Honda-SOHC

I've just replaced the plates on my clutch. Everything was going great until I tightened the clutch centre castle nut. The torque settings I understand should be in the range 29 lb ft to 32.6 lb ft (CB400F).

However, I am unable to get any of the locking washer "tangs" to align. If I start at 29 lb ft and increase the torque in increments to 32.6 lb ft, non of the tangs will align.

I can get a tang to align at 26 lb ft and another at around 35 lb ft.

When I stripped the clutch down, the tangs were not aligned. The PO had just bent a tang upwards with half in the recess and half outside! So it appears they had set at a recommended torque setting and just bashed the hell out of a tang for a partial lock.

So my questions:

(1) are my torque settings correct for a CB400F (29 lb ft to 32.6 lb ft)?
(2) if correct, any ideas why I cannot get a single tang to align between 29 lb ft and 32.6 lb ft?
(3) can I (should I) use a lower (26 lb ft) or higher (35 lb ft) to facilitate alignment

Thanks

Dave

> Give us a clue on the grades of paper used... the tools... the time.

I originally bought 220, 600, 1000, 1500, 2000 and 2500 grades of wet and dry to get me going.  The first item I tackled was the crankcase cover. However, after stripping off the paint (using Synstryp) I could see the surface was pitted:

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I needed to cut a little deeper so got some 80 and 120. I got 10 sheets of each grade. However, it is clear now you tend to spend more time / paper using the rougher grades to resurface. I didn't use any power tools as I was a little nervous about  damaging the alloy - maybe you could? But played it safe anyway. By the time you have finished with the 220 grade you should aim to have an unblemished surface (although it will look scratched!). I would say 600 onwards it starts looking quite sweet.

Use circular motions when you can. I didn't actually use water with my wet and dry - I left it dry after seeing a few videos on you tube. It worked for me but maybe other people have a different point of view. I didn't really spend too much time on 1000 and above. I wanted to surface to look really smooth but not super shiny.

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In terms of time taken, I did it over a number of days. I think the longest session was about 3 hours. More than that and I started to lose the will to live - short 2 hour sessions worked really well for me. Altogether, it maybe took 8 to 10 hours (including stripping the paint) to finish the above. Most of that time was spent in the early stages (80, 120 and 220) and this is the hardest work. 

When you get to the later stages, you might see area that needs to be revisited (perhaps you have still a scratch from rougher grades or a blemish you want to take out). If you see such an area, you will need to start again moving from rough to fine. Just rubbing harder with 800 or 1000 will not do much at this point.

This is the first time I have done this and really pleased with the results. It's not perfect but looks very authentic and honest.  It will oxidise over time but it really should not take long to bring the surface back up using something like autosol.  In short, it shouldn't require any more attention than any other parts of the bike - like forks or bright work.

Hope that is of some help Simon...

Dave

Hi Nigel

I'm originally from Darlington so know the Northallerton area pretty well (a mate of mine used to live in Brompton). Lived in Saltburn for about 20 years now. You are right, some great roads...

Dave

Thanks to everyone for all the hints and tips. Very much appreciated...

Dave

Blimey! How pink can you go. That poor pillion as well...

I just thought I would post my experience with the front disc squealing on my CB400F. The squeal has been particularly bad since I bought the bike. Very bad. In fact, it was so bad that I was unconsciously modifying my riding behaviour to compensate!

My first steps in tackling the problem was to go through a comprehensive list of recommendations that can be found elsewhere on the forum. New pads, ensuring the caliper was free to move and properly set up, bleeding the brake, de-glazing the disc with sandpaper and so on.  I noticed a slight improvement when I de-glazed the disc. But it was only a slight improvement and the effects didn’t last for long.

It got me thinking though. What if the glazed disc was behaving in a similar way to running a wet finger over a wine glass. The “slippy / grippy” nature of the pads against the glazed disc were causing the disc to squeal.

I removed the disc from the bike and could see as well as being glazed is was also very pitted. You can’t really see the pitting from a distance but on closer inspection it was very apparent.  To be fair, it is 45 years old.

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No amount of sandpaper or elbow grease was going to sort it out. I thought of perhaps getting the brake skimmed in some way but after some consideration I decided to buy a new ABE disc which was sourced from David Silver. It was a fair amount of money, but (a) we probably spend more on making our bikes shiny and (b) it’s the front disc! A pretty important component when considering the important line between riding and death ;-)

I installed the new disc and it has cured the squeal problem completely! No squeal whatsoever. Nothing.

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Of course, I am not suggesting that anyone with this problem should go out and buy a new disc. However, if you find yourself in a situation where you have set up all of the braking system correctly and still have the squeal problem – de-glazing in some way may work for you also.

I should also add I am now regularly cleaning the new disc with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to stop the nasty stuff building up again…

Dave

Yes, pretty close - about 50 minutes ride (and a nice ride it is too). At the moment the auctions are online / phone only - so hopefully things will be better for next year when you take a trip. If you make it up and have the time, give me a shout...

...and I will certainly pay attention to Nurse Julie! She has been very helpful already...