-
Enjoy XS400.com? Consider making a donation to help support the site.
XS400.com receives a small share of sales from some links on this page, but direct donations have a much greater impact on keeping this site going.
My XS400 "restore"
- Thread starter SoulMan
- Start date
Some lifter noise is ok and I think its a good sign.
The leak you described could be something like a leaky head gasket or a leak at the cam seal or the little rubber plugs housed the behind the timing unit cover.
AllBalls racing sells a tapered bearing kit for the fork and that will tighten the front and its much better than the loose bearing balls that were factory.. The fender mount acts as a fork brace as well. My bike has the mount and a plastic fender. I think some are just one piece. The swingarm has plastic bushings which can be upgraded to bronze ones or even more expensive needle bearings. Most of is use the bronze bushings.
I would toss those fork tubes even though they might still function as normal. Finding used ones that are still serviceable is a bit of a challenge but can be done. I managed to find a seller on EBay that has brand new aftermarket ones for under $200 shipped.
If you search through my thread history you will find the post.
The leak you described could be something like a leaky head gasket or a leak at the cam seal or the little rubber plugs housed the behind the timing unit cover.
AllBalls racing sells a tapered bearing kit for the fork and that will tighten the front and its much better than the loose bearing balls that were factory.. The fender mount acts as a fork brace as well. My bike has the mount and a plastic fender. I think some are just one piece. The swingarm has plastic bushings which can be upgraded to bronze ones or even more expensive needle bearings. Most of is use the bronze bushings.
I would toss those fork tubes even though they might still function as normal. Finding used ones that are still serviceable is a bit of a challenge but can be done. I managed to find a seller on EBay that has brand new aftermarket ones for under $200 shipped.
If you search through my thread history you will find the post.
Thanks for the responses xschris and NHM.
Yeah that would be basically what i paid for the bike originally. Won't be spending that much money but thanks for the suggestion. So turns out I know why the previous owner put the other handlebars on. It must have been because he laid the bike down or something because the other handlebars are bent. Any one have any input on if I can bend them back and not compromise them?
Yeah that would be basically what i paid for the bike originally. Won't be spending that much money but thanks for the suggestion. So turns out I know why the previous owner put the other handlebars on. It must have been because he laid the bike down or something because the other handlebars are bent. Any one have any input on if I can bend them back and not compromise them?
sandmanred
XS400 Addict
As long as the bend is not severe and the tubing not kinked they should be okay to try to fix. Post pics of what you got?
Thats the deception with old bikes!
I picked up my bike for $400. Slightly overpaid, had a seized engine..
Put about $3000 in to it to get it on the road. I had no money when I bought it, so it took me about 2 years to be able to hear it running.
Mucho satisfaction!
I picked up my bike for $400. Slightly overpaid, had a seized engine..
Put about $3000 in to it to get it on the road. I had no money when I bought it, so it took me about 2 years to be able to hear it running.
Mucho satisfaction!
So my modded starter clutch hasn't worked so well..
Went to start it after I drove the bike around the corner and then the starter spinned quickly. I pulled the cover off to look at the bearing and this is what I saw. It was stuck in the open state. It might just be because this is probably just some Chinese knockoff junk. Maybe a legit bearing assembly off of a xv250 would work better but they are quite pricey
Looked like above when it should look like this.
To top it off I was trying to adjust the idle slightly now the bike wont idle. It dies if I left off the throttle.
I feel like its one step forward two steps back
Tomorrow I'm going to try to spray the carb boots and such to see if I have an air leak somewhere.
Went to start it after I drove the bike around the corner and then the starter spinned quickly. I pulled the cover off to look at the bearing and this is what I saw. It was stuck in the open state. It might just be because this is probably just some Chinese knockoff junk. Maybe a legit bearing assembly off of a xv250 would work better but they are quite pricey
Looked like above when it should look like this.
To top it off I was trying to adjust the idle slightly now the bike wont idle. It dies if I left off the throttle.
I feel like its one step forward two steps back
Tomorrow I'm going to try to spray the carb boots and such to see if I have an air leak somewhere.
Well I found out why the carb wont idle. I lost a nut off the carb because I did not bend over those thin metal pieces behind the nuts.
Because the nut fell off the idle adjustment screw was no longer touching the throttle lever.
Does anyone know the size of this nut?
Because the nut fell off the idle adjustment screw was no longer touching the throttle lever.
Does anyone know the size of this nut?
Thanks for this info xschris... question about tires... can you help me make sense of this from the manual:
My front has 90/90 18 and the rear is currently 130/90 16
I am just curious why this says "tubeless". Should I be looking for some tubeless tire? Also about the reference to 63S what does that mean? I assume is the fact that the rear has a 130 on it is the main reason I cannot get the chain guard in there so I can install that. I assume normally it would not require the removal of the shock to get the chain guard on. Is that correct?
Another question. I took my forks off and took the drain screw off one and pressed on it and no oil came out. I am guessing these things are bone dry... anything I need to look for when I take these apart regarding checking to make sure they are still good to use?
Anyone have any input on these last two items... I am a bit confused what to look for when it comes to tires....
Stick to stock sizes. The bike will handle much better. 90/90-18 front and 120/90-16 rear. For tube rims you can run both types of tires on them. It doesn't matter. A good street radial works well. Get new tubes and rim bands when you replace them. It's also a good idea to have the rims trued while everything is off.
For the shocks I would pull the completely apart and clean everything. Take care not to break anything or lose stuff. Remember how it all goes back together. A good 20wt fork oils will work fine. I use spectro brand. 142cc per fork tube.
Washers are 10mm inside hole. 30mm across and 5mm thick. One goes inside the grab rail and one outside held on by the acorn nut. This is what I have on mine and seem to work. I think I did look them up and they matched the pics.
Hey xscrhis I am struggling with this a bit. I see a width specified for the front but is there a specific width I should get for the rear? Also generally what is a good brand that wont break the bank? Do you have recommendations?
I have kenda challenger for the rear (120/90-16) and a cheng shin 3.00-18 front on most of my bikes. I get them at my local yamaha dealer and have them mounted and balanced. If it's a bike I just get I also have them true the wheel also. I think the last rear tire was $100 total. That included a new rim band and tube. Front tires a bit less. I think truing was another $45 but I don't do that for every new tire maybe every other.
