Pistol Pete

No luck at those sites. Anyone else have suggestions. I would even take a generic one. My duck tape seat is just plain ugly.

I got my 78 XS400 this winter and spent some time cleaning it up. Cleaning carbs etc. I'm driving it to work and loving it. What I don't love is my duck tape seat. Does anyone know of a source for a replacement seat cover. My bike looks just like the one in this picture (http://www.bikez.com/motorcycles/yamaha_xs_400_1978.php)

Ok I pushed that little sucker out and replaced it. Idles perfect now no backfires. But it leaves me with a new problem. I now occasionally backfire when running 2000-3000 rpm. I assume I have to set the needle much lower than before...?

Thanks for the reply. Any suggestions on what kind of tool to use. Maybe a straight pick or an all.

Well sure enough one of the mixture needs is broken off and the tip is stuck in there just slightly protruding into the body of the carb. After picking at it with whatever right angle tool I could find in my garage I wasn't able to get it out. Anyone have any tips on how to get this sucker out. I assume it will only come out the way it is supposed to go in. Maybe a small right angle pick like a dental pick or maybe drill it out from the top. Any suggestions or tips here? Thanks

Just piked up at 78 XS 400 on the cheap. Running pretty well after cleaning the carbs. One of the carbs has a needle that's broken off and I assume that's why one cylinder backfires a bit while at idle. Ordered a carb kit from fleabay which should hopefully take care of that. Now the for question The kickstart lever when all the way down hits the rear brake pedal arm. Sometimes to the point they will bind up on each other. I've rotated the rear brake down slightly so they wont hit but it puts the pedal below the footpeg which renders it useless. I'm wondering if I have an incorrect kickstart lever or wrong/bent brake pedal. Even the ones I see on fleabay seems to have wear in the spot where mine hit. Is this a common problem with these bikes? Pete