G-FOURce
XS400 New Member
I have a 1980 XS400 Special that is behaving differently today than it did just a few weeks ago. The only thing I have done in the interim between when it was behaving and when it started misbehaving is change the oil. The YamaLube 20w50, oil filter, o-rings and crush washer all came from my local Yahama motorcycle dealer.
Whats happening is that when the bike is cold, it starts easily on the second or third kick but after it has been run and is shut off it is hard to start (lots of kicking) and when it does finally start it will only stay running with the choke out. The RPMs jump straight up when it finally starta and when you push the choke back in the bike dies.
I pulled the plugs today (see pics). From the rider's perspective, the plug in the right cylinder (IMG 3886) smelled of gas and the lip around the plug hole (IMG 3887) was wet. The plug on the opposite cylinder (IMG 3880) had no unusual odor and the lip for that hole (IMG 3884) was dry. The plugs are 7s, if that matters.
Any suggestions on where to start? Should I be using 6s for plugs instead of 7s? Should I pull and clean the carbs? Do they need to be sync'd? Should I switch to 10w40? All of the above...?
Thanks!
Whats happening is that when the bike is cold, it starts easily on the second or third kick but after it has been run and is shut off it is hard to start (lots of kicking) and when it does finally start it will only stay running with the choke out. The RPMs jump straight up when it finally starta and when you push the choke back in the bike dies.
I pulled the plugs today (see pics). From the rider's perspective, the plug in the right cylinder (IMG 3886) smelled of gas and the lip around the plug hole (IMG 3887) was wet. The plug on the opposite cylinder (IMG 3880) had no unusual odor and the lip for that hole (IMG 3884) was dry. The plugs are 7s, if that matters.
Any suggestions on where to start? Should I be using 6s for plugs instead of 7s? Should I pull and clean the carbs? Do they need to be sync'd? Should I switch to 10w40? All of the above...?
Thanks!