bigdog
XS400 Enthusiast
It's been quite a while since my attention was drawn away from rebuilding my XS400, it might even be a year or three I'm embarrassed to say. Anyway, a visitor to my garage spotted the XS and after a brief chat asked if it was for sale. I was a bit surprised because who in their right mind would willingly take on someone else's half completed bike project, especially if they had to pay for the privilege? But I've got a lot of other bike-related work so I said yes. He looked it over. Everything was going well until he tried to kick it over and discovered the lever wouldn't move. We couldn't spin the rear wheel either, even though I was certain it was in neutral. He could operate the gear lever, even with the clutch cable removed.
So long(er) story short, he declared the engine seized and there was no sale.
Hmm, I thought, after he'd gone. I'd ridden the bike briefly before parking it up and stripping it down, so I knew the engine ran. The engine had been removed, checked over by a man who knows more than me, and pronounced healthy. So why would it seize after just 2 years of sitting in a dry, warmish garage?
I took out the plugs, removed the 4 rocker covers and the left-side alternator cover (forgotten what you chaps in the US call it), stuck a 17mm socket on the central crank, spindle or whatever it's called and turned it anticlockwise. It moved, the front sprocket rotated (and turned the wheel) and the valve gear went up and down. Hurrah, engine not seized!
It was a bit of an effort to crank it over TDC, but it got there. Now here's the issue. Once over TDC the kickstart lever could be pushed down, no probs, but when TDC was reached again the kick lever wouldn't budge. Once I'd hand cranked it over TDC the kick lever moved again and repeat...
Will someone please explain in simple words what is going on here?
So long(er) story short, he declared the engine seized and there was no sale.
Hmm, I thought, after he'd gone. I'd ridden the bike briefly before parking it up and stripping it down, so I knew the engine ran. The engine had been removed, checked over by a man who knows more than me, and pronounced healthy. So why would it seize after just 2 years of sitting in a dry, warmish garage?
I took out the plugs, removed the 4 rocker covers and the left-side alternator cover (forgotten what you chaps in the US call it), stuck a 17mm socket on the central crank, spindle or whatever it's called and turned it anticlockwise. It moved, the front sprocket rotated (and turned the wheel) and the valve gear went up and down. Hurrah, engine not seized!
It was a bit of an effort to crank it over TDC, but it got there. Now here's the issue. Once over TDC the kickstart lever could be pushed down, no probs, but when TDC was reached again the kick lever wouldn't budge. Once I'd hand cranked it over TDC the kick lever moved again and repeat...
Will someone please explain in simple words what is going on here?