1984 - Yamaha XJ400

Hey guy's

1- Do i need to change the oil filter as well or a service on it would do too?

2- What type of Oil would be suited for it, Now i'd like to mention the City i actually live & drive her in is generally hot, Varies between the 25-40C Mark, So plz suggest according to it. btw I'll be changing the oil as soon as tomm so plz let me know the things i need to be careful about while im at it.

Thank's & Godbless

 

I don't think I'd change the oil filter right away on a new-to-me bike that I didn't know the previous owner. I drained the oil, put new oil in and rode 20 miles or so then changed the oil and filter.

 

are theese quite common over there then. They are like the praverbial rocking horse poo over here apparently. been trying to get advice on mine but nobody seems to be able to tell me much. does yours have a underbody 4-to-2 exhaust pan or is it 2 seperate 2-to-1 pipes.

 

Welcome to you Maan. I would change the oil and filter straight away. Given the environment your machine is exposed to, the more often you change it, the better. I agree with Seedyrom in that you should do an oil change and cleanse the motor, probably will find out if the previous owner did or did not take regular care of the machine. Inspect the old filter upon removal and look for the tell-tale signs of abuse/neglect (metal chips, pieces, general crud, etc...). Sounds like you know your way around motorcycles. Given your experience, I'm curious as to why you would need our advice on oil. I have a personal favorite but there are many opinions as to which would be best for your ride. Let the environment and your riding style be your guide. You can check out Castrol's web site, they have a decent FAQ section. Best of luck to you and be careful out there. I've heard several horror stories from my shipmates about Karachi and the insane drivers.

 

Unfortunately no, i seem to be the only XJ rider in my town, arent that common here... As for your 2nd concern, Mine has a 4-to-1 Exhaust, Actually the previous owner did tell me that he converted it from the genuine 4-to-2 exhaust into a 4-to-1 Exhaust precisely cause he believes it makes a much better sound in this way then the original & IMHO i just cant agree with the guy more, Sound is simply amazing, He also mentioned he imported the exhaust from the U.K, It also has a brand name labelled on the top end but cant seem to recall at this very point, will definitely update later on after having a close look at it

besides i'll be experimenting on mine, Carefully ofcourse, So do ask if there's any difficulty u might be facing in this very machine, i'd be glad to help

ty so much Robert, As for my extra caution in changing the oil, i just wanted to be sure of any small parts residing behind that oil cover which might require extra attention, just want to be on the safe side u know

Will surely check the Oil filter of any damages, i just hope it doesnt have metal/silver pieces on them, cause if that's the case i'll be certain enough to assume something inside has/is being worn off.

As for the horror stories, im honestly not aware of them although i am aware ppl do stupid things here but at the sametime i believe till the day u remain clean, everything around u stay's so too...

looking forward to keeping in touch guy's & thankyou for the prompt responses, Cheers

 

I visit lots of forums on varying topics and its very cool to see how the WWW lets us interact with so much of the world...im new to this forum but so far ive seen U.S., Canada, U.K., Phils, and now Pakistan!! sorry to be OT but thats cool.... good luck with your xj!!

 

Hey Chili, dont forget the down under folks too.

Maan, When you change that oil, definatly change out the filter and be sure to change out the o-rings on the filter bolt and housing.

I dont know what oils are available to you there but a good motor oil that has NO friction modifiers is recomended, as our bikes run a wet clutch and friction modifiers can cause slipping.

Youre gonna love this bike, XJ's are fairly "bulletproof" (figurativly speaking), you definatly sound like you have an aftermarket exhaust there probably a Mac 4-1 and yes that bike had 4-2 exhaust and has a crossover chamber under the engine area.

Hope you have fun with that bike.

 

BTW the book calls for 20W-40 motor oil.
Since my bike is special (to me) I use Castrol Syntec 5W-50 oil in it.

 

WOW... thats the best news ive had so far. Ill be looking for the Mac 4-1 to price up now ive had confirmation it can be done. The cheapest cross over chamber so far has been about £200 UKPS for th 4-2 so got to be worth investigating. Bye the way, do you happen to know if the ignition barrels are a cross the board standard on theese or are they special design. Mine got wrecked when someone tride to pinch it. They must have found out how heavy they are after doing the damage as they didnt get anyware. Made me chuckle though. Just need to find somewhere to get the side panel now and im doing well. Thanks again.

 

The 4-2 exhaust with the cross-over chamber is the factory stock exhaust.
I dont know if Mac makes those too.
The side covers can be bought on e-bay fairly cheaply.

http://search.ebay.com/search/search.dl ... category0=

Take a look at these sites.

 

Hvnbound:

Is the Castrol 5w-50 auto or motorcycle oil? Just curious about the friction modifiers/wet clutch issues.

Take care-
MHHPartner