Topic: CB400F An easy steal....BEWARE

[Richard Branston-Davis]

OK i went to start my CB400f ready to go to work and nothing!! No ignition switch light no anything, checked the fuse box there all good so not a clue and running out of time as i need to get to work,  so i got another bike out as i have four and went to work. So on my day off i managed to trace the problem to the ignition switch which has an electrical connector at the underside of the switch this can be disconnected and with a small peace of cable one connected to live and the other to the switch cable you can by pass the ignition switch press the starter button and bingo the bike will start. Now that's great if your ignition switch packs up on you and your in the middle of nowhere you can get yourself home. However a thief  can also easily steal your bike as well.    Any way i thought this would be of help as i only just found this out myself and will be fitting an immobiliser...not sure if this applies to other SOHCs.

[dave the welder]

it does at least to my 77 750A

[Retro Rocket]

Most of the early SOCH fours are easier than that to get started, just but some foil, like the lining of a cigarette packet over the fuse box and voila, everything works, this does bypass the charging system but it gives whoever is trying to steal your bike ample riding time to disappear.... Always be vigilant on where you leave your bike...

[vfourfreak]

will be fitting an immobiliser

The only immobiliser worth a damn IMHO is a massive chain with good lock shackled to an immovable object like a lamp post, through frame and at least one wheel.

That can possibly be overcome, but it will take some time. Almost anything else can be overcome in seconds.

Kev

[goldarrow]

NOTHING can stop a thief if they are going to steal!

[scottly]

The easiest way to hot-wire a CB is to run a jumper from battery + to the black wire at the regulator. Everything electrical, except the headlight and taillight will work just like the key was switched on.
I had a buddy as a kid that figured out how to hot-wire a Yamaha 100 with a straight pin, piercing the insulation of the two wires required for the ignition. (His dad had forbidden him from riding the bike, and had hidden the key. ) 

[mysta2]

Sucks, but bikes are not stolen by hot wiring. They're stolen by vans.

Also, if you've got a big box of Honda keys from the seventies, about one in four of them will work in your bike. This is how I got two keys for my 360 (that worked better than the original)

[trueblue]

If I leave my bike anywhere I always lock the steering.  It might not be fool proof but it does stop someone walking away with it, or jumpering the plug at the back of the ignition and riding off with it.  I know though that if someone really wants it, they'll get it.  Nothing will stop true thieves, but you can normally stop the opportunistic mongrels by making it hard for them.

[Bodi]

Early 70's Hondas had very few different keys. You could buy 7 keys from any Honda dealer, and be able to ride any 750 away.

If a professional bike thief wants your bike, you will lose it. Period. Keeping it parked out of sight, a decent chain secured to something solid, and a guard dog... these all help to discourage thieves.

Our bikes are not really targets for the pros, though. Luckily. I have friends who had new high value sport bikes and Harleys stolen, even with all the above discouragements.

[HondaMan]

I still have the [now much scarred] "cable lock" I bought with the bike in 1972. Mine has had attempts on it so many times that I've lost count. One even tried to saw through the cable (the plastic sheath bears the scars) with a hacksaw: it left pieces of the saw teeth in the plastic as the cable itself is hardened. I usually lock it TO something with this cable if I am in a strange place, or THROUGH the bike on the centerstand so the lock is plainly visible.

I still smile to myself and shake my head over one attempt, though: the [would-be] thief hotwired the bike (and broke off my bottom side cover's lower tab, bastard) with a clip lead and started to ride off. It wrapped the cable around the rear wheel, locking it against the (then bent) chainguard and dumping the guy on his ass, according to bystanders who wondered what was going on. The bike then fell on his left leg as it fell over. He dragged himself out, stood the bike back up, set it on the sidestand, and limped away, so they said. It took me about 15 minutes to un-bend the 3/4" diameter steel cable from the (still-bent) rear spokes and straighten up the chainguard enough so I could ride it home. It was convenient that the hotwire fell off, or else I would have been faced with a dead battery after work! This was when I worked in downtown Denver, circa 1975.

[goldarrow]

A cargo van, couple of strong guys, your bikes be gone in less than 5 minutes if not chained to a telephone pole

[CycleRanger]

I never had a key for the Yamaha RD I had in junior high.
The guy I bought if from had lost it. (Yes, the bike came with a title..)
I discovered I could use my pocket knife to turn the ignition on and off....

[grcamna2]

I remember a former cycle thief posting a thread on here much to members hating it.
The man said that he would always find some way to start the bike and ride off like he owned it;he said he never wasted time picking one up w/ a van or p/up truck or pushing a cycle down the street.He always rode it away after finding a way to start it.
I think a secret way of disabling the ignition or removing the battery along w/ strongly locking it to a solid object is the best way to defeat the thieves. 

[HondaMan]

I remember a former cycle thief posting a thread on here much to members hating it.
The man said that he would always find some way to start the bike and ride off like he owned it;he said he never wasted time picking one up w/ a van or p/up truck or pushing a cycle down the street.He always rode it away after finding a way to start it.
I think a secret way of disabling the ignition or removing the battery along w/ strongly locking it to a solid object is the best way to defeat the thieves. 

Yep, my thoughts, too. That's why I offer the "security switch" on my Transistor Ignition boxes as an option. It won't stop the bike from being carried off, but it WILL prevent it from running unless the thief knows it is there, and can figure out how it works.

Sometimes, it has also prevented the OWNER from riding off, when he forgot it was there...

[grcamna2]

HondaMan,
I have one of your excellent ign. boxes only it doesn't have the built-in kill switch option;would you let me send it to you for the installation of that optional switch? I need the extra security

[TEAGUESTER77]

Im having same exact problem with my 1976cb550 fuses good battery is good dont know much about ignition please any help would be grateful

Sent from my SCH-I535PP using Tapatalk

[Terry in Australia]

None of the above devices (cable locks, chains etc) will stop a determined thief, cordless angle grinders fitted with cutting discs will cut through the toughest chains/cables in seconds, and if the thief is wearing an official looking fluorescent vest, onlookers will probably help him!

Nope, the best insurance is just that, insurance. All my old bikes are insured for more than I paid for them, so if they do get stolen, I won't be too upset. Cheers, Terry.