81 XS400 SH battery not holding a charge

[Juelze]

Hi there,

I'm having problems with my XS 400sh holding a charge. It will run for awhile and then the battery just dies and it's a brand new battery.

I had the voltage regulator checked out and was told it's working (12 volts in, 14.4 out). I checked the rectifier and checked all 6 diodes.

At idle I'm getting 12.25 volts at the battery (idling at 1200 rpm). At 4 grand I get 12.4 volts.

Also, the carbs seemed a bit messed up or at least the air fuel adjustment screws. When I got the bike it had 1 screw 2.5 turns out, the other was out 5 turns. I cleaned all jets and readjusted the float and backed out the air adjustment screws 1.5 turns. She still seems a bit cold-blooded and takes 10-15 minutes of warming up to idle correctly. Is that normal?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

[HobbyMan]

Check for corrosion on the battery terminals, loose wires, and any electrical shorts

[GNEPIG]

.. wow, we get this same question about this same bike here alot.
let me quess, your bike has about 12 to 14 thousand miles on it. i wonder what could be the problem with these? they are such groovy little bikes.

[Yamaniac]

ditto what hobbyman said, and check your grounds for corrosion and/or being loose.

oh, and check the stator first. if you read some of the old threads in here, most people with the 400's have electrical issues.

[dwain61]

Well I am sorry to say that the stators tend to take a dive on the 400 at about 14,000 miles. Its just the vibration. They usually pop up on ebay every once in awhile. Sorry to hear about yours. I really liked my little 400.

DJ

[wessdogg]

I know a seller on ebay that you can get parts on, if your interested let me know.