Noob needs a manual, some advice

[Mannix]

Hey folks, I am an absolute beginner so do not think you will insult my intelligence by being super clear; I bought a 1983 Yamaha XS400 Maxim 3days ago. The first time I rode a bike was 4days ago, so you see what we're working with. I've always wanted a bike, for gas efficiency, enhancing my cool points, and I just spent some time on a scooter and knew I needed more power!

This bike seems to have been well maintained, but I don't know much about it. The Previous Owner was a 17yo kid only had it for 4 months. It runs well, feels good; like a good bike to start/learn on.

1.) MANUAL- Does anyone have the ACTUAL manual for this bike? It seems everyone has the years before, but not this actual manual. I've seen a thread on here with lots of PDFs but none for the '83 Maxim. What is the best substitute if the manual is truly MIA? this appears to be the cover of the correct manual

2.) I don't know what has been done to this bike, and it seems to run pretty fine. What do you suggest I start with in terms of verifying it's condition? Oil change? Clean the Carbs I've heard so much of? Check the brakes? Check the "petcock"? Also, what is a petcock?

3.) Is there a book someone could suggest to supplement whatever manual I get? I've been looking at this Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance by Mark Zimmerman.


Pics of my sweet bike below, thanks!

 

[Lou Ranger]

I've always wanted a bike, for gas efficiency, enhancing my cool points, and I just spent some time on a scooter and knew I needed more power!

This bike seems to have been well maintained, but I don't know much about it. The Previous Owner was a 17yo kid only had it for 4 months. It runs well, feels good; like a good bike to start/learn on.

1.) MANUAL- Does anyone have the ACTUAL manual for this bike? It seems everyone has the years before, but not this actual manual. I've seen a thread on here with lots of PDFs but none for the '83 Maxim. What is the best substitute if the manual is truly MIA?
2.) I don't know what has been done to this bike, and it seems to run pretty fine. What do you suggest I start with in terms of verifying it's condition? Oil change? Clean the Carbs I've heard so much of? Check the brakes? Check the "petcock"? Also, what is a petcock?
3.) Is there a book someone could suggest to supplement whatever manual I get? I've been looking at this Essential Guide to Motorcycle Maintenance by Mark Zimmerman.

Hi and welcome (again) - missed your first post earlier.
Congrats on the Maxim. Bent-Wrench assures us that nothing ever goes wrong with the '83 Maxims - not until people start messing with them anyway.
The manual on here for the SECA covers almost everything, except the SECA has a 6 spd (we have 5 spds), different exhaust and maybe different sprocket size.
I would definitely change the oil and filter unless the PO can show you a bill for it done within his short tenure - just on principle. Read about oils on here first. DO NOT use car oils unless you want to redo the clutch.

Petcock is the thing at the bottom of the tank on the left which gives you access to the reserve tank and an extra quart or 2 of gas after you run out of gas. Remember to reset it to ON after re-filling or you will run out of ALL gas like me last Sun and require a rescue.

First thing to do is spend $3 at a M-C shop for a clear plastic in-line fuel filter and install it per Petei's thread on here. Then, if it were me, I would assume that the PO had nice clean carbs until the bike shows me otherwise. If it doesn't surge or stumble when accelerating through the gears and if you get 155 miles (250 kms) from full until you need to switch the PETCOCK over to RES then I would say leave the carbs alone. Remember what B-W says - nothing ever goes wrong with an '83 Maxima (unless you get a dust particle past that in-line filter).
Have the very best of luck and much enjoyment! Keep us posted, ride safe.

 

[Lou Ranger]

Oops, sorry, just checked your pics (nice bike by the way).
You don't have a "crash" bar. You will have to get one from a used parts place - or try on the Forum here. A number of folks are making different looking Maxims and one might have taken off such a bar.
Here are 2 pics to show you what I mean.

 

[Mannix]

Awesome! Thanks so much Lou. I have noticed a little bit of clunking into gears, but I'll hold off until I'm sure it's not just me getting used to the clutch I'll let you know how it all goes!

PS: My Aunt loved the show so I always use Mannix when its not already taken

 

[DanMach]

The clunking is fairly normal. I wouldn't worry about it. Its a 30 year old transmission design that was fairly old when it was used in these bikes.

The tranny doesn't fail, but its somewhat clunky. There are a few little tricks you can do to prevent the clunking, but over all I wouldn't worry about it.

As far as things to do:

1. On these bikes its key to NOT mess with something unless its broken. Its not that the parts are overly fragile, they are just old parts on a bike that wasn't commonly sold in the US.

2. Listen to Lou, hes awesome as hell Bentwrench too!

3. Inline filter for the fuel, change the oil, check your tank for rust.

4. Remove the side panels.. they uh.. ...have spider eggs in them.

Mail them to me.

Don't worry, its for YOUR safety. I promise!

Seriously though, the bikes are fairly bullet proof.

 

[DanMach]

Woah what the hell! These things had crash bars?!

Cool! lol.

 

[Lou Ranger]

Woah what the hell! These things had crash bars?! Cool! lol.

Well yeah!

What do you guys mount YOUR gun racks to in AZ?

 

[DanMach]

I just put the 6 shooters in my leather chaps while I mosey down the highway to a saloon.

Yeeee haw!

 

[bentwrench]

Lou, I never knew you had crash bars. That totally deserves to hijack this thread. Any markings as to who made them?

And yes, welcome, and you do have a pretty awesome bike (if I do say so myself.)

Two things I can see in the pictures. Your rear signal lights have a pretty nifty chrome side panel that I haven't seen before. I don't think it's stock, but if your signals work, don't worry about it. Dan was right - if it's running, don't fix it.

Second thing is your fuel line. Looks like someone has installed a secondary petcock (with is just a fancy word for valve or switch.) The red thing - does that turn and make your bike stop?

If so, then this is likely a cheap workaround for a fuel petcock that isn't working. The one on the tank (the metal one) has two settings, which means that when you run out of fuel the first time, you flip it around, and get an extra gallon or so to find a gas station. The red one looks like it could never do that, which means the added "feature" is that when you run out of gas, you instead get to sit at the side of the road and wait for the fuel fairy.

Petcock rebuild and replacement kits are pretty simple, and can make for a nice 2-3 hour project for someone who has no idea what they're doing. Test the red thing first, and see if it does what I think it does before tearing into anything.

Alternatively, you can also just fill the tank, ride until she runs out of gas while a friend is following you, and then refill and reset your trip meter. That's your range - get gas before you hit whatever number you got to.

Welcome, and don't be afraid to ask questions!

 

[bentwrench]

Oh, and one more basic maintenance idea - get yourself some feeler gauges and a download of the Seca manual, and check the clearances on your valves. Most owners forget about them, and they will make your bike run like poo if they're out of spec.

 

[Lou Ranger]

Lou, I never knew you had crash bars. That totally deserves to hijack this thread. Any markings as to who made them?
And yes, welcome, and you do have a pretty awesome bike (if I do say so myself.)
.... Test the red thing first, and see if it does what I think it does before tearing into anything.

I guess I did kind of hijack - but it was in response to Mannix's other post where he complained about being tall and having long legs (not a problem I am familiar with): http://www.xs400.com/forum/showthread.php?p=86191#post86191
I thought a couple of highway pegs mounted to his crash bar would provide the easiest solution to his problem.

If you are serious B-W, I will wear my reading glasses out to the boathouse and see if I can scare up a manufacturer for the crash bar. I have seen the same one on a number of Mamimi and they all look like part of the bike so I imagine it was a dealer-option back in '83.

It is definitely worth testing the fuel capacity issue before tearing anything apart. It the bike runs well and if you fill it up while on the side stand and right to the brim, you will consistently get 155 miles (250 kms) before needing the RES fuel. I've done that at least 4 or 5 times now. You might make it to 200 miles before being bone dry, but I doubt it, so using the trip-meter is a good idea in case the red valve is a work-around like B-W says. Regardless though, put in the $3 in-line filter.
If you don't have a friend to ride behind you, find a small metal container with a metal screw cap and carry some gas in a saddle bag for when your upper limit sends you to the shoulder - or pick a safe number like 170 and don't ever get ambitious.

 

[Lou Ranger]

I just put the 6 shooters in my leather chaps while I mosey down the highway to a saloon.

Yeeee haw!

I forgot about how special your #2 Amendment was in AZ.
Since 6 shooters and their successors and assigns are frowned upon up here, we have to mount rifle racks onto the crash bar.
Tally-Ho!

 

[bentwrench]

The problem with a fuel filter is that the red thing takes up the space required for a fuel filter...

 

[Lou Ranger]

The problem with a fuel filter is that the red thing takes up the space required for a fuel filter...

I found the red thingy on-line. If your PO installed it for the reasons recommended by the seller, then there may be nothing wrong with your PETCOCK at all. Let's hope.
This is what it's for:

"Works great to eliminate fuel from tank sitting in carburetor bowl during storage
Its always suggested to turn off fuel and run carburetor out of gas before storage.
Gas drys and leaves residue that clogs small jets and passages. Very hard to clean & the main reason why equipment doesn't run right after letting it sit for a while in storage."​

I'd be inclined to remove it in favour of the $3 see-through filter (long enough to test the PETCOCK anyway). If it works then leave the red thing off until maybe when you put it away for winter.

 

[bentwrench]

Seems like the OP has disappeared.

And that description sounds like fake junk. How can a valve in the line eliminate fuel in the bowl?

 

[Lou Ranger]

Seems like the OP has disappeared.
And that description sounds like fake junk. How can a valve in the line eliminate fuel in the bowl?

I imagine their theory is that the red valve will absolutely shut off the gas while one runs (or drains) the fuel out of the carburetors. Then the bike can sleep for the winter with no possibility any fuel can leak into the carbs.
A good story, I guess, but is it a real problem for which the world needed a solution? Or is it an invention in search of a problem for which it can be the solution?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/1-4-Fuel-Sh...186?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item20c566483a​

 

[Mannix]

Great! Tomorrow I'm planning to do an oil change, get a new oil filter, look into a fuel filter.

UPDATE: I did have a backfire a day or two ago, stalled while idling, some minor trouble starting. And once while riding I lost thrust and decelerated even while throttling up. This resolved on it's own after a few seconds and the throttle kicked in again. Anybody got a theory as to what this might mean? Today I had no such troubles though.

 

[Lou Ranger]

UPDATE: I did have a backfire a day or two ago, stalled while idling, some minor trouble starting. And once while riding I lost thrust and decelerated even while throttling up. This resolved on it's own after a few seconds and the throttle kicked in again. Anybody got a theory as to what this might mean?

Glad you only asked for a theory and not a diagnosis. If it were my old carburetored Pontiac it would likely be water in the gas.
Combining that theory with what B-W pointed out - that a portion of the Maxim tank is below the petcock and likely to accumulate stuff - I would say get that in-line filter on fast.
I've been lucky and not had any such happenings. When I did get my in-line filter, I siphoned all the gas out of those low places with a length of small clear tubing and then, taking great care not to drink it (thanks Pseudo-M ), put some SeaFoam in with a tank of fresh alcohol-free gas.

 

[bentwrench]

In line filter won't stop water, BTW...

If it's not frequent, just chalk it up to the bike sitting for a bit. If it happens a lot, then you can refer to the gobs of information on here about cleaning your carbs. Also, do check your valves clearances. It doesn't take much, and most people ignore them because it seems frightening, and you need to buy feeler gauges.

 

[Lou Ranger]

With the old Pontiac, we had to add about a quart of methanol HEET water remover and it has been fine ever since. Not sure I would use that stuff in the bike though.
A number of guys on here seem to use "Sea Foam" without wrecking anything and it is supposed to remove some water - just don't drink it!
Someone (could have been B-W) wrote something somewhere about not using it without an in-line fuel filter in place, in case it should dislodge anything in the tank. Sounds like a good order to follow if you are scared of your carbs like me.