What did you do with your XS today?

[CaptChrome]

I wanted to put new rims and spokes on my sons 82' XS 400. I watched several videos and almost pulled the trigger while I had the bike tore down but was nervous and decided to wait until I saw that he was going to actually like riding it

I agree. I think this is going to be a good upgrade, but the bike must be used a lot for the cost to make sense. After 6000 miles so far I have found this bike to be perfect for the type of riding I prefer, and my confidence in its reliability is really high. Also being able to maintain it with generally available tools makes it pretty easy to live with. I think this one's a keeper.

 

[Jose]

Hi all,
Its been a looong time...
Lightly ran a tap through all the crankcase threads to remove lots of remaining crud from sandblasting and paint.
Washed out the inside with some de-greaser and warm water. Blew it dry with compressed air, let it air out.
Re-Assembled crankshaft and transmission.
Re-sealed crankcase halves, easy on the RTV. Said prayers to all gods so It wont leak this time.
Spent the last half hour of the day playing with the motor and shifter mechanism making noises with mouth.
Left the motor inside the warm house for family to admire while RTV cures.

PS: During the 12 years give or take that the bike has been disassembled I managed to lose one of the bolts (only!). Probably 90105-08084. Now looking for a replacement that doesnt take a month to get here.

 

[Meadowhawk]

DISCOVERY DAY!
I learned two things the day I decided to run the XS400 without pipes.
-The sound it made was cartoonishly unexpected.
-Despite positive tests on both plugs outside of their seats, the “exhaust pipe view” tells a different story.

 

[GuyS]

New spokes installed! I have had some spokes on both wheels that were frozen on the nipples since I have owned the bike. Over the past three years I have managed to free up some of them with heat and penetrating oil, but there are some really stubborn ones that refuse to give up. So, I pulled the trigger on re-lacing both wheels. Next will be to spoon on some new rubber and put the bike back together for whenever it warms up.

View attachment 39378

There must be a way to control for the spoke alignment/trueness?

 

[CaptChrome]

Spent the last half hour of the day playing with the motor and shifter mechanism making noises with mouth.

I think that doing this is underrated - it sends good vibes to the sealant that is curing. The noises are essential for this process to work correctly, in my opinion.

 

[CaptChrome]

Despite positive tests on both plugs outside of their seats, the “exhaust pipe view” tells a different story.

Both plugs are probably firing just fine. The flames from the left side and none from the right probably indicate that the carbs are not synchronized and probably the mixture in one is rich vs the other lean.

Engines running without pipes are indeed pretty funny. You can take loud straight piped bike that has some serious bark, pull the pipes off and it sounds like a toy.

 

[CaptChrome]

There must be a way to control for the spoke alignment/trueness?

There is: you have to measure runout of the rim both side to side and top to bottom and adjust the spoke nipple tensions in the affected parts of the wheel until you remove the lumpiness. Then as you torque up all of the spokes, you keep checking trueness and correct any new runout issues as you torque up the wheel in increments.

 

[Meadowhawk]

Both plugs are probably firing just fine. The flames from the left side and none from the right probably indicate that the carbs are not synchronized and probably the mixture in one is rich vs the other lean.

Engines running without pipes are indeed pretty funny. You can take loud straight piped bike that has some serious bark, pull the pipes off and it sounds like a toy.

Thanks for taking the time to have a look and provide a comment. This was back in November when I decided to "take things apart" so I can do a cylinder overhaul for greater compression. I have my riding course coming up in April so I'd better start slapping it all back together.
Thanks again for sharing your expert opinion.

 

[Jose]

the last few days...
- assembled the pistons, cylinder, head, top cover. Torqued to spec.
- put in the kickstart mechanism, alternator, neutral switch...
- cleaned out the carbs, ordered new pilot screws (I hate those needle tips)
- assembled carbs back on with their new intake boots
- lifted motor using chain hoist, added exhaust pipes

Coming up:
- connect a bottle of gasoline, hospital iv-style
- connect the coils with battery / points leads / spark plugs
- maybe create a makeshift starter button
- put some oil in
- BENCH TEST! - looking forward to sound testing with straight pipes, complete exhaust (original), and again with no pipes at all.

 

[Jose]

One last update for now...
The motor starts, runs, even idles OK at times before any carb tuning. Not reaching higher RPMs, starts to stutter about 4-5k.
Main thing: there seem to be no oil or gas leaks! This I am specially happy with
Sound check: with the OEM pipes on its about where I want it regarding decibels. Straight pipes sound great, but its way too loud. No pipes at all, as some have commented before, its a comical bubbling sound, in an angry sort of way
If I get around to it ill upload the videos to YT.

A day after the first test I got new pilot screws in the mail, and also replaced the gaskets between carb boots and cylinder. Started it again for a little while and seems a little better.
Calling the motor done for now, more tuning will follow once I have installed air filters, aftermarket black megaton exhaust (will be looking for some quality ones that are quiet?).
Will continue with the rest of the bike sometime soon, but the temp and weather outside are starting to look positive here in central Europe. That means work building a shed, garden and such joyful spring activities...
Cheers for now.

 

[Meadowhawk]

One last update for now...
The motor starts, runs, even idles OK at times before any carb tuning. Not reaching higher RPMs, starts to stutter about 4-5k.
Main thing: there seem to be no oil or gas leaks! This I am specially happy with
Sound check: with the OEM pipes on its about where I want it regarding decibels. Straight pipes sound great, but its way too loud. No pipes at all, as some have commented before, its a comical bubbling sound, in an angry sort of way
If I get around to it ill upload the videos to YT.

A day after the first test I got new pilot screws in the mail, and also replaced the gaskets between carb boots and cylinder. Started it again for a little while and seems a little better.
Calling the motor done for now, more tuning will follow once I have installed air filters, aftermarket black megaton exhaust (will be looking for some quality ones that are quiet?).
Will continue with the rest of the bike sometime soon, but the temp and weather outside are starting to look positive here in central Europe. That means work building a shed, garden and such joyful spring activities...
Cheers for now.

I'm really digging the paint job and will eventually be doing the same to mine. I'm with you on the decibel front. I want people's heads to turn because it's a cool, unique looking bike, not because it sounds like a runaway lawnmower. Looking forward to your video.