Honda-SOHC

I'd do that, then run away!

When the tensioner has adjusted itself you have to tighten the bolt then tighten the locknut or the tensioner will keep moving.

Well done. Very satisfying when it runs! 👍

Quote from: Gareth taysidedragon on December 20, 2019, 02:00:51 PM

Quote from: Erwin83 on December 19, 2019, 10:00:27 PM

Cylinder 1&2 done. Now what to with the finish?
Heat resistant paint? But what color?

If it was me I would get them chromed to fit in with the headers and silencers.
If you don't want to do that it would have to be silver exhaust paint, black would look odd sandwiched between the chrome sections. Please don't wrap them with silencer bandage! One of my pet hates. 😣

I agree on the bandage 
The headers aren't really in very good condition. What if I painted them too? Black / Silver...?

Why not, it's your bike. Paint doesn't stick to chrome very well though.

.... I can often remember helping my dad out (as a small kid) and ending up with grimy oily hands. He’d make me hold ‘em out, sprinkle VIM (a white coarse Kitchen scouring powder) and then petrol - to make it a paste. Dear god it cleaned well, probably because it removed a few layers of skin...
Oddly I’ve never had ‘girly hands’ - can think why 🤔.

Vim and washing up liquid, always used that when the Swarfega ran out. ☺

I always use the kick start from cold on the old bikes, a matter of habit I suppose.

I think that I have a complete kick start for the 500/4 in my box of spares, I don't know whether the vital parts are the same as the 400?

The 500f kickstart will fit the 400 but the knuckle is much longer so sticks out more.

Since the 400 kickstart knuckles are getting harder to find and more expensive has anyone tried to repair a cracked or broken one?
There is a definite design fault on the knuckle, there is just not enough metal outside of the kickstart pivot hole. I guess with metal fatigue they will all fail eventually, if used.
If not concerned with absolute originality would it be possible to take off the chrome and weld a circular plate onto the outer face of the knuckle. This would beef up the area that breaks and spread the load over a wider area. When re-chromed it wouldn't appear much different to standard.

Demon Tweeks and other sellers of wadding say that it expands into the space when used. They sell the wadding but don't sell any kind of binding wire so maybe not required?