All Things Two Wheels: My Foray into the Cafe Racer Scene

On September 25^th, 2011 I was sent a link to a Craigslist ad from a friend titled “A good café starter”. The ad pointed to a bright yellow 1980 Yamaha XS400 Special. While I was looking for an XS 650, I was curious to see the XS400. After discussing it with Chuck, my significant other, I decided to call and set up a time to see it. I enlisted the help of the friend who sent the ad, and we went to look at it the next day. The motorcycle was owned by a gal who only had it since June. She didn’t have a whole lot of past information other than it was purchased by the previous owner from a friend who had it sitting in his shop for over a year. There was no maintenance history – just a plastic tub filled with OEM parts that had been removed (blinkers, chain guard, headlight).

After a thorough looking over, my friend confirmed the frame and motor had matching numbers. That was a plus. The bike fired right up without a choke, and ran with no exhaust smoke. It did have some oil seepage from various places on the engine itself. It was confirmed by the owner that it only dripped one drop every so often. It was also dropped by the current owner as evidenced by the broken clutch lever. There were also 2 broken fins on the engine but no confession there. I asked what she’d be willing to accept and decided to sleep on it.

I reported our findings to Chuck and he seemed disappointed that I did not bring it home. While I went to bed uncommitted that night, I woke up around 3 a.m. thinking about the XS400. When my alarm finally went off the next day, I made my decision. I had to have that motorcycle! I called Chuck and told him and he was ecstatic. We decided that the time to buy it is when you see it. I promptly phoned the owner and the deal was done. She rode the motorcycle over that evening, and then it was mine. I felt like a kid again. I cannot remember another time when I was so excited about a purchase. I rolled the XS400 into the garage and couldn’t wait to ride her the next day.

When I geared up the next day for my ride, I thought the motorcycle would feel similar to riding the Honda Magna we once owned. I took it for a spin in the neighborhood and immediately I was fearful it was going to fall over on me. The front was threatening to wash out with every turn. It felt like I had a flat tire on the front. I made it safely back home and pulled it in the garage. I checked the air pressures and the tires were at 32 psi, so that was not the handling problem. In doing so, the XS bit me back by burning my arm in two places. My XS and I were not getting along, so it sat for 3 days until Chuck came home. When he went for a ride, he confirmed what I was describing in the handling.

I was planning on riding the XS to our monthly VJMC meeting but was not confident enough to take it out on the street in oncoming traffic. Chuck, however, was more than willingly to give it a try. The members of the VJMC were excited to see a new addition to the club. The XS looked great. We discussed its handling problems, and it was suggested that maybe the handle bars were tilted too far forward. It had a windscreen on it that a member of the club was envious of. I had no intention of keeping the wind screen, so I sold it on the spot. The XS looked great without it. We moved the handlebars back and it brought the brake reservoir back to level. The guys took the XS for a test run, and it felt better, but not fixed. It was suggested that the steering head bolt may be on too tight. Since we did not have the tools to make this adjustment, it would have to wait until we were home. Once it was safely back home in the garage, we promptly lifted the front wheel off the ground and sure enough, there was a definite flat spot when turning the handle bars side to side. We loosened the steering head bolt until it rotated freely.

Time for a test ride! It was like night and day – I could ride with confidence. The little bike was a blast and handled like a dream. This, however would not be the only fix needed. As we became more familiar with the XS400, we noticed the rear tire was rubbing. A few washers used as spacers, and the problem was solved.

The next thing we did was change the oil, service the brakes, replace the brake pads, add braided brake lines, and replace the carburetor spacers. These simple maintenance tasks did not go as planned. I was soon to discover a simple oil change is not so “simple” on the XS400. I spent many hours pouring over various websites, looking at parts diagrams and ordering the parts I thought I needed to change the oil. I wanted to be thorough, so I also removed the filter screen. I did indeed order the various gaskets needed and the correct filter. It was reassembly time. I replaced the oil filter and the housing it’s in without any issues. Piece of cake – almost ready to add new oil. Just had to install the filter screen cover…and one of the bolts snapped while torquing it 5 ft lbs!

I felt like a complete failure, making such a rookie mistake. Luckily I know how to use an easy out. Of course Chuck comes along with the needle nose pliers and simply backs the broken bolt out. On the braided brake line replacement, I also bought a master cylinder rebuild kit. When Chuck went to replace that, the brake light switch disintegrated on him. Now I’m rethinking replacing the old original brake fluid reservoir and updating it with something modern.

There’s something very satisfying in bringing the XS400 up to spec, and making it better. There are days when I’m in the garage alone, working on the bike. The dog sits on-guard outside while I clean grease off the frame or try to trace a small oil leak. Every time I go out to the garage, the “Baby Yam” as we affectionately call her, puts a smile on my face. I still have more plans for it – megaphone mufflers, café racer seat and handle bars, new paint. I could go on and on. For now, the goal is to sort the front brake master cylinder assembly and start riding! Summer is passing by quickly and I am ready to ride and show this beauty off.