Hello all! Question on cam chain XS360

NewHavenMike

1976 XS360C
Top Contributor
Messages
1,110
Reaction score
218
Points
63
Location
New Haven, CT
Hey guys, been lurking this board for a while. Long story short, I picked up a XS360 and ended up having to tear the whole engine down and having some machine work done.

I had to break the cam chain in order to get the jug off because the pistons were seized.

Where do people get their chains? Ive seen a few on EBay and one or two other sites...

Some have a master link that needs to be crushed in place, and some are endless..

Can someone direct me to the right chain and are these EBay chains any good?

What throws me off is the prices... Some are around $30 and some are around $75.

Thanks for any help.
 
Hi, just get an OEM one from a Yamaha dealer they are not expensive. When I looked into it I found the genuine one from a Yamaha dealer was either cheaper or the same price as aftermarket online. And they come the correct size theres no need to take links out just take it out of the packet and fit it :)
 
Just an FYI, here is all the motors that use that cam can according to Partzilla.com
 

Attachments

  • Cam Chain.jpg
    Cam Chain.jpg
    256.2 KB · Views: 240
Thanks guys. Its $40 on Yamaha Parts Nation.

Obviously, I plan on posting up a thread once I get deeper into the build. Ive been taking pictures along the way so far but I want to be at the final assembly stage before I put together my thread and show the progress...

But a little bit of info on the bike:

I bought it for $350 in hopes that the engine was just frozen from it not having spark plugs. Cylinders were filled with water....

It has just over 4000 miles on it. Everything is original. The serial number is in the 1L9-000-3xx range.

When I ended up having to tear the engine down, I knew I was in REALLY deep. It went from a <$500 budget first bike, to what may end up being close to $1500 in the end.

What can I say.....One thing leads to another and I cant to things like this half of the way.

The gas tank is in super condition except for a small scratch on one side, I will be keeping the tank as is because I absolutely love it.

I really dont want to get into cutting and welding the frame, except maybe removing some bungs and unnecessary tabs etc. just to clean the frame up a bit.

I also may end up making a new wiring harness out of some cloth wrapped wire. I think Im going to remove the starter and just have it kick only. Who knows though.

Heres a teaser of what I have going on... My buddy and I were messing around and decided to drop the front forks all the way. It wont stay like that, it also reminds me of when I used to go see the drag races at Englishtown, NJ and how the drag bikes were completely slammed like that...



The destruction... Everything has been organized and boxed since this.


Im just waiting on the cal from the machine shop. I had the jug bored .25 over and have some NOS pistons. Itll pretty much be a new engine when its sealed up, Im just waiting for the to come back before I go any further.
 
I would leave it as stock as you can. It makes fixing things much easier in the long run. While the motor is apart make sure to replace as many seals and gaskets as you can. I do notice the forks are rusted up bad so it would be a good idea to find a good used set.
 
I ordered all new seals and gaskets. Once the engine is sealed I never want to open it again or have a leak once its put together.

I was wondering about some of the internal bearings though.. They look to be in great condition and planned on reusing them... My brother told me that once they are loosened, they may never torque down properly again. He wasnt positive but he has other engine building experience. I think it should be fine. Everything in the engine looks new, no gouges or excessive wear marks.

As for the forks, I was just going to buff the tops and bottom, new seals and oil. I think I can get all of the rust marks off and I dont believe that will be in the line of the seal travel.
 
The forks will travel about 3/4 of the way up the fork. So any pits or marks will destroy seals. Bearings should be fine. Just make sure they go back in the same order/place they came out of. When you torque them down make sure the crank moves freely with no binding. Use plenty of lube.
 
Is there any way to stiffen up the front forks? I heard about putting some piping in the tubes to take up some slack? I do want the front to be slightly lower then factory but I dont want the forks to bottom out on the tree. I would have to buy heavier fork oil I presume?

I know once I get to where I take them apart Ill be able to see whats going on and get a better picture. But I know someone has had to do this before. Im looking for around 3 inches of travel and pretty stiff with a quick rebound.

Thanks for the help so far!

I was thinking about piping in an oil cooler as well... To help with cooling obviously and to get a little more oil capacity. Anyone done this. I think it would look cool to have one mounted on the front and give it a more "old machine steam punk" kind of look.
 
I think it is, ring a Yamaha dealer and they will tell you 100%. Ive torn down the 250, 360 & 400 motors and the cam chain is the same on all from memory.
 
Is there any way to stiffen up the front forks? I heard about putting some piping in the tubes to take up some slack? I do want the front to be slightly lower then factory but I dont want the forks to bottom out on the tree. I would have to buy heavier fork oil I presume?

I know once I get to where I take them apart Ill be able to see whats going on and get a better picture. But I know someone has had to do this before. Im looking for around 3 inches of travel and pretty stiff with a quick rebound.

Thanks for the help so far!

I was thinking about piping in an oil cooler as well... To help with cooling obviously and to get a little more oil capacity. Anyone done this. I think it would look cool to have one mounted on the front and give it a more "old machine steam punk" kind of look.

20W oil is about as heavy as I would go. They do make a stiffer spring. A few people have replaced the stock ones so I would search the forum on this. A 3 inch travel and super stiff front will not make for a safe or comfortable ride but if you are going for a "show" bike or one that will only be driven in short rides I don't think it will matter. There are posts in the forum on fork mods so I would look them up. I run all three of my xs400's with stock fork setups and never had any bottoming out issues. An oil cooler is not needed on these bikes unless you live in the desert or will be racing it. But again if it is for show anything is possible. As far as I know there are no xs400 specific "kits" made.
 
Back
Top