My XS400 (AKA "Thor--God of Thunder")

[dwain61]

And now the moment you've all been waiting for...My XS400!!!!
Better known as "Thor--God of Thunder"


[IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG] [IMG][/IMG]

[dwain61]

A Little history

The story goes like this...
I bought this bike from a rather strange guy in Madison WI. He said it ran perfectly but when I showed up it was a different story. After about an hour of kicking and a bucket of sweat I finally got it to run on one cylinder. I took it around the block and besides only being a 200cc for the time being everything on the bike worked perfectly. We talked price and I politely suggested that he should come down a little from his proposed $600 but he seemed to think that it was a fair price. Half an hour later I left with that bike in the back of the truck, title and all for $400. After a little checking I got myself a new set of plugs and turned it into an occasional twin although still a reluctant twin. A little carb cleaning and rebuilding was in order, and also one new point and setting the points to spec because I could fit a small country between the point gaps and after that, by golley Thor wanted to run on two cylinders I also took the liberty of sanding and painting the tank and side covers so they matched (the tank was pink or really faded red and the side covers were brown) and painted the rusted header pipes with hi-temp flat grey ceramic paint, doesn't look all that pretty but they arent rusting anymore. I also took the liberty of replacing the old mufflers because of the abundance of holes in the left one. Its not perfect but it runs like a dream now and I get about 45-50mpg. Hope you guys like it.

[JWSanders]

Good looking little bike!

They're pretty fun. Hope to put some triple digit mileage on mine this weekend!


Padded grips really help tone down the vibes alot!!

[dwain61]

This ones only got 9000 actual miles so it will probably be a while before I catch up to you

[JWSanders]

Sadly, I've only put about 150 or so miles on mine, and a lot of that was test runs. Just got it a few months ago, and have been working on it since. Can't wait to finally get it out of the city this weekend. If I'm lucky, I'll get more miles on it in one day than I have in the time since I bought it. Going to shoot for around 200-250 miles, round trip. A good first run for it, I think.

9000 miles? Nice, almost new. Mine's got over 19,000 on the engine and who knows how many on the head (came off a '78). It runs pretty decently now though. Finally!! All in all, I've only got around $800 in it...well worth that. The bike itself and all the parts I've bought for it came off Ebay.

I just put padded grips on it the other day and they really make a difference. It's easy to get used to the smoooothness of the 1100. Going to the 400 is a big change in feel...a lot more vibration everywhere and a different handlebar feel altogether. The original bars were mini-buckhorns and should've been mounted to a tiller, not a motorcycle. I Put a set of bars off of a really old Honda 3-wheeler I have on it (blasphemy! ) and they are a perfect fit. Will likely stick with them for now.

[dwain61]

Long runs

Well sadly I haven't done any long runs with Thor yet either. I recently moved to St Louis and when I was living in Wisconsin I didn't have it registered because I didn't want to pay for a couple months of riding before we moved. I also haven't yet completely put my faith in this bike. It has had a few too many little gremlins for me to want to take it out for a long time. But as I repair and check more things I gain confidence. I hope to do it soon

I like the sound of your little bike too. These things are a blast I just hope to gain the confidance in thor that you have in your 400.

The bike itself and all the parts I've bought for it came off Ebay.

God Bless Ebay!

[JWSanders]

Curses, foiled again!!

Got about 60 or so miles out and realized my indicators were getting dimmer. Made it all the way back but it was really close. It died about a 1/4 mile from my storage area. Completely dead battery.

I'm guessing my stator is bad. Not charging at all now. Typical for these after so many miles, I think I've heard. It figures that I missed something. Overall though, I can't complain. It handled great all the way through. The smoke I had been seeing at higher RPM's went away after about 20 miles out. Once it settled in it was an easy (if not a little vibratory) ride. A lot more comfortable than I thought it would be, too. Got it up to nearly 70 mph for a brief stretch. Seems a lot for such a little bike, but it still had a good bit more left in it. Was kinda suprising.


Now to bow yet again to the Ebay gods!

[dwain61]

Stator

well i would make sure you check and doublecheck. Batteries, fuses, and wires are cheaper than stators

[dwain61]

your new stator (maybe)

Check out ebay item # 320006319000