jmj166 Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 hey, I'm pretty new to motorcycles, I bought a 1981 xs400 about 2 months ago, Since then have done some minor work to it (replaced fuse box, painted gas tank and side panels, re upholster seat) but nothing major. The day i bought it i rode it back from where i bought it(about 65 miles) and had no problems, Since then i ride it to work each day except rainy days. About three weeks ago the battery died but i just started using the kick start and it worked fine. Then About two weeks ago i took the seat off to start reupholstering the seat and repainting the gas tank, i did it off and on after work and such which is what took so long. Anyways, after finishing the tank and removing all the tape during my lunch break from work i figured I'd start it up just to let it run for a little bit since it hadn't ran in 2 weeks. At this point i still hadn't replaced the battery since kick starting worked fine. But when i tried to kick start it nothing happened. I waited about a minute between each time i tried to kick start it again. after about 10 tries, I waited about ten minutes then tried kick starting it with the choke open and still nothing. Although I haven't had any past experience with mechanics, I'm also not afraid of getting my hands dirty. Any advice would be much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsnownw Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 hey, I'm pretty new to motorcycles, I bought a 1981 xs400 about 2 months ago, Since then have done some minor work to it (replaced fuse box, painted gas tank and side panels, re upholster seat) but nothing major. The day i bought it i rode it back from where i bought it(about 65 miles) and had no problems, Since then i ride it to work each day except rainy days. About three weeks ago the battery died but i just started using the kick start and it worked fine. Then About two weeks ago i took the seat off to start reupholstering the seat and repainting the gas tank, i did it off and on after work and such which is what took so long. Anyways, after finishing the tank and removing all the tape during my lunch break from work i figured I'd start it up just to let it run for a little bit since it hadn't ran in 2 weeks. At this point i still hadn't replaced the battery since kick starting worked fine. But when i tried to kick start it nothing happened. I waited about a minute between each time i tried to kick start it again. after about 10 tries, I waited about ten minutes then tried kick starting it with the choke open and still nothing. Although I haven't had any past experience with mechanics, I'm also not afraid of getting my hands dirty. Any advice would be much appreciated. Sounds to me like you just need a new battery, mate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj166 Posted August 25, 2010 Author Share Posted August 25, 2010 Sounds to me like you just need a new battery, mate. i was thinking that, but even when the battery died i used the kickstart to start it for a week before i started with the painting and what not, So I wasn't sure if it could be something else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnsnownw Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 i was thinking that, but even when the battery died i used the kickstart to start it for a week before i started with the painting and what not, So I wasn't sure if it could be something else You can kick start the bike with much less power than using the electronic ignition, but even it has its limits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OllieB Posted August 25, 2010 Share Posted August 25, 2010 Yep, seems these bikes will not start/run with a dead battery - even with the kick start. If money is not an issue, I would recommend getting the better type battery known as an AGM battery. Also listed as maintenance free batteries. These batteries have a different type of internal construction to hold the acid, discharge on standing at a much slower rate and generally have more cranking amps then the standard liquid acid battery. Since you are new, please update your profile info telling us where in the world you live. In the U.S., NAPA carries the AGM batteries with a 1 year over-the-counter free replacement warranty. Many places only give a 6 mo. warranty. Stay away from Walmart batteries. Decent price but lower quality. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
motobrox Posted August 26, 2010 Share Posted August 26, 2010 It should bump start ok with a dead battery? Your battery is probably the root problem, but it could also be the likes of the recifier that's at fault. Once you get it started get a meter on to the rectifier to ensure you've got charge going back into the battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj166 Posted August 26, 2010 Author Share Posted August 26, 2010 alright, I'll try and get a new battery soon, payday isn't till the 30th so I'll have to wait five days or so, but I'll update as soon as it happens with what happens. Thanks for the help so far, its very much appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmj166 Posted September 3, 2010 Author Share Posted September 3, 2010 alright, sorry it took so long to update, I received the battery a couple days ago and put it on charge then put it on the bike. I was a little discouraged when i hooked it up and pressed the start button and nothing happened. I proceeded to attempt to kickstart it a few times. I then put the choke on full and kick started it another 3 times. On the third time i gave it a little throttle and it started up, let it run for about a minute. Turned it off and restarted it with the push button, Came on but the idle is kinda rough and would die out if i didn't keep revving a little bit. I decided i'd take a look at the air filters at this time since I thought maybe they needed cleaning (and cause i was tired of coming home from work and not being able to ride it, i had to do SOMETHING) ....after taking them off the bike and removing them from the casing and inspecting them i realized that they were in (really) bad condition and fell apart as i took them out of the casing. One thing i did notice is that they smelled somewhat of petrol and were somewhat moist with i'm assuming gas. Is there any major reason(s) for this. it can also be noted that it was about a week where the bike just sat until my battery arrived. Any info is much appreciated as always I ordered new foam (UNI bulk air filter foam) to refabricate the air filters which should get here in a week or so. I didn't want to buy new OEM air filters (35 bucks each) because i want to(eventually) replace the air filters with nicer pod air filters. I can hopefully get some pictures up this weekend of the bike and its current progress and for more detail of what i'm looking at. and as always, thanks for the advice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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