1982 Yamaha XS400 Special review from Canada
"Awesome bike for beginner and those just going around town"
What things have gone wrong with the motorcycle?
The electric start didn't work from the beginning, but being a light 400cc bike, I had no problem kick starting it everyday. She would fire right up on the second or third kick on a cold start up.
General comments?
Bought it for $800 from an older gentleman who had it in storage for a couple of years.
Replaced the front and back tires ($120), and the general tune up I did myself (parts $50). The carbs needed to be cleaned up as well, so it did take about a month before it was ready.
Kick started it all the time and would ride around town to college. Awesome gas mileage! The ten liter tank would last two weeks, and it has a one liter reserve so if you ran out of gas (I did twice), just switch the petcock to reserve and you could start it up again.
I did take the motorcycle on the highway once, and only once. Top speed up a hill was only 100km/h and the ride was uncomfortable with no fairing. It's light weight is not so good when a big rig comes the other way, it blows you all over the place.
More Yamaha XS400 Special reviews
| Would you buy another motorcycle from this manufacturer? | Yes |
| Model Year | 1982 |
| First year of ownership | 2002 |
| Most recent year of ownership | 2007 |
| Acceleration marks | 9/10 |
| Roll-on Performance marks | 7/10 |
| Handling marks | 10/10 |
| Braking marks | 10/10 |
| Reliability marks | 8/10 |
| Comfort marks | 6/10 |
| Dealer Service marks | |
| Running Costs (higher is cheaper) | |
| Distance when acquired | 37000 kilometres |
| Most recent distance | 69000 kilometres |
| Date of Entry | 13th March, 2007 |