OleDoc
FREEBIRDS MC Central NY
I heard that if you flip sides on the headlight mount it will lower it some.i think XsChris did this.i like your electric tray
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you could use that corner stuff that's use in plastering as it has a nice metal edge to it!
I remember in my youth I use to go the the dump and cut out washing machine panels for sheet steel, I was that strapped for cash!
medmunds
XS400 Enthusiast
hahahaha! that's awesome! very resourceful. maybe i will try that....
Thanks doc! I am pretty happy with how it came out myself...this is kinda my first attempt at modifying, well,....anything really, so i get pretty excited when things work out in reality the way that I have them planned in my head haha!
Thanks doc! I am pretty happy with how it came out myself...this is kinda my first attempt at modifying, well,....anything really, so i get pretty excited when things work out in reality the way that I have them planned in my head haha!
medmunds
XS400 Enthusiast
so I got the bike back together (mostly) with new battery, pod air filters, pod crankcase breather filter and UBER cleaned carbs and the mixture needles?(little guys that come out the top on the front side of the carbs?) are set at three full revolutions out from the fully seated position. When i go to start, it starts up just fine and will idle after a little warm up (with the choke all the way on), but the warmer the engine gets, the less it wants to run...huh. It eventually gets to the point where i cant keep it going for more that a few seconds no matter the choke or throttle settings.
also, white smoke is coming out of the exhaust (which it did not do before), but mostly from the left pipe.
any thoughts????? rejet, too rich, too lean, ummm???
also, white smoke is coming out of the exhaust (which it did not do before), but mostly from the left pipe.
any thoughts????? rejet, too rich, too lean, ummm???
XSLeo
XS400 Junkie
Depending on the Pods you use they can have a lip to keep the pod from going to far onto the carb. This lip can block off the air ports around the carb bell where the pod mounts. Some of these ports are air vents for the float bowl. If the float bowls don't vent a vaccum builds up and the fuel flow stops.
Take the pods off and try running the bike. If it runs better then you need to do something about this lip. Many trim the lip away.
On the idle mixture screws, I think 2 1/4 out might work better.
Leo
Take the pods off and try running the bike. If it runs better then you need to do something about this lip. Many trim the lip away.
On the idle mixture screws, I think 2 1/4 out might work better.
Leo
medmunds
XS400 Enthusiast
thanks for the advice! that never would have occurred to me. I'll give it a whirl tomorrow and see what happens.
medmunds
XS400 Enthusiast
I trimmed the inside of the pods and adjusted the mix screws. Helped A LOT! now it will start right up and idle for a long time (only on full choke, however). The idle is still erratic and eventually (after about 15 min) begins to climb such that i have to kill the engine.
I think it is time for new carb boots (that connect the carb out to the compression chambers). Mine are cracked on the outside. When I took them off and inspected them, I didn't see any of the cracks on the inside surface, but I think that I've pretty much ruled out all of the other options for addressing the idle/choke problems.
any suggestions?
I think it is time for new carb boots (that connect the carb out to the compression chambers). Mine are cracked on the outside. When I took them off and inspected them, I didn't see any of the cracks on the inside surface, but I think that I've pretty much ruled out all of the other options for addressing the idle/choke problems.
any suggestions?
XSLeo
XS400 Junkie
If after a couple minutes the bike should run without the choke.
This usally means your carb aren't clean enough. The idle circuits are plugged up. When you use a spray can carb cleaner, remove the idle mix screws, put the tube from the carb cleaner down in the hole. Now when you spray, cleaner should come out the pilot jets and the tiny holes by the top of the throttle plates.
If the spray won't come out, the passsages are blocked.
Take the twist tie of a loaf of bread, peal off about 1/2 of the cover off one end. This reveals a very thin wire. this wire is soft so it won't hurt anything if your careful. Use this wire to carefully probe the holes by the throttle plates. Spray more, If you have an air compressor blow through with air. This helps break up the blockage.
This guide was written with the XS650 carbs in mind but your BS34's are almost identicle to the XS650 BS34's.
www.amckayltd.com/carbguide.pdf reading this will help you understand your carbs better.
One way to check for air leaks around the carb holders is to spray around them with carb cleaner, WD40 even a spray bottle full of water. With the bike idleing spray round the carb holders. Listen for changes in the idle. It may increase or decrease. Any changes indicate leaks.
There are several brands of carb holders, The ones Mike's XS sells, unless they have improved them, don't hold up well with ethanol fuels. Tour Max are the last I bought, very good. Yamaha may still be able to get them. JBM Industeries builds a good one for the XS650's, Don't know if they fit the XS400.
Leo
This usally means your carb aren't clean enough. The idle circuits are plugged up. When you use a spray can carb cleaner, remove the idle mix screws, put the tube from the carb cleaner down in the hole. Now when you spray, cleaner should come out the pilot jets and the tiny holes by the top of the throttle plates.
If the spray won't come out, the passsages are blocked.
Take the twist tie of a loaf of bread, peal off about 1/2 of the cover off one end. This reveals a very thin wire. this wire is soft so it won't hurt anything if your careful. Use this wire to carefully probe the holes by the throttle plates. Spray more, If you have an air compressor blow through with air. This helps break up the blockage.
This guide was written with the XS650 carbs in mind but your BS34's are almost identicle to the XS650 BS34's.
www.amckayltd.com/carbguide.pdf reading this will help you understand your carbs better.
One way to check for air leaks around the carb holders is to spray around them with carb cleaner, WD40 even a spray bottle full of water. With the bike idleing spray round the carb holders. Listen for changes in the idle. It may increase or decrease. Any changes indicate leaks.
There are several brands of carb holders, The ones Mike's XS sells, unless they have improved them, don't hold up well with ethanol fuels. Tour Max are the last I bought, very good. Yamaha may still be able to get them. JBM Industeries builds a good one for the XS650's, Don't know if they fit the XS400.
Leo
medmunds
XS400 Enthusiast
thanks xsleo. I have cleaned my carbs really well several times, but i guess i will pull them off and give it another go. could the carb holders be causing this problem?
medmunds
XS400 Enthusiast
I have not. In order to do this, do you adjust the screw attached to the rotation springs and butterfly valves that is situated between the two carbs (the one that is kind of above the idle speed screw?).
medmunds
XS400 Enthusiast
I have read on the site that you can build a manometer from some clear tubing and any viscous liquid that you have laying around. do you just pour some liquid in and attach each end of the tubing to the vacuum line nipples on the carb holders, and adjust the screw until the liquid stays in the middle?
If you have cracks in your carb holders, wouldn't that have an effect on the balancing of the carbs?
If you have cracks in your carb holders, wouldn't that have an effect on the balancing of the carbs?
XSLeo
XS400 Junkie
Yes, 3/16 inch clear tubing 12 to 15 feet long. find the middle of the hose and put the middle at the bottom of a stick 3 feet long. Run the hose up along the stick, Fasten how ever you want.
Now you can fill the hose so the liquid is up a foot or so on both sides. Hook up idle the bike and adjust to get them even. The level will bounce around some, just even it up so the highs are even and the lows are even. Once you have it hooked you will see it.
If when you have the carbs off, doing a bench sync gets you close.
I use a 1/4 inch wide strip of paper to use as a feeler gauge to set the idle screw for one side, the sync screw for the other.
Now when you sync on the bike it will be fairly close so you won't need to adjust much. If the carbs are on the bike, when you first start the bike it mau suck the fluid into the engine.
If it does trun the sync screw a 1/8 turn, don't matter which way, restart the engine Is it closer or worse? if better turn the screw to same way you did to get closer. If worse turn the screw the other way.
Leo
Now you can fill the hose so the liquid is up a foot or so on both sides. Hook up idle the bike and adjust to get them even. The level will bounce around some, just even it up so the highs are even and the lows are even. Once you have it hooked you will see it.
If when you have the carbs off, doing a bench sync gets you close.
I use a 1/4 inch wide strip of paper to use as a feeler gauge to set the idle screw for one side, the sync screw for the other.
Now when you sync on the bike it will be fairly close so you won't need to adjust much. If the carbs are on the bike, when you first start the bike it mau suck the fluid into the engine.
If it does trun the sync screw a 1/8 turn, don't matter which way, restart the engine Is it closer or worse? if better turn the screw to same way you did to get closer. If worse turn the screw the other way.
Leo
medmunds
XS400 Enthusiast
thanks again for all of the help guys! I cleaned out the idle circuit and bench balanced the carbs, and the idle is much smoother and more uniform. Still can't get it to run without choke, however, so I think that it is the carb holders. Is there anything else that i should look at?
Also painted the tank today. looks waaaay cooler than the original blue.....
Also painted the tank today. looks waaaay cooler than the original blue.....
medmunds
XS400 Enthusiast
WT100
Tim
Very nice! Paint i can do but body work is a PAIN!
Fun enough i painted today too, in between work. Upside of working at home.
Fun enough i painted today too, in between work. Upside of working at home.
medmunds
XS400 Enthusiast
thanks guys! It's amazing how much better a new coat of paint makes it look. At first I really wanted to find one of the older boxier tanks, but with new paint, I think that I wanna keep this one.
