Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => CB350/400 => Topic started by: Drew400 on March 29, 2015, 05:53:58 PM
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...captured on video!
www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6deA9X3ZCE
Thanks all for your considerable involvement in this project!
D.
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Drew, That is sweeeeeet ;)
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Lovely to see the finished result, it was really worth the journey and hope it carries you on many more. I've just raised a glass to you and the stunning restoration 8)
Good on yer!
Ian
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Hey Drew,
Really neat! Well done - that smile on the first ride is priceless ;D
Frisky
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Well done Drew, a fabulous feeling when you've completely rebuilt the bike, and it starts so easily and runs so sweet:)) Take care on it, and dont forget to do oil and filter after 3-500 miles, gives all your hard work a great start in it's new life.
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Thank you all, what lovely sentiments!
Indeed I am planning an oil change (and check timing, cam chain tension, etc.) soon.
Brought the keys in from the garage this afternoon for the first time in ages!
Cheers, D.
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Great looking bike.
If mine turns out half as good as yours I'll be really pleased :)
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Well done Drew, the bike looks lovely. And the smile on your face says it all.
Happy riding
Julie x
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Thanks Tim & Julie.
Just watched MotoGP too... what a day, what a race!
Cheers, D.
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Congrats! Looks real nice. Hope mine turns out half as nice ;)
Ryan.
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Looks fab Drew credit to you.
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Thanks chaps.
Now that the bike's pretty much finished (and let's face it, it's never 'finished') I can look forward to all those household DIY jobs that I've been neglecting. Oh joy!
Cheers,
D.
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Drew,
What you need now is another project. ;D
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After watching that clip,thats just the incentive I needed to re-start my 400/4 project. :)
Well done Drew,nice one. :) :)
Kenny.
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Drew
Bloody good job
Best of luck
Bitsa
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Nice one Drew, the bike is a credit to you, have fun and keep it shiny side up.
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Beautiful... Honda just got everything so right on this bike.
Well done Drew.
Everytime I walk upto mine it's like being back in 1978, having just collected it from the showroom.
What a bloody dinosaur...
Simon
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Hi all,
Thanks again for your kind words.... nearly in tears here!
Sadly, I never owned a SOHC in 70's/80's, but I admired plenty of them. Not least my mate's brown 550K that accompanied me and my Suzuki T500 to Land's End & J'OG. He got a lot more miles from his fuel than I did!
Anyhow, made up for that now and 'made up' too. Bike's starting its (long, dry) retirement before I do.
Next step MOT and then the open road..... (and maybe another project)
Cheers, D. (stands for Dinosaur)
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Hi Drew,
Your grin can only get bigger-well done!---Ken
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Well done Drew !
The bike looks and sounds great definitely a source of inspiration for me !
Andy
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Thanks chaps.
Will get the insurance sorted soon!
Cheers, D.
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Congratulation Drew! Another classic Honda saved from the scrappy and an excellent bit of video too ;).
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Personally I think they're beautifully balanced looking bike (from the RHS at least - what's not to love about the swooping headers?). And that's coming from a die-hard lover of the 750's...
Drew - you've done an amazing job on your restoration and should be rightly proud. Well done mate.
Go on then OddJob surprise us - what's your mysterious favourite?
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Sorry OddJob... very remiss of me (!)... now amended to...
"Pesonally, I reckon Honda just about got everything so right on this bike."
I'll choose my words more carefully in future!
Simon
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Thanks for the comments and compliments, chaps.
I have no expertise to discuss tensioner engineering, but I do agree with the general style comment that 4 into anything else usually looks better than 4 into 1 (sorry 750F fans). However, even though the the 400 design was apparently a correction for an engineering problem (apocryphal story perhaps?), the bike has subsequently acquired iconic status as a result. The beauty of the header pipes has defied the aging process of all other aspects of the bike and many other bikes too.
As mentioned it's my first SOHC, despite being a fan for a long time. Maybe one day I'll get a 4 into 4.
In the meantime, I did have a C50. Fond memories of arriving for my first date with my now Mrs. after the Yamaha XS1100 she was expecting (to impress her dad) rolled off the stand with a rear puncture. No chance of pulling it back up to effect a repair; especially with by best clothes & smelly on under my bike gear and after a bath too! Yup, the C50, ultra-reliabe, albeit after getting used to the front suspension-induced sea sickness!
Puncture was a good excuse to go back for a 2nd date on the following day on a pretty impressive big bike!
Cheers,
D.
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That bike looks an absolute peach.....unfortunately I'm at the beginning with a rusty wreck.......but I'm already thinking about the finishing line.
What I would like to know though is.......what tyres do you have on your bike?
That front ribbed looks just right....along with the rest of it.
Mick.............kettle738
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I have a greeves scottish trial bike....now that suspension rocks...lwhen you use the front brake the suspension lifts?
Bike looks great by the way
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great resto on the 400,back in the mid 70's,I had a choice,
a new 400.or an as new s/h 500,off a close mate,
I decided on the 500,and still have it,
going on to the forks on C50,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motorcycle_fork
are they modified Earls forks ??
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Drew
Only just spotted thread - really nice job. I remember that feeling and smile when 750 started after rebuild - wish I'd have recorded it for posterity like you.
Well done!
Phil
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Hi all, your appreciation is much appreciated. As are the various threads this thread seems to be spawning.
First proper ride is still over a week away, assuming she passes the MOT... looking forward to that!
Cheers,
D.
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Sorry Kettle, forgot to answer your tyre question.
Both front and rear are from DSS:
F - https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB400F-SUPER-SPORT-FOUR/part_190628/
R - https://www.davidsilverspares.co.uk/CB400F-SUPER-SPORT-FOUR/part_190645/
Total around £100 for both inc VAT & postage.
Cheers, D.
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May be worth trying DK for those tyres they are main stockists for them.
I am going to fit them to my 400/4 and CB250SS and CB350K1 (all same size i.e 3.00x18 front, 3.50 x 18 rear) so that with be 3 sets so interested on a deal on them if anyone else knows the cheapest place. What does everyone use on early 750's as TT100's don't look 'period', as I also need a set for my K0 750 as well.
Ash.
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I have a Metzeler ME 77 on the back . So have just ordered a ME11 for the front. Only £52 delivered 😊.
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Thanks for the tyre info Drew......I'd seen those at DSS but never properly looked at them.
Re tyres for the CB750.......I used a set of Dunlop Gold Seals from Z Power on my K0.
https://www.z-power.co.uk/merchantmanager/product_info.php?products_id=1559
They are nominally the correct size and have the 70s tread pattern similar to the originals, but to my eye look slightly oversized.
Mick............kettle738
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I still think the Continental RB2 and k112 are the best bet.
I'm guessing James agrees as Iv noticed he's fitting them to that old kwaka ;)
Mick
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Hi Drew,
Dont suppose you were out on that lovely bike somewhere vaguely near Bampton in North Devon late this afternoon? I was out on my (red) 400-4 having a fabulous thrash and I'm sure a 400-4 was going the other way (I was heading westish so the other was heading eastish) and it looked awfully like yours.
Cheers,
Dave
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Hi Dave,
Not me: been nowhere for a while as I have a small exhaust problem that I will publish on here soon. Probably be raining when I finally do get my MOT!
I did see a like bike when I was out on mine a couple of years back around the Chew Valley area. Was that you?
Let's make a pact: next time it happens, we'll flag the other person down and find out who the ghostly 400 rider is!
Cheers, D.
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This did occur to me a while back - they are not that common seen out in the wild, we could have an SOHC sightings thread !
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Ah .. shame your missing this lovely weather. That would not have been me as only got bike in 2013 and rebuilt engine later that year / early 2014.
Agree need to flag down:)
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Hello again all,
Apologies for the elongated delay in updating this thread.
Some will recall I posted some pictures of my lovely newly re-chromed original headers/collector that I was delighted with. They looked good on my little video too.
A few days later I decided to warm up the bike to adjust the cam chain tensioner. After about 2 minutes I looked down the front to see if there were any gas leaks around the exhaust fins only to watch the header pipes change colour and bubble up liquid-like! The photo says it all. I wasn't happy.
I contacted Chromefix who explained that double-skinned exhausts sometimes have micro-pores that trap acids between the layers (if I understood that correctly) and that is probably what caused my problem. Naturally they agreed to do it again at no cost.
Whilst it would have been good to know the risks beforehand (or would it?) I decided not to post anything here until I got them back. As you may have gathered by now, they're back on the bike. It's passed it's MOT and after a 20 mile ride home again, they still look damned good!
Thus, Chromefix's reputation remains in tact and they are clearly aware of the issue and how to correct it (they have a 400/4 on their website home page).
I created a couple of problems of my own too: after lots of messing about with the starter motor, I forgot to replace the oil seal. Also, got my copper head washers mixed up and managed to pinch the head breather pipe. Result = lots of oil all over the floor of the MOT place!
Any way, as mentioned the bike's now home, taxed, MOT'd, insured... and it's pissing down... what joy!
p.s. Now got a brake fluid leak, but that's under the category of general maintenance rather than restoration.
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Glad you are pretty much sorted Drew - now you just need the sun to come out! 8)
Where is the fluid leak - somewhere simple to fix like a joint or elsewhere?
Oh, and you will be able to change the 'Half way through renovating a CB400/4' bit of your profile now :) :)
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Ha ha, good spot Chris, will do.
Leak is from the brake light switch, I think... we'll see!
Cheers, D.
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Good news Drew ... and the weather looks promising over the weekend down 'ere .. so hopefully you'll get out.
I have just completed a (year long) renovation (my first complete one - my first anything was the 400-4 engine last year) of another 70's bike - Suzuki GT550 - and I've just got my MOT this week too .. feels sooo good to get to this stage (I too have had a few issues .. dont we always .. but pretty much sorted now) .. I guess if it was too easy it wouldn't be so rewarding (I keep telling myself that anyway!!).
Good luck with maiden voyages!
Cheers,
Dave
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Thanks Dave,
Empathy indeed!
Cheers, D.
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Please Drew, make sure you sort that brake fluid leak before you go riding it again, safety first, especially when it's the front brake, which provides 90% of the braking force you need on a bike like that! Anyone who doubts that fact, try riding using just the rear brake (Very carefully!) it's not a nice experience
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Thanks Hairy,
I'm well aware of that, but no harm being reminded.
Cheers, D.
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....back in the 70's I used to ride my 400F from 'alifax to Leeds / visit my g/f (= wife now) in St James Hospital, nurses home. Used to park it underneath a fire escape... one night got back to it and some effing low-life had cut the brake hose. Not a nice experience riding 20+ miles back on the M62; thence all the bloody hills abouts 'alifax...
To this day I'd like to meet the git, and simply ask, "Why?" Arsehole.
S
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....back in the 70's I used to ride my 400F from 'alifax to Leeds / visit my g/f (= wife now) in St James Hospital, nurses home. Used to park it underneath a fire escape... one night got back to it and some effing low-life had cut the brake hose. Not a nice experience riding 20+ miles back on the M62; thence all the bloody hills abouts 'alifax...
To this day I'd like to meet the git, and simply ask, "Why?" Arsehole.
S
Same happened to me with my CD175 sloper. Once visited Durham with G/F (now wife), which I always thought as a nice quiet place. After owning the bike for two years and leaving it outside in the back streets of Hull, Newcastle and Sunderland nobody touched it,. On returning to the bike some lowlife in Durham had taken the side cover off, ripped out the battery and chucked it in the hedge. sadly, you would never leave a bike out in a back street all night any more and expect it to be there the next day.
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On the subject of thieving scumbags, I went to visit my mum in Hastings on my 750F1 a few years ago (500mile round trip from here) Parked in the seafront carpark, came back 3 hours later, and some lowlife had stolen the front caliper, in broad daylight. Sadly Hastings council which has cctv in the car park, doesn't cover the motorcycle parking bays The good old R.A.C. took the bike back to Devon for me, but it took more tham 4 months to find a replacement caliper that was salvageable. A few weeks after I got it sorted D.S. started selling repro ones for the F1 ! This is certainly the impression I have of hasting and st. Leonards
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Things have moved on a bit in Hastings since then Hairy............they now nick the whole bike, so a lot less aggrivation for the rider in the long run ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Gosh, looking back on this thread, it was March when I fired up the old girl after 19 months of restoration work, much of which required your most appreciated help.
It then took me until August to send it to the MOT chaps, after all the chrome problems previously shared.
A whole load of other priorities later (like buying a helmet to replace my 20 years old one, doh!) and here we are almost 2 years to the day that I started stripping her down, and I've commuted to work! She's parked outside the office in a motorcycle shelter looking very small, very clean and very classy (surrounded huge over-faired BMWs etc.)
Not much of a value-add in terms of this forum, but just wanted to share the love (especially for anyone else out there who's still working on their Jap money pit and a long way yet from their next ride).
All this just in time for winter! Hey ho.
Cheers all,
D.
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Well done Drew, I bet she looks just lovely sitting out there. Now......tell us all about your next resto project ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
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Well done Drew. Makes it all worth while . Used mine a few times for work and always got some complements.
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Hi both and thank you.
On the way home I stopped by the chap who ground my crankshaft and bored my barrels. He was delighted (as he normally only sees the insides of engines rather than the finished thing... and never hears them running)!
All neatly tucked away in my garage now.
Next project, hmmm?
D.
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Great! I've just purchased my next project. Not a SOHC I'm afraid. A 1987 VF500. Not the basket case my 400 was but still quite a bit of work to do .
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