My $25 XS400 - Intro and Build

Hi Everyone, I fixed the pics

My name is Mike and I have been a motorcycle junkie my whole life. I started on a '72 CB100 when I was 14 - then moved up to a '96 Honda Nighthawk 250, Then an '01 SV650S, and now I own a '98 Honda Superhawk VTR1000. I recently decided I wanted to have a project bike and build a cafe racer. So after some searching, I stumbled upon a '77 XS400 listed for $125 on craigslist. when I went to check out the bike an old man said he was selling it for his son who recently passed away due to a terminal illness. He said this was his son's last asset that he just wanted to get rid of, Its in pretty rough shape but said he would give it to me for $25 since he could tell I would appreciate it. I went with a Uhaul van since I was going to buy it anyway at $125. So I loaded it up and the old man believe it or not helped me get it up into the truck as well - God bless him.

I got it home and with the Wife's help we unloaded it off the truck (My wife hates helping me with stuff like this) haha. Anyway my first project was to build a motorcycle work bench which I completed two weekends ago. this was important for me to build since I HATE fumbling around on the floor and it helped organize the workshop a bit...My cave is a 10x 16 shed so i dont have much space to work with. The pictures are below. You can also take a look at the bike's before pics.













The Work bench is on casters so I can move the bika around the shop. total cost to build was about 50 bucks with scrap wood.

The bike still has factory fiberglass saddlebags which are extremely rare. I think im going to refurb them and incorporate it into the cafe styling somehow.

The major issue with this bike is that the engine is seized which will require a total engine rebuild.

Thats it for now - Hopefully I will post updates often - Im also in Grad school right now and dont have too much free time...

Welcome to the Forum and congrats on your find. Pics didn't come through. Copy the wrong link?

Those bags are awesome!!! I would absolutely incorporate those!!! I love this bike. What potential!!!!
My first thoughts would be to strip it down and put my running/brake/directionals smoothed into the back of those bags and take the top off of the bags and glass them with the same curve as the tail section of the solo cafe seat.
I am excited for you!!!

welcome, must agree those panniers are ace!

looks a good bike from the pikkes. get those bores soaked in some diesel

Looks like a great start. Diggin your work bench.

That garage and setup looks like serious business. I have never seen those saddle cases before; can't wait to see what happens!

Thanks for the comments guys! I'm liking your suggestions for incorporating the side bags Daddio.

Drewpy - I was planning on soaking the bores in PB Blaster - will that work well instead of diesel?

Bcware - Haha my garage is more of a shed - but I tried to make it as functional as possible over the last year or so. Got a lot of garage ideas from garagejournal.com. Ill try posting some better pics of my workshop setup as well.

Hopefully I will have something to update you guys with in the next few weeks. First I will unseize the engine then begin the strip down...

gotta tell you, I would leave those bags just as they are. Once you change them you can't go back. I wish I could find a pair like that for mine.

I just noticed the tank cushion rubber around the clutch cable

Ha good eyes. yea im suprised is still hanging on there ....its holding on for dear life.. ha

Well I finally had a chance to start on the bike over the weekend. My first goal was to unsieze the engine. I soaked both bores in PB Blaster for several days and used a whole can of it. I tried kickstarting....nothing. Still wont budge. I then straped a 2x4 to the kickstarter for extra leverage...still wont budge. I then read online that I could attach a breaker bar to the crankshaft bolt to hopefully turn the engine. Well I took off both crank case covers and there really isnt a bolt to do this with. Any one have suggestions for me?

Im at the point where I might just take the engine apart and hammer out the pistons by hand....

should be a 17mm bolt on the left side, but I wouldn't use it to do that.

take the head off and heat the pistons, soak, heat pistons ad infinitum.

eventually the expansion and contraction will let your pb to enter to piston/bores and thus free them. An exploritory tap on top with hammer and bit of wood would help too!

You could soak it with diesel, or kerosene, or marvel mystery oil for a few days, remove the plugs and try rolling it with the bike in gear and the clutch squeezed and then pop it. Try a couple times slowly and see if it will budge.

I wouldn't use to much leverage on the kickstart you could end up breaking the tab inside. Is your clutch hooked up make sure you have shifted through the gears, it would be good if the chain was on and you could roll the bike and make sure the gears are meshed properly. That was all i had to do with mine to get it kicking over I could have swore it was seized.

I spoke to a bike mechanic last year while I was trying to unseize another engine and he told me about using a breaker bar. With the engines we have the only bolt you can get on is the flywheel but you don't want to use that. It's hard enough to get that flywheel off without seating it deeper on the taper. Other bikes have a spot yo can get on to turn it over we aren't that lucky.

If it is seized though. I think I would want to atleast get the top end apart and look at the pistons rings and valves. My rings are stuck solid in the pistons and have been soaking in kerosene for a week.

Shaun

Transmission[ATF] works well if you want to penetrate and unstick the pistons.It's the same thing as Marvel Mystery Oil,and a lot less expensive,just put a couple of ounces in each plug hole. lha

yeah man. i would have paid 25 alone for the bags haha nice find! and the wheels are raw too! bangin.