new member from new zealand

[hmmmnz]

hi guys,
after lurking for quite a while, waiting for my acceptace to the board :D
im finally got accepted, and im here.... good things take time :D

technically not a vision, but recently i bought a vz400 off i beleive an ex-member here (he had a 550 as well) 
the 400 i think was a project bike for his wife that he never managed to get around to doing, and with a baby on the way has given up :(   bad for him (or good depending on how you look at it)   but good for me,

any way with out further adue here is my newly aquired 86 vz400




it looks quite straight, apart from the rusted out exhaust, the crappy spray can paint job, and a few rust spots, and a missing fuel tank key (3 different keys required for the 3 different functions of the bike, doh)

it came with a few spares, including a stator.... (which sounds like a good thing, :D) i don't know if the 400's suffered the same way as the 550s

any way, so far i have stripped down the panels and tank (tank stiil with the lock smith)
and have stripped the paint off the panels and have primed and done the first layer of the new paint,
ground out the rust out of the exhaust and welded patches in  (very thin wall on the exhaust :D)

and have ground out all the rust on the frame and have painted it,

i have also replaced all the indicators with smalled round ones,  the huge square ones just didnt do it for me,
and have a round yamaha xj headlight to fit...   everything is just so square :D

i still have to give the carbs a going over as it hasnt been on the road since 99,
which will be interesting, as ive never even come across down draft carbs before,

ill post pics as things develop

[ejo]

Hi , Welcome, this might be a daft question, but, isnt that an XZ 400 not a vz ?

[lexx790]

Hello m8, I like the colour , was thinking of doing a similar colour myself, but now definitely going to do it a similar colour after seeing yours.

[hmmmnz]

Hi , Welcome, this might be a daft question, but, isnt that an XZ 400 not a vz ?

yeah sorry my bad (the vz was another bike i owned.. dirty desperado, cruiser thing)


the blue isnt a bad colour, but im more a black bike man myself, in fact all my bikes are black except my mz500 which is hand brushed house paint white :D hehe


does any one know if the 400's suffered the same fate reguarding the stators??

[Rick G]

It looks to be quite straight, congratulations!!  and good luck!

[hmmmnz]

It looks to be quite straight, congratulations!!  and good luck!

cheers , yeah she is quite straight, and well it should be, it has only got 26000 km(16000miles) on the clock
im looking forward to having a blast on her

[funkamongus]

Yeah!!! Great find!!! These carbs are like all the others, get used to em, love on em, and they'll love you right back! Welcome to the site, best of luck with your resto and keep us posted! (PS I dont have any info on the 400 stator, so, as far as your question, I cant say for certain, but if I had to guess, it looks like the same bike, same side cover design and cooling system design, probably the same heat/vibe problems, probably the same stator probs, too) Replace your rear brake stabilizer bar bolts. It may save your life. 

[Tiger]

 :) Hi and welcome to the best site that a new owner will find...anywhere 8)

Sadly, the 400 didn't make it to North America...it was considered to small for our roads!!!...however, people like roro, Black Rarebit, kiwibum, etc, from N Z should be able to be of more help to your xz400 Resurrection. We have a good following from N Z and therefore you will have some great dedicated "local" guys to feed off...as well as the ROV.

                  8).......TIGER........ 8)

[Walt_M.]

Hello and welcome. As to the stator, if it is truly an '86 it probably has the upgraded stator that Yamaha came up with in '84. Does the 400 have the balancer? Also wonder if the smaller engine is as hard on the starter clutch as the 550.

[QBS]

At 16k miles, expect to soon replace the starter motor oil seal and reattache the starter clutch.  When doing the starter clutch you'll be able to visually evaluate the condition of the stator.  All of the above is assuming that none of those permanent upgrades have yet been done.  Cheers.

[akvision]

Welcome,,,  welcome..   yes, another Blue "V"!

My BluV is in transit to Alaska at this moment.

Lots of great support and friendship is here.

[hmmmnz]

hmm well it could be an  86 or not, the problem with nz bikes is that even though the registration says it an 86 it can be quite alot older,
i had a 82 suzuki b120... they were last made in 78,  if they sit around in japan a few years untill some one decides to take a shipment of them, then they get lumped in with the year they were exported (unless they were already registered in japan before hand) 

so who knows, it could be any year really,  i dont know if there  is an easy way to find out the year or not,

i will have a look at the starter clutch, and stator at the same time,


cheers for the welcome and advice so far.
mucho thanks

[Tiger]

so who knows, it could be any year really,  i don't know if there is an easy way to find out the year or not,

:) There will be a White "tag" on the steering head down tube...it will give you the year of manufacture ;)

                         8).......TIGER....... 8)

[Tiffanator]

Welcome to the group. Are you the same hmmmz from BCF? I notice your name and avatar. I'm ninjette on that site, lurk alot, post very little. These guys will help you with ANYTHING you need on your bike and give plenty of encouragement.

[hmmmnz]

Welcome to the group. Are you the same hmmmz from BCF? I notice your name and avatar. I'm ninjette on that site, lurk alot, post very little. These guys will help you with ANYTHING you need on your bike and give plenty of encouragement.

yeah thats me, i do all the wiring diagrams and maintain the manuals thread,
this seems like a good forum to me, not to big, but big enough that someone knows the answer to any question

[The Prophet of Doom]

My old xz400 had a manuf date of 1987, so yours could be right.  Do you have a copy of the 400 Workshop Supplement? if not, PM your snail mail and I'll send you a copy.  BTW, stator is the same as the 550, but slightly different r/r and TCI.  Carbs are identical to the US market 82 550, but without a fuel pump

Check out this post if you want to meet more kiwi xz riders

http://ridersofvision.net/rovforum/index.php?topic=10837.0

[kiwibum]

does any one know if the 400's suffered the same fate reguarding the stators??

Yes. 400 has all the same faults plus same weight at 2/3 power of the 550. After hiring an Kawasaki EX500 in Aus and finding out how much of a difference the 500 was two up compared to my XZ400 I snapped up two XZ550's on TM and have been collecting them since. Keep your eye out for a 550 engine they slot straight in and make all the difference.

My understanding is the 400 was only made 82-83 same as the 550 for the local Japan market. I heard a guy  imported a lot of them in to NZ which is why all the ones we see are 86-87. This is all here say however and have no proof of manufacturing dates. I only have one 400 now for parts and that's mainly because it's so bad no one wanted it and I couldn't force myself to dump it. Once I get a job again, move into my own place and have a room to have all my bikes under one shed rather than spread round the country I'll have a better idea on the possibility of parting with 550 engines.

And again, yes as far as the 400 goes, just replace "550" with "400" on the forums with any solutions you are looking for, they all seem to suffer from the same things. And what ever you do don't get a taster ride on a 550, you'll be wanting to upgrade at any cost. I loved my 400, got me everywhere, however now I have the 550 I couldn't go back. I'm sure you will find Roro feels the same way.

We do need someone to look after the 400's however, they will be one of those rare odd ball classics that have value in a couple more years.

[The Prophet of Doom]

YEs the 550 is a definie improvement.  400s are still very capable though.
I'd be keen on a second 550 - Let me know if you have the urge to sell

[kiwibum]

Carbs are identical to the US market 82 550, but without a fuel pump

I pulled the fuel pump out of my 550 so it runs the same as the 400 :).  One less thing to go wrong. That would have been one nice thing to ride together down south, could find out if you get any more out of the tank with the pump. Max I've got is 263km and 15 litres out of the tank.

[hmmmnz]

i have a few other bikes and still havn't ridden the 400 yet, so im not expecting a hell of a lot really,
tbh im not hugly enamoured with the style of the xz,
the round xj headlight and the smaller indicators make a huge difference,
if the bike wasnt in such good cosmetic condition, i would give it a right butchering,
im a fan of fighters and i think the xz has potential to be quite a good looking one,

heres my zxr750 fighter



that was a mission build :D