Hi, my name is Rob, I just wanted to introduce myself to this forum. I am a long time biker (46 years), I still ride almost everyday to work and for pleasure. I have several other classic bikes and cars of interest.
Back in my youth, the CB400F became the second motorcycle I owned and I fell in love with it straight away. I had several of these bikes including a single seat racer which I put on the road, which had a full 460cc Yoshimura race engine.
Over the years my bikes got bigger, but I still had a soft spot for the CB400F. Many years ago, a college friend, (on his wedding evening) mentioned that he had one that I could buy off him that was a 'rat bike', for the princely sum of £90! I bought it off him, ran it for a couple of years whilst slowly taking the layers of black paint off everything and then it seized.
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I started to restore it years ago and had the frame and various parts powder coated, but after two house moves and several relationships and many other classic bikes and classic cars, the CB400F project stalled. My friend had two children, divorced and the bike is no closer to completion!
A couple of months ago, almost on a whim, I bought another CB400F on eBay which needed a little bit of work. I didn't want to play with it, I just wanted to ride it, but the urge to tinker with it and make it better was overwhelming and I started to sort it out bit by bit.
I had almost forgotten how much I loved these bikes. One evening I had something of an epiphany moment and realised I simply 'had' to restore my old project and not waste any more time on other bikes, because at almost 61 I have more years behind me than in front.
So, today, I sold my latest Honda to another enthusiast and my focus has now turned onto my project Honda.
I have owned a blue, a red, a maroon, a black and one with a 5 gallon alloy tank, but I have never owned a parakeet yellow one, so I think I know what colour this will be.
After owning several of these bikes I know how to fix and maintain them, but one area where I am reaching out for guidance is about restoring them so they look original and ‘correct’. No doubt I will ask the questions on another part of the forum.
So that’s me, looking forward to gaining and even sharing knowledge with other Honda Enthusiasts. Pleased to meet you all.
