First time XS400 owner, first time replacing a camshaft. Anything I should know?

[MeltingDog]

A friend gave me his old bike (78-79 SOHC) that had been sitting a while with a broken camshaft (timing chain came apart and crunched the socket). I've tinkered with old bikes and cars before, but never to this extent.

My plan is to remove the engine completely and then just following the workshop manual as best as possible. My concerns are that I have limited space and the bike must be outside (under a cover) whilst I do this. I can move the engine inside when I've removed it.

As a newb, would anyone know of any pitfalls or gotchas I could run into? Any advice or help is greatly appreciated.

 

[pbr206]

Blind plug over the ignotion cover needs to be drilled out. I used a 6mm drill and drilled until it loosened and came out stuck to the bit.

The plug is about a 1/4" inch thick, i went slow, very slow so ss not to damage the screw that hides behind it.

Since you will have this thing torn apart, might as well order all the gaskets too.

Depending on mileage and other mitigating factors, you will probably need to have the valves replaced snd the seats re-cut.

I just had that done st a machine shop, cost me about $130 after tax, and they lapped the valves too.

Just a word of caution: as everything on that bike is old, take care when removing screws, they strip far too easily, and plastic bits are brittle and break easily. (Im thinking about the neutral switch indicator sensor...)

Most of what you will be doing is cleaning and inspecting, making sure everything is still in spec.

Buy a digital, and accurate, vernier gauge, cheap ones arent worth a damn. Too inaccurate.

Best of luck,

 

[NewHavenMike]

Its a lot easier to take the engine out of the frame. The cam cover can be a pain when you need to torque it down. It can be done though. Id be worried about internal shrapnel and valve damage. Id probably price out a complete used head. New cam chain is around $75. Gasket set is maybe $30.