1977 Yamaha XS400 Cafe Racer - Budget Cafe - project

Well, guys, new to the forums and motorcycles altogether. I started this year on a Genuine Stella 150 Scooter and now Im jumping into the motorcycle arena. I have no idea wut I am doing but I'll figure it out with some help. I recently picked up a Yamaha XS400. I wanted a smaller bike because this will be my first and coming from a 150, a 400 is a big jump. My plans for the new bike are to achieve the cafe look first then do wut i can with performance. I'm sure I'll be limited as this will be my daily rider and won't have the bike down for any extended periods. I picked up the bike for some serious coin ($1000) But got the impression the owner really cared for it ( also came with extra carbs, K&N filters, extra wiring harness, extra taillight) . I think it shows in the pics. I already have bars on the way and should be here Fri, and I have a reputable mechanic coming over to help me with the Carbs and filters etc.. Simply dialing them in for my daily commute. It's an old bike so i expect many gremlins but thats all part of it i guess, look forward to input from others and will do my best to document the project, here are some pics i took of it today

My scooter

My XS400 ;D



I plan on doing this on a college students budget :-\ so we will see how it goes. budget cafe for sure.

Tete

Ok. Well like I said , Im a broke pre-med student trying to build a cafe type bike on a budget. Also this is my primary mode of transportation so I can't afford any downtime. So everything I do must be rolling the same day.

I recently did few minor things, Clubman bars, new grips, new levers, bar end mirrors, Remove front turn signals (will replace soon). The bike already looks different than before, in my opinion better. Feels really nice with the new setup.

I've ordered a few new things for next week. Halogen headlight conversion, Headlight bracket/ears, and some other odds and ends. I am hoping at the end of the month to have the tank repainted as well as a few other bits. I like the black and gold so I will probably keep it, but I may go a deep charcoal solid with no pins stripes. My biggest issues is the seat. I know that generally a characteristic of cafe's is the seat for that really tucked position but this being a daily rider to school and work. I need something comfy. This seat is not the lightest, and doesn't really fit the typical "cafe" seat but I think it looks kinda sharp and very comfy for those long days. please share opinions and or solutions for the seat.

This bike's looking good and should be a great first one.

I've had a similar dilemma regarding the seat and wanting to keep a two-up while looking cooler. You might consider a brat style two up seat. You could probably have your existing seat reupholstered to be lower and more rounded with some tuck and roll lines across it. Might look alright. A few guys have also been able to create bump stop cowls that fit on top of a two up seat so it looks like a single seat except when needed. I know there are at least a couple of examples around here somewhere, but not sure what to search for. Sorry.

What I think I'm finally going to go with is to build a fiberglass seat that fits on the frame without any cutting. Then I'll just swap them out when I need to go two-up. You might be able to buy one that fits as is depending on the shape of your rear frame.

Keep us posted.

Aw...a scooter, so cute! Nah, welcome mate and you have a very nice bike by the looks of it. I'm doing an XS 250 cafe racer (although I haven't posted in a while) and the 250, 360 and 400's are all exactly the same except for the different top ends, so if you need any help feel free to hit us up

where did you get those bars? and do they hit the tank? i need something besides stock but dont want to buy anything thats going to ruin the paint

Hey Tete,

Nice bike! I'm building an XS360, and I'd also like to know about them bars. I just bought a "donor" 400 for the wheels and brakes. What size/brand tires are you runnin? They look a little bigger than whats on mine, but then mine are probably OE!. Just trying to figure out what'll fit.

Thanks!
-Jeff

That is a very fine looking bike. The seat looks like it could be cafe'd by just redoing the foam and upholstery. I would do something with the rear fender, or maybe remove it. Definitely has potential.

Typhoon said:

That is a very fine looking bike. The seat looks like it could be cafe'd by just redoing the foam and upholstery. I would do something with the rear fender, or maybe remove it. Definitely has potential.

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+1 on the shave the foam and use your existing seat. I also think you should bob both the fenders. It'll give the bike a more aggressive, race ready look. Also, you might find rear sets more comfortable with the dropped bars but where you want to keep it two up That would present other problems. I did a Brat seat on my '72 R5 and it works great! but its a whole different style Plus you already have that rear cowl which looks really good.

any progress with the bike? updates son!