Yard Machine

[mjahii]

I've had this 77' XS400 for years now and haven't done much with it. I bought the bike on the cheap with the intention of building a café racer. The motorcycle was purchased without a title or any docs to register..so it hit the sideline. I've recently decided to build a BUDGET yard machine/dirt bike. I'll do my best take pictures and document my progress. I know we all enjoy pictures whether good or bad.

 

[mjahii]

Hi I'm MJAHII and I'm addicted to motorcycles. Thanks for a cool forum.

 

[FarmBoy72]

Srtinks that you don't have the papers, the bike looks to be in pretty darn good shape.

 

[xschris]

Find a junk bike with papers and swap the frames.

 

[mjahii]

Engine out. Plan to work on brakes, carbs and an abridged wiring harness.

rectifier, regulator and coils all tested well.

 

[iamunique127]

Welcome mjahii.

The bike looks to be in pretty good shape.

That is a fantastic workspace you've got there but you'd better get the parts off the dining room table before the wife gets home!

 

[mjahii]

 

[OleDoc]

Find a junk bike with papers and swap the frames.

Or do an out of state registration in Vermont

 

[mjahii]

I was able to get the engine back in without scratching the frame, rebuilt some old Koni shocks I picked for 10 bucks, painted the tank to match the shocks-- there are a few more pieces to paint. Next I plan to wire and mount battery box.

 

[OleDoc]

Damn sweet for a yard bike.hell Damn sweet for any bike

 

[mjahii]

I made my battery box out of an empty gas can The size is perfect for the battery, switch and other bits.

 

[lemonhead]

Kudos for creativity.

 

[levdir]

Awesome. I love little details like that. Kinda like using a beer can for an oil catch can in a car.

 

[mjahii]

It's a roller.

Thanks for the positive feed back. I still have a few items left. Paint, install and bleed brakes. Check timing, sync and tune carbs. I started a few sizes up in jets 140 mains, 47.5 pilots and 26-27 mm float height. Not exactly sure how much fuel to give her with the unis and small pipes. Either way its a starting point. The 14" rear shocks feel like a good match with the 30W oil in the forks, wont really know until I hit the trail. Getting anxious to fire it up.

 

[mjahii]

Been a few years since I’ve posted. I got a title for the 77’ so I put some more time into it. A lot of little things to make it where it is today.

 

[CaptChrome]

Nice looking scrambler! You must have liked how it performed to keep it all of this time and work on getting the title squared away. Nice job on the project.

 

[JPaganel]

I own a "Yard Machine" branded snowblower, so my first thought was someone put a motor from an XS into one of those, or a lawn mower...




Looks pretty allright. The only thing that bugs me a little is the open air filter. Scramblers, being somewhat dirt-oriented, seem like they need some protection around it.

 

[mjahii]

Yes, I definitely like the bike enough to hold on to it. I’ve since picked up 2 more 400’s to mess with! - A 79’ and 80’ both titled, not running but in decent shape. They’re a lot of fun to ride and work on.

I agree that ideally the air filters should be in a box. These UNIs are oiled up really well and I have protection from the rear wheel…so far it’s performing great for my application.