Jonesy_10

Haha, alright so the carrier is ugly. But I tell you what, it's come in handy alot of times, like on my camping trip this summer. By the head gasket being shot, I mean that oil leaks out from the head. Transmission trouble as in hitting neutral between gears, hard time getting it in first, and popping out of gear while riding.

So I've got a 1978 XS400 that I rode last summer, my first bike. I've now got a newer, bigger Honda that I will be riding. Anyway, so I was trying to decide what to do with the XS. I can't see me getting very much money for it, as it isn't in amazing condition. Plus, everyone I talk to regrets selling their first bike... Anyway, here's the bike's story. I put 15,000km on it last summer, and I think that sort of did the engine in. It burns quite a bit of oil, the head gasket is shot, some minor transmission troubles, etc. The engine has just under 50,000km on it. Savable? What do you guys think? With new rings, gaskets, etc.? I'm really really considering cafe-ing the bike. It might not be the best bike for it, but I think cafe'd bikes look fantastic, and I'd love to take one on. The only thing holding me back is the gas tank. My XS is the American with the teardrop tank. However, I think in order to cafe it, I would need the flatter, squarer, European tank. Does anyone know if this tank will fit on the american frame?

Well, it ran today. I had it around the block a few times. Who knows if it will start tomorrow though... Most recent pics here: Before I painted it, I thought it was too black. Now I think its too blue! A place near me said it'd only be $40 to do a pin stripe on the tank.. I'm seriously considering it.

I know it's not crud from the tank, because the tank isnt on the bike. The petcock is seized shut, so right now we have the good old hose and funnel. But I definitely will pick up a filter, just to be on the safe side. I'm away this weekend, but will probably have a play around with it next weekend.

Well, painting went amazingly. I'm super happy about how it turned out! Here's a picture , but I haven't had a chance to clean up the badges yet. Now for the unfortunate part. The bike, once again, isn't running. Well it is, but only on the right cylinder. And I can't for the life of me figure out what's wrong. We definitely have gas, definitely have air, definitely have spark, and definitely have compression. If you have any ideas at all, PLEASE let me know. Also, let me know what you think of the paint job. Thanks!

Right, I just spent about 7 hours today working on it. New float in the carb, new spark plugs, and guess what. It runs like a charm.. It started up right away, and I had it idling for over 10 minutes, with no problems at all. I was pretty happy, after all the work I've put into it! Anyway, I had both wheels off, and painted the inside of the brake rotors. Got both brakes bled, working fine. 2 new air filters on the way, should be in this week. All I need now is a new chain and front tyre, and she's good to go. I'm planning on painting it on Wednesday, as long as the weather is nice, as my friend who's helping me paints outside. I will try to get some pictures of the tank and panels up after it's done. Feedback is great!

Just a quick update on the bike. I just replaced the headset bearings, as well as the fork seals. Now the bike needs 2 carb floats, as well as a front tyre. Let me know what you think.

Hey everyone. Just thought I'd share my project. I'm 16 years old, and picked this up as a first bike for $150. It's come a long way since these pictures from the spring. The bike wouldnt start when I got it. I had the carbs apart, picked up some carb kits for it. Had to play around with the float levels alot. We ran into one problem, one of the floats had a small hole in it, and was therefore full of gas, so the carb kept flooding. I've soldered it shut, but I don't think it'll hold up for too long. Any ideas on where to get a new float for this bike? Next, I got a new master cylinder kit, got the front brake bled, and it works fine. The rear brake is a different story, as the line is plugged. I think the clutch is worn out in it, it doesnt make contact until the clutch is nearly all the way out. I'm also painting the bike, a buddy of mine is amazing at spraying, so he's doing it for me. Basically the only thing I need to do to put it on the road, is get some insurance. Anyone know of a place in Ontario that does cheap insurance for teens? I'll get some more photos once I get it painted. Let me know what you think!

On the note of the petcock, call up your local Yamaha dealer. There was a recall on the 78/79 Yamaha XS400 on the petcock, I called my dealer the other day and they're just giving me one for free. This is a small shop that I know the owners of, so I don't know if your shop would do the same.