johnsnownw

"white" heather, here I thought any colour would do.

Never mind about the insurance, my fiance forgot to put me on the policy so I don't get any money back. Fantastic.

Always wanted a crossbow. I will have a handgun after christmas though, that's what I told my parents I'd like. Dad has quite a few guns, though he doesn't shoot them anymore. I asked for a Beretta PX4 Storm .40 cal, it's supposed to be a fantastic gun. I'd still rather get stabby though, guns are just too impersonal.

Thanks Drewps, if only. They'll never catch them or get my bike back, sad state of affairs that people can get away with such things. Tell me about it, granted we pay little enough per month for the insurance.

Yeah, I really loved that bike. I even had an aftermarket racing seat that was stolen along with it. It was a 24 speed, which I didn't want when I bought it, but they gave me a deal I couldn't pass up. That bike was my transportation to and from work when I lived in Chicago...had quite a few memories attached to that bike. Won't be able to afford a new one anytime soon either

True, but I don't have a gun. Besides, I find a knife to be a little more personal, which I do have, and would use without hesitation. It's a proper one, a type that the military use and it has a Tanto blade, for proper stabbing. Infact here's the one I have:

They didn't take the motorcycles, but they did steal our bikes. I had a nice Specialized Allez, and my fiance had an older Trek Mountain bike. They used bolt cutters to get passed the combination lock. We'll get about $200 back from the homeowners insurance, but that's only 20% of the cost. I have since gotten a new clasp and stronger lock for the door, and ordered a motion sensor alarm. Asshats!

Yeah, the etch should remove the rust, but again I used electrolysis to remove the rust as well as the etch. So, I'm not sure if it will remove all the rust. My airfilters looked much worse than yours, believe it or not. What most people do is to buy some filter foam and glue it to the filter. I have no experience with this, so I don't know about attaching the filter foam. I believe others have mentioned what they did on the forum, so you may be able to search for a thread that contains that information. If I were you I wouldn't spray the bike down with water, too many people have issues after doing so. I would just try to wash it with soapy water out of a bucket and a rag. As for the sealant. Make sure to stir the sealant well before putting it in the tank, as it's much thicker on the bottom of the can. Also make sure the tank is bone dry, I attached a hair dryer to the gas inlet for 2 hrs before putting the sealant in. Make sure to slosh the sealant around really well, just follow the instructions on that. However, after the allotted time, when you get to the pouring out step, give the tank one last roll around. Then wait 5 min before pouring the contents out. You should pour it out from the petcock holes, not the gas intake. After pouring, leave the tank to drain, then come back after 45 min, and shine flashlight all around the inside of the tank. If you see spots with a thinner coating, or spots that th sealant missed, there will still be enough sealant that didn't pour out, to hit these areas. There won't be much sealant in the there, but enough that you will see it move slowly to the area you want. I think this last step is the most important. After the last step make sure to use a q-tip to clean the petcock holes of sealant, especially the screw holes. Also, do not use a hair dryer to dry the tank faster after the sealant step. It will only push the sealant away from whatever surface inside the tank the air happens to be hitting. Just let it air-dry. Good luck.

Yeah, I had the same issue with my petcock rebuild. I oiled the lever and o-ring before I put it back together and it helped quite a bit. I also had to stretch out the spring, as the new bladder was tighter than the old one, it seems to stretch with use, so mine doesn't leak anymore. I imagine you will be getting to the sealant (Step 3) later tonight, let me know when you do as I have a few suggestions that are not found in the instructions.

I used stacked pieces of cardboard to put over the duct tape when the tank was in that position. That is, I put them under the petcock holes when the tank was upright, so that the surface it was sitting on kept the cardboard pushed up against the holes. I thought you weren't supposed to leave that etch in for more than 2 hrs, I could be remembering incorrectly though.

You could also try using an electric drill, with a fat phillips head attached. You'd have to be really careful though.

Ace hardware sells a cheapy impact wrench that I used on my carb screws, I think it was only $15.

Apparently you can boil the carbs and parts in lemon juice. I haven't done this, but others have. You will probably only need one can of carb cleaner, and use the spray on everything after it comes out of the boil. I used electrolysis and the tank cleaner, if you plan on just using the cleaner I cannot vouch for the product. Good Luck.

Yeah, I checked all the normal stuff before looking at jetting. Alright, I'll give it a go with the needle. Thanks again.

Ah, fair enough. Well, no, the bike has been backfiring through the carbs when coming down after acceleration, and the plugs show lean. That's why I was looking into the main and pilot. I suppose, I'm not exactly sure what to attempt first to clear up the issue.

You can kick start the bike with much less power than using the electronic ignition, but even it has its limits.

Sounds to me like you just need a new battery, mate.

Drewps, I was under the impression that the needle affected the midrange, does this mean raising it would make a change throughout the system? Could I not just purchase this needle (Jet Needle 5IX11) from http://www.mikesxs.net/products-37.html#products or would it also require a new needle jet.

Well, the bike seems to run a bit on the lean side, that's why I was considering the move. The 1980+ models seem to use one size smaller than the earlier XS400's, so I didn't think it would be too much of a change.

I was thinking about going up one jet size for the pilot and main. At this point it would be for running stock set up. Anyone think this will cause the bike to run too rich? As it stand now I have the mixtures turned out about 4.3 turns. I figure that if I get the new jets, I still have quite a bit of wriggle room with the mixture screws. Thanks

Glad to hear it, mate. Though it seems you were able to figure it out on your own, you're welcome.

I doubt it's a coil issue, but if you want to try switching, go for it. As for the filters, those pod filters are less restrictive than the stock filters, hence the need to re-jet. Pulling the filters off, however, will not help with starting the bike. If you have a manual petcock on that bike, make sure that you have a rubber barb over both vacuum ports on the boot of the carbs. This will also not allow the bike to start properly.

If you put on aftermarket filters, you have to re-jet the carbs for it to work properly. You will also have a difficult time starting the bike if you don't have the filters attached, as it will give you too rich of a mixture. If you're trying to start it with the filters off, then that is probably your problem. Also, when you changed the tank did you also change the petcock? Secondly, if you didn't change the petcock is it vacuum operated or manual?

Not a problem. Even if you think you're getting a good spark, you should recharge that battery. It needs to be full to turn that engine over. Well, it seems as though the bike is running rich, if indeed the wetness on the spark plug is gas. With that in mind, it will be easier to deduce the issue. Several things will cause the bike to run rich. What air filters are you using? Also, why did you change the oil so many times? I'm going to go into chat, if that would make it easier for you to explain the situation. If you have time, meet me in chat.

Can you tell me exactly what you replaced in the rebuild. Also, what spark plugs are you using? What grade fuel, and if the battery fully charged? I mean fully charged, these bikes are tricky to start without the battery being completely charged.