The birth of a beast

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suffolkbobber

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well guys here is my xs400, i just brought it home. rear wheel is locked up, im pretty sure i found neutral but still would not roll, the front wheel rolls but the brake is rubbing some kinda bad. has a key, but the gas tank wont open, im not sure what year yet, i gotta check the vin plate on the neck and see wat i got. the tags on it are from 1984! all the original piece are there to my knowledge except the side cover badges, the last one just fell off tonight lol.its got some rust, has been outside for who knows how many years but all looks like its held up strong! should be no rust in the engine or nothing bad since it has been sealed all of these years, im sure the tank is useless but no worries. The owner was my friends grandfather, who rode it, then his oldest son rode it, then his youngest son (my friends dad) rode it until it eventually just sat there until now when i picked it up! but i plan to hardtail and bob after i figure out if shes worth it. if not, ima cut my losses ($100) and see what i can get for it. part out or just scrap. hopefully, its not useless and ill have one badazz bobber!

here it starts.... DAY 1!
downsized_0503112200.jpg
 
just checked the oil...looks like it came outta my car! not black, sludged up, thick, milky, nothing, looks like any bike would. and only has 11xxx on the clock.
 
you better do something with it. i paid 150 for mine and i replaced the bottom end and did a full engine rebuild. just to hardtail it. lol. thats a great start man. let me know if you wanna sell that front fender
 
Last edited:
volcomskater77 said:
you better do something with it. i paid 150 for mine and i replaced the bottom end and did a full engine rebuild. just to hardtail it. lol. thats a great start man. let me know if you wanna sell that rear fender
Click to expand...

rear fender, sure. im not gunna alot of the parts on it, gunna be bobbed out, hardtail frame etc.
 
ok well the front brake was completely locked up, which was why i couldnt really move the front wheel, i thought the rear was locked up but its only rubbing, i removed the front brake and she rolls nice now, i still need to pull the rear axle and remove the rear brake. here are a couple pics after i cleaned her up a little.
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Congrads on the find/rescue.Most of the rust can be removed with steel wool and elbow grease.A good soaking in diesel will go a long way toward derusting/loosening up of parts.That and a good paint job.good luck. lha:bike:
 
well its been awhile, havent been able to do much, got a new set of carbs, started getting some of the stuff outta my way and bought a battery, charged the battery, installed and we got power! taillight/brakelight works, and the dash lights turned on, the horn tried to honk lol, but it seemed a little bit toast! tried the push button start but it didnt do anything, is there a brake safety switch on these bikes? i had the clutch in but didnt work. after i removed the battery i thought about the brake safety switch.
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and shes a little more naked than when i brought her home
downsized_0522111212.jpg

got the old rusted, tore up seat off there, and removed the tank. also took off the stock air boxes (if anyone wants them lemme know).

i have the new carbs in a box still and i have the cylinders soaking with a little atf.
 
dont try to gorilla the kickstart when you thing its all done soaking. itll crack the kickstart journal. if it doesnt start with the starter, use the crankshaft. stick a socket and a breaker bar on that sucker and give it one good hard push. it worked for me.
 
nah its not, thats one of the first things i checked when i saw the bike over a year ago, i hoped on it kicked her, well she wouldnt at first cause it was in gear lol, found neutral and kicked her, she turned over, ever since i had been talkin to the guy about lettin me get it. he finally did over a year later. lol
 
hahah well looking at it, it has the makings of a great bobber, except for the backbone. thats the problem with these. just about every tank sits on top of the supports and looks funky. and coil re-location is a must. when it comes time for a seat, the material from the old one would look cool with the pleats would look killer.
 
well gunna go with a sporty tank most likely. yeah coils will be relocated and as for a seat, i know a girl who does sick leather work, she will have my business! she did my Hardknock seat.

downsized_0201112041a.jpg
 
does latex count? because if so, i know a few:bed::D
petcock might be an issue, might have to put it on the end, cuz if its in the middle stock location, its gonna rest on the rail i think. and that seat is killer.:thumbsup:
 

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