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CB350/400 / New Project
« on: April 08, 2013, 02:45:02 PM »
This is just a brief 'hello' and a warning that I'm probably soon going to be asking loads of questions....
I've just rescued a '77 CB400F from outside a colleague's house where it had sat unused for the last 7 years:
Before it was yellow it was red.....and before it was red it was blue.... 57k miles on the clock - it's had a rebore at some point apparently plus a new rear hub (and the rim isn't original) because the rear brake wore it too much. Motad exhaust that apparently "appeared mysteriously when the bike went in for work once" in place of the original (shame) and Koni shocks that pre-date my colleague's ownership. Maybe they can be rebuilt?
Aside from a disintegrated seat base it's not in bad condition considering it has lived outdoors for at least the last 18 years (the length of my colleague's ownership). First job is to strip the carbs and get them ultrasonically cleaned, then rebuild them - currently the thottle mecahnism is seized. After an oil change I'll then see whether/how it runs and take it from there but I'm hoping to have it on the road for the summer. Whenever that happens this year.
Any advice for getting a long-dormant bike back to life would be welcome
First question - what's the accepted method for re-finishing the steel parts of the carb assembly like the choke lever?
I'll get the carbs themselves cleaned to an as-new finish so don't want to re-fit rusty bits to them. What finish should they have - passive/bright zinc coated?
I've just rescued a '77 CB400F from outside a colleague's house where it had sat unused for the last 7 years:
Before it was yellow it was red.....and before it was red it was blue.... 57k miles on the clock - it's had a rebore at some point apparently plus a new rear hub (and the rim isn't original) because the rear brake wore it too much. Motad exhaust that apparently "appeared mysteriously when the bike went in for work once" in place of the original (shame) and Koni shocks that pre-date my colleague's ownership. Maybe they can be rebuilt?
Aside from a disintegrated seat base it's not in bad condition considering it has lived outdoors for at least the last 18 years (the length of my colleague's ownership). First job is to strip the carbs and get them ultrasonically cleaned, then rebuild them - currently the thottle mecahnism is seized. After an oil change I'll then see whether/how it runs and take it from there but I'm hoping to have it on the road for the summer. Whenever that happens this year.
Any advice for getting a long-dormant bike back to life would be welcome
First question - what's the accepted method for re-finishing the steel parts of the carb assembly like the choke lever?
I'll get the carbs themselves cleaned to an as-new finish so don't want to re-fit rusty bits to them. What finish should they have - passive/bright zinc coated?
