Author Topic: Winterfield's first project (400/4)  (Read 5063 times)

Offline Winterfield

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Winterfield's first project (400/4)
« on: March 26, 2019, 09:54:57 PM »
I wanted to do a project log for my own documentation, to show my project off to any friends who may be interested, and to share the journey and any interesting tips with anyone else who may be interested.

I'll not put dates on these first set of posts, as it's been a long while in the making, and fairly slow progress, but it keeps me busy.

Firstly, the bike:

'75 CB400/4. Red. 2 1/2 engines, one seized, the other in the frame. Original wheels, forks, bunch of other bits and pieces. Bought without seeing it running (smrt).





Naked!
« Last Edit: March 27, 2019, 10:09:37 PM by Winterfield »

Offline Winterfield

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4)
« Reply #1 on: March 26, 2019, 10:07:11 PM »
Step 0. Get it running.

Carbs off, check the bowls. Tiny amount of residual fuel, but no varnish. Nice. Looks like they had been drained. Fixed the cracked breather pipe.



Next up, fuel tank. Added some new fuel and shook it around a bit.  Drained into jerrycan through coffee filter. Lots of grit and gunk. Glad that didn't go through the carbs.



Spark plugs: these had obviously been running rich, but  were gapped OK. Cleaned them up and put them back. I have replacements, but wanted to see if these were OK.



Points: looked OK to my untrained eye. One side had an obvious gap, the other didn't. No glaring corrosion on the wires. Someone with a deep hatred for screws had obviously been in there though :(



« Last Edit: March 27, 2019, 03:39:25 PM by Winterfield »

Offline Winterfield

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4)
« Reply #2 on: March 26, 2019, 10:17:20 PM »
I'm sure I've missed pics for some steps, including putting the carbs back, plumbing the fuel tank in etc. But here goes:

https://youtu.be/vNe2TWfcJ0s

Offline Winterfield

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4)
« Reply #3 on: March 26, 2019, 10:26:26 PM »
So, no start. First thought, fuel. Checked the bowls, got a bunch of fuel all over me for my troubles. I'd cleaned and checked the jets, so they were hopefully OK, so I moved on to spark.

Took out one of the plugs, held it to some exposed metal... and... no spark.

Lots of electrical debugging - I thought running continuity tests would give me some indication of a possible short to ground leeching power from the battery which I had charged a few days before.

Eventually I thought to check the fuses:



That's probably not a great sign.  Fuse replaced, further tracing of this and that. Took the headlight off to look for exposed wires shorting.



That's probably not great either.
« Last Edit: March 27, 2019, 03:39:58 PM by Winterfield »

Offline Winterfield

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4)
« Reply #4 on: March 26, 2019, 10:29:33 PM »
Intermission!

Got to ride this beauty doing some catch up lessons before my mod 2.  Great fun that bike.

That's my other red Honda in the background.

« Last Edit: March 27, 2019, 03:40:14 PM by Winterfield »

Offline mattsz

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4)
« Reply #5 on: March 27, 2019, 10:07:50 AM »
Hey Winterfield - I posted in your thread about the hub, too...

I can't view any of your pics - just place-holders with circled dashes in them.  I tried it using two different browsers.  Others seem to have been able to view your other thread pics, so maybe it's just me, but I thought I'd pipe up...

Offline sye

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4)
« Reply #6 on: March 27, 2019, 10:44:15 AM »
Hey Winterfield - I posted in your thread about the hub, too...

I can't view any of your pics - just place-holders with circled dashes in them.  I tried it using two different browsers.  Others seem to have been able to view your other thread pics, so maybe it's just me, but I thought I'd pipe up...
Nor me, no pictures?

Offline Laverda Dave

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4)
« Reply #7 on: March 27, 2019, 10:56:04 AM »
Yep, no pics here either. Are the photos you are posting to big a file?
1976 Honda 400/4
1977 Rickman Honda CR750
1999 Honda VFR 800FX
1955 750 Dresda Triton
1978 Moto Morini 350 Sport
1978 Honda CB400/4 'Rat' bike
1982 Laverda 120 Jota

Offline mattsz

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4)
« Reply #8 on: March 27, 2019, 11:02:04 AM »
Yep, no pics here either. Are the photos you are posting to big a file?

They're links to content hosted on google, not attached files, so that shouldn't be a problem?

The other thread's hub pics are posted on the USA forum, too; I can't view them in either forum...

Offline Winterfield

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4)
« Reply #9 on: March 27, 2019, 03:36:05 PM »
Yup, thanks. I've been using Google Photos - I'll switch to Imgur.

Offline mattsz

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4) - fixed pics
« Reply #10 on: March 27, 2019, 04:42:33 PM »
Not sure why some members were able to view the google pics and not others... but I got them all now - thanks!  Looking forward to following your work...

Offline mattsz

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4) - fixed pics
« Reply #11 on: March 27, 2019, 04:47:15 PM »
Oxford English Dictionary definition of electrickery: "foil-wrapped fuses."   :o

Offline Bryanj

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4) - fixed pics
« Reply #12 on: March 27, 2019, 06:02:22 PM »
That tin foil was sold by lucas as "Smoke Release Tool"

Offline mattsz

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4) - fixed pics
« Reply #13 on: March 27, 2019, 07:04:31 PM »
That tin foil was sold by lucas as "Smoke Release Tool"

Correct.  I learned all about that when I was just a curious, but ultimately trouble-making, kid interested in projectiles:

https://www.popsci.com/diy/article/2013-06/blast-turn-matches-tiny-rockets



... ok, sorry for the hijack...  :-[

Offline Winterfield

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Re: Winterfield's first project (400/4) - fixed pics
« Reply #14 on: March 27, 2019, 09:30:48 PM »
Oxford English Dictionary definition of electrickery: "foil-wrapped fuses."   :o

Is one who practices electrickery known as an elec-gician? or an electrickster?


 

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