SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB350/400
Front brake lever
Bryanj:
Difficult to twin disc a 400 as no mountings on second slider, i believe there were some castings made years ago for it.
Mikep328:
My 400F is my primary ride in the UK so it's seen a lot of use. I've ridden in the wet - though not pouring rain - and my best "statement" about the brakes overall is that I don't even think about them when riding. After doing the re-work AND the break in procedure for new pads that you (OddJ) so kindly posted back then, it stops with no issue/concern when I need it to stop! :)
Oddjob:
Bedding new pads in correctly can dramatically improve these old systems. Whilst the 400 isn’t that easy to twin disc the 500/550/750 which use the same setup are. I could lock the front wheel on my 500 if I used it hard. I did find the stainless steel discs suffered with water film and severely impacted braking performance as a result. However this was 30 odd years ago and things might have improved since then.
Glad to hear it’s working well for you Mike.
Laverda Dave:
As Mick says they do feel wooden with virtually no feel even when set UK correctly.
The last 400/4 I worked on had air trapped in the line that refused to budge. In the end I pull the lever back as far as I could and zip tied it to the handlebar, took the reservoir cap off and left it overnight, it worked.
As for the new rubber lines, I'm pretty sure genuine Honda items actually contain steel braiding sandwiched between two layers of rubber and they shouldn't expand.
TrickyMicky:
One of the not uncommon features regarding older vehicles, (2 or 4 wheels), is that nowadays they are being driven by people of all age groups, so there are differing expectations as to what is an acceptable level of performance. Being an old 'wrinkly git' I was brought up with the idea of firm/hard braking required firm/hard input from the driver. This method, when used with a well set up hydraulic or mechanical system gave great feedback through the lever/pedal. My first vehicle with a so-called powerful brake was a 1969 CB250 with a twin LS front brake, which I soon learnt not to apply too suddenly!! Bloody useless though when trying to stop the bike rolling backwards down a slope. I never had a car licence until I took my test in 1969 on a London Transport bus. Very satisfying, but the early type air brakes felt peculiar at first, it was just like pressing your foot on a firm rubber ball. Because there was no mechanical connection between the pedal and the brake shoes, the only feedback you got was from the seat of your pants. ABS had not been invented then, so I was taught the art of cadence braking on the skid patch in West London. Moving on, my present car, a 14 year old Peugeot is the first car I have owned with ABS. The irony of this being that 3 days ago, the ABS warning light illuminated, and stayed on. To me this is not too much of a problem, as it still possesses a working brake system like I have been used to. BUT!!! it will not pass the MOT. My GB250 is fitted with one of those 2 piston front calipers, which yes, is quite powerful, but has a vastly different lever feel to the 400, quite soft in fact. When I took it for its MOT, I queried it with the tester, and he replied that it was a perfectly set up brake. I realise that I have deviated somewhat from the original post, so, is there any progress on the offending front brake? It'll soon be spring, when the dust sheets can be removed from the bikes and placed over the model railway!! Stay safe everyone.
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