What am I getting into?

[staycryptic]

Hello All!
Well, I kind of need some experts opinion here...

My buddy is moving and this bike HAS to be sold. So, he offered it to me.

The story: It ran two years ago. The guy drove it and loved it. Then, the next summer it didnt start. The local shop said it might be a fuse. He started taking it apart but had no idea what he was doing. He said the turn signals, headlight, and taillight didnt work. Also, it wouldnt start.
He put new tires on it but its just been sitting. Its still somewhat apart, but he has every nut and bolt he took off it. He just has no idea how mechanical things work, so he gave up and pushed it aside. Now, it has to be gone in a week.

Few questions:
What is it? Year? Model?

Is it worth the investment? He's asking $200.

To flip or keep?
(Ive NEVER owned a motorcycle and would be FOR learning how to ride, getting a license, taking a class. Thats cool with me.)

Does his story sound straight? What were the biggest problems with these models/years?

Basically, what am I looking at here?
Im definitely up for the Mechanical Challenge- I come from building Subaru race motors:

But, would this be a good start?

 

[bcware]

Buy it. If you can build car engines you'll be able to fix this easily. If you change your mind later you could easily part the bike out for more than $200 or sell it for more. I am in a similar boat myself and am learning as I go on my first bike. Having good tires is a big advantage as that has been the single biggest investment for me so far.

 

[staycryptic]

Yeah, I dont really see any problems breaking it down and going over it. I just need to know what to look for when it comes to bikes.

I need sort of a checklist of what to go over before attempting to fire it up.

Then comes the licensing, learning how to ride side of things...

 

[hardtailed77]

Sounds like a good deal to me. Before attempting to start, here are a few things to check over first.

-Try to kick the bike over with the key off, just to make sure things aren't locked up.
-Change the oil
-Put in a fresh set of plugs
-Adjust the points and check the timing
-Clean the carbs.....then clean them again
-Put in a fresh battery

These are all simple things to take care of initially. You will most likely need a few parts along the way, and that's where we come in. People here are really great about helping out in any way possible. Most of the info that you will seek, is right here on these pages.

Before doing anything on the bike, BUY A MANUAL!!!! We even have downloadable manuals on the site. Study it, and get to know your bike.

 

[staycryptic]

Thanks man!

I really dont see a problem knowing how to do those things. Id imagine its straight forward, but sourcing parts is my biggest concern.

Can you recommend a good place to purchase motorcycle maintainence parts from online? Im talking consumables- Fluids, bulbs, pads/rotors, etc.

Im going to run off and find these manuals now. Love me some tech info.

 

[crush1776]

No need to "run off" anywhere to find the manuals, they are conveniently provided right here from our gracious hosts:

http://www.xs400.com/forum/showthread.php?t=4503

As long as that thing isn't seized up I bet you could have it running within a few hours of tinkering and performing the aforementioned basics, good luck!

 

[staycryptic]

Nice.

Conveniently, I'm at work and have access to the printers.

 

[hardtailed77]

No problem man, anything to try to do my part here. There are many places to pick up parts. Some are better in certain aspects than others, so ask around here to get opinions. Here are just a few....

http://www.partsnmore.com/
http://www.bikebandit.com/
http://www.oldbikebarn.com/
http://www.powersportsuperstore.com/Default.asp

Again, those are just a small handful. Find your local Yamaha dealer as well, because they DO still carry some parts for the XS. Another place to take a look at is...

http://www.mikesxs.net/

.....they specialize in the big brother 650, but some parts do interchange with the 400. Just like anything in this world now, Ebay will be one of your best friends in locating parts. Also, worth mentioning, is our Classifieds section here, which is where I would check first for whatever you're looking for.

 

[hardtailed77]

Nice.

Conveniently, I'm at work and have access to the printers.

Take the copies of the manual to your local Fed-Ex/Kinkos, or other print shop, and have them spiral bind the manual with some plastic covers. I did exactly that, and although I got mine done for the low low price of FREE (girlfriend is a Graphic Design manager), it still won't cost much and you'll thank me later! haha

 

[staycryptic]

Here are just a few....

Also, worth mentioning, is our Classifieds section here, which is where I would check first for whatever you're looking for.

Great! Just what I was looking for!

Take the copies of the manual to your local Fed-Ex/Kinkos, or other print shop, and have them spiral bind the manual with some plastic covers...

Ha! Ive got one of the biggest printing presses on the East Coast at my disposal. I see we think alike...

 

[drewpy]

welcome staycryptic, I see you've already settled in here.

Time differences mean I'm online weird times to you guys!

 

[staycryptic]

^Cool blog, dude. That project looks great.

 

[drewpy]

cheers, take what info you need from it!

 

[staycryptic]

Thanks a lot for the warm welcome here. I was referred to this place by a buddy over on NASIOC, the Subaru Community. This place beats the hell out of Yamaha-forum.net when it comes to dealing with the XS Series.

Im going to pick up the bike on Sunday and tear into it next week. Come Sunday, I'll have many more photos up to get everyone's opinions on the next steps.

Thanks again, guys!

 

[bcXS400-81]

Welcome to a fellow Suby enthusiast! I've got a vf43'd '02 WRX. Fun cars. If you can handle swapping the injectors on a subaru then these bikes will be easy haha.

 

[staycryptic]

I've got an 02 as well. It's my hillclimb car. A few goodies, Including an Element Tuning built long block that revs to 8k.

Nice to see you!

 

[OliverB]

Welcome. Good price for the bike and fun to sort out. As for engine oil, buy any name brand diesel grade (for hard working diesel and gas engines) 15W40 oil. Good price, plenty of anti-wear additives AND excellent engine protection. No problem with a wet clutch.

 

[staycryptic]

Sounds easy enough. Thanks!

And I came across that term while reading the FSMs; can you give a quick overview of a 'wet clutch'?

 

[bcware]

Oh, yeah, I have a suby too I hope the bike checks out ok.

One day when I finish school I will upgrade, but for now it's a 2.5i with bolt-ons and a few cosmetic upgrades.

 

[OliverB]

A wet clutch is a clutch bathed in oil, not dry as in a car. Our clutches are multi-plate, not just a single as in an auto. Some oils don't do well with wet clutches as they cause the plates to stick together.