Honda-SOHC

And the E Types in the "Italian Job". Mind you they were all rust buckets anyway so it didn't matter.

As has been said, if the bike has been restored to as good as new and someone wants a 44 year old model (and who doesn't!) then one is available and good luck to them.

I might be wrong but I thought the E types that were tipped down the mountain were all supplied new by jaguar but had no engines or gdrive train in them so they would tumble down for the camera!

Thanks Julie I managed to separate the oval outlet pipe with a narrow paint scraper and a small lever without damaging anything.

I wonder if you can buy the small rubber pads/grommets shown in photo?
https://flic.kr/p/2k5c88X


.

As nice as it can be for a 400/4 and i never liked them, Frank is just a greedy bugger. Best four for me will always be the 350/4, love these more than my Zed thou.

Being just over 6ft with my height due to long legs rather than a long trunk I find the 400/4 a bit on the small side.

Just been through this post - I like what you have done to the bike it looks really cool a nice mix of modern & classic DNA- the taped manifolds is this to help with heat dissipation? Nice sound on the video.

Lastly I like the B&W plates but as an ex-copper can't see why you think they are legal unless you motor was first registered before January 1973.

OK, it's an expensive motorcycle but then so are most current bikes for what they really are. If it's as good as advertised then it's a really nice restored example of a highly regarded machine. I bought mine new in 1976 and loved it, but it wasn't all that original by the time I sold it in 1980 with 35+k miles on it. Like all classic vehicles we buy them because we regret selling one, they remind us of our youth or simply because we can now afford those few nice toys. It's an expensive hobby and if you think the cost is too high then find another.

It's the same theme at work with Classic Cars, Pedal Cycles etc it's driven by many factors including "Nostalgia", as you say trying to "regain lost youth" plus in many cases finally buying what you could not afford when you were young or coveted what a friend had.

I so wish I still had my 250 cc Maico Letta Scooter in Yellow & Black I looked at a few online but none had the lovely screen that mine had with a badge bar full of fog lamps. It's a shame the only one photo I had of her was lost in our house fire.

Before settling on the Honda 400/4 I fancied an Ariel Leader having owned two in the 1960's (restored ones are not that expensive).  One of my best mates restored one himself, he was very disappointed when he finally rode it - slow with poor brakes plus a pig to start from cold. Strange how we airbrush the negatives from our memories. He sold it at a loss having only done an oily rag restoration but spent big time on the engine.

Clearly the 205 psi reading is unlikely to be accurate. The gauge was less than £12 so it's a relative rather than absolute.

I have finally begun to strip down the bike ready for removing the engine.

I'm struggling to remove the steel box frame that makes up the battery box & air filter box. Can this be removed from the frame without taking out the rear wheel?

There is a hardened rubber section around the oval air filter box that has been all painted over with Hamerited is this part of the air box or does it come off?

So far I've not managed to get it out - is there a secret way?