Any advice on what to fettle first on a 400 4?

Just bought one because it was the right colour and probably not the
right price. Anyway; it makes a strange clunk when you brake that sounds
like its coming from the front wheel. The disk brake and its bits look
OK and the steering head bearings seem to be all right. Something in the
fork?
It had been off the road for 3 years except for occasional start ups and
rides round the yard.

 

Loose nut holding the handlebars.

 

Check that the swinging arm caliper, one of Honda's less bright ideas,
is bolted to the left-hand fork leg properly.

The two left-hand mudguard bolts actually perform a key function in
holding the caliper on, dear Christ, and it's not unknown for people to
shear off the bolts and ignore it because, what the ****, it's only a
mudguard and there are two bolts on the other side, right?

I assume the wheel spindle is nice and tight.

Other than that, the key things include the camchain tensioner (always
seizes, can be manually adjusted with the 'screwdriver down the blanking
hole' trick. Carb balancing, or the clutch rattles like you would not
believe.

Squint at the camchain tensioner locknut bolt on the front of the block,
down by the front engine mounting plates. If it isn't a tiny little 10mm
headed bolt, but some 12 or even 13mm thing, start worrying, because
some twonk's bodged it.

Oil filter bolt, on the front of the crankcases. OE is 12mm, and always
gets rounded off. 17mm headed aftermarket bolts are Good Things.

Fuse box, behind the left hand side panel. Pop off the cover, and be
prepared for a large hole where something has shorted out and burned
through the plastic.

Other than that, as long as it is running sweetly, given regular and
frequent oil changes, it'll continue to do so. Tough engines.

 

In message <1imgh39.9i6uo3h4mmelN%>, The

Ooh. Doesn't sound so bad
I'm picking it up in the morning so I should have a better idea by
tomorrow night what is wrong and right on it.

Cheers for the pointers.

 

If it turns out to be a woof-woof, don't worry. They are worth fortunes
as breakers. Absolutely everyone wants the parts.

I've just bought a £500 one and sold every single component, including
the rolling chassis and engine whch was all that was left by the time
I'd taken off all the bits that are really in the want, in one load of
10-day Ebay auctions.

In parts, it went for £1200.

 

In message <1imgh39.9i6uo3h4mmelN%>, The
1975 31k All the manuals, toolkits old mots etc.
Sounds lovely. Doesn't appear to have any strange cam chain noises but
tbh I have no idea what that would sound like really.

Everything is original except the rear mudguard which is a fibreglass
item; the front mudguard and the chain guard whilst sound have been
sprayed to match the silver/grey finish on the rear guard and to cover
up some pitting.
Rims have been respoked but it all looks OK.

Sounds OK to me.

The pipes heat up together and again I cant detect any clutch rattle but
once again I'm not sure I'd know.

Still a nice 10mm

Original 12mm ever so slightly rounded

Ah!
New fuse box


Bad stuff just seems to be the clunk in the fork area, wont tick over
very well and takes a bit of starting if it stops when hot.

Other than that I think I'm happy

http://tinyurl.com/6y6dg4


So...Paid 660 quid for it; was I robbed?

 

Heh. Told you!

No, you did very well. That's tidy. Original exhaust in lovely nick -
tha's £400 these days.

The chrome guards - par for the course to repaint 'em. New front guards
are available at around £150. New rear ones are unobtainium. I just sold
a superb condition used one for £200.

Re the poor starting - that'll be clogged pilot jets, probably. It could
benefit from a complete carb overhaul but that costs.

 

Well looked it all over and decided it might be good for an MOT.
It failed only on the rear shocks which was a surprise as I expected the
crack in the top of the left hand slider (it appears as if someone tried
to use a piece of railway line to change the seal?) where fork oil weeps
past the seal to be the one that failed it.
Ah well ne'er mind; I'll be changing the slider when I do the fork oil,
seals and greasing up that funny swing arm thingies hinge pin.
Any recommendation on what weight fork oil?
The brake fluid is very dark so that can be changed along with the
engine oil. The chain looks OK but you can push it from side to side a
loooong way.
Are there any 'O' ring chains I can use or do I need to get the old
school type?
I need to sync the carbs but I think I've sorted the idling out by
increasing its speed to 1200rpm; was a bit slow before

Sorry for babbling but TBH I'm a bit chuffed with it.

P.S. Anyone want to sell some forks?

 

Any old crap will do.

1200-1400rpm is about right. Below that, and the clutch chunters like
mad.

A set of carb gauges is a good investment, mind, as they do go out of
synch with depressing regularity.

 

Talking of chains and doing up old bikes TOG. Apparently the PO of my
GPz550 had a new 'O' chain and sprocket set put on about 100 miles / 3
years ago.

Looking at the rear sprocket and feeling most of the chain that's
probably about right. However, one link (and not the joining link)
feels very different?

If you try to bend any other part of the chain sideways it's all
pretty stiff. This one link feels like it's hinged by comparison?

In fact while I'm typing this I'm wondering if the guy that fitted it
needed an extra link and used one off the old chain (which the MOT guy
had declared 'bad').

Fit a new chain anyway and if so would "any old crap chain" also do
for this 550 do you think please?

 

Yes.

 

Ta ;-)

 

I thought it was too good to be true
It's not charging.
I've got me multimeter out and the stator and field coils read knackered

It could possibly be the wires themselves chewed up behind the
sprocket/starter cover I suppose. I cant see anything adrift behind the
alternator cover.
I guess alternators for cb400 four's are pretty rare now?

 

Nah, they're easy to find. Cheap too. Check the connector block first,
though.

 

Dismantled things; took readings that again indicated 'broken' field and
stator coils. Brother turns up who fixes cars informs me that readings
on coils can be very misleading and can he have a look.
Put it all back together again and by 'eck its charging!
3 years standing mean bad connections I guess.
Crikey should be on the road legal by next weekend

 

That's usually the case, yes.

Told you!

 

Ok, if you are in the prediction mood TOG <g>, what are the chances of
getting all 8 exhaust clamp dome nuts of this 550 without shearing
something do you think (I'll give em a good soak of PlusGas first, use
some heat if necessary etc)?

 

What 550?

Yes, you're doing the right thing. Plus Gas and lots of heat and you'll
be OK.

 

Em, the GPz550 ;-)

Ok cheers. I don't really want to touch the exhaust atm but it's going
to be the easiest way to get to the Neta silencer to brackety bolts
out / replaced that are blind and currently going round and round.
Having said that re-hanging the system might not be a bad idea in any
case (for the sake of 4 gaskets, a few nuts and some PlusGas).

 

Yep, exhaust came off a treat. ;-)

There seems to be some rust between a couple of the gullies where the
4 goes into the 1 and what looks like the remains of some Gun-gum (or
similar)? I'll pull all the pipes out and see how tidy it looks and
see if it's good enough to weld.

I'm gonna go and get one of those nut splitters to get the nuts off
the rear mounting bracket (any excuse for more tools and easier than a
hacksaw and quieter than the air cut-off tool). The heads of the bolts
are in a captive slot on the back of the silencer and I don't want to
pull any of it about too much.

Did I see mention of the flared retaining collars being available in
stainless now or just the split shells?