1982 XS400R Build

Hey guys, great resource/time wasting forum you have going on here, been lurking for a while but thought I'd post up the bike myself and a mate have bought and are in the process of figuring out what to do with.



We picked it up off a mate of mine a few weeks back for a pretty reasonable price for a bike in Australia and are pretty much learning as we go (well I am anyway, other mate is a diesel fitter, but this is the first time either of us have touched a bike, well pulled one apart anyway).





It's a 1982 XS400R Seca (I believe?), it isn't running but is all there. I believe the owner a few owners ago attacked it with house paint and a brush as there is gross paint with strokes all throughout the body and pipes, but that's not too big of an issue.



Not too sure where the direction of this bike is heading, but so far all we have done is really pull it all apart and start cleaning it up and figuring out what needs to be replaced.



We ordered new left and right controls as one accidentally completely exploded from a little bit too much force being used to undo a pretty chewed out screw, we also have a tank of an old Virago on the way (as I believe it has the same sort of underneath as the tank we have at the moment, well I really hope so anyway).

Anyways, enough babbling on and dumping unnecessary photos, just though I'd drop in and introduce myself/the current project.

Cheers guys (I look forward to pestering you all for help when we no doubt get in over our heads)

Cheers guys,
Sam

Welcome! The DOHCs make for interesting builds. Look forward to seeing what you come uo with!

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Just a question of curosity will the dohc fit in the sohc frame or not?

To be honest I have no idea, this is the first xs400 I have ever dealt with. I'm sure someone here can answer that question though.

@Scorpio, with some work just about anything can be made to fit anything... but its not a direct swap.

Since the maxium has no lower and front support what I was wondering if this particular engine will fit in the frame?Im just brainstorming with some ideas I have for a winter project.

Scorpio1963 said:

Just a question of curosity will the dohc fit in the sohc frame or not?

Click to expand...

I fitted a 400DOHC engine in my hardtailed knighthawk frame with a lot of swearing and beer!!!!!....only real tricky bit is the top mount,because of the way its designed to fit in the original frame,as a stressed member.You can fit it in anything(within reason)if you have the patience!!!!!...see my album for pics

corruptmind said:

@Scorpio, with some work just about anything can be made to fit anything... but its not a direct swap.

Click to expand...

Yeah I didnt figure it would be a direct swap cause of the frame differences and the top mounts would have to be modded.Im also think the front down part of the fram might have to be modded also.

Scorpio1963 said:

Yeah I didnt figure it would be a direct swap cause of the frame differences and the top mounts would have to be modded.Im also think the front down part of the fram might have to be modded also.

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Yeah,ur right on that.I had a look at fitting my DOHC into the 400SOHC frame before going with the hardtail.....aside from the fact that its too tight height wise,the front downtube needs modding as well,as you guessed already!
I decided it was'nt worth the hassle,as there was so much chopping to be done,it made more sense to start out with a frame that was somewhere nearer(space wise) to what I needed!!!
Shame,as I think it woulda looked cool in the SOHC frame!

Thanks for your input Dodger I guess I`ll have to scrap that plan,Maybe I can just find a maxium or seca and go from there

Hey guys, bit of an update, the bike is coming along pretty nicely so far, and we probably should of updated this thread as it did move along but ah well, here is a bit of news.

We got the tank and controls from a virago which all fitted perfectly, and as of a few days ago the new dash and electrics have all been wired up without too much hassle. Still need to make a cleaner bracket for the dash and drop the keyswitch down a bit, just waiting for the new headlight before we commit to any of that though.



Got some parts blasted and the wheels powdercoated and put the firestones on, happy with how that turned out.



The seat has since been cut down a bit and we are in the process of making a new fibreglass rear cowl, also the rear pegs have been cut off and capped, as well as a little guard built inside the swing arm.








The battery and other bits have all been hidden in a tray underneath the seat which helped clean it all up. Here is how it looks under the seat.



In the guts




We are now in the process of figuring out the exhaust, what we need to do to fit a Hagon shock on it and then some other bits and pieces, it's been a heap of fun so far though.



Don't hesitate to let us know what you think about it, 100% open for criticism/thoughts.

Jack up the tail a bit with a bigger mono shock. I did it to my SOHC because I like a more aggressive turn-in and it looks heaps better. I like the exposed center shock area though.

The mac 2-1 system is extremely light by the way and very cheap for coming with headers.

Looks good so far.

Looks great!

I'm interested in seeing what you end up doing with the rear seat/cowl.

Making moves! looks awesome. I agree with BC, jack the back end up for a more aggressive stance.

have any shots of your dash set up

Looking good so far. Like the tank for sure. Welcome to the forum!

My idea for the front fender. Although by the looks of those tires you may not be running one!

Excuse the MS Paint!

hows the build going

Hey guys, nothing really to update at the moment, spent february road tripping around California which was unreal, so didn't get to do much work on the bike. Now being back at university is taking up most of our time, hopefully over the easter break we can get some work done.

While we were away the new Hagon shock arrived which is very pretty, same with the headlight and some other bits and pieces from dime city. Will keep you posted with any progress but!

bcware said:

My idea for the front fender. Although by the looks of those tires you may not be running one!

Excuse the MS Paint!

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That looks pretty tough bcware, will definitely look into something like that. Bust the dremel out and have some fun, haha.