4 hours ago
So my daily rider is a 1981 Yamaha XS400 that I rebuilt two winters ago. Frame off, new bearings everywhere, rebuilt carbs, the whole deal. Everyone told me I was nuts to trust an old bike for a 30 mile round trip every day but honestly? It's been rock solid. Starts every morning even when its 40 degrees out. I do oil changes every 1500 miles and check the chain weekly. The one thing that got me was the charging system, had to swap to a modern regulator/rectifier after the original cooked my battery twice. Anyone else out there commuting on something old? Whats your maintenance routine look like? Curious if im overdoing it or if you guys are doing the same. Also how often you checking valves on a high mileage commuter?