CB400A Hondamatic

[Diesel Dave]

Oooh I can think of quite a few Honda lemons.

Progress report.

Front brake installed, all filled with fluid and bled through

As I'd forgotten to fill the forks with oil before installing I had to do that tonight, and managed to get 100ml on the floor as I forgot to remove the inner spring holding screws.

Drilled and mounted the new pattern front mudguard (snapping one of my most expensive cobalt drills in the process.

Tidied up the headlamp wiring so it doesn't catch when I turn the bars - the headlamp is fixed to the fairing mounting bracket so doesn't move with the bars.

Old chain is off and new gearbox sprocket installed, tomorrow will be time to remove the rear wheel for a new tube and sprocket installation.

After that things should start moving to getting the bike back on the road quite quickly, just the fairing to go back on really so long as the rear wheel bearings are good I can't think of anything that would stop progress (famous last words)

BTW - if you decide to fit a grease nipple to the headstock - remember there is a path through the steerer tube through the lock hole and then out the bottom. After pumping half a can of grease into the system there was a sudden 'plop' as a large blob landed directly in the socket set box. As all good motorcycles must have a wooden part or else risk the wrath of the gods; the broom handle sacrificed a few inches to make a bung for the steerer tube.

Onwards and upwards

[Capitano]

Oooh I can think of quite a few Honda lemons.

An ex Copper I know had three (maybe 4) VF750s , the "chocolate camshaft" model.

He didn't pay more than a couple of hundred quid for any of them as he reckoned sellers almost threw them at him. Looking back he probably had a decade of motorcycling for less than a grand!

He rated them as bikes too ... until they started making noises!

[gtd65]

Oooh I can think of quite a few Honda lemons.

An ex Copper I know had three (maybe 4) VF750s , the "chocolate camshaft" model.

He didn't pay more than a couple of hundred quid for any of them as he reckoned sellers almost threw them at him. Looking back he probably had a decade of motorcycling for less than a grand!

He rated them as bikes too ... until they started making noises!

Had an '82/83 CBX550 FII that had the chocolate cams as well...

[Diesel Dave]

Well it's been a trial of a few weeks, but the old CB400A is now chooching on both cylinders!

Festering carbs have proved to be a trial and a bit more besides. Now I'm not bad with carbs but this pair have tested me to the fullest extent and they have been on and off the bike a dozen times in the process of de-gumming and replacing the dead parts. The pair of Superdream carbs sacrificed a number of parts including floats and primary jets, the bypass diaphragms have been replaced with pattern parts as the originals looked like a lace curtain under the magnifying glass.

The final part that had me flummoxed was the internal fuel pathway blockage that required cleaning with wooden toothpicks and metal polish as it resisted carb cleaner and supposed 'ultrasonic cleaning' by the previous owner!

So test ride tomorrow followed by proper tuning with the vacuum gauges and colour-tune the idle mix screws, but she's choochin like a good un on the bench and on both cylinders for the first time!

So tomorrow will be test ride time followed by returning the Hondastyle fairing to pride of place and the addition of the correct too box to complete the 'dressing' and after that it's all down to learning how the hydraulic interface betwixt motor and rear wheel makes for an interestingly different ride.

Should also be rather interesting finding out how much of Esso's finest product it takes to push the thing down the road; at the moment it's swallowed a couple of litres filling the carbs each time they get pulled of the motor.

Onwards and upwards.

[gtd65]

I found that my GS450 was getting around 50-60mpg

[Diesel Dave]

And here it is with the new Hondastyle top box now attached...



So fully dressed and ready to rock. (apart from the leaky fuel tap however).

I've a feeling the bike id under geared however I've been caught out by thinking this before; what seems fine for a solo can be overwhelmed by a pillion and a weeks camping gear.

It certainly does not live up the the hype of a 400 performing like a 250 as it's a good deal quicker than the 250 foresight maxi scoot and if your feeling lazy it will run happily as a solo in top gear alone.

Onwards and upwards
DD

[stevew]

Nice.................................................

[dmw1950]

Is there an electric switch giving 3 high and 3 low gears, I have followed my brothers one around the Yorkshire dales on my R65 BMW and it pulled very well.

[Diesel Dave]

No electric gear change Dave - just a footage for selecting between Neutral, First and Second (also lights up in the 2nd clock as there's no tacho)



She will pull away in 2nd quite happily (solo).

The only Hi/Lo box I know of apart from the CT'and ATC's was that oddball 900 custom.

There is a very complicated CDI setup, as it changes ignition timing between neutral and in gear, also creeps forwards in gear like an old auto car rather than stops dead like a modern rubber band drive scooter. Dead handy for hill starts though, but you do need to knock it out of gear when you want to paddle it backwards.

fairing bounces up a lot of engine noise - earplugs may be a good idea for long runs, but it has a nice big dashboard for plonking the sat-nav on.

[johnxl]

I geared mine up 1 tooth on the gearbox sprocket and left it most of the day in second gear back in the mid 80's when I dispatched on a CB400a