Honda 400 Four - blimey!

Discussion in 'Classic Motorbikes' started by The Older Gentleman, Apr 28, 2010.

  1. This is what happens when you don't put the key words in your item
    description, and just call it '1978 Honda Yellow'.

    http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=230465168377

    ....and have it time out at an odd time mid-week

    Somebody like me stumbles on it and snaffles it for peanuts.

    I honestly can't believe I've got it for this little cash. Question now
    is wtf do I do with it?

    Breaking it would be criminal, but it's got a brand new factory
    chainguard, mudguards and exhaust. That's close to the entire purchase
    price, just as parts.

    Keep it as a sister bike to the red one? That really appeals.

    Re-sell it?

    Damned if I know.
     
    The Older Gentleman, Apr 28, 2010
    #1
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  2. The Older Gentleman

    mark Guest

    Nice one :)

    /waits with 'bated breath.
     
    mark, Apr 28, 2010
    #2
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  3. The Older Gentleman

    ts Guest

    "THE BIKE JUST NEEDS A LITTLE WORK "

    I hope that doesn't mean petrol tank welding :)
     
    ts, Apr 29, 2010
    #3
  4. Heh. At least 400F tanks are in good supply...

    Yeah, I saw that, and reckoned that if it just meant setting up,
    de-seizing the front brake, balancing the carbs, freeing a stuck
    camchain tensioner - all the usual 400F niggles - I'm up to it.

    If it requires serious work, I'll break it and double my money.
     
    The Older Gentleman, Apr 29, 2010
    #4
  5. The Older Gentleman

    crn Guest

    Looks rather nice.
    <counts pennies>
     
    crn, Apr 29, 2010
    #5
  6. The Older Gentleman

    crn Guest

    Hmmm - where do the camchain tensioners stick and what is the easy
    was to free them ?. Mine is a tad noisy.
    Nicely fettled with an MOT you should be able to make a nice profit
    without the bother of breaking it.
    Looks like a keeper to me though.
     
    crn, Apr 29, 2010
    #6
  7. The Older Gentleman

    TOG@Toil Guest

    It is. The Doctor has already said as much. As I said elsewhere, I'll
    see what the small amount of work it needs is. If it turns out to be
    mechanical catastrophe, I'll keep all the bits I want for mine, like
    the guards, chainguard, exhaust, and other vital stuff that's
    unobtainium these days and flog the rest.
     
    TOG@Toil, Apr 29, 2010
    #7
  8. The Older Gentleman

    TOG@Toil Guest

    Forgot to reply to this bit.

    At the front of the block, in between the front engine mounting
    plates, there's a small screw and locknut. It's probably broken,
    missing or bodged. The bolt bears at 90 degrees on the shaft of the
    spring-loaded tensioner rod that's concealed in the tunnel whose
    casting you can see.

    At the top of that tunnel, there's another bolt head - 12mm from
    memory. That's just a blanking plug.

    What you're supposed to do is set the tickover with a hot engine to
    1200-1400rpm, undo the locknut, undo the small bolt which allows the
    spring-loaded rod to move down, and retighten. Unfortunately, because
    of the amazingly complex and Mickey Mouse design, the tensioner
    doesn't budge. The rod seizes, or the pivoting horseshoe under the
    crank sticks (don't bother about that bit: just accept it's there and
    it sticks).

    So what you do is undo the locknut and the little bolt, and remove the
    blacking plug. Stick a slim screwdriver blade down the tunnel. Start
    the engine and set the tickover. It may rattle like a box of spanners.
    Push down on the screwdriver and lo! The rattle should ease off! This
    is because you're physically pushing the tensioner rod down the
    tunnel.

    When engine is quiet, retighten bolt - carefully!! - and locknut.
    Replace blanking plug. Done.

    Sometimes, the rod sticks so firmly you need to give the end of the
    screwdriver a sharp tap with a smallish hammer to free it.

    The tiny little tensioner rod bolt is notorious for stripping its
    thread in the casing or breaking off entirely. Should that happen, an
    engine-out repair is the only sure way of fixing it.
     
    TOG@Toil, Apr 29, 2010
    #8
  9. The Older Gentleman

    crn Guest

    [snip]
    Thanks, I knew there had to be an easy way.
    I will try it when I get the beast out of hibernation.
     
    crn, Apr 29, 2010
    #9
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