Honda-SOHC

I came to fit the seat to Ratty today, the final flourish as it were. The seat is a DSS reproduction of the original minus the Honda logo (that I have now applied using a stencil (thanks Ash ). Of course in hindsight I should have tried the seat on the bike BEFORE applying the logo because I have now found the seat doesn't fit

First thing was the rubber cushion on the base being too thick, it should be 7mm, the one fitted was 15mm! I carefully cut this down. When I came to lower the seat the plunger was 10mm to far forward on the seat! I took this off whilst I checked everything else. When it came to lowering the seat the front of it was again 10mm to far forward. I checked the tank position and it is sitting hard up against the front rubber cushions on the frame.  If the seat is pushed down to its correct location the nose of the seat is compressed upwards on the tank making it look it was made by a 5 year old! The seat is also so hard up against the rear of the tank it will rub the paint off within a few miles

I tried to slot the holes in the seat hinge to enable me to push the seat back on the locating bolts but then found the bolt holding the pillion grab strap gets in the way, argghhhh.......

The piping on the seat at the front also resembles the crust of a Cornish pasty; it’s all over the place.
I contacted DSS earlier and was told ‘We have sold hundreds of these seats and never had a problem’ as though that’s an excuse for poor quality control! They have asked me to send photos of the issues with a full description which I have done and now awaiting a response. I have asked for another seat because this one is not fit for purpose.

Has anyone else had any issues with these seats from DSS? I noticed there are other suppliers but I guess they all come from the same source? Really annoying when DSS just send out parts without checking them first but let the customer act as their quality control department.

There’s been a lot of discussion recently regarding various replacement carburettor jets etc.
I came across a new company called KMT Products who are based in and manufacture in the UK. I contacted them to see if they manufacture parts for sohc Honda Keihin carbs. This is the response I got back, seems pretty encouraging.
Discalimer - I have no affiliation to this company and haven't used any of their products but thought it worthwhile to contact them.

Hi, Dave.
 
We manufacture more than 250K main and pilot jets in the UK per year, as listed on our website, at our manufacturing facility in Northamptonshire on high precision Swiss multi-axis CNC lathes to a high degree of accuracy.
 
Regarding the quality:-
All centre-line tooling is clocked to within 5 microns of the spindle axis, and only after the machines are warmed up with a preheat cycle. All the ID numbers are engraved instead of being stamped, using a high frequency spindle running at 40K rpm. The parts are inspected on setup, during manufacture, and after degreasing in our solvent plant with an ultrasonic recirculation submersion cycle. This is followed by a vapour cycle, which slightly passivates the surface. After this the jets are blasted with high pressure air to remove any swarf particles that may still be left. They're then counted to ensure none are missing or have been cross-contaminated (highly unlikely) by verifying with the machine counter. We then sub-divide each batch into lots of 50 to sample check for size, thread and that the bores are visually clear using magnified lenses. They are then sealed in airtight bags and stored in a dry clean room ready for packing and shipping.
As the tooling is clocked up to the centre line of the spindle, and we use high precision ground carbide tooling, machining them with thin high grade centistock neat cutting oil, we get the accuracy and surface finish to ensure the quality. On initial first off/setup, and during manufacture we take a sample of jets to check internal surface finish by sectioning as additional measure. So, I hope this gives you the confidence in the quality that you can expect us to provide.
 
We don’t make the full range of Mikuni or Keihin main or pilot jets but we make the most popular types.
We are looking to increase the range by making others such as the Mikuni types N208.099 press/push in main jets VM28/213 pilot and Keihin N424-22 & 24 Pilot jet, or other types possibly in the next year or so. Other than that we would need to see exactly what types are required for the SOHC Honda you have listed, and come back to you once we have done our research.
 
We, as of yet, do not manufacture float needles but may consider doing so in the future, along with needle jets both of which require a lot of research and additional specialised equipment. We will continue to increase the types of jets we produce, as already mentioned, but only after we can the stock full range of sizes. I hope this help to furnish you with our capabilities and alleviate any uncertainties about the quality of our jets.
 
Thank you for taking an interest in our company and being prepared to mention us on the SOHC site. I will come back to you once I have more information.
 
Kind regards,
 
KMT Products

 

Hi All.
I am installing the handlebars but cannot find any info regarding the two dots on the clamps. Do these face forward or backwards? Does anyone also know the torque setting on the clamp bolts? Being steel bolts in alloy castings I don't want to overdo it and strip the thread in the top yoke. Memory tells me the front bolts of both clamps must be tightened first, am I correct or is my memory playing tricks!

Now this is a very nice bike on eBay. Seller says it has been fully restored and has spent the last six years in a vac bag. Currently at £2,650 with four days to go. Even if it reaches £4000 it would still be a bargain.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/135019534484?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&mkrid=711-127632-2357-0&ssspo=JYyoHWyxQFy&sssrc=4429486&ssuid=5XpGce3OSuS&var=&widget_ver=artemis&media=COPY

I have just read this interesting piece on the Mike Nixon Motorcycle Project page:

'The correct procedure is to remove the bolt serving as a sealing plug on the plunger. Then put the crankshaft at TDCC (compression) on the #4 cylinder. Insert a Phillips screwdriver into the hole the plunger resides in and while pushing with moderate pressure, loosen the tensioner locknut and lockbolt, rotate the crankshaft 10 to 15 degrees, and snug the lockbolt and locknut. Release pressure on the plunger and replace its sealing bolt. This is the correct way for the CB350F, CB400F and CB/CL360. Don't use any method that includes running the engine.'

The above was the method I was told to use back in the 1980’s to adjust the tensioner but only if after adjusting the tensioner in the ‘normal’ way as described in the Haynes manual with the engine idling at a steady 1200RPM there was no difference in the sound of the engine indicating the tensioner arm was sticking (a sure sign of damage to the pivot point caused by a slack cam chain eating into it and also potentially into the top crankcase ).

So the question is who is right and what methods are used by the 400/4 collective on the forum?

Something to test the memory....

I began the overhaul of the 400/4 front brake caliper yesterday. Once I finally got it apart and after having to reconnect the overhauled master cylinder to pump brake fluid as the grease gun/air combo method refused to even budge the pad/piston from the caliper the piston finally popped out and it was immaculate, not a mark on it! The cause of the huffing and puffing was the brake pad seizing in the caliper bore. I bought a new piston and seal kit for it months ago having experienced badly corroded pistons in the past so I'll fit these and keep the old one as a spare as you do!

A mystery needs solving though, can anyone advise why Honda put a red spot on the outside of the caliper, was it used in the production line to indicate the piston and seal had been fitted? I know Honda marked important parts with a blob of yellow paint to indicate they had been torque set but why the red spot?
The paint of the caliper body was almost unmarked under the 20+ years of storage dirt and rats droppings and I intend to keep the original paint complete with the red spot; I just wish I knew what the spot was for?

Sad to report the sudden passing of Mike Harrington a couple of weeks ago.
Mike was the owner of HGB and Daytona motorcycles in Ruislip Manor, Middlesex. Although in his mid 70’s he was still actively working 4 days a week in the shops and still riding his Goldwing. 
He was a legend in West London having started HGB Motorcycles in the mid 1960’s selling British bikes. He became a Honda only dealer in 1976 at HGB and took on a Kawasaki and Suzuki franchise at Daytona motorcycles across the road and later briefly added the new Triumph range to the shop.
His family requested a motorcycle escort from the church to the crematorium. The funeral took place on Monday with about 100 bikes taking part in the escort lead by two police bikes for the 10 mile journey through west London. We passed by both shops on the route. There were a lot of locals outside the shops to pay their respects.
Anyone who knew Mike would know what a legend he was both far and wide and to all his staff who frequently would start their career in the shop and never left.
RIP Mike.