfectly with the bike. The early Marzocchi forks had excessive compression damping and would hydraulic lock over small sharp ridges. A number of suspension companies discovered a quick fix in drilling the compression damping hole larger, and Marzocchi responded by making a similar improvement in the damper rods last year. Now the damping is excellent with 5w fork oil, while the spring pressure is very close with the recommended 7 psi of air pressure. For really high speed work slightly more air pressure is needed to keep the forks from bottoming often, but the forks still do a good job for their 10.6 in. of travel.
While some of the new big bore motocrossers have been coming with 41 or 43mm forks this year, the new double bolt aluminum triple clamps and 38mm forks work well for steering precision on the Can-Am.
In back are rebuildable Ohlin remote reservoir shocks. Being adapted to the existing frame, the reservoirs look as if they might be in the way of the rider or have their tubes pinched by a rider’s boot, but ours didn’t give any trouble during 600 mi. of testing. The righthand reservoir makes access to the carburetor difficult and reaching the choke is best done without a glove on, but it’s not impossible. And the Ohlins are at least two steps above the former Girlings or S&W shocks in quality. Damping is internally adjustable on Ohlins, but the Qualifier comes with damping that’s properly matched to the spring rate and intended use.
Working with the Ohlins is the 21.5 in. chrome-moly steel swing arm. It’s an inch longer than the original 370 Qualifier swing arm and the length is perfect for the 400. The machine can still wheelie at will, but it can also be kept on two wheels even on the steepest hills without difficulty. Reinforcing strips are welded along the top and bottom of the swing arm where the motocross models tended to break last year. And the extra-long side stand that attaches to the swing arm doesn’t have to be shortened on the longer travel 400 Qualifier as it does on the 250 or 175 Qualifiers.
Besides the competent frame and the excellent suspension, Can-Ams, all CanAms, have wonderful motors. Rotax, an Austrian subsidiary of the company that builds Can-Ams, has routinely delivered motors with more power per cubic centimeter than anyone else. Normally this has been done with rotary valves on the smaller machines, but on the big bike it’s done with a reed valve motor that’s much more conventional. True, the reed is a case reed, rather than a cylinder-filling reed. And the sheer beef of the lower end is noteworthy, and the bright orange color is almost alarming. But the engine itself is> fairly conventional for a Can-Am. It uses four plastic reed petals. Primary drive is by straight-cut gear. The transmission is a five-speed on the 400. There’s a boreable steel liner and massive fins plugged with rubber tubes to hold down fin noise. A 38mm Mikuni carburetor is another change for Can-Am, the company using Bing carburetors on earlier and smaller models. The Mikuni doesn’t change the engine noticeably, but is more common and therefore makes jetting changes easier because there’s a shop with Mikuni jets anywhere there’s a McDonalds.
Earlier Can-Ams have had a problem with the kickstart/shift lever shafts. The shift lever shaft runs through the center of the kick shaft and over tightening of the kick lever would sometimes smash the outer shaft. Then the kick start lever would stick and the shift lever wouldn’t move easily. The groove that keeps the kick lever from falling off the shaft if it comes loose, was cut too deep. The deep cut weakened the shaft and let it collapse if too much muscle was used when tightening the kick lever pinch bolt. The new shaft has a shallower cut and the problem is said to be cured.
Shifting is easy and sure on the 400 Can-Am. Clutching is entirely optional and neutral is easy to find whether the bike is moving or not. This 400 had none of the tendency to slip out of gear the way our 250 Qualifier occasionally did.
Gear ratios are properly spaced, giving the Can-Am the ability to crawl along in 1st or 2nd, or blast down a flat road at 80 mph. The bike easily has the power to pull taller gearing for desert or Mexico riding and 1st is certainly low enough to handle any challenge even with taller gearing. Inbetween the tremendous power band of the Qualifier makes any gear seem just right. >
Like all Can-Ams the 400 Qualifier is easy to start. Two kicks cold and one hot are all it ever takes. It takes relatively light effort for a big bore bike. Rather than stand on the left side of the bike and use the right leg to kick the Can-Am, it starts just as easily with a left leg from astride the machine. Vibration is low at all engine speeds.
Power can be described as a strong bottom end, an excellent mid-range punch, and the willingness to rev way past maximum power if the rider’s too busy to shift. The engine works best when kept in midrange. It can load up if it’s not downshifted soon enough on hills, and there’s no point buzzing the bike.
Even when run on fast sand washes and fire roads the 400 can go 80 mi. on a tank of gas. With the 12.5:1 compression ratio (uncorrected) there’s a tendency to ping at high speeds on poor gas, but the engine never feels as though it’s going to puke.
Sound level is admirably low, and the silencer is repackable. Even the tightest sound check at an enduro won’t bother the Qualifier rider who keeps his silencer packed.
With a weight of 258 lb. including half a tank of fuel the Can-Am can’t be called light. Still, some of the other big bore enduro bikes are heavier and the Can-Am’s frame geometry and suspension go a long way toward making the bike handle well.
Steering head angle is 29° on the 400, one degree steeper than the rake on the 250. Combined with the relatively short 57.3 in. wheelbase the Qualifier responds quickly to steering movements. This increased steering response makes the 400 more dependent on a good front tire than the 250, but as long as the tire is fresh it’s an excellent big bike for tight woods. After 400 mi. on the stock Dunlop the machine skated severely on soft ground, but with a fresh tire the Can-Am turned with confidence and precision again.
Braking power is surprisingly good on the Qualifier with single leading shoe 6-in. drums at both ends. Our last Qualifier came with a speedometer and odometer, which blocked the routing of the brake cable and caused the cable to deteriorate quickly. The new Qualifier only has a small odometer mounted above the headlight-number plate and the brake cable operates smoothly and without binding. As a result the brakes remained powerful and controllable throughout the test.
The only problems with the new Qualifier were minor. The odometer cable kinked in its routing guide and the cable broke mid-way through an enduro.
CAN-AM 400 QUALIFIER
SPECIFICATIONS
$2249
(Thank God for good riders on the same minute.) The flimsy orange fork boots are just as useless this year as before. This time they lasted about 50 mi. before ripping. Clutch pull is still firm, if not hard. After a long enduro in tight trees it could be a real pain.
The rubber cover on the kickstart lever slips off easily when wet. The crossover tube Can-Am uses on the forks leaked from the time we picked up our Qualifier. It’s possible to reduce the leakage for short periods of time, but eventually the seals at each fork cap will begin weeping and finally the tube will leak. If it’s not going to be a better piece of equipment, there might just as well be separate air valves.
Our Qualifier came with the optional skid plate. It’s easy to attach and we didn’t smack the cases with the plate installed, but that shouldn’t be an option on an enduro machine unless the frame is built with six-day bars under the engine.
End of complaints. They’re minor, anyway. The good points; the marvelous engine, the first-rate suspension and all the quality pieces more than make up for the bad.
This Qualifier 400 is an easy bike to ride and to ride fast. It’s not going to be outclassed by other enduro bikes, even those with bigger motors.
