The XS400J-K experiment ends on a sad note.

[markjs]

Well my spare engine definitely is losing it's first gear and I think whole tranny. I hate to say it, but I think this is the end of me and Yamaha unless I can land an XS650, save for whatever I do with the TX500A.

I checked the valve clearance on the first engine, the one with the good tranny and I get .08mm intake and .13mm for exhaust on both sides. With a lack of compression on just one side, it seems likely I have worse problems than tight valves. If this is the case it would involve mating the top end on the '82 motor to the bottom end of the '83 motor. This involves cam chain removal and I have done that before and got it a tooth off and it's a nightmare I've no wish to repeat.

So what I got is a running bike you have to baby a bit in first gear, an engine with a good gear box but a compression problem, and nearly enough parts for two bikes other than the engnes. I will let it all go for trade for a running Honda 500CC or bigger, or $600. My experience is, nobody makes a gear box like Honda, you simply can't kill them, or if you can you have to try hard to. I've had too many Yamahas with gear problems and while I've never run into it personally, I've had friends come up with similar problems with Suzuki gearboxes.

My experience with bikes, is that my Hondas have nearly always been damn near bulletproof and what little experience I have had with Kawasaki, has been similar. I'm just tired of driving a fragile bike I have to baby, that I have little to no chance of finding parts for when I do break something. They are fun neat bikes with their good points, but being "reliable transportation" is not a label I could apply to any Yamaha I've ever owned, and unfortunately that's what I need now. I will be sad to see it all go, but I can't be stranded and I see a whole lot of being stranded in my future if I don't move on from this project.

 

[markjs]

I suppose the thing to do now is the compression testing to confirm the diagnosis, but if this isn't fixable without removing cams and cylinders, it's time for me to move on.

 

[Bizzy13]

I Agree, this bike is my least favorite. I'm trying to sell mine as well, I just don't like the bike. I wanted a 650 but after having this thing In VERY hesitant at best. You can't beat a Kawasaki or Honda. I want another KZ.

 

[Scorpio1963]

Here ye here ye 3 of us in the same boat gear shift problems or fix and repair daily.This crap is getting old but its been a learning expereince.I mentioned this in an earlier thread get the bike going as good as it can be got,up goes the 4sale sign or an ad on Craigs.

 

[willem]

ah yer all a bunch of quitters

 

[Scorpio1963]

Its not that we are quitters its that some of us need a good comutting bike that doesnt require fix and repair daily plus bags full of bank $.If parts were easier to find I would reconsider but to me sometimes its just not worth the headache.

 

[willem]

I was only kidding guys, I'm pretty sure I'd sell my bike if it gave me more problems than it already has..

And I ride it to work all the time as well so I totally understand how cr*ppy it is to be stuck on the way there or on the way home..

 

[markjs]

Don't count my XS our yet. If things play out right I may sell my car to get my Nighthawk 700, fix the XS400K to run right with the two engines and sell it to one of you all for the car I'll need to replace. If it plays out that way and it's looking like it likely will, the XS400K will no longer be my main ride, but I'll be far from done with it.

 

[Scorpio1963]

Mark man this is so strange are we connected or something?I have this Jimmy I have been working on for a couple of years now.I rebuilt the engine,had the trans professionaly rebuilt with mods,2 different types of shift kits.My health is ailing and Im no longer able to finish the project.So I have it listed forsale in the hopes that I can find a better bike.Im thinking that if I keep my xs dig into whats causing the engine trouble and see if it can be fixed.I`ll have an extra $100 a month that Im paying for storage on the Jimmy if I sell it thats more cash I can use to use for buying a better bike or getting all the maintance + some body work done on my truck.

 

[markjs]

Well ya got to make what you got work for ya. I am really reluctant to get rid of my car, but it's a whole lot cheaper and easier to sell a car than a bike. Cheap cars are not too hard to come by if you are handy with a wrench too.

 

[Bizzy13]

The trouble is is that they're xs400's and xs400's are garbage, lol.

 

[benjamin]

A machine is a machine. It's only as good as the person turning the wrench behind it.

My XS has it's problems, but on the whole I think they're solid bikes. With the right love and care they'll take you where you need to go.

 

[markjs]

No, you are way off there bud. Not all machines are created equal. The Honda Nighthawk is about as bulletproof a bike line as was ever made. My TX500A on the other hand was innovative for it's time, but why do you think it got discontinued before there were more than a few thousand made?

My experience is that 80's Yamaha gearboxes are fragile, two out of three bikes, none of which were ridden abusively don't lie. Sure it still rides, the problem isn't that bad yet, but at just over 25K on the clock it shouldn't have a problem at all yet it does. Perhaps bike_geezer's kid, the previous owner was a fan of wheelies but I never abused the gearbox.

 

[markjs]

To really illustrate my point why this if all machines are just as good as their mechanics?

 

[Scorpio1963]

Most of us all have bought these bikes from previous owners,Unless theres a record of when,what and how it was serviced you dont know what your getting till you have had time to get to know all it quirks,weaknesses, and strong points.You assume and by the word of the previous owner all the info on the bike was given to you as long as you asked the right questions.Your own expereince is going to help you with that reguard.Also you expect the PO to be honest and tell you the truth about everything.Before you buy you need to do your own homework.Had I known in advance the weak points were the gear box on these bikes I would have saved my $.It wasnt till afterwards when I looked and found out the weakness on the xs400.I just assumed I was buying a cheap commuter bike that may have needed a little tlc.

 

[markjs]

Yeah and tell your "any machine is only good as it's mechanic" theory to a Virago owner whose been through four or five starters. It simply doesn't wash, it's part of the picture, but most definitely not all the picture.

 

[Scorpio1963]

I can make another point that will show that theory is wrong.Look at the quality of the vehicles espeacily chevys that were made in the 70`s up till the early 80`s.They were solid as rocks with very reliable V8 engines both small and big blocks.
By comaprison look at what happened in the mid 80`s till about 1995.The metal got thinner,the quality went down hill mainly because emmissions and other government factors in which the forcing the clean air and epg standard.We started our sourcing labor and buying cheap steel from china.

 

[Scorpio1963]

Yeah and tell your "any machine is only good as it's mechanic" theory to a Virago owner whose been through four or five starters. It simply doesn't wash, it's part of the picture, but most definitely not all the picture.

Guess thats why I see so many of these bikes forsale,I just got finished looking on CL for Flint and Detroit.I counted 11 Viragos forsale.

 

[xschris]

I have two sohc xs400's a 79 and a 80. The 79 I have had for 15 years and have put over 10,000 trouble free miles on it ( the bike has over 30k) My 80 has 12k on it and I have put 2k on it after it sat for 10 years. I have owned a bunch of xs650 and prefer the 400. The bike is a well made bike They just need to have a little money and proper care Unless you get a new bike or luck out and finding one that was well maintained you will always need to do something to it. For some people working on bikes are just too much to understand or figure out

 

[markjs]

Well now I wonder if I haven't spoken too soon; it failed to have the problem today after yet another clutch adjustment. Not sure what in the clutch could cause a slip that "clunks" it's definitely not sticky or slipping friction plates, had that too many times to not know it when I see it.