Planned XS400 purchase - Few questions first

stephenlynn98

I found a beautiful XS400 for sale in my neighborhood and a decent price. The guy said that he has had it for a year but hasnt had the time to dedicate to it. He said tha the has not been able to get any spark out of the coils and has not verified the signal going to the coil. What exactly does this mean and does it sound like an easy fix? If it is then this bike will be a steal for me. Also are there any 400 parts that are interchangable with 650's? Thanks for the help!!

stephenlynn98

Im kinda on a deadline before the guys sells the bike to someone else. Any help at all is appreciated. Thanks again!!

weekendrider

(1st)Like anything if it's cheap there is a reason. If you take this on be ready to spend time and/or money to get it fixed. If you want a bike that is ready to go it costs more.
What he is saying is the spark plugs aren't firing/sparking and he hasn't had the motivation to find out why. Finding out requires someone find out if the voltage is getting to the coils(verify signal to the coil) and then if so checking the coil to see if it's good(not been able to get any spark out of the coil).
If you want something to fix yourself this might be the deal for you.
If you want to ride it now shop rates in my area are around the $60 per hour mark. And parts for these older bikes are not readily available sometimes so....don't let your chin hit your chest when you get the bill.
You might try checking with some of the local repair shops asking about hourly rates, interest in working on this bike and knowledge of the bike.
Just remember they are trying to make a living and jawing about the bike isn't putting beans on the table. Customer service shouldn't include hours of (free) consultation in any sector of the work place. Be it lawyer, doctor, plumber, carpenter or mechanic.
Hope this helped and good luck with it.

nj1639

Interchangeable parts? Go on eBay and type in ' xs650 parts '. Should be around 400 listimgs. Check to see how the parts are listed. IF the parts are interchangeable the listers will state what models' the parts will fit.
ost likely will be limited to the rims, fenders, headlamp and turn signals POSSIBLY. Also some electronics, again, possibly.
Good luck.

Cooltouch

Actually, if you go to eBay Motor's motorcycle parts listings and type this exact string, you'll get well over 600 hits:

(xs650),(xs 650)

(and click on "Search Title and Description")

But a lot of those listers don't have a clue as to what other bikes their parts fit. A lot of the time, a seller will claim that a part "fits all years" when it damn well won't. I wouldn't trust them.

You can use the above search string, just change the terms to xs400 and xs 400 (note the space) to check on ready availability of xs400 parts.

Best,

ichael

weekendrider

Cooltouch wrote:

But a lot of those listers don't have a clue as to what other bikes their parts fit. A lot of the time, a seller will claim that a part "fits all years" when it damn well won't. I wouldn't trust them.
Best,
ichael

Right as rain

What Happened to 650rider.com?

Yamaha xs650