Read the Manual!

You may remember Kerry Cornish (Red Paint Makes Bikes Go Faster).  She is our CB400F1 restorer from Australia.  She restored an old Varnish Blue F1 into a beautiful Candy Antares Red.

Kerry has been undertaking some more restorations to the bike and has contacted me to let me know how things have been going.

Hi Jacqui,

Long time since I have posted anything to you about my 400, these last couple of weeks we have been doing some minor restorations to the bike. 

The most obvious one is the header pipes. As you can see from the before pics they were a very unhappy set of pipes. These I am led to believe are the original pipes and are extremely rusty, dented and scratched. Dents and scratches were done by the previous owner(s) not me. I don't know how many owners this bike has had. 

I bought new headers from Motad(UK) a while ago and have just been able to put them on. It was not easy either! When I bought the bike it came with a gasket set, which was minus a head gasket, but had exhaust gaskets.  Unfortunately they were too small so we had to reuse the old ones. I cleaned them up and refitted them.  We fitted the pipes but OH dear!  Something was wrong with the way the collars looked. A check of another 400 we have, found that they were in fact the wrong way around! So off came the fins and we turned them the correct way. ( It does pay to look up the workshop manual also). So much better fitting. Start the engine - there's a ticking sound! Loose gasket! tightened up -  all's good!. Tacho cable was replaced. Trying to remove the old rubber was interesting! Dean used a skewer to pierce the rubber and to  be able to remove it. He said the manual won't show anything! Yes it did, but too late he had already butchered the rubber which was okay as I had a new one!

Fuel filter was replaced after I was having heaps of trouble starting the bike and in general riding. We thought the battery was crook so I  bought a C-Tek battery charger which can be left on the bike permanently. Still having trouble. Check the plugs - they're fine. Dean said it sounded like the bike's not getting enough fuel. Removal of the fuel filter found it to be nearly totally blocked! New one fitted. On  rides the bike kept hesitating and lacked power. We then  drained the carbs and found they were also blocked with fine rusty bits. I am going out today, Saturday 13th, for a ride, to test whether the bike has more power than it did. Here's hoping! I also replaced the spark plug caps which was probably one of the easiest jobs.

The toughest problem and the hardest to track down is the minor oil leak. We can't find out where it's coming from. Head has been checked and tensioned, all bolts checked and tightened. The leak is not major and only drops when out riding - my boots get a light splattering of oil, mostly the right hand side but that could be from blowback. It only loses about 2 desertspoons in 4 -  5 months, it's just a nuisance we cant track it down. We have degreased the engine twice now and cleaned it off but still  nothing definite.

I have attached some before and after pics of the header pipes and a couple of the pipes after our first ride on Friday 12th, and as you can see they are going a golden/blue colour which I expected as they are a thinner metal than the original. I have sprayed the inners of the pipes with a heat proof paint.
No matter what - my CB400 still draws attention .At the service station before our ride on Friday 12th to check if the pipes discolour, a guy asked me about the bike. Apparently he had a blue one and a CB750 years ago and is getting the itch again to buy one. I encouraged him to do it.

My 400 is so nice and shiny now. Still love it.

Kerry

The Things I Used To Have Time To Do

Have you ever got rid of something because you had to because of financial or other circumstances?  I have; a foot spa.  I was bought one for Christmas about twelve years ago.  I used it for a while and I loved it.  Those warm bubbles danced playfully between my toes.  Heaven was only a jug full of warm water away.  Then....I had my third child and the foot spa soon found its way to the back of the garage and then on to the charity shop.  The memory of those bubbles was assigned to the "things I used to have time to do" box.

Fast forward twelve years - and suddenly the urge is there again.  I started to crave that feeling again.  But there was more than just wanting a foot spa - it was a much deeper appreciation of the whole experience.  I went for a Champney's Massaging Bubble Action Deluxe Foot Spa - with infra red heat.

Did I nearly lose you there?  On to my clever link to the CB400F.

In 1978, George Frederick (Fred) bought a Honda CB400F for his 19th birthday.  Fred paid the grand sum of £958 for his purchase from Tom Cowies in Newcastle, and using my historic inflation calculator [tap, tap, tap] I can tell you that that is the same as £4,773 in today's money, which is about the going rate for a restored one now.

 

The registration number was UNL 903T so if you have one festering away in your garage, check the number plate.  Fred added the Rickman top half fairing (painted himself to match the tank) and dropped bars.  He also added the Cibie headlight ("de regueur on a 400-4 in those days to replace the factory candle"), Girling rear shocks and Lucas electronic ignition kit.

Unlike in 2014 licence regs were very simple in the mid 1970's.  You applied for a provisional licence at 17, bought anything up to a 250cc and then rode it home.  Fred remembers passing his test as a "20 minute ride around the block with an examiner on foot pulling you in to issue the next instruction".  "L" plates were thrown in the nearest bin and the ride home was via the motorway if possible "just because you could".  The next step then was to buy any bike available that you could afford the payments for and then finally "try really hard not to kill yourself (many people failed this one)".

I asked Fred if he felt able to handle the bike at 19.  "People I knew borrowed a mate's bikes for the test then persuaded their parents to buy them the latest super bike if they were rich enough.  Most were killed or seriously injured within a month.  I never really wanted anything other than a 400-4 then; I stared at the brochure every day.  I was sure I could handle it, I was 19, I could have handled Barry Sheene's GP500 no problem!"

Fred circa 1980 at an old airfield near Morpeth where the local loonies used to show off.  "This was as brave as I got".

Taken near Coventry during the NEC bike show.  The other bike is a Suzuki GS550.  The helmet is a Barry Sheene Replica.

This race bike was on the Yamaha stand at the NEC and was Kenny Roberts' GP World Championship winning bike from 1980.

The CB400-4 was Fred's second bike.  His first was a Honda CB200, bought new in August 1976 for £498 on the road [tap, tap, tap], £3131 in today's money.  This was traded in for the CB400-4.

Fred's CB200 in 1976

Fred's next bike after his CB400-4 was a Honda CB900-F2B registration KBB 168X.  This was bought new in August 1981 (he doesn't mention the price on this one) and was kept for 10 years.  Fred sold this bike to pay for a new kitchen.  I can use a different calculator for this one - Fred was 19 in 78 so when the bike was sold in 91 he would have been 32 (other things to spend your money on I think).

Fred's CB900-F2B circa 1981

Fred's life story in bikes continues in 2000, when he purchased a Suzuki Bandit 600, which was then traded in for a Fireblade in 2003, which he still owns.

Full Circle

Fred recently purchased a fully restored CB400F from David Silver Spares.  One from the well publicised mass restoration project.  It was only bought in March this year so the relationship with this bike has only just started.  Fred has already done a bit of his own work on the bike and plans to do some of the remaining stuff himself when it take his fancy.

"[The bike] attracts a lot of misty eyed comments from men of a certain age.  I'm not a mechanic, I'm a time-served engineer, however when I started riding bikes as an apprentice you learned very quickly how to fettle them.  No diagnostic software then!".

So, what attracts "men of a certain age" back to the CB400F?

"I bought this one as it was the only bike I ever regretted selling, also I'm at that age and fortunate enough to have some disposable income to let me indulge my mid-life crisis".  There certainly are plenty of benefits of "knocking on a little bit".

Fred doesn't have any plans for the bike other than to enjoy all over again "the things I used to have time to do".

The original 400F back in 1978

The restored CB400F outside the same garage in 2014

Hang on a minute....that's not a CB400F!

 No, it isn't.  This is a beautifully restored C110 (with a little Robin Redbreast on the handlebars).  I am sharing this with you for a very important reason.

This bike is owned by a customer of DSS, Paul Duley.  This bike started off looking like this:

Paul bought this bike last year as a non-runner.  He has completely stripped it and rebuilt it (engine included).  I am sure you'll agree that he has done an absolutely fantastic job.

Paul contacted us recently and shared the story of the restoration and the reasons behind it, which I will share with you now.

Paul's father is suffering from advanced prostate cancer.  Support and awareness of prostate cancer has been gaining momentum over the last couple of years, starting with the broadcast of the Sledgehammer fund featuring Bill Bailey, followed by John Culshaw.  Most of us are more aware of the illness now, with the Blue Man badges having been in the M&S shops for several years.  In fact Blue Man Group promote the Blue Man badges at their concerts, helping raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK.

Most people who have experienced first hand a loved one suffering from any type of serious illness such as cancer will tell you that they feel compelled to give something back to a system that is so supportive and full of wonderful people; to thank nursing staff.   Paul's most valuable source of help and advice has been Prostate Cancer UK.  He wanted to give something back and help raise awareness, and funds, for them.  Paul considered a number of ways to raise awareness and funds before settling on a challenging project. 

50 years ago his father, and 5 friends, entered the 1964 ACU National Road Rally on a fleet of C110s.  They wanted the challenge of doing the event (600 miles in 24 hours) on a bike of smaller capacity than their British bikes.  They were very successful, being the 2nd placed team and with most team members achieving Gold awards. 

Paul's fund-raising venture involved finding a Honda C110 to restore and having done this he intends to repeat his father's achievement.  I'll let you read his story in his own words here but please, if you can, support his fundraising in any way you can by donating or simply share his story.

Paul's Blog

Paul's Fund-raising Page

Anything you can do, I can do......just as good!

Classic Bike Magazine have supported DSS's CB400F restoration project from the start. 

Their issue in February 2012 heralded the purchase of 50 CB400Fs from up and down the country (the final figure was far more than this).  You can read the article here. 

MCN had already run a small article themselves in January 2012 - read it here.

The restoration project evoked further media interest when the dry humoured presenter of Top Gear, James May, purchased one of the restored Cb400Fs.  He arrived in Suffolk with a photographer and journalist from the Classic Bike magazine and they then ran a very large article on "Why I had to buy a 400 Four" - you can read that article here.

James May collects his bike from David Silver Spares in Leiston

So, here comes Classic Bike Magazine again.   They are going to run a 6-8 month series on restoring their own CB400F, featuring the Parakeet Yellow bike below as the background to their project.  Their final bike may be slightly customized. There will be loads of useful tips on engine rebuilds etc so well worth following. 

I am looking forward to following the project with great excitement and I have today emailed the journalist who will be writing the articles to ask him to let me know how the project will be run and whether it will be just in the magazine or online too.  I'll let you know when I know.

Another one flies the nest

It's always sad when something you have loved and nurtured flies the nest - all those wonderful memories when your little beauty came home bruised and battered and you fixed them up as good as new is enough to bring a tear to your eye.....................................well, that's not how the mechanics feel at DSS! 

It is a wonderful feeling to see something that came in bruised and battered leave the workshop as a truly magnificent piece of art.  Our mechanics stand very proud with chests puffed out as they say goodbye to another successful restoration and they walk back into the workshop to start a new one.  They are the Nanny McPhees for needy CB400Fs (but without the mole).

  

This is the latest CB400F to leave the DSS warehouse.  This beautiful parakeet yellow with pinstripes went to a customer in Dartmoor in Devon.  This was one of the Parakeet Yellow bikes that DSS has acquired during the restoration project (pic below).  I could probably tell you where the above bike originated but haven't got any documents handy.

David delivered the bike himself and too the opportunity to have a couple of days away with the wife and daughter (being spotted at South Mimms service station by a customer). 

The bike was restored by our trusted mechanic Steve Last in his workshop.  The bike was bought by a customer in his mid-70's who used to work at Lloyds of London.  I don't imagine it will be ridden a lot, he bought it to replace his very heavy 1959 BMW when he goes out on club outings.  Once a biker always a biker - you just have to ride a more suitable bike as your body ages.

The customer saw another yellow CB400F ready to go out when he visited the DSS offices to place his order some months ago.  His instruction to David: "I want it to look like that one".  On delivering it David says that the customer's instant reaction was "yes, it's at least as good as the last one I saw".

1959 BMW

Of course it wasn't just simply a couple of days away, he also took the opportunity to collect a virtually brand new ST70 from near Southampton.  This will be added as a museum piece (another huge project that David is now working on).

Virtually Helpful

So I joined the Single Over-Head Cam 4 Forum today.  I recognise some of the names on there from the DSS page.  I also recognise some of the bikes from previous Blog entries (hi Jamie Fitzharris).

It's great to go to a place where so many people have one thing in common, their love for a particular item/topic/place, etc.  It's easy to understand why people congregate to share their passion (except caravaners - who really understands the Caravan Club?).

Joining a group gives you a source of help and advice and an opportunity for friendship.  Lots of groups on Facebook offer the chance of riders meeting up for a day out on the open road.  Granted, you never know who you're going to meet up with.  That guy who constantly offers you invaluable advice could just be an annoying geek who has nothing else to share with you but, who knows, there may just be some good friends to make.

All I have to do now is find a group where I can learn how to change the time on my cooker and share stories of the lost hours over a glass of virtual wine.

Pillions with a spring in their step

The top CB400F was restored by our builder, Charlie Ridgeon.  He rode it up recently.  The engine has been stove enamelled and virtually all of our pattern parts have been used on this bike.  It is outstanding.

The bottom CB400F was restored by us, engine rebuilt and new primary/cam chains fitted.

Both of these are 76/77 models.  How do we tell?  Well, we can see that the pillion footrests have moved from the swinging arm to new brackets on the frame.  This meant that the passengers didn't look like they were going faster than the rider.  Their legs must have been like jelly by the time they got off the bike.

You will see that the Varnish Blue CB400F in the last post was an earlier model with the foot rests on the swinging arm.

I have to say I think I prefer the swinging arm model.  The pillion gets a more exciting ride than just sitting there.