new guy

[sbsumerix]

Hi everyone the name is steven i just bought my bike today a 1982 xs400 heritage special has 17xxx miles. little about myself im 20 years old been riding dirt bikes since i was 5 finally got talked down by my father about buying a rocket i really want an r6 or buell xb12s but after doing some research i liked the xs's. i do have a few problems with my bike i dont like how the handlebars are and the drum brake up front. being that its my first bike/project i can live with those for now. so far in the 5 hours i have owned the bike valves are adjusted to get rid of that annoying tick. needs a new chain rear tire, carbs need to be cleaned up and replace some rubber that has dry rotted but to fix all that i need money and its alright because i dont have my endorsement yet.

 

[BadLuck]

Hello sbsumerix, welcome to the forum, I just recently purchased a 1980 xs400 special. There a nice learning bike, my 400 has about 17,000 miles as well, it runs good, need to adjust the valves and tune the carbs, and the seat needs a new cover which i found one ebay, but that can wait til end of season, bought some new slip on aftermarket mufflers.
their a little on the loud side, but sounds good(little bike with big bike sound) ha ha
just buy one peice at a time thats what i have been doing, and you will have it the way you want, clean it up, handlebars are reasonable cheap, just shop around you will find something you like.Theirs alot of great info and knowledge here on this forum, and great members that will lend helpful tips ride safe and have fun, Brian

 

[OliverB]

Welcome to the forum! So, does your bike have wire wheels? Not familiar with how the Heritage Specials were equipped. If it does, right now wire wheels and drums are favored because of the "old school" look. If not, maybe there was another model that came with front disc and you could acquire the parts to convert. Good luck with your project and post some pics - a requirement!!

 

[sbsumerix]

here is a pic the only one i took so far before my phone died

it does have the wire wheels. The only thing im worried about with the front brake being a drum is performance. she is a little rough but im thinking after about a day of cleaning and polishing it will look alot better i also got a wind screen with it but thats not my cup of tea so if anyone is interested let me know ill get a pic of it on here soon.

 

[63-Coupe]

Hi and welcome. These are fun bikes that are easy to work on and relatively inexpensive to fix. There are lots of people here to help you.

Couple of comments;

My two 82 Heritage Specials, and most that I have seen as well, do not have wire wheels and have a front disc brake.

Have a look at the "Classified" section of this forum before heading off to E-Bay.

I notice that there is a luggage rack on your bike. I looked for months and months for one and finally found one on E-Bay and believe it or not got it for $6.95 + shipping. Just was lucky I guess because it is an almost perfect OEM one so it cost way more than that when new and I haven't seen one since. Bottom line is that if you don't want the one that is on yours someone may be looking for one and since they seem to be rather scarce don't just toss it out, it might be worth a few bucks to help you buy what you really need.

 

[OliverB]

Looks good! Yes, they all usually greatly benefit from a little TLC. Some folks feel the drums are OK. I haven't ridden a front drum bike for many years so I can't really comment on a performance comparison. A conversion to front disc brake probably means a new front fork with mounting tabs, not to mention other parts. Luggage rack is nice if you want to carry a bag or other goodies.

 

[Daddio]

Since you wanted an R6 or Buell I am thinking you want to charge corners. Drums will not give the feel or modulation you are looking for. They stop just fine it is just a little numb and they do fade after repetitive hard braking like during canyon bombing. I say do one of three things: 1. Restore it and save another nice original XS (this is to equal out what I am doing) 2. make it a brat bike and ride "spirited" just not bombing. 3. Cut that girl up and have a hardtail and just ride attitude. I think you would be able to get the best ROI on option 1. Show the bike detail love, your Dad that your responsible and in 6 months flip it and get what you want.

 

[drewpy]

welcome to the site Sbsumerix

 

[sbsumerix]

Thanks guys well I put 1.3 miles on her today road down to my grandparents to show it off never got much speed due to I was riding on a dirtbike trail but seems to ride really well. Also spent 4 hours washing, waxing, then polished the rims and exhaust she is looking really good. And I didn't want a buell to carve canyons I'm in Michigan we don't have this I just like how different they are and not many people have them. I can customize this and make it different

 

[Brandenfwee]

I too just bought mine. Bought a week ago. Put about 150 miles on it and loving it. Its my first bike and I think it awrsome. Mine was sitting for a good bit before I got it. Only has 4500 miles but a great bit of rust throughout. I just do a little each day n she'll get there. Will post pics soon.

 

[akronevan2]

That is a nice bike, and welcome to the forums!

 

[sbsumerix]

here she is all polished up. took her for a ride today put 40 miles on her

 

[drewpy]

wow, very clean mean machine!

 

[sbsumerix]

thank you i still have an issue it runs and idles fine but once its warmed up and im coming to a stop it wants to stay idling at 3-4,000 rpms. if i let out on the clutch a little to put a load on the engine it will drop to 1,200 and idle just fine while i sit there. i cleaned up the carbs and adjusted the pilot screws 3.5 turns out from stop. now when i stop it will be at 3,000 rpms but will drop after a few seconds.

 

[drewpy]

one word.............carbs are still blocked

(ok four words)