My Original xs400 Special

[super_usdm]

Hey All,

I picked up an all original 1981 XS400 Special last month with 1,324 miles. I have intentions to commute to and from work on it and would like to give it a cafe look without going overboard. I don't own a welder, or know how to weld for that matter, so I will be doing what I can to make this bike look the way I want it to without too much custom fabrication.

I took a buddy of mine that has been into motorcycles his whole life to pick up the bike and he was pretty impressed with its condition. I am the third owner. Anyway - on to the pics.









I am very new to bikes so looking forward to reading up and learning a lot from you all. (I owned a dirt bike for about 9 months a couple years ago). Any words of advice will be appreciated. See you around the boards!

Jason

 

[BBS360]

Welcome to the forum. Sweet ride.

 

[arfstrom]

Looks great, welcome

 

[xschris]

Don't change a thing!!!! With low miles and in very clean original shape I would just leave it. You don't see them like this anymore. If you must do something to it, do it where it doesn't cut or change anything that can't be easily fixed. It looks like the oem petcock will not shut off like it should and a in-line valve was put on. I would rebuild the stock one and put a in-line fuel filter between it and the carb. Welcome to the forum.

 

[Petew]

I agree with xschris on this. That is a beautiful representation of the machine. If you do ANY mods please make sure they are easily reversible to original state. I am frankly quite jealous of that bike!

 

[super_usdm]

Thanks for the welcome and feedback, guys. I have been considering leaving it as-is for the time being for those reasons. The only thing I would really like to change is the handlebars, so it will feel more similar to what I am used to. I also don't care for the rubber bushings that allow for handlebar movement. The stepped seat is growing on me, but I do feel really big on it being so far forward and 6 foot.

 

[xschris]

Add a washer to the handle bar bolts and the play will be much less. The rubber should have a little play so to take vibes out of the ride. Those type bars are great for long rides if you adjust them for your reach. I am 5'10 and have no issues with this. Ride the bike for a while before doing anything. Download the manual so you can do any/all the general maintenance to the bike.

 

[super_usdm]

Thanks for the tip. I'll give that a try and take your advice on riding it for awhile before changing anything. I can never leave anything alone, so it will be a challenge!

It looks like the oem petcock will not shut off like it should and a in-line valve was put on. I would rebuild the stock one and put a in-line fuel filter between it and the carb.

You are right about this. The guy I bought it from said he couldn't get it to stop draining fuel, so he put the valve on. I was hoping rebuilding it would be an easy fix.

 

[super_usdm]

Welp. Front brake caliper locked up on me today on a trip back from the grocery store. Looks like its time to download the service manual and break out some tools.

 

[arfstrom]

That should be easy, I think if that bike has been sitting long, then the front caliper oil may have turned to dust. Plan on taking off the front tire, using air compressor to blow the piston out, and remember safety, put a thing in-front of the piston to keep it from sailing away. Some how I got lucky Perhaps a new master kit too. If I remember my bike sat for 11 years, so the MC was also cake material. I did replace the connecting cable between the two because it was also cake material, I could find info stating that if I soaked in some thing, that it would loosen up and be good. Good luck
Tobie

 

[super_usdm]

Thanks, I will look at that. I ordered a caliper seal kit so will be digging into it in a couple days. Sounds like I should look at the rear brake and reservoirs too. Also ordered new air filters and an oil filter. Oh and the dipstick fell out of the cap and is sitting down in the rotating bits, so I need to figure out how to fish that out.

I am not entirely sure exactly what XS400 this is. None of the numbers on the bike match anything online. Any idea how to ID it?

 

[BBS360]

You sure there's a dip stick in there? Should be a sight glass on the side. No dip stick unless a previous owner swapped one in.

Best way to ID is with the first three digits of the VIN.
I can tell you now that it's either a 1980 XS400SG or 1981 XS400SH. Pretty much the same either way.

 

[xschris]

Order parts for the 81 sh 4R4. A lot of sohc xs400 stuff swaps over fine but front brake calipers are different from 77-79 and 80-82 sohc. Also no dip stick for the 80-82 xs400. But you can use one off a earlier bike. I have one on all five of mine. Did you get stock filters?

 

[super_usdm]

Thanks guys. The frame and engine are stamped with 4R4, so looks like an 81 XS400SH. I'll take another look at what I thought was a dipstick down in the case and let you know. It's probably not; I'd be surprised if the prior owner added one. I'll look for a sight glass too.

I got oem replacement filters from MikesXS that look like the original units.

 

[katherine]

if you café that bike you'll be bant!!!

 

[super_usdm]

if you café that bike you'll be bant!!!

Fair!

Quick update: there is a sight glass on the case, so what I thought was a dipstick down in the casing probably isn't. Here is a picture looking into the filler hole of what I thought was a lost dipstick.



I took apart the brake caliper and found some of the fluid inside the caliper had turned to grime. It also looks like one of the brake pads had been seized up on the slider pin for most the bikes life. I assume this wear pad wear isn't normal!



I rebuilt the caliper and new pads are in the mail. The master cyl looked pretty clean and the old fluid dripped out of the line easily enough. But when I poured new fluid into the reservoir and pumped the clutch lever, it didn't take the new fluid and spit it out bottom as I expected. I was thinking the refill/bleed process is the same as on a car but perhaps not, or maybe the master is shot.

 

[xschris]

80-81 sohc xs400 pads look like that new. It's the type of caliper they use that has the off set pads. Those look perfect.

 

[Lonestar Cruzer]

That bike is beautiful. I'll trade you an XS400 already tore apart in good condition (I'm just putting the engine back together after going through every gear tooth, nook, and cranny with a fine tooth brush) for that bike, just to preserve it.

 

[super_usdm]

80-81 sohc xs400 pads look like that new. It's the type of caliper they use that has the off set pads. Those look perfect.

Seems like a poor design and extremely odd, but in that case I guess I will be able to put everything back together tonight after work, so that is good news. Thanks.

Thanks Lonestar and thanks for your offer, but I'm hoping to avoid tearing this one apart for as long as possible so I don't have to put it back together.

 

[Lonestar Cruzer]

I don't blame you. I've spent many hours cleaning the fins to get it to start looking as fresh as yours