Honda-SOHC

The last time I bought some black fuel line, I got it from a large Briggs and Stratton dealership. It was quite a few years ago, but they did have a range of diameters, and it was good stuff.  You have to rewind your brain though, as it's American, it's sold by the foot!!

Solvol is fairly abrasive, that's whi it does such a good job on alloy. I would only use it very gently on small rust dots on chrome.  I use a generous dose of Zip Wax shampoo for washing, using a very soft bristled brush, hose off, leather. Then leave on prop stand to let remaining water run off. I'm fortunate in having a small compressor, so I use the blowgun at about 35PSI to remove any hidden drops of water. I then give the bike a run long enough to get the exhaust system really hot and dry on the inside.  For polishing I have always used Turtle Wax for paintwork and chrome.

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.

Just been looking at the first couple of minutes of the video, and got a fit of the giggles!! At just over 1 minute of viewing, did really hard, tough rockers actually wear Francis Barnett insignia???

I am NOT an electrician, but before you start pulling things apart, a couple of simple checks. IS the neutral light working? If you have the clutch switch fitted, try it with the lever pulled in.  With the ignition on, get an old screwdriver and bridge the two large terminals on the starter solenoid to check the starter motor, providing that the battery is fully charged!! Take the headlamp out of its shell and look for any bullet connectors that may ahave parted. If none of this works then you will have the PITA job of splitting the handlebar switch. Best of luck, Mike.

Try and make it a golden rule NOT to start the engine unless you are going to get it nice and hot. I paid the price in the 1970's on my 750, silencers rotted through in 14 months. Of course with 4 separate pipes and a large engine you are going to need some decent length journeys to achieve this. Even on my 400 I follow this regime, and I'm still running an OE system which I fitted in 2006. Merry Xmas to one and all.

Mount it on a pedestal, exhibit it in a modern art museum entitled "Tanks for the Memory - Rust in Peace".  Should fetch a decent price, then go and buy something worthwhile.

Surely the cylinders only go bang one at a time so three out of the four pipes are idle at any one moment 

I have always had a 4-1 on my bike, less clutter, lighter, cheaper, lovely sound, what's not to like 

I agree about the less clutter, lighter, comment.  The sounds of 4 pipes or 4 into 1 are both good, but definitely different. You pays your money, you takes your choice.  Some of the earlier 4 into 2 systems had numbers 1 & 2 siamesed, and 3 & 4 siamesed.  This meant that for each of those pairs you were actually putting a 2 into 1 system on a 180 degree firing arrangement, giving uneven breathing, and a not so smooth exhaust pulse/note. I remember there used to be a guy named Mick Hand who sprinted a C72 engined supercharged special, bloody quick as well.  I tried to sell him an old CB77 engine I had, but he told me that because of the uneven firing pulses of the 180 crank, the supercharging would not work. If you look at all the twins with that crank arrangement, you will see that they have twin carbs for the same reason. So, a 4 into 1 system must have 1 & 4 joined along with 2 & 3, or all 4 joining together at the same point for a smooth flow, and the correct back pressures.