Vecta's 79 xs restoration

[vectra]

just wanted to say hello

now i just picked up a 79 xs 400 and i'm going to be needing help along the way of getting her back to former glory

i will be looking for at some point
(1) the right hand side cover for the air filter
i have one on the left side with xs 400 on it

(2) turn signals i dont have any and need front and back
(might go after market )

also is it worth trying to get the yamaha sign for the gas tank or not

will post some pics of her as we go along

the main plan of action is trying to get her running again
she turns over and sounds like she going to start but nothing thinking points and plugs but if im not sure

any tips and help full advise will help this newbee out

 

[HoughMade]

Well, welcome o XS400.com and welcome to the 1979 XS400 club.

As for starting, my guess is dirty carbs....even if they have been cleaned. Mine took multiple cleanings.

eBay is great for XS400 parts, once you check here on the forum, of course.

I had original turn signals, but went with smaller aftermarket ones. As for the Yamaha badge, if you want them, they can be found new at MikesXS and new and used on the Bay.

Good luck! I am partial to '79s

 

[vectra]

and looking at that pic of the nice looking xs i see something else i will need to find
the bar running at the back of the seat :0

is there a part number for them turn signals you used or will any after market ones work

 

[HoughMade]

Well, I used some from eBay, kind of generic. They weren't really straight bolt on and the innards were cheap and I have already had to replace the sockets inside 2. I like the look, so for now I'll stick with them. You could probably pick out any you likes and with some ingenuity, make them work.

 

[vectra]

well just done the compression test on the xs and im getting about 138 -140 on one and 126 - 133 on the other is this good or bad
i was thinking it should have been higher

i still need to clean the carb and change the dry rotted fuel line as the old girl been sitting out in all kinds of weather for some time

the plugs look in good condition from the looks of them gives me an idea how she ran last time they are not oily black just light brown color
tank looks in good shape no sign of rust in it

and i going in the correct way for geting her to try and start for the first time in a while

 

[OliverB]

Might need new plug caps. If yours are original, they often burn out. Originals were 10 Ohm but replacements are 5 Ohm and work fine. Those and new wire sets are also available cheap from MikesXS.com I like to start out with new, known condition ignition stuff. Eliminates possible problems and gives you a good starting point for service.

BTW, your compression PSI is OK. Not the highest but far from the worst. Did you test with both plugs out and throttle held open while cranking each side?

 

[vectra]

no did not do the throttle wide open but both plugs was out when i was doing it

 

[vectra]

here is the old girl

 

[vectra]

had a little box of goodies waiting on me when i got home tonight
i now have 2 tank badges in chrome
a set of mirrors
and rear turn signals

still waiting on the coils plug caps and wires but its a start
even scored a set of side covers all being well


how well do the side covers hold up when painted ???

 

[vectra]

well im still working on getting her running i'm not given up hope yet.
I got new coils , wires, plugs, caps, and points
carb has been cleaned and is back on the bike
now when i tryed to start her i got a problem
im getting fuel pouring out the air filter on the left side only
i'm thinking the float is sticking and i'm going to have to
remove and do the cleaning again and maybe get a carb kit
if im going in the wrong direction someone chip in and let me know

 

[bcbobbers]

Before you paint the badges you might want to see if you can find out the type of plastic they are made out of and see if you can paint that type of plastic. Some plastics you can't use regular paints on because they will crack so just a heads up you may want to just check and see...usually the plastic will have a stamp or something on the back to signal what type of plastic it is.

Congrats on the new purchase and hope you get her running soon.

 

[vectra]

just got done messing around with the carbs again
was a float sticking i guess i did not put the pin in good the last time
now no fuel is pouring out the air filter
but i dont think im getting fuel to the spark
so i'm still at the starting point
might go bang my head against the wall for a little while

 

[vectra]

yep i following HoughMade's post about carbs
and now im over the moon the 33 yr old xs runs and sounds good .......




now if only i can get her to start again

 

[xs400neophite]

Hehehe labor of love my friend. You will get good at taking the carbs off for sure. Yeah Houghmade has his '79 dialed in and I followed his old threads to get mine tuned in too. You will also wish you had drewps set up with the little cap over the crank bolt and the little window to see the timing pointer bcs you have to get into there alot at first too (for points setting,timing and valve adjustments). Its worth it though. Love my little beezie.
3 turns on the idle screws to start. Mine are actually @ 2 3/4 turns out right now.. seems to be where she likes it. Have at it!

 

[vectra]

going to have to go back and re set the carbs again few too many beers with the bbq and when i pulled the tank i split the fuel filter
played with the idle screw and the bottom few threds are striped out but soon will have replacements so next week i get to try again

 

[xs400neophite]

That dosn't sound good. Good luck and hopefully the tips didnt break off in the seat! Gotta be easy turning those in...like bc said, use your hands to seat those all the way, then back them off three turns. Gotta watch that ABV (Alc.by Vol.)
dont drink and drive(screwdrive that is hehehe).....Lates

 

[vectra]

just got in from work and the Wife said i got a box of junk on my desk

but i see it as a box of goodies for the bike

 

[bentwrench]

Some women just have no imagination. Nice haul.

 

[vectra]

so digging into the box of goodies i got i found
these im thinking its parts to the turn signal mounts but im not sure as i was thinking
rubber bushing around them
any help would be good

 

[drewpy]

they fit into rubber bushes and are the turn signal mounts