Finished

It’s done!

The bike was completely disassembled. As I reassembled it, many of the generic fasteners were replaced with stainless steel equivalents. Larger bolts, like axles and engine mounts were re-plated using a home plating kit.

Parts of the electrical system were missing or damaged. The battery and regulator/rectifier had been swapped out for a battery eliminator. I restored the battery and charging system. The turn signals are aftermarket copies of the OEM signals. The headlight shell was replaced with a better condition one from eBay. The headlight rim, lens and bulb are new. The original taillight had been replaced, presumably when the rear fender was removed. I made a bracket and mounted an LED unit that fit the seat cowl.

The rear shocks were shot. They were replaced with shocks from Work Performance.

The engine was completely overhauled. The cylinder was bored to 1st oversize and the head was overhauled by Dana Johnson at Import Machine Service. I replaced the bearing and seals. The crankcase, cylinder and head were all bead blasted. The oil tank and crankcase covers were refinished by hand.

Everything was repainted. The frame, wheels, calipers, etc. were powder coated at Central Mass Powder Coating. The paint and bodywork was done by Pete Petkauskos at Pete’s Custom Paint.

Parts

I didn’t realize how much parts can cost buying them a la carte. Fortunately there was a fellow parting out a bike on the XS400 forums and we got all of this stuff as a package deal:

  • Carburetors – missing
  • Sprocket Case Cover – missing
  • Clutch cable – missing
  • Front brake master cylinder – missing
  • Ignition switch with key – missing
  • Wiring Harness – mice and rust damage

First Photos

Found this sad 1982 Yamaha XS400 Seca on Cragislist for cheap. Bought it as a project to work on with my 14 year old son. I thought it would be fun to see if we could get it running again. The bike came from a guy who cleans out houses in exchange for the unwanted contents.

The original gas tank is missing. The tank in the photos doesn’t fit, but was included in the deal. I think it’s from a Suzuki. The carburetors are also missing.