Search results

Hey guys, I have the XS400 R Seca with the "Gear-Looking" (as opposed to the football-looking one) and my gas cap is broken on the outside. I can still open it to fill it, but some of the "gear teeth" are missing from the outside. I wasn't too concerned about it until I ordered a used tank...

Belated Updated: As it turns out, it was definitely an electrical issue. I had the bike at the local shop TWICE and they couldn't make the bike produce the issue but one time, so I picked the bike up and just felt defeated. However, when I got the bike home I started to think about how I park...

Tank is clean: I had cleaned my tank out last year when I saw "white" residue on my gas. It turns out the little sock filter for the petcock was slowly eroding. I cleaned the tank out and everything looked fine after that. The bike has an inline filter on it as well, but even with the weird gas...

Nope. Nope. Nope. It's been months since I've updated this and I'm still having issues. I gave up and sent the bike off to the local shop (who had it for 8 weeks!!!!) and they cleaned the carbs out, replaced some o-rings, and they couldn't get it to not start. However, when leaving for work...

Shakedown complete: The bike is running fairly well. I will fill the tank and track MPG to ensure it is running okay but it feels a little weak in the pants. 2 turns may be too lean since she feels really strong when I have the choke on "just barely." Since the shakedown run went well, I...

As it turns out, the carb boots from MikesXS do NOT fit my Seca. After a quick email chat, I'll be returning them for credit. It's too bad that they don't fit since it kinda forced me to re-use the existing ones. I managed to start the bike and get it warm, then after I made sure the boots were...

Update: Fired up the bike (same as above) and specifically sprayed the butterfly seals and they seem to be fine. I had a small reaction on the LH carb, but with the position of the in-line fuel filter it is difficult to hit the seal specifically without some overspray onto the carb boot. So...

Update: After using the Starter Fluid spray test, this is what I have found: The carb-side of each boot is leaking even though the clamps are tight. I'm guessing this is where the leak is and ultimately the cause of the inconsistent startup/idle. I am surprised that the bike was trying to die...

Well, the plugs, caps, and wires came from Mike's XS. Despite using the references for the plugs, the ones that came, B8ES, do NOT fit my bike. The plug is too wide to fit into the head. Back to the drawing board on that, but for now I cleaned the plugs up and installed the caps and wires. Bike...

Quick update: I started running through the check list and stopped when I hit the part about spark quality. It turns out that part (if not all, hopefully) is that the spark on each plug is weak, thin, and yellow. Primary resistance at the coil is around 3ohms (within tolerance) while the...

Hey guys! My '82 Seca has been giving me a LOT of trouble the past few months. I'll ride to work (about 25 miles) and then when it gets there it wouldn't start again and would force me to tow her home. When I'd get home, she'd start again, leaving me scratching my head. I thought it might...

The cover I bought is nearly identical to that one: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0031I20JC/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I've found it to be perfectly adequate. I don't tie the bottoms down and I've had no issues with condensation yet.... but it was -15C the other night and...

Backing off the LH Pilot screw to 3 turns out let the cylinder stop smoking on that side, so that worked well. Dave, I totally heard you. :-) I just need to wait for payday to get things lined up. MikesXS.net has matching jets, but I just see the holey ones. I'll go ahead and order those and...

I boiled the carbs and reassembled everything. She fired right up but now she's smoking on the left hand cylinder. While reassembling the carb I noticed I mis-stated the pilot jets: LH - 45 holey RH - 42.5 solid Pilot screw is 3-1/2 turns out on each. So, what could be making it smoke? Is the...

Indeed, the DOHC is checked on the bike and it's a huge pain. I definitely take advantage of the +-3mm! I cheated and used the "does it leak when the bowl screws are loose?" and adjusted it until it just barely seeps over the course of a few minutes while running. I don't have the special probe...

It looks like I didn't clean my carbs out soon enough when I started to have issues and now my '82 XS400 Seca will only start if I remove the airbox and cover up one of the carb intakes. I can cover up either one and the bike will start. I've cleaned out the carbs 3 times already. (I've heard...

I've been scouring the site looking for issues with my DOHC '82 and I found this post. My '82 is lacking power across all RPMs. It used to be awesome, and then one ride it started acting up after I had just started out... lack of power like it wasn't firing right. I took off the spark plugs and...

Just an update: Since having the shop balance my tire for me and deflating the tire so that both tires are at 26/28 psi it has been a much easier ride. There've been times where, upon spotting a pothole, i clung on for dear life only to have the bump be rather uneventful. I wish that I could...

I managed to wake up earlier this morning and do my normal mountain run. The run is nice because there are some straight spots where I can get up to 70 (allegedly) and other spots where its really twisty, including hair-pins. With the tire pressure at 26/28 the road was giving a more...

A worn chain with worn sprockets has a unique feeling to it. I wasn't aware of it when I bought the bike (noob oversight) but my chain was horribly stretched out and my sprockets were worn enough to look like saw blades and not teeth. My chain actually dismounted itself while I was riding after...