78 XS400-2E rebuild

[Chance]

Hi! I'm new here. So here is my garage of happiness. These two are about as far apart as they could be in condition. The front is a daily rider (ish, I live in MT) for me. The rear was dropped off today by the previous owner of both. I think they kept it as a parts bike but it's got all the parts!. Almost anyway. We're gonna find that out.

This is where I stopped for the day. Removed:
broken tailight and license plate
handlebars and everything on them
battery box
coils
front fender
Exhaust
kickstarter (needs oiled)

I also tooled around the engine a little having never opened these guys up really. I like where the points are for this bike. My old cb500 was way lower and a pain.

There's a box with the carbs (very dirty), airboxes, carb boot, headlight assembly (replacement?). Lots of goodies.

I think I'm gonna have to follow the manual's advice. "If a great deal of work is anticipated, it would be advantageous to remove the completed unit, thereby affording greater access."
I need a table...

 

[Chance]

Got the engine out today. For now it lives on a couple boards and a tarp. Don't really wanna spend all my time hunched over it like this though. Don't worry, it's not sitting on any wires or anything.

I told myself I would wait to spend any money on this bike until my CB900C sells, which could be a torturous wait. For now I'll probably poke around inside the engine, evict the spiders and such, and figure out exactly what I'll need to replace/repair.

I've got a rough estimate of necessary and optional costs going already. I couldn't be more excited and terrified.

 

[Chance]

Not much time spent today but I did pull the cover off to see what I was dealing with. It's actually pretty clean in there all things considered. My debate now is whether or not to tear it all the way down or clean up the rest to see how I feel. Not looking to build a perfect bike, just one that runs nicely. Any opinions on that matter? Better safe than sorry VS let it ride?

I would also love to give a few choice words to the genius who decided the screw in the second picture was a good idea. I imagine there's entire threads on that already.

 

[xschris]

In your second pic it looks like your tach cable is broken off in the motor. It should not be like that. Yamaha didn't design the bike like that.

 

[Chance]

In your second pic it looks like your tach cable is broken off in the motor. It should not be like that. Yamaha didn't design the bike like that.

Haha. that would make sense!

 

[Liamthedevastator]

Let sleeping dogs lie. If the engine works then I would keep it how it is! Once you go in you can't come back out unless you spend money on the parts (new gaskets, seals, etc.) that will very likely break.

Otherwise just keep at er, things are looking good so far! Except for the taco cable. Lol.

 

[Chance]

Well this weekend was supposed to be the moment of truth but alas I was mistaken about having all the parts. I've gotten everything back together and new boots for the carbs (the old ones were falling apart) but when I got to the electrical system it appears that someone has taken the fuse box and rectifier off. I've decided to convert the fuses to inline (seems to be the way to go) and ordered a used rectifier from ebay. Should be here next week and then I just need to swap over my battery from the working one and see what happens.

Oh! and I'll be weighing in on the vinegar for gas tanks debate as mine has been soaking for about a week now and I'm gonna continue to soak it until it's time. The before picture was pretty rough but I have to say that looking in there I can already see a great deal of floating rust and crap. I'm excited to see how it comes out!

 

[Chance]

Well we've got power and a functioning headlight. None of the shops I went to had 4 of the same inline fuse holder. Super frustrating.

I also bought a fuel filter and emptied out the gas tank. Besides the bad vinegar smell next to my garage the results were pretty astounding. I wasn't looking for perfectly clean (hence the fuel filter) but it really did a number on the rust and whatnot. I'll get the pics of before and after up soon.

Now to wait on the rectifier.

 

[Chance]

Welp I got the rectifier and upon installing it the negative battery terminal cable called it quits (the end broke off). I was also replacing the spark plugs and found that the left side is stripped in a way that won't allow for anything but a crossthreaded fit. No idea what to do there. The exhaust pipes are also shot, so I had to pull the slip on parts of those off. Vintage bikes in terrible condition have a way of finding me.

On top of that, my main xs400 decided (I think) to clog the pilot jets even though it has a fuel filter on it. I went to remove the carburetors and low and behold the petcock doesn't actually stop fuel flow in any position either. It's been a while since I've cursed so much in my garage. Of course this happens during the nicest weather I've had in a month.

TL/DR: Anybody know of a way to plug the petcock at the nipple? Or could I put a screw into the end of the fuel line if it was just the right size?...

Maybe this parts bike will remain a parts bike and not run after all.

 

[Chance]

Well I guess I can write a partial update to this story. Let's see. I thought the pilot jets were clogged which was a symptom I was having but it turned out my petcock wasn't stopping the flow of gas in any position and the gas was overflowing from the carbs down into the engine. The oil and gas were mixing and the engine couldn't idle because it was flooding and poorly lubricated. What a mess! I got the tanks swapped for now (with the gas caps also swapped so the keys match) and adjusted the floats a little. Changed the oil. Haven't had a problem since. That was my daily driver!

I received a new battery ground cable so I'll be able to put that on the build bike. I just need a good battery and a working petcock to test the bike some more. I may just swap the one working gas tank back and forth.

As much as I really love the parts bike just sitting in my garage taking up space I'd much rather get it running so I could let someone else enjoy it.

Or ya know... have two! haha

Anyone had any luck with replacing the passenger pegs? One of the mounts on my bike is cracked and I was hoping to find some other pegs that just bolt on somewhere else.

 

[spectra]

Don't we all need more than one I am in the same boat...............I have one under a tarp and well if I can get a title from the local DMV well...............

 

[xschris]

I have five of them and all on the road. Lots of time and work keeping old bikes up. Check ebay for pegs or weld up your cracked one. Post a pic of the part you need I most likely have one.

 

[Chance]

Anyone have a non-oem fix for this? I just want something a little smaller

 

[Chance]

Well there's an end to the story finally. After a lot of nothing going on a friend offered me a couple hundred bucks and the backup 2E was gone. We spent some time over at his place working on it and he happily informed me recently he was able to get it running (coils were wired backwards, not my fault) and sold it to someone who's going to fix 'er up. Hope to see it riding around my town this coming spring. I'll have a bike twin!

 

[buztabuzt]

I always appreciate an update to a thread, even if it's 18 months later! Sounds like it's continuing to make slow progress, both for you and around town

 

[akirasan]

I am looking for a 2e but no many about in the uk