Hi from South Africa

[Californiaman]

i'm currently thinking of getting a xs400 - the main idea is to chop it. the bike i have in my sights is missing a whole bunch of stuff but has the essentials and is very cheap. perfect parts / chop bike. what kind of issues can i expect from these bikes?

on the old hondas i know that their carbs are very sensitive and the charging system is a big problem causer. what is the main issue on the XS400?

glad i found this forum. hope to hear from you guys!

 

[hardtailed77]

Welcome to the site man, I think you may be one of the first from Africa! Either way, we are glad to have you here.

A quick search should give you the known faults of the 400. The only thing I would like to point out is that since you plan to chop, look carefully at the backbone. It is a three piece design, and doesn't lend itself to many other tanks without extensive modification. The design can be converted to a single backbone, but it also, is very labor intensive.

 

[drewpy]

welcome to the site. carbs are sensitive and there are charging issues

 

[Travis]

Californiaman, Welcome! These little bikes are great. A little low on power though and the backbone sucks for chopping (I'm working on a kit for fixing that). Also aftermarket support is lacking for the bikes, but you can pretty much get what you need like carb holders and things. Lots of good things about these bike though compared to other bikes from the era.

 

[OliverB]

Welcome! If you get a decent engine/tranny in your bike you can solve any other little probs that come your way. Pretty good support here and new/used parts are not too difficult to obtain.