XS400L 1983 - how close to XJ?

I bought an XS400-L 1983 Maxim a few months ago. Love it. Ride it to work. But having the hardest time finding a manual for it. Lately I've come to believe my XS400L is a late (canadian) XJ. It's a DOHC with hydraulic valves.

I've found an old post stating this:

"The accurate model designations of the U.S. model Maxim and Seca 400s are:

1982 Maxim 400 = XS400J
1982 Seca 400 = XS400RJ
1983 Maxim 400 = XS400K
1983 Seca 400 = XS400RK

I think they were imported into Canada for at least one more year, so I assume those would be "L" and "RL" models.

The Maxim and Seca 400 are twins, but shared the DOHC and YICS of their larger brethren, and also had the distinction of being some of Yamaha's first single-shocked (monoshock) street bikes."

This gives credit to my feeling my L model is actually a spinoff from the J series. My bike fits that description.

Can anyone help me out with this? The XJ manual I've found would cost me 80$ plus shipping. So before spending for more manuals (2 already bought), it would be nice to know if it's worth it or not.

 

few of those bikes on here...BTW here is the manual for free posted on the net....see my gallery

http://singular.org/~gary/bike/Maxim400 ... manual.pdf

 

I've got an XS400J. You're stuck with that Seca manual unless you want to pay for a hard copy. I've been getting along just fine with that manual though.

 

Hmmm interested in the "L" thing, I have the 1983 XS400K, also Canadian, .... maybe they originally planned to release an "84 model, but changed their minds?

There is an XJ400 but it is a 4 cyl and was sold in Japan, though some were imported to NA,

 

Za and myself both have the same bikes.

It is an XS (2 cylinder) all the xJ's were 4 cylinders as Za said.

I've seen the "L" you're referring too as well on some web pages, but just chalked it up to typos or misinformation.

If yours has MAXIM on the side covers, it is the DOHC version.

Same as the Seca pretty much with different trim etc. as far as i know.

 

Yes, tks. I have that manual. It's for the 12E series. My Maxim has a serial number starting with 12R and is different from the one in that manual.

I do have a couple of manuals, including the Haynes manual for the SOHC Twins. It doesn't cover my bike, but I do find useful stuff in there that I can use.

The problem is I don't have the specs for my machine anywhere. I worry about that.

I ordered on ebay a manual for the XJ400 series. It didn't cost me a lot so I ordered it to see for myself what are the differences.

 

Do you guys have a manual that is specific for the K series? I assume you don't.

The side covers don't have MAXIM on them, but the left one has YICS on it. The previous owner who did a lot of work on the bike, ordered parts and so on, is sure it's a Maxim L. From what I can surmise, checking the web sites that sell yamaha motorcycle parts, it is an XS400L. Small things, like the air filter (square box), are different on this model from some others.

There are no openings for valve ajustements on the cylinder head. So my deduction is that it's self ajusting hydraulic valves. But it is a 2 cylinder bike. Also, there is no dip stick for the oil. It's a glass window.

Maybe this is a stupid question, but is there a direct way for me to see if it's a SOHC or a DOHC without opening the engine?

Last question... if my bike is not anything close to an XJ, maybe there is another forum I should be made aware of where it would be more appropriate to continue this thread?

Tks for the interest, guys. I appreciate the feedback.

 

I've been checking models again... there is sure a lot of information out there pointing to a similarity for the xs400 J and K variants... look at this add for a shop manual (at 80 bucks):

"This Official 1982-1983 Yamaha XS400 Seca & Maxim Factory Service Manual provides service, repair and maintenance information for 1982 Yamaha XS400RJ Seca, 1982 Yamaha XS400J Maxim, 1983 Yamaha XS400RK Seca and 1983 Yamaha XS400K Maxim motorcycles." (repairmanual.com)

I'm not willing to dish out 80 buck to find out if it's true. :roll: And their web site has an error when you try to ask them a question.

So, are the K models 4 cylinders too? Or are there 2 cylinder J models? From what I can tell, there are 2 cylinder xs400j models.

It's incredibly confusing. Is it only with Yamaha, or did other manufacturers spew out a million different variations of the same bike, all with different model numbers? :lol:

 

Okay. Ignoring my oil leak in this picture; Do you see that little black half-moon shaped rubber plug up there at the top left? That's the camshaft plug. Notice how I have two of them? That's the DOHC engine. The valve cover will have a hump that goes over the cam. If you've got the two down the sides like I've got, you've got a DOHC engine. If you've got one down the center, its SOHC.

The XS400J, XS400RJ, XS400K and XS400RK are all DOHC 2 cylinder engines. The RJ and RK have a six-speed and the J and K have 5 speeds if I remember correctly. The XJ400 was a four cylinder that was only available in Japan. XJ's are 4 bangers, XS's are 2 banger SOHC motors. XS Maxims and XS Secas are 2 banger DOHC motors.

 

XJ's are 4 bangers, XS's are 2 banger SOHC motors. XS Maxims and XS Secas are 2 banger DOHC motors.

Right on the money...and that is the correct manual I posted a linky to...unless you have a xj 4-banger...which I would be shocked if you do.

 

Flawed deduction there, my friend. If it is a DOHC motor with YICS, it has shim-over-bucket valve adjusters, just like its 4-cyl brethren. The SOHC motor has screw-type valve adjusters, because it also has rocker arms. The "bucket and shim" valve adjusters ARE NOT AUTOMATIC, they need adjusting just like the others, they just aren't quite as easy. The adjustment process is the same as any 4-cyl XJ motor, you just don't have as many valves to do. Don't assume you never need to adjust them, they need checking/adjusting every 5K miles unless you want to burn a valve.

 

Oh, and to clarify one portion of the model number/letter mystery: The "H" "J" "K" designators are YEAR designations (they skipped "I") but weren't carried on forever. Confusing this is the fact that the letter "L" was used as both a year and model designator, but seemingly at different times...R=Seca. Chacal did a long and arduous post about decoding model/serial numbers a while back, you might try searching for it...

 

I have a paper copy of the 82 xs400j manual (max and seca)
the K has the same specs.

I did find a set of specs for an 84 xs400L, so maybe a very short run before the end of production.

 

awesome... this is really helping me sort things out.

Wrait, that picture of your bike's engine is exactly what I have (with no oil leak - So I do have a DOHC as I thought. Did you fix that leak yet?

Hey BigFitz, thanks for straightening me out with the valves. I'll take my bike to a mechanic who does work on vintage bikes and I'll check the valve clearances with him this fall. I don't have a clue what a shim-over-bucket valve adjuster is, so I better get expert help with that. And the procedure seems complex, needing a tappet that doesn't come in contact with the cam and such. I don't have the tools.

DWCopple, if that manual for the 12E series is really the one for my bike, it would really be nice. What is the serial number on your bike? Does it start witht 12E like the book says? Or does it start with 12R like my bike? The fact that the serial numbers didn't match what the book says they should made me doubt I could use the specs in that manual.

Since you are so sure that this is the manual, I've been looking much more closely at it and I admit the engine does look identical to mine. The only difference I can spot in the manual are in the pictures of the bike: the spokes on the wheels of my bike have a curve in them. My gaz tank is tear shaped. Minor differences like that. Thanks for insisting... I'll study it more.

ZaGhost: you DID find the specs for the xs400L?!! Where can I get them? I need those, unless they are the same as for the K and J models (or from the ones int he 12E manual).

And by the way, my bike is also a 5 gear bike, like the XS400J and XS400K. I hope the specs for the XS400L are identical.

Hey guys, I appreciate the feedback you gave. Thanks.

 

I did not know about that online manual, thanks!

this forum is a godsend sometimes

 

http://www.totalmotorcycle.com/motorcyc ... LMaxim.htm

Do a google search and it shows a few times, so It seems some were run in 84, same as the 82/83 otherwise.

 

Oh yah, those specs. I was hoping for valve clearances and all that jazz.

I don't think there is much more than that available on the web. I tried with other search engines too. They don't turn out the same sites, not always. But didn't get lucky. Just erroneous information once in a while.

Right now I'm hoping the pdf manual for the 12E series is ok for my bike.

 

I can send ya a copy of the valve clearances and such, I have a paper copy of the 82 manual .. let me know what else you need and I'll scan a few pages together for ya.

 

zaGhost,
If it's from the manual DWCopple pointed to, I have that one. Trying to confirm it's the same specs for mine. I'm pretty sure now it's the same engine. So the clearances would be 0.11mm ~ 0.15mm for the intake and 0.16mm ~ 0.20mm for the exhaust valves. Is that what you have?

From what you guys have given me up till now, I figure that the XS400 Maxims bear the letters J, K and L according to the year of production (I'll check with Chacal's post on decoding the ids when I find it). It should be the same DOHC 2 cylinder/4 shimmed adjustment valves engine (I hope the shimming material is easy to find

The later and last model of the XS Maxims, labeled L, seem to be rare. They probably were only sold in Canada.

And I sorted out that there is an XJ series, all 4 cylinders, that are more recent, to which this forum caters. I think I'll buy an XJ next... the forum is so great! ;-)

I'm waiting for my order of the paper manual for the XS400J to come in. Hopefully that will put to rest my last doubts.

 

Just to not let the topic go without a closure... could be useful for someone in the future doing a search on the same topic...

I received the manual for the XS400J and compared it to my XS400L bike. I find that the manual describes my bike exactly, right up to the wheel spokes, the TCI unit, the valve plugs on the engine head and everything else. The manual says it covers the units with serial numbers starting with 12R, and my serial number starts with 12R (not 12E like in the pdf manual that is found on the web).

So now I'm satisfied my XS400L is a XS400J made in another year, 1983 to be exact, and differs in no significant way from it.

Thanks for all the help, guys, it helped me sort things out.

 

Agreed, I have the 12R...
Manual for the J is for the 15G ... specs are thesame.

Valve clearances, yep... same...

These little guys are fun and peppy, just got mine inspected for another year

But I had to modify some parts to get it to pass, couldn't easily find direct replacements in time.... More mods to come hehe

 

if anyone is looking for an interactive manual for 1982-85 Maxim/Seca 400
just go to ebay and search 1982 Yamaha 400 Maxim interactive service manual there is one for sale there for S9.99