1977 Yamaha XS400

In January 2012 I purchased a 1977 Yamaha XS400, with all the greatest intentions of getting her running, within a reasonably short period of time whilst educating myself on how to fix shit. Well six years later, here I am. The day finally pit inspection and licensing was all approved. Yay!!

Yeah, yeah, I know!! 6 years to get her licensed?? Well, not that I want to make excuses, but those that know me, know what a crazy few years its been for me. Those that don't, well, let it be said that a lot of life transitions have taken place and still continuing right now as I am typing this.

I spent a little time learning about the model, ordering parts and tinkering before I had to shelve the project. I think I read every little bit of literature I could find about replacing clutch plates and procrastinated another 6 months before I even cracked the screws on the clutch housing. But that's just me, a procrastinator. Unfortunately with everything going on at the time, something had to give, and the XS had to take a back seat for the time being.

I did learn a few things along the way, and with 2017 being the most craziest year of all, and predicting 2018 not slowing down, I decided that it was just going to be easier to get someone else to do it for me. Shifting home, travelling around the world, quitting a job, finding a new one, renovating and selling one house, to only go out and buy another, closing a few doors was essential for my own well being and future growth. Wow! I'm exhausted just reading that back.

So I took the XS to RetroMoto in South Fremantle, where I got Scott and Paul to complete the basics for it to become legal and licensed. I picked her up in late January 2018, and I can tell you i was grinning from ear to ear all the way home. I cant believe we are in May already, I still have a few issues to nut out with the XS, but nothing too major. Its all a matter of having the time to do it all. I am thankful that I can actually take her out for a ride now, rather than watch her sit and collect dust. I have further plans for her, but we'll have to see what happens in the next leg of this life.

I just love old school stuff, and she is just another classic from the 70's that I am proud to have in my collection of things.