What have I gotten myself into

[seestheday]

Hello,

I just bought myself a 1983 yamaha xs400. It's in super rough shape so I'm not sure how it will turn out.

I will first get it home I'll have to make sure that the engine isn't badly seized. It doesn't have a chain, carbs, headlight, etc... The gas tank is BADLY rusted, doesn't have a gas cap and had some water in them when I checked it out. No ownership (but I checked the VIN to make sure it wasn't stolen). The price was right though. I picked it up for $100. I figure if it turns into a nightmare I should be able to get that in parts.

I have experience with Honda bikes. I rebuilt the top end of my dohc cb750 and have gotten to know those carbs extremely well. I imagine after working on the 4 complicated CV keihin carbs these mikuni's should be fairly easy (although I'll be looking for some, so let me know if anyone here has some for a good price).

Assuming that the bike is salvageable I'm planning on a rat build to get it rideable, and then I'll decide on where I want to take it.

Other than the basics, anything specific I should look for?

 

[DARKMIDKNIGHTWARRIOR]

Welcome to the forum! I'm too new to be much help.

 

[16VGTIDave]

Welcome seestheday! Nice to have another member who is close (I'm 30 minutes away and was even in Waterloo yesterday!). Zdeno's had some parts bikes in the fall and more parts in their storage shed. Any more details on what XS400 you have? We like pics...

 

[xschris]

Welcome to the forum We need pics.

 

[willem]

Welcome!

other than the regular stuff adding an inline fuel filter is wise. Also service your swingarm bearing. This thread has a lot of links and info on maintenance, but it sounds like your xs is in good hands.

The 83 could be a seca or a maxim, but it's almost definitely a DOHC bike. Post some pics and we'll confirm

 

[seestheday]

Here is the pic from the girl I bought it from.

Thanks for the warm welcome everyone.

It's advertised as a seca. Looking at the wheels and tank I'd say that is right.

Willem, thanks for the basic maintenance link. I think I'm going to need to do a lot more than is outlined there but it's a great start.

GTIDave - Awesome to have someone close. Once I get this on the road we should go for a ride. I've used Zdeno's in the past and while they're great to have as a last resort I've found them to be hideously expensive vs. ordering things online. I'd expect them to charge me $4-600 for a set of carbs pulled from a junk bike based on the amount they charged me for a brake pedal for my cb750 (needed one to cut for universal rearsets).

I should get the bike home tonight or tomorrow. I'll post more pics when I get them.

 

[willem]

Ah yes, that's a Seca alright. I have the same type.

Looks like you're missing the carbs, front fender, chain, headlight, side cover(s), plastic rear cover and tank badges. Also it doesn't look like there is any speedo/tacho unit nor mirrors. Front sprocket/clutch cover is also not shown in the pic. If I were you I'd look for another bike like this one and use that (or this one) as a parts bike. The maxim (more cruiser style) has many compatible parts, other xs400 models are not compatible. There's a ton of information on this forum and I've tried to pile it together here for easy access.

The stock headlight is bulky and square, and so is the original dash unit. You should definitely be able to find those cheap since they're often replaced by less hideous alternatives.

Once you get it up and running the Seca is loads of fun

 

[seestheday]

Thanks willem,

I'm definitely on the lookout for another parts bike, but I do have some parts on hand that I think I can use.

On hand I have a spare headllight and ears, tach/speedo (do you guys know what the dohc yamaha ratio is? Is it the same as for dohc honda's?),mirrors, levers and a bunch of misc. parts. I'm also not afraid to do a little fabrication, but I don't have access to a good welding setup right now.

I would have likely needed to buy a new chain anyways, just like tires. I consider those items to be consumable parts.

Also, what you can't see in the pic is that the front brake is likely destroyed. It looks rusted shut, and has been removed from the front wheel.

So at the minimum I'm going to need a new set of carbs, something for a front fender, and a front sprocket/clutch cover. What does a set of carbs go for around here? I'm no stranger to rebuilding them so that isn't an issue.

 

[seestheday]

Oh, and the muffler is rotten. I will need to either patch it, get a new one or build something. I'll know more when I get it home.

 

[Scorpio1963]

welcome seestheday,I think your bike has the potential to be restored fairly inexpensively.Are you going to keep stock or modify it?As for the mufflers your better off replacing them than patching.You might be able to get some exhaust wrap and fix it that way.If you have a bike boneyard nearby search there for parts or keep checking the sites classifieds.Also look on ebay.

 

[seestheday]

Thanks Scorpio,
I like the exhaust wrap idea. I have that on my cb750 and love how it looks.
The exhaust on this Seca might be too far gone though. If you look close at that picture you can see a red strap on the exhaust that is holding it up.

Oh one more thing it's missing. A kickstand. These did come with a regular kickstand right? It does have a centrestand though, so I can live with just that.

 

[Scorpio1963]

I was wondering what the red strap was lol.,by looking at muffler its pretty bad off,there are variety of after market muffler you can use on these bikes.Usualy theres a metal clamp that connects from the muffler to the frame that secures the exhaust tightly.Is only one muffler rotted or are they both in bad condition?As for the lickstand they are both good and bad about them,as long as you are parked on a solid surface they work great but on gravel dirt they are almost worthless.With that said I`d rather use the centerstand.

 

[Lou Ranger]

Welcome to the Forum. Looks like you have a bit of tinkering to do.

One of the places to call or visit (if you can find them open) is the used bike place on Hwy #6 - I believe it's just north of Dornoch.
It would make for a nice ride in the country on your 750 if it ever gets above 5° again,

 

[seestheday]

No kidding, this weather is crazy. It's April right? I wouldn't know from the weather because it snowed today. I heard there were whiteouts on the highway between barrie and toronto.

What is the name of the used bike place? Do they have a wrecking yard?

 

[levdir]

My girlfriend and I are headed out your way in a couple of weeks, y'all better have the weather sorted by then

 

[seestheday]

I spent most of my free time on Sunday building shelves, cleaning and organizing the garage. So much more free space now. I'm also very glad to have my tools on a pegboard again (I recently moved).

Snapped a few pics of the bike.

Exhaust:

Exhaust showing how it is dented (probably from getting dropped). Notice the disconnected drum brake. Not sure why it was disconnected, it still rolls freely and catches when I work it with my hand. The connecting rod is bent bad though:

Exhaust, again. Notice the missing brake pedal:

Exhaust other side:

Front caliper, looking pretty seized:

Engine:

Engine, other side:

Missing sprocket cover:

Inside the gas tank:

Tank is also missing the petcock.

View from the front of the bike. Is it missing a fork brace, or is it just the fender that acts as a brace?

Let me know what you guys think, and if there are any pics you would like to see. I'm starting to think this might be too much and I should use this as a parts bike.

 

[seestheday]

Also, because of the squarish swingarm, does that mean that this is an "R" model? If so, what other differences were there?

 

[motoTrooper]

Hmmmn. That is quite a project there. I'll second that call for another bike to build one out of both. As those mufflers look rotten I would remove them (if you can) and cut them off after the upturn back. Then take the upturned part and remove the heat shielding and see if there is a solid tube inside for reusing as a connection to the headers to make fitting aftermarket mufflers easy. From that pic of the front end it appears that the fork tubes aren't parallel. Maybe just the angle of the pic but looks like the axle is bolted too tightly without the proper spacers. It does look like it has a kickstand but the little 'kick' knob looks broken off. I'd first dip the whole thing in penetrating oil and break out the impact driver. Good luck there!

 

[Scorpio1963]

I think with some time you could get the bike running if you can find the parts you need,the mufflers are definitely gone.Good news is they sell upswept replacement mufflers at most of the online bike stores or ebay.Also keep checking the classified here on the site you never know what you might find.The very greasy and dirty spot spray some oven cleaner in there and leave it sit for about an hour then hose it off.You can also use gas and rag to clean it up just use gloves,gas on the hands isn't a good thing.The bike has potential and would make a good candidate for something customized.

 

[xschris]

Anything can be done but I would look for a parts bike that is complete.