junununu

the yamaha dealer said the 4 digit number on the igntion assembly wasn't enough and that i need a 5 character code starting with a letter and 4 digits that come on the silver tab of the oem keys. is the dealer wrong? is it worth trying to go somewhere else or should i look into a locksmith?

OK, that was simple enough, but i forgot its not as easy as swapping out the ignition. Glad I remembered about the key in the gas tank before I took off anywhere. But it seems like the keys from these two are a different fit, even though the main assembly went on perfectly. Do you think its possible to shave down the key holes in the gas tank/seat to force the slightly bigger key in? In the worst case scenario, if I have to order a new key, where will I get they key number? I have the last 4 digits but not they type and do not have the original keys.

Hey folks, I've recently lost my keys to my XS400 77, and ended up purchasing a new main assembly w/ extra keys (hooray!) But since I've lost my keys I haven't taken a look at the thing to figure out where to start. I notice that there are two bolts, what is the safest and best way to remove the current main assembly and secure this other one in there? Its nice that the wiring is snap-on, but I can't imagine 'squeezing' any tools into the main assembly area.

So I could attach something like : and leave the one i have on there as is?

the ones i'm finding on ebay are around 200 or so, do i need the whole assembly, or can i just find something that would maybe fit where my old mirror used to be now that i'm using bar end mirrors?

I recently swapped out my stock bars for a pair of BikeMaster clubman cafe style bars, but noticed that the brake fluid reservoir is in a tilt. I'm concerned about fluid being able to flow through, because the opening is now the highest point on the reservoir, so all the fluid pools down by the opposite corner of the opening. Is the reservoir pressure activated and does fluid still run through, or do I need to find an aftermarket fluid reservoir?

I wanted to ask, what kind of tires are those? and are those stock rims?

So I need a new set of taillights, and considering integrating the taillight to the seat assembly. I'm a fan of LEDs, but how will the electrical system play with such type of lighting? For reference, I ride a XS400D And also an aftermarket tach, since the one I have is probably not so accurate (very sticky)

Got that. All is lube and appear to be working. I got a great lesson in contact points when i didn't understand what 'fully open meant' and adjusted the plate when the engine wasn't turned over fully. I got mediocre power with full choke but realized that something was definitely wrong. Adjusted points properly, and will start but still that damned bird squeal. I can only think of the cam or the intake manifold at this point. looks like the right side manifold was repaired, and the left side has a fairly large crack that I'm not sure runs all the way through. I will order new manifolds but in the meantime try and seal it with rubber cement and see if it goes away...

From the Poster of the Video: I figured out the squeeking noise. It was a very very slight leak around the choke plunger body. Big enough to cause a noise, but not big enough to cause running problems. Tightened the screws a bit and noise was gone. of course its not for the same xs400 model, but could this be a similar problem?

Upon removing the contacts plate and the ATU, there appears to be a small oil leak in the oil seal. I'm guessing the points and the end of the camshaft that rotates under it should be dry right? Could the leak in the oil seal cause smoke to come out of it during a rough start?

Update: I get home and one of the screws that holds the points cover is stripped, whoopee. On another note, after leaving it be for 48 hours, and letting the oil drain out overnight, and a fresh oil filter and new oil later, the sound disappeared, only for a few seconds. and then a few seconds later, the sound continued the oil light came on, and poof the oil filter had somehow come loose, and the oil leaked out. I resealed the oil filter, put in new oil, started her up, and got the same squeaking sound, with no oil problems this time around. I'm almost certain that the sound is coming from behind the points cover now, but wondering if the few seconds of normal operation after draining the oil might be a symptom. Also: how dangerous would it be to ride around with the sound assuming it doesn't get any worse and it really was the advance mechanism causing the noise? I have limited time before and after work to get to places and no car.

Sorry, just wanted to provide a clearer video with a better sound for it. I'll try this when I get home and report back. thanks!

i actually got these pictures from an xs650 site, but i know the points cover looks very similar to that. the governing rod is probably a reference to the electrical ignition modification they were doing. So in the advance mech in the second picture, what should i be lubing?

sounds JUST like that.

I'll start my research. This is my first mechanical engine I'm working with, so I'm a bit slowww. So is it behind the 'points cover'? "The mechanical ignition advancer is on the other end of the camshaft under the chrome right hand head side cover. The points cam lobe and advancer are connected by a governor rod that goes through needle bearings in the center of the camshaft." where is the chrome right hand head side cover? the noise is coming from the left side!!!

which part of the haynes manual should i be looking at for this?

uh, so this isn't the normal behavior? I just picked up a new filter, and will be swapping that out when I get home, replacing the oil. Hopefully that fixes something. EDIT: I can only hear this from the left side, from the right side, the engine sounds muffle the chirping. A lot of searching leads me to the camshaft chain tensioner making the noise, but the cam chain is in the middle of the two cams, so it doesn't make sense for the noise to be only heard from one side.

Alright, the one last thing bugging me with my bike before I can accept her as she is: sorry for the extremely terrible video but I'll do my best to narrate: It sounds like an air leak coming from near the carb boots. I can hear the chirp up to about 3800 RPM and then after that the engine noise either blocks it out or it doesn't happen. When I accelerate the rate of the chirping goes up with the RPM. I've been googling and the closest sound I found was a CB550 with a blown head gasket. I also noticed a bit of oil bubbling from the spark plug socket, which I thought was the original culprit. I drained some of the excess oil to within the levels, and the bubbling of oil has stopped but the sound has not. Thanks for all the help, its hard to get work done during the day worrying about my baby.

it was the clutch... thank you all for your support.

So what could possibly keep the kick/roll start from working?

I've tried searching but usually its someone who can't kick but can roll, and the electric is never mentioned. Just taking a wild guess, but is it the starter gears that need to be looked at? And which side is it on? Just to be clear: YES Electric Start NO Kick start NO Bump Start

I found my high idle problem: the right exhaust wasn't hot. I read somewhere here that meant that only one of the carbs were functioning properly. Now I know what the carb balancing screws are for. I reset the mixture screws, and now she purrs at 1200 with no choke. Starts very easy, though sometimes there is a sliiight hesitation when taking off, but I think that has to do with my timing of releasing the clutch and giving it some gas. For the clutch issue: The video I posted wasn't mine, but it feels similar to that. if i pull the clutch lever, the kickstart spins freely. When i kickstart it normally, i can feel that point where it feels like its going to engage. And at most i hear it flip over once. just a very faint tick. I also read it might be the clutch friction disc(hoping) and worst case scenario, the starter clutch?. I want to try adjusting the clutch cable, but which side of the crankcase do I access it from? I see that the cable goes towards the left side, but the kick start is on the right. If i remove that leftside cover to access the clutch cable, am i expecting a single clean removal of the case, or do i need to drain the oil and all considering its sitting right behind it?

recycling an old topic. I'm basically having the same issues as the OP. I enrichened the mixture and used the balance screw enough to get it to hold at 1200-1300 idle. I also screwed the throttle stop screw all the way out and just in enough to where it doesn't die(I hope I did this right), but I'm still having the high idle issues. I'm still running a tank of seafoam as we speak, but its not done yet, I'm afraid to go anywhere because my kickstart also is shot, but thats another post. The electric start also doesn't start with a bit of throttle to it, if that helps in the diagnosis. why does the idle come down when the front brake is pulled all the way in? when parked at my house, the idle also comes down a bit when i turn my lights on(sometimes).

a fully charged battery works, though sometimes its a bit hard on the start but I'm going to mess with the mixture screws a bit, as I am suffering from the 'high idle'. There was also a small leak in the inline air filter, so i removed that temporarily and am just using a fuel line from the petcock to the carb. after a lot of research, it sounds like the petcock should not release any fuel in the on position, however while changing, it did drip, very slowly, is that a defective petcock? i know the 78s and 79s have the recall issued on them. i also think I somehow burned out the starter clutch, the sensation on the kickstart is similar to this: this itself might be too big a job for me to take on, but does anybody know how to start ruling out some things? i also read that if the cam chain comes off near the stator cover, this might also prevent a kickstart from working. I'm on day 4 with the bike, and when she runs, I'm happy. Every other moment is spent worrying about how to get her running perfect. and one last question i could not find the answer to: the throttle stop screw behind the carb that can be adjusted by hand, which direction does what?