Author Topic: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!  (Read 6245 times)

Offline Johnny4428

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #45 on: June 12, 2022, 07:48:32 PM »
Great news Ted that’s you have finally made it through the gears. That’s you sorted for some longer summer runs ahead hopefully!
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Offline smoothoperator

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #46 on: June 12, 2022, 08:26:12 PM »
Good news Ted. You should leave the exhaust popping and banging as it is a) Badass and b) We'll know it's you arriving at Crich!
Steve
2017 Triumph Bonneville T100
1977 Honda 400 Four Restored April 2022

Offline Laverda Dave

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #47 on: June 12, 2022, 08:38:46 PM »
Well done Ted, no record racing now 8)
1976 Honda 400/4
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Offline McCabe-Thiele (Ted)

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #48 on: June 12, 2022, 10:18:50 PM »
Good news Ted. You should leave the exhaust popping and banging as it is a) Badass and b) We'll know it's you arriving at Crich!

I'm optimistically thinking its the nature of the Motad system - no knowing if the PO had tinkered with the inside?
Honda CB500 K1 (new pit dug out ready)
Honda CB400 four super sport (first money pit)
Link to my full restoration http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,23291.0.html

Offline Moorey

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #49 on: June 12, 2022, 11:53:09 PM »
Well done that man.

Offline Nurse Julie

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #50 on: June 13, 2022, 08:12:36 AM »
Well done Ted 👏👏👏👏👏
LINK TO MY EBAY PAGE. As many of you know already, I give 10% discount and do post at cost to forum members if you PM me direct.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/julies9731/m.html?item=165142672569&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562

LINK TO MY CB400/4 ENGINE STRIP / ASSESSMENT AND REBUILD...NOW COMPLETE
http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,14049.msg112691/topicseen.html#new

Offline Spitfire

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #51 on: June 13, 2022, 11:25:06 AM »
Nice one Ted I remember wobbling around the Wirral on my bike after spending 2 years doing it up and 10 years working overseas and not being able to ride a bike at all, it does get better promise.

Cheers

Dennis
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Offline McCabe-Thiele (Ted)

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #52 on: June 14, 2022, 11:48:55 AM »
Thank for the comments & words of encouragement to everyone who has posted on this subject.

This morning I did a run to Ashbourne & back primarily on the A52 this section is a two way road with a 50 mph limit along most of it so my speedometer now reads 32 miles in total. I managed to get into top gear on the odd section but found myself having to drop down to third gear on the very hilly sections to retain anything close to 40/50 mph. The ride remided me very much of my old Honda 250 Dream S.S. that would loose speed on a flat road with a head wind unless I dropped a gear or two.

I did feel as though I was riding a moped not a four cylinder 400 cc Honda. Not sure if I have some fueling issues as opening the throttle fully did not seem to make it go any faster up a slight gradient dropping a gear seemed the only way to maintain 50 mph for most of the journey. I'm a tad under 15 stone so I do not think  it's my weight. I know I can't compare it to my XJ900 but I feel a bit underwhelmed today in terms of performance.

On one de-restricted section of my route I managed 60 mph in 5th but the approaching bend meant I could not safely go any faster. Luckily the current lack of performance suits me as I build up my riding confidence, I feel pretty sure my float levels might be too low or the in line fuel filter is causing me an issue. I am minded to get a few more miles on the clock before I start tinkering with things - a check of the spark plug colour might be a starting point.

I might try a run on the local dual carriageway to see if I can build up to somewhere near 70 mph in top gear assuming the revs at that speed are below 6k.

Despite all this I had a huge grin on my face when I arrived back home.





Honda CB500 K1 (new pit dug out ready)
Honda CB400 four super sport (first money pit)
Link to my full restoration http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,23291.0.html

Offline SeanFD

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #53 on: June 14, 2022, 12:11:28 PM »
I once bought a 400four that needed a lot doing to get it going.  After a week of fettling,  it was time to test it.  The battery wasn't up to much in the way of spinning the engine so a mate offered to assist.  My road had bit of a downhill slope to it, which helped.
Sitting astride the bike, in 2nd, clutch in, my mate pushing for all his worth, I let the clutch out and.....
Huh?  What?
I hadn't refitted the chain 😀

Laughed out loud! Who hasn’t done something similar?
CB750 K2 - Ridden from Belfast(SA)-2-Belfast(NI)!
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Offline Nurse Julie

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #54 on: June 14, 2022, 12:15:12 PM »
What you have described above Ted is exactly how my 400/4 was after the engine rebuild. The engine felt heavy, tight and slow (in comparison to how it felt before the rebuild). It took a good 500 miles for things to start loosening off and even then, the performance was not staggering. But, all of a sudden, at about 1200 miles IIRC, the engine loosened off and she was a flying machine. Regular up and down the gearbox is a normal state of affairs for the 400/4 even when fully run in. At this stage, with your bike, regular gear changes are advisable. Just keep riding it and I'm sure it will perform better as you increase the mileage.
If you read the last knocking of my rebuild thread, I explained there how and at what mileage it started loosening off.
« Last Edit: June 14, 2022, 12:17:36 PM by Nurse Julie »
LINK TO MY EBAY PAGE. As many of you know already, I give 10% discount and do post at cost to forum members if you PM me direct.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/julies9731/m.html?item=165142672569&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.m3561.l2562

LINK TO MY CB400/4 ENGINE STRIP / ASSESSMENT AND REBUILD...NOW COMPLETE
http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,14049.msg112691/topicseen.html#new

Offline McCabe-Thiele (Ted)

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #55 on: June 15, 2022, 01:46:35 PM »
What you have described above Ted is exactly how my 400/4 was after the engine rebuild. The engine felt heavy, tight and slow (in comparison to how it felt before the rebuild). It took a good 500 miles for things to start loosening off and even then, the performance was not staggering. But, all of a sudden, at about 1200 miles IIRC, the engine loosened off and she was a flying machine. Regular up and down the gearbox is a normal state of affairs for the 400/4 even when fully run in. At this stage, with your bike, regular gear changes are advisable. Just keep riding it and I'm sure it will perform better as you increase the mileage.
If you read the last knocking of my rebuild thread, I explained there how and at what mileage it started loosening off.

Today my odometer reads a total of 63.7 miles I did a run to Ashbourne turning back at Mayfield, tbh I found the engine seemed noticeably better at maintaning speed compared to yesterday - not huge but enough to notice the odd undulation did not slow  me down as much. Thanks NJ you are spot on with your comments so far.
Honda CB500 K1 (new pit dug out ready)
Honda CB400 four super sport (first money pit)
Link to my full restoration http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,23291.0.html

Offline McCabe-Thiele (Ted)

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #56 on: June 16, 2022, 06:35:30 PM »
Bike conked out today on the way back from Ashbourne. Really thought something nasty had gone wrong. After lamenting whilst  sat on the grass verge realised I might have run out of petrol. Onto reserve and away - only managed 31 mpg! I really thought I had flogged it too hard in the hot weather.
Honda CB500 K1 (new pit dug out ready)
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Link to my full restoration http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,23291.0.html

Offline Oddjob

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #57 on: June 16, 2022, 07:15:53 PM »
31mpg is pretty bad Ted, you should get over 50mpg on a 400.
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Offline K2-K6

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #58 on: June 16, 2022, 07:31:37 PM »
Good progress Ted. Make sure you switch the petrol back to main tank when you fill up else you get a nice surprise next time it goes to "reserve".

Not that I've ever done that in rush our on London's south circular  :-[ and a two mile push to get more fuel  :-\ oh no sir, not me.

Offline McCabe-Thiele (Ted)

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Re: My first ride on the 400/4 more like an Ealing Comedy!
« Reply #59 on: June 16, 2022, 07:37:07 PM »
31mpg is pretty bad Ted, you should get over 50mpg on a 400.

I agree I suspect that its as a result of the running in period  going up and down the gearbox all the time plus the popping & banging isn't getting any better. I'm pretty much maintaining close to 4k rpm so that might be to blame.

I have established that there are no exhuast leaks at the maniold/cylinder head end of the front pipes pipes or where the four pipes go into the silencer all the noise is out of the silencer end I can feel the shock wave at the tail pipe.

My system is a newish Motad one that came with the bike I'm planning to remove the plugs soon to see how they look currently have only done 115 miles so will wait until I've done a more sensible run probably when I reach  150 miles..
Clean exhaust no smoke of any colour.

« Last Edit: June 16, 2022, 08:06:23 PM by McCabe-Thiele (Ted) »
Honda CB500 K1 (new pit dug out ready)
Honda CB400 four super sport (first money pit)
Link to my full restoration http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,23291.0.html

 

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