Carb Question for 1982 Maxim 400

[jwood82]

Hello,

I was hoping to get your guys' opinion on rebuild vs aftermarket carbs for the 82' I just picked up. I see they make Makuni slider carbs that eliminate the air box and are supposedly less temperamental than the stock carbs? I thought I'd check to see if anyone has found that going away from stock has been worth the investment. Also, I'm looking for the cover that goes just above the battery box if anyone has a lead on one, it seems to be the holy grail of lost parts.

This is what I thinking of converting too:

https://www.mikesxs.net/yamaha-xs650-xs-performance-carb-xs400-assembled.html

 

[CaptChrome]

I don't have experience with the aftermarket carbs. I am sure that they can be made to work, but you better be good at carb tuning.

Regarding the stock carb setup - they can be pretty much trouble-free. The whole setup was designed and tuned by a bunch of (probably anal) japanese engineers and works well together as long as your carbs are clean and tight. To get them right, you still have to be able to dive into the internals for cleaning and soft part replacement, but you don't need more than basic mechanical skill if you use the stock jetting and metering that comes with the carbs.