'82 Yamaha restoration.

[Cal Price]

I have just bought an '82 Yamaha XS400 Special, it's a sort of semi-cruiser.
I will post some pictures shortly. I have got it running and even riding in a parking lot, it is not road legal yet. It has been garaged off-the-road since 1997.

My plan was to get it road-legal as soon as possible and give it a good dose of riding and then decide on what type of restoration to do. I think I will try and keep it as it was built, I toyed with the "cafe-racer" idea but will probably keep it as was. I was never the greatest cruiser fan but riding it around the lot is winning me over.

I may have to go straight into a full stripdown and follow the Haynes "examination and renovation" plan. My first (of many?) questions..... She was leaking a bit of oil and a quick examination showed the drain plug was OK and the oil filter cover is fine but there is also a thing called the oil strainer cover next to the drain which is held on by six 8mm bolts. This was dripping a bit, not a lot but enough. I was aware of the dangers of busting a bolt, you know what's coming don't you, so I was very careful. They were quite slack so I tightened five up just bit and virtually as soon as I touched No6, "plink" off it came. The thing is broken about 3/8th inch from the head and I have a worse leak. Short of the full stripdown and drilling it out is there a "temporary" answer that will stop the leak, or most of it, whilst I do other jobs and establish priorities?

The rear drum brake seems good, the front disc is fairly bad. The reservoir needs topping up, DOT3 is called for but turns out to be very difficult to get locally. I found a DOT4 that says it can be mixed with 3-4-5 so I will use it to top up as the existing fluid is right on the low mark. Eventually I will probably have to drain it and replace, if I can't get DOT3 will this product (Silkolene) be OK??

I got some 20-50 lube oil without too much trouble and was puzzled by the lack of a dipstick but found it has a little window gizmo so I shall top that as well, again untill a possible stripdown which may have to wait a while as I have plenty to do elswhere. I am not much of a wrencher but this seems the way to learn.

Any advice / experience much appreciated.

[scratch]

Can you use a screwdriver to rotate the rest of the broken bolt out? It kind of depends on the break, but if the tip of the screwdriver can "hangup" on whatever is left, then you might be able to get it out, and put in a new bolt.

What color is the brake fluid now? If it's already so dark I would go ahead and flush it all out with the new fluid you have.

Oil sight windows are great! For Yamahas, it is best to fill it to the top of the window.

[starwalt]

... The thing is broken about 3/8th inch from the head and I have a worse leak. Short of the full stripdown and drilling it out is there a "temporary" answer that will stop the leak, or most of it, whilst I do other jobs and establish priorities.....

With this specification I would:

1) Remove the cover in question and remove all oil traces on both surfaces.
2) Remount it with a silicone rubber product (RTV) that has a higher temperture rating.

With the remaining bolts doing pressure relief duty, a well cured RTV installation should suffice until the "big restoration" this winter.

[The Buddha]

Hey cal ... I bought a 82 XS 650 recently too ... fun bike, remarkably well made, and surprisingly powerful ... OK on your bike ... you sure you have an oil filter mine has some sorta mesh type filter ... and needs to be cleaned and re used ... no real oil filter Other than that ... you can take off the oil pan quite easy ... drain it, lay on its side and off it comes ... then grip it/drill it/weld to it and get it off ... That what you talking about ??
Cool.
Srinath.

[Cal Price]

Thanks guys, I'll see if I can get some replacement bolts and then I'll try the screwdriver trick, with my usual luck it probably won't bite but you never know.

The brake fluid looks a bit murky, so I'll probably go for the change.

Srinath, Yes it has a "conventional" oil filter in roughly the same place as on the GS held on by a single central bolt, Haynes gives a torque recommendation for it which is a relief.  The picture in Haynes looks a lot like an air filter. This thing covers a wire mesh oil-strainer. The pic in Haynes looks like a simple mesh held in with this cover, six bolts and a gasket. The 400 looks very similar to your 650 but my Haynes is for XS250, 360 and 400 so there must be differences.

I have stopped the drip with hi-tech chewing gum, at least the oil was clean, I guess the seller changed it. I shall start trawling websites, I have a feeling that gaskets generally will be an issue.

The left cylinder keeps chugging when exhaust is blocked (right stalls) so I guess that could well be a gasket issue, I'll post about electrics when I have a week to spare!

[Cal Price]

Here is the plate concerned and pic of the beast.

[jag69]

That is really nice.  I am restoring an 82 Honda Nighthawk 450.  I like the looks of the Yamaha.  Good luck.

[The Buddha]

Oh ... mine is very different ... while it looks overall like the same ... The oil filter is in the right side under a small 2 bolt round hatch ... the motor also has ball bearings for camshafts and ball bearings in the bottom end on a 650 ... its a heavy ass pig though ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[Blueknyt]

yup, my first legal streetbike.  though it was a heritage special (i think prev owner swapped the emblems. but hell, i was 16) those dont look like the stock mufflers on there. mine came out the back further and were flat on the end. i t was a great bike though. topped out stock around 95mph had plenty of grunt for its size too.

[davipu]

haha  fork gaitors.

[scratch]

Clean! Good lookin' bike, though. Dig the apehanger handlebars, chrome front fender (easier to clean) and the protective fork gaiters. How old are those tires? They look stock! Also, those are not the original mufflers, they should be the megaphone type terminating past the passenger pegs, but just short of the axle.

[The Buddha]

Those do look like those Bub reverse megaphone mufflers ... mine have the long ass ones Scratch describes ...
Cool.
Srinath.

[Cal Price]

Scratch, I have a lot of paperwork for stuff bought in '97 just before it was put off-road, tyres are brand new, eight years old, never used, still got the little rubber spikes, no sign of cracks or perishing. Chain and sprocket also unused and quite a few other bits. No stop-light on front brake and it appears turn signals were removed for some reason so my last job will probably be an electrical nightmare

[RVertigo]

Looks a lot like the XS Eleven.    Sweeeeeeeeeeet!

And... Those bars MUST DIE! :guns:  :guns:  :guns:

[scratch]

Scratch, I have a lot of paperwork for stuff bought in '97 just before it was put off-road, tyres are brand new, eight years old, never used, still got the little rubber spikes, no sign of cracks or perishing. Chain and sprocket also unused and quite a few other bits. No stop-light on front brake and it appears turn signals were removed for some reason so my last job will probably be an electrical nightmare

Wow! New tyres! Chain & sprocket not rusty? How many miles on it?

It wont be much of an electrical nightmare, in '82 Yamaha was using their bullet connectors, and their wiring schematics are more accurate than Suzuki, so all the black wires are ground; you'll just have to figure out the positive wires for the flashers (which can be easy for the fronts by looking at what color wires are coming from the handlebar switch).

[Cal Price]

Thanks for the electric info.

Nope, no rust on sprocket, that and the chain are perfect. The bike has 33600 miles on it, all the "new" stuff was done March 97 and then it was taken off road after a further 300 miles. I think the guy had starting troubles and got p***ed off with it, as he had other transport the bike simply sat there. He then sold it to an enthusiast neighbor who garaged it and started it once in a while and gave it some care but never started the restoration, he is a Lammbretta enthusiast and judging by his perfect '65 Lam200 that must be a full - time job. He sold it to me so he has the space and some cash towards another Lammbretta.