1987 Yamaha XZ400

[Greenhonnet]

Kiaora All,

I require the voltage regulator, ignition key switch and oil filter for the above make and model. Pls let me know if you know where I could get the parts.

Nga Mihi Nui.

[Blackbird]

Can't help you regarding parts but they were beset with both mechanical and electrical problems. A mate had one from new and he only had it for a year due to repeated small issues. There's an old post here about them: https://www.kiwibiker.co.nz/forums/showthread.php/44919-Yamaha-XZ400-opinions . Sorry to be the bearer of bad news. :facepalm:

[FJRider]

Kiaora All,

I require the voltage regulator, ignition key switch and oil filter for the above make and model. Pls let me know if you know where I could get the parts.

Nga Mihi Nui.

Do a search of motorcycle wreckers. Most had three or four of them.

You might get a filter from a dealer ... or not. Can't hurt to ask though.

If you're not too worried about "Original Items" ... talk to an auto sparky about the voltage regulator and ignition switch.

[Bonez]

Kiaora All,

I require the voltage regulator, ignition key switch and oil filter for the above make and model. Pls let me know if you know where I could get the parts.

Nga Mihi Nui.
One of my brothers had the ZX550 which shure a vast amount of components with the ZX400. Find a workshop manual for the ZX550 to give you an idea of the ZX400 layout. ect and see if there is a dedicated furom for these motorcycles. My bro had his 550 for a number of years untill it was sideswiped by a car. Had no issues apart from regular oil/filter changes etc.

[jellywrestler]

Kiaora All,

I require the voltage regulator, ignition key switch and oil filter for the above make and model. Pls let me know if you know where I could get the parts.

Nga Mihi Nui.

hi Nga Mihi Nui
have you checked the stator to see what that is like, these were notoriuos for theis and the voltage regulator to blow at the same time, usually one too out the other, so no point in puting in a knew regulator if the stator is naffed

[F5 Dave]

Ok I'm late to the party but as a Yamaha fan I'd have to say these were without question the worst Yamaha ever made. Do not over capitalise by spending money on it. The 550s weren't much better. I rode a friends new one. It was pretty underwhelming as new.

[malcy25]

Ok I'm late to the party but as a Yamaha fan I'd have to say these were without question the worst Yamaha ever made. Do not over capitalise by spending money on it. The 550s weren't much better. I rode a friends new one. It was pretty underwhelming as new.

I convinced my boss to buy one as I was mates with the local Yamaha shop. Worst thing I have ever done....

[F5 Dave]

A mate put a (tiny) deposit on one. Decided against it and pulled out.. Best decision for him. Although he did have a history of very bad decisions. I think an FT400 followed. That was a dog by design but should have been reliable. Running in it started using more oil than petrol on trip back to ferry (his description).

Turns out some factory worker got distracted and didn't fit both piston circlips. Wore a trench in the barrel.

[Greenhonnet]

I got the bike as a swap for my good old Honda NV400C. It desperately need a head gasket replacement plus the rear cylinder head was weeping. Otherwise I won't even consider for the swap.:nono::weep: First thing I got the bike was to call the AA towing....,:weep::weep:

[F5 Dave]

Oh well, we've all started out on old crap bikes. Sometimes you get lucky.

cut your losses and $1 reserve it.

Save up. Good luck.

[husaberg]

Kiaora All,

I require the voltage regulator, ignition key switch and oil filter for the above make and model. Pls let me know if you know where I could get the parts.

Nga Mihi Nui.
Based off the 550
Voltage reg is the same as a XV500 750 to 920.

the ignition it seems was a XZ only
the oil filter fits many bikes

SR250 79-84, SR250 Exciter 80-82, XT250 80-84, XV250 Virago 91-09, SR400, XT400 81-84, XT400 E 91, XV400 Virago 87-94, XVS400 Drag Star/Classic 96-08, XZ400 D81-82, TT500 76-81, XT500 76-83, XV500 Virago 83-84, XV535 Virago 87-02, XZ550 Vision 82-83, SRX600 85-90, TT600 83-92, TT600RE 04, XT600 Z Tenere 83-91, XVS650 02-09, MT03 06-09, SZR660 96-98, XT660 04-09, XTZ660 Tenere 91-99, XV700 Virago 84-87, TDM850 90-01, TRX850 96-00,TDM900 02-08, XV920 Virago 81-83, XV1000 Virago 81-85, BT1100 Bulldog 02-06, XV1100 Virago 86-99, XVS1100 V-Star 99-09

I cant imagine many bikes lasted long enough in service to have worn out the Ignition switch

There are plenty of random electric crap on wrecker clearance on Trademe.

i am guessing you have asked Simon on Trademe
https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/parts-for-sale/wrecking-bikes/listing-2980016773.htm

[F5 Dave]

Dont encourage him to spend more money on it. Filling the tank more than 1/2 way on a going one is ambitious.

[Greenhonnet]

Based off the 550
Voltage reg is the same as a XV500 750 to 920.

the ignition it seems was a XZ only
the oil filter fits many bikes

SR250 79-84, SR250 Exciter 80-82, XT250 80-84, XV250 Virago 91-09, SR400, XT400 81-84, XT400 E 91, XV400 Virago 87-94, XVS400 Drag Star/Classic 96-08, XZ400 D81-82, TT500 76-81, XT500 76-83, XV500 Virago 83-84, XV535 Virago 87-02, XZ550 Vision 82-83, SRX600 85-90, TT600 83-92, TT600RE 04, XT600 Z Tenere 83-91, XVS650 02-09, MT03 06-09, SZR660 96-98, XT660 04-09, XTZ660 Tenere 91-99, XV700 Virago 84-87, TDM850 90-01, TRX850 96-00,TDM900 02-08, XV920 Virago 81-83, XV1000 Virago 81-85, BT1100 Bulldog 02-06, XV1100 Virago 86-99, XVS1100 V-Star 99-09

I cant imagine many bikes lasted long enough in service to have worn out the Ignition switch

There are plenty of random electric crap on wrecker clearance on Trademe.

i am guessing you have asked Simon on Trademe
https://www.trademe.co.nz/motors/motorbikes/parts-for-sale/wrecking-bikes/listing-2980016773.htm

Yes, I have tried Simon but no luck so far. Waiting for the reply from Holesport and Trevor Pierce Yamaha.

Having said that... The worst regret in life is you never gave it the best shot....!

[Bonez]

Having said that... The worst regret in life is you never gave it the best shot....!YIP. it pays to have a good outlook on life. You'll learn something in the process and may well even get the bike up and running.

It pays to just Ignore all the negative nannies who think they know everythging about everything ;)

[manxkiwi]

I nearly bought an XZ550 when they were new. Got a GT550 Kawasaki instead, dodged a bullet there!
I actually saw one racing! Can't remember if it was Wanganui or HD? The guy said I was one of a extremely small group to name the bike straight away. One big giveaway is the trailing axle forks. That's just the anorak coming out in me. Haha.

[husaberg]

I nearly bought an XZ550 when they were new. Got a GT550 Kawasaki instead, dodged a bullet there!
I actually saw one racing! Can't remember if it was Wanganui or HD? The guy said I was one of a extremely small group to name the bike straight away. One big giveaway is the trailing axle forks. That's just the anorak coming out in me. Haha.

The Factory Pro guy raced one in the 80's
http://www.factorypro.com/index.htm

its under stories


Ya know what they say - you can be "good as gold for all of your life, but ride just ONE Vision and you are "Vision Rider" for the rest of your life".<biggrin>
The Vision was Yamaha's early foray into high rpm / V Twin engines. It had a pretty darn strong engine.

I raced an 82 XZ550 and an 81 XJ550 Seca in the AFM in 81 and 82. I think maybe I got a 3rd as best finish with each. In the USA, both bikes had a single front disc and that would simply overheat during a race, no matter what pads I used. I was unofficially, corporately "tasked" to take both bikes on the California Hwy 1 Sunday Morning Ride and make them "look good" over the Kaw gpz550's.
I think that we did pretty well on the Vision and the Seca was simply awesome.

Regarding the Seca, to this very day, I haven't ridden a bike that was so balanced. Think like being able to push the front end (to help slow the bike) with the rear end slightly stepped out entering the corner and still understeer (or not) the front end while drifting the rear wheel on the exit....... 2 wheel drifts were natural.

Conversely, the Vision had a 45/55 weight bias and you had to run a pretty large, sticky front tire just to avoid washing out the front end.

The engine of the Vision was better than the Seca, so the magic combo would have been the Vision engine in a Seca similar chassis with dual disc brakes.

The Vision had better power coming off corners and about the same topend as the Seca. The Vision, being a driveshaft bike, was limited on the track - But the gpz550 guys hated hearing that 10k v-twin drone coming around them coming off the corners.

I raced one in the AFM, sponsored by Karl's Motors, Richmond, CA and with a little help from my Yamaha Motor friends. Mike Johnson, from neighboring Berkeley Yamaha was a "fast guy" who rode a Vision, too. I think he won the 750 Twins class and I got second as I had to finish 2nd in the last race, had lost my "Vision" ride (casualty of the 81/82 recession - another story) and had to ride the only "under 750 twin" I could borrow - Frank Mazur's cb400 Hawk. No time to set up the suspension (he was about 135 lbs and I was about 170 - so I raced it like that, Uncle Paul Bostrom and Mike beat me and I compressed a vertebrae in my neck after bottoming out the suspension in that little Turn 1 depression at "the spring". (another story).

Back to the Vision -

We both kept working on the first year Visions' notchy "on and off" throttle bogging. It made the bike annoying to drive around town and funky at high rpm's, teeny throttle.

For fun, every week, both of us would jovially call Yamaha Tech Dept and say "Hey! What's up with Vision carbs?" to the same guy every week, who was tasked with, I guess, answering the Tech Line and fixing Vision carbs.

One day, after months of changing every jet in the carb, I found a book on Weber downdraft carbs. The Mikuni - Solex downdraft carbs that the Vision used were almost identical to a Weber downdraft.

I traced the fuel paths and verified that the suspected fuel bottleneck was in the off idle bleed holes at the butterfly or the butterfly "angle" was wrong. Since I couldn't change the butterfly.... I decided to enlarge the 4-5 bleed holes to allow more fuel. (no, Ivan, you weren't the first guy to do that.... :-)`

After struggling with un assembling the rack of carbs, pulling out pressed in caps, I took a small number drill and pin vice and slid it into the first hole.
Instead of dropping right in, it sort of "oozed in".
I pulled out the bit - The flutes were filled with a claylike red residue - Think "Shop class"..... fine casting sand..... or rust(ish).

I went to work breaking up the residue and finally got them clean. Reassembled, tested, FIXED! :-)

It wasn't Yamaha's fault, they don't make the carbs. But it was their problem........

So....... Monday rolls around and I can't wait to make our weekly call to Yamaha Tech Support.


Ring.... ring.....

Yamaha Service...

Hey, what's up with Vision Carbs?

Well, our engineers are working on it in Japan and we don't know, yet.

I fixed it.

What?

I fixed it. There's casting sand plugging the off-idle bleed holes. I cleaned the holes and the carbs work fine.

Really?

Yep.

Ok - we have some warranty carbs in the back, I'll check - Thanks -

Ok - Bye -

A week later, I had another tech question and just for fun, I started the call with "Hey, what's up with Vision carbs?".

"Well, our engineers in Japan have identified the problem as casting sand in the off-idle bleed holes."

Ouch! LOL!

"DUDE! I'm the one who told you that last week! Remember? Engineers in Japan, my a**!

Of course he apologized and was embarrassed - but it was pretty funny to listen to early "corporate" speak. I mean like, how could some kid who works in a "bike shop" in the nether regions of NORTHERN California ever figure anything out? Why, we here, we have "engineers"! (Someday I'll write out how the Yamaha 1981 XS650 twin's "chattering clutch" got fixed after months of replacing new part number clutch plates with little difference..... It rolls right into "How to fix chattering yzf750 and 1000 clutches")

Aside from that -

Clean out off idle bleed holes if the bike is "notchy" just off idle - They had casting sand or something in them.
Like just about every other early 80's bike, the rear shock was dreadful when overheated (and on the Vision at Sears Point that was about 2 laps on a hot day). I even tried wrapping a plastic bag of ice in a towel to help cool it... :-)
Cut about 1.5 inches off soft end of front fork springs. Respace to get proper ride height.
Choose oil to suit. Maybe 15wt.
Use oil height to control front end dive. Higher than stock.

Weight distribution is 45fr/55rr. Needs big soft front tire or it will wash the front end out on brakes entering a tight corner so fast your head will spin....... 3.60 K81 was way too small.
I still remember first practicing and going into 11 at Sears. Brake, hard, shift body, pull bike right. Ahem.... why is it dark? Why is there asphalt whizzing by my face shield? Why am I face down down the track? Where's my bike? Who hit me? Why am I here? Where am I going? Will I ever stop? Will Lassie find Timmie in the well?

Needs a fork brace if the laterally flexy forks bother you and slows you down in r-l and l-r quick transitions. (like turns 8/8a at Sears).
On any bike, did you know that if you are, for example, 90 mph, wheels drifting, leaned to the max left, crawl over the right side of the bike and "yank" the bike hard for the quickest possible l-r transition, that the bike pivots around about the center of gravity and the front wheel actually levers off the ground 1.0-2.5 inches? I always wondered why, during the transition, the front end felt "so detached". Till I LOOKED! I stopped trying to transition faster than 1-2 inches of "bounce and float".........

The Vision had much better midrange as compared to the current inline fours and I still think that it sounded cool. If you can record a dyno run and email it to me, that would be cool!

I only did "supersport" type mods - If my memory hasn't failed me, there other guys who built chain drive conversions, big bore kits, cams, etc........

Marc

[Greenhonnet]

With the almighty blessing,

The Bike Spakie will get the bike going, take the bike to the interested for the swap, do the paperwork online for change of ownership for $9. Mission over. Amen:brick::woohoo::sunny:

Lucky Greenhonnet for St Pat Day 2021.

[F5 Dave]

Failing that , there is always the sanctity of Fire.