Honda-SOHC

Yes, I've seen lots of ads for 'ideal winter project'  I think making a big fallen tree (not many of those in Orkney) fit our wood burner by chopping wood might be my idea of such a project.  I wonder if the ads marked 'unfinished project' are caused by the first ads.  That said, I am doing a few jobs in the Workshop and have just successfully stopped a myriad small air leaks on my compressor as I got fed up with it starting up so often and even turned over the disc valves for another 40 years abuse - should see me out!
Ian

Seems like a possibility that it's the same Eric, certainly the pic of the MD of Knutsford Honda looks like him, perhaps a little more rounded 🤓 Even the showroom looks like an improved and extended version of how I remember it.  It was on the left side of the road from the M6 towards Tatton Park just after you have crossed over the M56, A556 I think.
I remember him doing an 'end over end' on his own nearly new GL 1500.  When he was starting up with Custom Accessories he operated from his own garage for a while and used to invite Cheshire Wings and our crowd from Lancs and Lakes Wings to go and buy tinsel (not for me though, I prefer mine standard)
I remember other bikes in his garage, but paid little or no attention to them, except to notice they were immaculate - perhaps one was a sandcast?
Ian

Just found the part in the 400/4 parts list described correctly, unlike Haynes, as 'piece, oil lock' with part number
51432-369-000. Is that your part number?

Checked my early 350/4 parts list and they are a different setup, apologies to anyone if I misled you by saying 350 and 400 are the same - they ain't.

Ian

Just found your part number for GL1000
51432-371-003
So they are different size but similar in appearance

You are more than welcome Nigel, that's what this forum is all about.  Yes, Ash, Ritchie's and Fred Winters, them were t'days!  I'm still good friends with David and Pat Willingham and they eventually bought Fred Winters old place. When they sold up David had to excavate thousands of tons of contaminated earth from First Lane and have it disposed of before he was allowed to vacate the place.
Christine ran the Lotus Elan plus 2 for a good while before moving it on.  LOTUS - lots of trouble usually serious!  Colin Chapman only built them strong enough to get to the end of a race and no more. Worth cracking money now though!

No good borrowing my glasses ka-Ja, they're that thick that you need good eyesight just to see through 'em.
Ian

Hopefully, everyone's a winner that way,
Ian

I certainly agree with ST on that one, a real shame to alter what is heading towards a great bike.
Is it possible to persuade the owner to let you finish it and then sell it for strong money to finance a cafe job built from cheap non standard stuff?  He could end up with exactly what he wants for less overall outlay and someone else gets a nice useable classic.
Plenty of frames with V5 out there and enough bits around to satisfy his needs, I would have thought.

Ian

Very true bryan ..They are indeed a law unto themselves. .
My dealings with them range from the simplest task turning into a nightmare to what you would have thought was going to be a right pain turning out to be one simple phone call.
In the new year I will try the hadleigh custom bike that is dated 01/01/75 as I want to get that out again this year anyway to use.
I will report back with what occurs..

For some obscure reason this rolling program only rolls on from 1st April, so my May 75 tagged GL 1000 will only qualify for historic status after April 2016, the nice lady told me after pressing 79 different options.  Another DVLA quirk is that if your machine is Sorned (which mine is at present) then you have to tax it first before applying for change of taxation class and you will lose a month.  So that means my GL will be 41 years old when I get free tax, wtf?
Exactly the same thing happened with my 400/4 but they mysteriously sat on my application (perhaps that's how they read them?) and I lost a further 3 months till it surfaced, even though I had proof of posting date - aargh!!
Mind you, as they had originally put back the reg date on this import to 1974 and gave it an M reg, it's one of the few historic status 400/4's around.  T'other cockup they made was using 398 as the capacity, so I've more than had my money.
Ian