Giving it the Beans...

[Dave]

Just put for 400F to bed for the winter.

I was talking to a mate about the fun I had over the summer, explaining that the bike only comes alive when revved quite high. And what a great sound.

"...but the bike is nearly 50 years old!" he said "you'll break it!!"

Mmmm.

So...assuming a reasonably well maintained 400F and assuming no underlying problems (that is an assumption!!) the questions are:

How hard can you work these old bikes?
Is there a rev limit under the one shown on the clock I should stick to?

In other words, can I still "give it the beans"?

[Johnwebley]

These engines were over engineered,

As long as it runs well, has regular oil changes, you can take it to the limit

Sent from my SM-A750FN using Tapatalk

[philward]

Well I rev mine to the redlne - I rebuilt all the engines on my bikes and so consider they are as a new bike would be (once run in). If not rebuilt, then I'd worry about 50 year old cam chain train rubberware giving up (and other 50 year old stuff). If known to be well maintained over the years, then its only the stuff that deteriates with age (not mileage that is affected).
I did high mileage on my jap bikes in the 70's with no issues at all (but maintained as per service schedule) with no restrictions on revs as they got older

[Nurse Julie]

Ride it like you stole it..... she will love you forever. Just maintain it regularly and if any niggles appear, deal with them and don't ignore them.

[K2-K6]

As the others comment above, no real reason to run reduced rpm just because of age and observe the caveats above regarding component condition.

Many "stories" come from engine designs that were marginal when new or had inherent lifing "considerations" to begin with, these Honda designs don't suffer from either.
The 400 specification of the three capacity 4s needs to rev most of the 4 cylinders to run properly, it was never a lugger and never will be.

[TrickyMicky]

I've owned my one since 1988, and just loved the sound and feel of it spinning over between 7-9000 rpm, occasionally kissing the red between bends!  All i've done engine wise was to replace camchain and std piston rings @ 15,000 miles. Had to replace camshaft and some rockers, but that was down to my poor storage conditions whilst it was off the road. The mileage is now 33,000 miles, not high, but I cannot get out and about too often these days. Everything else inside the engine is original, and when I do go out on it, I still like to run it up to about 8,000rpm, it feels so GOOD!  Regular oil and filter changes pay dividends.
  Remember, they are only little pistons and rods, and can suffer more damage through "lugging" at low revs. Don't be a "con-rod bender", it ain't a diesel.  Enjoy it as it was meant to be enjoyed. In their heyday, they were bought by young men who constantly wrung their necks, it's a tribute to their quality that there are so many still in existence.  Don't lock it away completely over winter, if we get a nice cold dry morning with a clear blue sky, get kitted up and give it a blast, these old carburetted machines breath beautifully on such days.

[Bryanj]

I remember the honda handbook saying you should not rev the engine above the red but ok to go into the red