Dragged home another XS400

Make sure the piston you get is for the 80-82 sohc xs400. The 77-79 use a different size one.
 
The rebuild kits from Sirius are decent. Ive used them on a couple sets. Brass floats I repair myself when its possible.

Jets R Us has genuine Mikuni jets but theyre in the USA. If you decide to experiment or need jets for altitude or whatever, aftermarket jets are a waste. Id recommend purchasing 3 or more jet sizes but thats just me.

You can have a key cut for your ignition lock. Theres a 4 digit code on the lock cylinders. If you search EBay you can find merchants who cut old motorcycle keys. Sometimes you can get lucky and find a matching original key. The key cutter might even have a factory (uncut) key.
 
While waiting for parts, doing general clean up, derusting hardware, lube cables, clean up harness, and connections. I want to put on a modern MC with matching clutch lever, just haven't found a clutch perch with a long snout that holds the adjuster further out so the sloppy XS cable will adjust/fit.
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Parts are coming in. I'm still working on the harness connections, some are cleaned, others are cut out and replaced. I decided to install the new bars now, so I could test fit the switchgear sub harnesses/cables and measure for a replacement stainless brake line. I bought a bar similar to the original buckhorn bars the '82 had.The new handlebars came with a longer pullback than advertised so I cut off 2" to give it that just right feeling. The right side is done, I'll cut the left side next.
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Thanks for the tip, however that one won't work with my Buckhorn bars. I need one with a sloped reservoir like this. https://www.mikesxs.net/yamaha-xs650-master-cylinder-with-sloped-reservoir-oem-3g1-25850-00-00.html Finding this style has been crazy hard to find so far, in a modern matched set. I may go with a remote reservoir that I can set at the correct angle. Something along the lines of this set. https://www.ebay.com/itm/7-8-Clutch...hash=item4206dfc93e:m:ml2M0RH3Rm-AQ3dqc79pncA But even that set won't work for either side.
 
I settled on a traditional sloped MC. I just couldn't find a cool set that came with a sloped reservoir. Covid-19 is really slowing down the parts supply. It's been almost three weeks waiting for a key and things like stainless brake line are just going to have to wait. I'm not really in a hurry though. This XS project is something to get me into the garage.
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After a week I've made some progress. I took the carbs apart to check for corrosion and correctness. The bike had sat for four years, but fuel was leaking past the petcock, through the carbs and into the crankcase. There was very little fuel left in the tank and there was a bit of fuel in the bowls. This kept the carbs wet so inside they were very clean. Clean to the point where both pilot jets were clear. The butterfly choke plates were stuck partly open but cleaned up easily. Everything got cleaned and air passages blown clear. Float height was correct at 22mm, and the bench synch was good. The only issues were one mixture screw O ring was missing and the inlet seats O ring were worn. I had new O rings in my supply so the carbs are back together and ready for testing.
My key arrived yesterday, so I installed a fresh battery and cranked the engine and got good spark. It has replacement blade fuses which are
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corroded and some of the pin connectors are broken and pulled out. No signal flasher. So it's obvious I have to go over the wiring and install more replacement connectors, and clean up the harness better.
 
I'm running out of supplies like chrome polish; 20 ga spade connectors, JB-Weld, and now my favourite stainless steel brake line supplier has disappeared. Thankfully I have my garage sanctuary. I painted the cylinder and polished the cases for sanity. Carbs are going on next and maybe a start up attempt.
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Very nice. I use the original sales brochure for pics on making everything looks as it was new. Very helpful as most of these bikes are now all cut up and "custom".
DSC03801.JPG DSC03802.JPG I did the same with my 79.
 
Today I started the bike for the first time since buying it over a month ago. I opted for the kick starter and after about 8 kicks it fired up. I didn't have the throttle cable hooked up but it started/ran fine on half choke. After it warmed up, it idled nicely without the choke, only needed a half turn on the idle knob. It revs cleanly with no issues. The mufflers have some internal rattle to them, not sure what I will do about that. Headlight, horn and taillight, brake light work, but no signals.
 
The 80-82 sohc mufflers tend to have an issue with a baffle plate just after the crossover pipe come loose. I have seen this a few times and always in the right side muffler. Usually on old rotted ones but I had it happen on a perfectly clean one. I installed it on the bike and after 15 miles of riding it broke loose and cause the right muffler to become partially plugged while it moved around. I had paid a good amount of money for it but only broke after running the bike. I have not figured on how to fix it so it's been sitting on a hook for the last two years. I put the old pipe that is still solid but not as nice back on. If you buy one from anyone make sure they check for any rattles in them.
 
Since i got the XS running, I checked the charging system. It showed a no charge condition. I then did the feeler gauge test on the stator cover and got a positive result. I unhooked the 3 stator wires from the pin connector and checked for AC volts. I got 25 VAC on all three legs at idle and 87 VAC at 5K RPM. I don't have the specs for this engine, but I can tell you I am happy with those numbers. I unhooked the rectifier and checked the diodes for forward bias then reverse bias on both the + and - side. It scored a perfect test. I don't have a good test for the voltage regulator, but it was charging the field coil so figured it might be OK. The only oddball test I got was the brown sense wire from the harness went to ground. I had previously cleaned up all the grounds, so they were good. The only logical thing I thought to do was clean all contacts and reassemble for retest. Started the engine and declared victory. Now charging at 14.5 V. I had cleaned all the multi point connectors when I first got the bike weeks ago, meh sometimes you just get lucky.
 
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