General question about things to look for.

[Kyle Preston]

Good Morning all,
I will be acquiring an XS400 in the next few weeks. My question is are their any know issues with the bikes I should be on the look out for.

Thanks and I look forward to talking

Kyle

 

[BBS360]

There are things the 400s are known for but I wouldn't say there's anything catastrophic to be aware of before buying.
XS500's are known to develop cracked heads... most people avoid them like the plague unless they want to take on that challenge.

Our 400s have finicky carbs and charging issues but they're not really things that can be checked beforehand. Just assume that carb cleaning will be in your future. Charging issues can be tricky to troubleshoot but aren't usually too complex to fix once figured out.
If you modify the bike exhaust or intake you will have to adjust and/or rejet the carbs. Some people have difficulty with this because there are no hard rules that say exactly what will work. It's a process of trial-and-error.

If you really want to kick the tires I mentioned some things recently here: http://www.xs400.com/threads/buying-a-400-anything-to-look-out-for.15493/#post-159084