Monday, April 30, 2007

XS400 Pics

I was feeling like a slacker for my lack of decent pics. I finally got around to taking some pictures of my motorcycle with the euro handlebars. Here they are:

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3 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

I too have an "80 XS400, have put over 1000 miles on it, it ran great last time I used it about a year ago but now it doesn't want to rev but starts/idles fine. I was rebuilding carbs according to the Haynes manual, it says 32mm for float level, Mine is set to ~26mm do you know what is correct? Haynes says 26mm for all BUT my bike so not sure what is correct, that's a big difference!
If you can help I'd appreciate it, my email is jjdl233@gmail.com
Thanks!
David.

6:22 PM  
Blogger veloandy said...

Hi Toad,

There is an awesome reference on checking float hight here

I have the Haynes manual too...the last chapter on the most recent models has an updated float level check procedure -- basically, Yamaha added a nipple to the bottom of the float bowl. You can: move your petcock to prime, attach a clear piece of tubing to the nipple on the bottom of the float bowl, hold the tubing next to the carb body (so the tubing is shaped like a "J"), and open a vave on the float bowl. Fuel will flow into the tube as high as the float level -- i.e. you can measure your float height by measuring the distance between the float bowl gasket and the hight of fuel in the tube. If that didn't make sense, there is a great illustration in the manual. The really nice thing about this method is it allows you to detect if you have any sunken floats.

If you check out your floats and everything is fine, you might want to make sure you have an adequate fuel supply -- maybe you have a gummed up fuel filter, either in the petcock assembly or in the line. Rigging up a clean bottle of gasoline with an unfiltered line straight to the carbs is good for this. You can buy a fuel supply bottle at a motorcycle shop, or you can get a single-serving soda bottle, drill a hole in the lid, and insert the tire valve from a bicycle tube with the valve core removed and a circle of rubber the diameter of the lid still attached to the base. Put a little bit of fuel in the bottle, and attach a fuel line directly from the tire stem in the lid to the carbs, and hold/tie the bottle to your handle bars cap-side-down.

If the float is OK, and you still have the problem after you've bypassed your fuel tank, petcock, and any inline filters, then it means that one of the fuel circuits in the carb is gummed up. You'll have to pull the carbs and clean everything out with a copious amount of spray carb cleaner. The Haynes manual has a good chapter on the procedure. Before you tear into it, you might want to get new pilot jets (www.mikesxs.net is a good source). I had to use a tiny easy out to remove my pilot jets, but this really tore them up. Also, with all air screws, etc., make sure you count the turns requred to screw them all the way in before removing them, so you can put them back in the same position when you reinstall them.

Good luck and let me know how it goes!
-Andy

9:08 AM  
Blogger thepumpkinslayer said...

it too have an xs400 and loooooooooooooooooooove it. I live in Australia and need a month more before i can get my license, so am spending a bit of time making sure its all running okay. I know what you mean about the idle, what did you do to fix yours up? My bikes main problem at the moment is that the fuel tap isn't opening as it should, so i have to run it on PRI or i don't get much at all ($50 mechanic repair should sort that out). I feel a little overwhelmed as I'm not exactly bike savvy (i can wield a mean screwdriver tho), and any help would just make this whole thing a little easier. I love the bike btw, looks like you've taken great care of it.
If you have a spare minute or two, feel free to email on the_pumpkin_slayer@hotmail.com. Id really appreciate it.
Thanks again
Dave

(do you use the lead additive? Im using plain old unleaded at the moment, but have no idea if i should be using it)

12:59 AM  

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