XS 400 Maxim: To be or not to be..

David_W

Active Member
Meet the Maxim:

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Recently got it and struggled with what to do to it. Rode it some and decided to embark on a cafe racer build for it. I've been waiting for things to be delivered, and they've finally made it!

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KZ650 tank

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Universal "cafe racer" seat from across the big pond. I know... I'm not expecting much, but I do like the looks of it.

When I get the issues with getting all of that on the bike (changes to the subframe, etc) I'm going to be getting clipons-maybe, tail light, turn signals, and new brackets for a headlight...all that jazz. Probably a head light too.. We'll see. Maybe rearsets. I want to switch the shift pattern so it matches my race bike. We'll see how tight the riding position is with that though.

As far as mechanics the bike is running fine (for now) more on that in a second.. I've serviced the forks, changed the brake pads and fluid-cleaned the caliper, etc. I plan to run pods because I think it looks a lot cleaner than the air box, and to put it shortly I just want to. Once I get things situated I'll be doing a wiring "spring cleaning" with my dad. He's a wizard with this stuff.

So I've done some "mock-up" if you want to call it that..
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Obviously have some kinks to work out, but the general idea is there. Quick aside.. The tank is SUPPOSEDLY the only year that they made that color combo.. It's in pretty good shape.. Should I avoid stripping it and painting/eventually knee-denting it? I thought it would have a longer wheel base than that.. Looks kinda quirky

Any how.. Here is the first kink:
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I'm about to go see if I can simply switch out the petcocks... Hope springs eternal right? They valves are in similar positions, however the maxim tank's valve is slightly more forward. With that being said the horizontal piece on the KZ tank that is hitting the frame is in a vertical position on the maxim tank. Probably sound like a raving idiot thinking this could possibly work, but whatever.

Once I get the tank squared away I'm going to look into making a bracket to slightly pick up the rear in an effort to straighten out the top lines. I want to allow the tank and seat to flow so any adjustments to that will be minor.

Next post. Addressing the "running good for now" statement...


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That new tank looks way better then the old one. I can't tell in the pictures, but it looks like there may be some dents in It? If that is the case and the tank is not near mint, then there is no reason to save it if you want something different.

Need to figure out how to get the tank and seat to match up and sit horizontal. Any plans? Is the seat wide enough to fit the Yamaha hips on the subframe?



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I got home late last night from work and other work related functions and when I walked into the garage it smelled like I was inside of a gas tank. SO me and my dad searched and searched for the culprit hoping a gas can had leaked or the new (KZ) tank simply smelled terrible. We concluded that it was coming from the Maxim. Specifically the carbs and airbox. We took the cover off and looked at the air filter and it was pretty much black with oil. Exponentially more so than when I checked it about a week before. It also seemed like the swingarm had some serious residue on it. The only thing that I can figure is that a float is stuck in one of the carbs and its flooding back into the air box. Is that possible?
This is what I'm talking about:
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So this is the right hand side of the bike looking on from the rear tire.

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This is the other side looking into the airbox and you can see where the swingarm connects to the rest of the bike. It's covered in what looks like oil, but it isn't oil. ️ I'm stumped.


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Rusnak_322 said:
That new tank looks way better then the old one. I can't tell in the pictures, but it looks like there may be some dents in It? If that is the case and the tank is not near mint, then there is no reason to save it if you want something different.

Need to figure out how to get the tank and seat to match up and sit horizontal. Any plans? Is the seat wide enough to fit the Yamaha hips on the subframe?



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Thanks! I think it looks much better. I took the fuel valve off and it sat almost exactly how I planned. After getting clearance issues with the fuel valve sorted the issue will be getting a bracket made to mount it to the frame closely to how the stock tank did.

The Yamaha hips are really something. It's super close with the seat. I'm going to do some more measurements and mockups, but I think if I can get the subframe flattened out and a hoop measures to fit the seat pan I think it'll fit nicely. The brackets on the stock subframe are really what are making the seat pitch down. The real challenge there is going to be where the tank and seat meet.


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Ok quick valve update. SURPRISE! The Maxim fuel valve won't work at all. I'm toying with the idea of either relocating the petcock farther up the tank or just running a valve that I manually turn on and off. I'd rather move the petcock up, but that's going to be difficult and involved. The area that the fuel valve is located seems to be reinforced much more so than any other area along the bottom of the tank.

Here's a picture:
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Jumping way ahead on the check list.. I think a mix between a gun metal grey and Sebring silver would look nice with the coffee colored seat that I have.


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So I've been busy with studying for the GMAT and work lately, but I haven't forgotten about my Maxim! I have a couple of updates too.

http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=70433.msg826305#msg826305
Here is where I was considering ways around the tank issue. I'm going to be taking the tank to a guy Monday and I'll see what he thinks about grafting in the fuel valve area from the maxim tank onto the kz tank and sealing up the holes left from where the stock kz valve was. That way we can use the petcock that came stock on the bike and I know for a fact it works.

Beyond that I've gotten my gauges, new headlight brackets, clipons, signals, and brake light. We ran into issues right from the start. For starters, lowering the controls by almost six inches really put some strain on the brake line and clutch cable. The master cylinder, levers and headlight/turn signals are all vying for the same spot. Gotta figure out how to reroute some of that. The "universal" cheap amazon headlight brackets were a bear. Universal must really mean, "universally fits nothing."

Any tips on where to get shortened brake lines for a Maxim 400? I'm assuming they'd be the same as the XS400. Is that plausible? I thought I remembered seeing on xjbikes that they were few and far between.


I'll update with some pictures tomorrow! It's looking VERY different.
I still need to do some polishing on the motor, especially the side covers. Since the bike is running just fine I think I'll be tearing it down and polishing/powdering everything this fall/winter. I would really like to have it ready for riding soon so that I can enjoy it with my folks.
 
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The lighting is bad, but being Father's Day this is the only chance I'll have of getting pictures today.

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We have a lot of work to do still. Re working some of the wiring, rerouting some cables, new brake lines. I'm considering a smaller headlight to allow room for everything as that is the stock 7" one. I like that light, but it is taking up a bunch of room..

Once the tank is squared away we'll make the necessary changes to the subframe to finish up the seat. It almost bolts right up to the stock mounts, which I am eternally grateful for. Next I'll have to figure out where to put my license plate..


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Just dropped the gas tanks off for the local machine shop to work some magic. He didn't look too enthused, but said he would get it done for me. Things are coming together


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for brake lines, I used these guys a few times in the past and have been very happy with them.

just tell them what you want and they will make it up for you.

https://spieglerusa.com/brakes/brake-lines-accessories-tools/custom-brake-lines.html
 
BTW: that tank and seat look so much better now that you have them sitting flat. How is the feel of the bike with those low bars and café seat? any plans for rear sets?
 
Re: Ducati tank.

I'm all for mods and changes to stock, but I reckon getting the 996 tank to work (look) right will be a challenge. The shape of the tank could look out of place as it's such a particular design (why does it remind me of ET?) and it could be a trick of the lens but is it shorter?

Anyway, good luck with it.
 
Well guys the project was put on hold for a bit due to school and the CPA exam, but it is now in the sort rows! We ended up getting a guy to handle the carbs and while it was in his shop he went ahead and got the wiring done for the gauges and lights/signals. I finally got to ride it today for the first time in about 8 months what a feeling. I won't lie though.. the bars and seat position are going to be a little bit to get used to. It's comfortable, but different. Even from my racebike. I think it really stems from not having rearsets on it, and I don't see a practical way to put them on this bike.

There are two things left to sort out and then it will be time to get it on the road(legally).
As stated in previous posts above I had a guy that runs a machine shop relocate the fuel valve. He did a great job with it, but there is a leak at the rear bolt that holds the valve into the tank. Maybe a high spot where it doesn't seal quite right? My dad and I are going to try a different gasket to see if that seals it up. A leaky tank would be catastrophic at this stage.

The second thing is that the signals don't blink. I am an electronics noob so I'm at a bit of a loss here. They light up, but they don't blink-the front turn signals as well as the integrated signals on the LED brake light. I feel like there is something I need to add to the circuit to make them blink as there was only a wire running straight from the lights. How far off am I on that conclusion?

Also, sorry for the poor quality and poor quantity of picture. I wasn't really focused on taking pictures.
 

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Sorry to revive this thread.... What mods did you have to do to the subframe to get the seat to fit? Looking into one of these bikes and trying figure out how difficult it would be to mount a cafe/tracker style seat instead of the big marshmallow. Kind of new to cutting into subframe.
 
rossnesselrode said:
Sorry to revive this thread.... What mods did you have to do to the subframe to get the seat to fit? Looking into one of these bikes and trying figure out how difficult it would be to mount a cafe/tracker style seat instead of the big marshmallow. Kind of new to cutting into subframe.

I'm sure this isn't relevant anymore, but we cut just the rear-most section of the subframe and welded a loop that a friend made to fit my seat. I'm out of town, but can post pictures of what I'm talking about if need be.
 
SO life happened and I've been away from finishing the bike for some time as this thread shows. The short of it.. I'm going to register the 36 year old bike in Vermont and a few months later title it here in NC. I wasn't aware of how to do that and had essentially given up on getting the bike on the road (legally).

As it stands I need to address two key things (mechanically); the wiring to the blinkers, and the throttle/idle speed. I plan on tackling the idling speed this weekend and maybe the blinker, unless I need to order a new relay.

The first priority is to have the bike registered and insured while getting it roadworthy again. Nothing screws with a mechanically sound bike like letting it sit.
 
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