New Member

[Bradders]

Hi All,
Am a new member on this forum and have been researching about buying a 400 Four in the next 6 months or so.
I am not a mechanic by a very long shot but can do very basic services etc. I get the impression that many people on this forum are very mechanically minded.
I guess my question is do you need to be someone mechanically minded to own and run a Classic bike or would I be permanently taking it to my local Honda dealer for expensive repairs?

[Nurse Julie]

Welcome to the forum Bradders. You would be lucky to find a Honda dealer that will even touch these old bikes these days. Many dealers do not have the knowledge or skills to work on these bikes, this is why so many of us maintain our own. Not only does it keep the cost down of running a CB400/4, or any other Honda SOHC/4 but it's all part of owning a classic bike. Basic maintenance is easy when you know how and there are plenty 400/4 owners on here that will help you along the way. Good luck.

[Bryanj]

If you have and can use metric spanners, 3/8 drive sockets, allen keys and circlip pliers you can, with a manual and the knowledge on here, totaly strip and rebuild reliably one of these bikes. Most Honda dealers will no longer work on them as the "new" mechanics have never seen one!

[Bradders]

Thank you for your encouraging replies.
I would buy as near to totally restored as possible in the hope that it would be reliable.
Are 400 Fours generally reliable if looked after would you say?

[Nurse Julie]

Thank you for your encouraging replies.
I would buy as near to totally restored as possible in the hope that it would be reliable.
Are 400 Fours generally reliable if looked after would you say?

They are extremely reliable if basic maintenance is carried out regularly. Be wary of restored bikes, there is 'restored' and there is 'restored'.....the two being a million miles apart and also a vast amount of money apart, not necessarily on the price you pay for the bike but the unforseen costs involved after you have bought the bike.

[jon stead]

Welcome to the forum Bradders. Good luck in your 400/4 search

[Bradders]

Thank you all for your replies. What advice would you offer in buying a 400 Four?

[Nurse Julie]

Thank you all for your replies. What advice would you offer in buying a 400 Four?

That sounds just like a job interview 😀😀😀
Do your research and homework so you know exactly what you are looking at as even though a lot of bikes are advertised for sale as 'totally original' or 'totally restored' they are not and you need to know what parts are correct or incorrect. Don't fall for the line 'the carbs just need balancing' when the engine is very noisy, if it were that simple why hasn't the seller done it. There is no such thing as a 'cheap' Honda SOHC/4, if it's cheap, there is something wrong with it. But, conversely, it doesn't mean to say that an expensive one is correct either. Same old same old, buyer beware.

[Allington (Steve)]

Welcome Bradders. You will get loads of help here. Good luck with your search.

[Moorey]

Welcome to the forum and good luck in finding the right bike. If you do it will be a joy. If not it can be turned into one.

[Laverda Dave]

Welcome to the forum and have fun. Don't worry about working on your bike, there's lots of advice on here.
If you haven't yet bought a 400/4 yet James has a really nice 350/4 for sale. Look under the bikes for sale section, it's a very recent post with photos.

[Laverda Dave]

Here you go:
http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,17821.0.html

[Trigger]

Welcome to the mad world of the SOHC, 350 four's and 400 four's are worlds apart 

[philward]

Welcome Bradders - you'll be fine maintaining a 400 with the forums help - key is getting the right bike so consult the experts on hear prior to purchase - good luck

Sent from my Moto G (5) using Tapatalk

[dave400]

Here you go:
http://www.sohc.co.uk/index.php/topic,17821.0.html

I’d hold out and find a decent 400 for that kind of money.....Dave