Topic: Greetings! I'm new

[TE 450 Pilot]

Pics of my 2 '77 400F bikes. The yellow one has been put back to stock. (no longer a "cafe" racer)

Any chance you post a photo of that sweet yellow bike back in stock form ?

[deefree]

I had to crop the pic. because the file was too large originally.

[deefree]

Here is another one that shows the tank better.

[dave400]

Looks great, we got the F2 colours in Europe, I do like the yellow very much but I ride a blue one.

[deefree]

Hi Dave...

At first I didn't like the yellow that much but now I like them in any color! The 400F has a really great profile and there really isn't any color that looks bad. When I first started looking to buy a 400, I actually shied away from the yellow ones. Later I had someone tell me those are more desireable because there are less of them. Honestly that collector stuff doesn't really mean very much to me, I just love riding them. The first 400 I owned was really by accident. I had no idea they would become collectible.

Now that I've had the chance to see many different examples, I do like the blue. I think if I had a chance to pick, I would probalby go for the red or blue. As to which year, again I'm not real sure.

[dave400]

My bike’s a 77 “S” plate but I think it’s a bike that sat in a shop for a while before being sold and registered in 77 and is probably a 76 model.
 It’s been a few coulors in the time I’ve owned it, but I returned it to its original blue colour when I started restoring it because that seemed the right thing to do and it was the only NOS colour tank I could find when I needed to get a new one.

[deefree]

You found a NOS tank? Wow! That must have set you back a little...
So far most of the 1976 models I've seen have been blue.
Can you post a pic of your bike?

[dave400]

I found a NOS tank on ebay, it cost less than having another used tank  that I’d bought painted by a professional painter, so I was really pleased with the purchase!
This is my bike as it is now, I hope to put some refurbished original wheels on my bike over the winter.

[deefree]

Very nice! It looks good with the mags, but I can understand your desire to go back to the original look. I got lucky on the 2nd 400 (the red one), the chrome on the wheels is in really pristeen shape.

On the yellow one, the front wheel is average. It looks ok, but the spokes have some rust on them. Not too bad. The rear wheel is another story. I really should get another rim.  Most of the rust has been cleaned off, but there was enough permanent damage that it needs to be replaced. I've already tried to get one on ebay, but got outbid a couple of times.

This is more like a religion than a hobby, isn't it?!

[ekim98]

Welcome from KY. A quick question. What kind of fairing did you have on the yellow bike, it's looks quite big on there

[deefree]

To be honest I don't have any idea. That picture was an old one on ebay that the previous owner had taken. During negotiations, I asked him to take all the "cafe" stuff off and put it back to stock. He gave me a discount and kept all those extra parts. When I went to pick up the bike, it was already reconverted back to stock and I didn't even think to ask about the other parts. He seemed happy to keep them though.

[dave400]

Thanks for the thumbs up on my bike, the mag wheels are a cheap fix for an expensive problem with the rusty originals have, but I like the mags lots! Those mag wheels cause more conversation when I park than you could imagine but that’s part of owning a 400/4 and I really enjoy the chatting with people about then, seems the whole of the country owned one at some time in their riding life.

It’s not more like a religion than a hobby it’s more important than even that! The 400/4 is a religion!  Blimey I hope none of the 750 people read this or my name is mud! 

Dave

[deefree]

Right Dave! Amen to that.

[deefree]

Here's a pic of the 200T I just bought. This is from a craigslist ad and another case where I had the previous owner remove the faring and put it back to stock.

[dave400]

That looks like a very tidy 200 that you’ve picked up, I owned a CD175 many years ago it was a great little bike for getting around on and I wish I’d kept it now.
 I can’t believe the prices you are able to buy bikes and parts for in the US, bikes and parts are really expensive over here in comparison.

Dave 

[deefree]

How much would a bike like the 200T cost in GB? I paid $550 for this one and since everything works on it, that is probably a reasonable price, maybe a little bit high. I guess with these older bikes it depends on whether a particular model is sought after.

One thing I've learned is there is no "absolute" pricing on used motorcycles, especially the old ones. There are so many variables and so many things on an old bike that can make it worth more. Sometimes a bike that runs poorly can cost a lot if the rest of it is in unusually good condition.

Another thing that I've experienced is if a person changed something on a collector bike, the price can go down...sometimes a lot. And the silly thing is the cost of putting the right parts back on can be far less than the "discount" caused by the "incorrect" part. The market is really nutty like that. Collectors who buy bikes and don't ride them are a large part of the reason this happens IMO. They see an original bike in good condition and they go crazy, bidding rediculously high amounts. I've seen 400's go for over $4,000 on Ebay and the bike wasn't really all that great. The seller knew how to talk it up and he put a bunch of buzzwords and catch phrases on the auction page and those collectors were falling over each other trying to win it.

Then I've seen nice, clean 400's with maybe a couple of "incorrect" modifications, easily restorable stuff, and the bike ends up going for around $1,000. The new owner could put some elbow grease and maybe a few hundred dollars for OEM parts and then turn around and sell it for at least $2500. All because of collectors who probably don't even ride the bikes they buy.

Of course everyone has the right to do whatever they please with their property and if they want to put their bikes on a shrine that is their thing. I just don't understand it though. These bikes were built to ride, and the experience of a good ride is many, many times more exhillerating than just standing there oogling at a vintage bike.  OK, I'm ranting here...sorry about that!

If you don't me asking, how much was your 400 when you first bought it and how long ago did you get it?

[dave400]

I’m not sure that model 200 was sold here in the UK but looking at the photo I’m sure on ebay UK that the price you paid would be at least double that for a CB200 in similar condition if it was a UK model. 
The 400 is a different issue, I’ve seen the same sort of thing here as you have in the US, they can be hyped by the seller and sell for lots of money or need some work and still sell for big money, people want them so the price of buying one reflects that. The 400 was a more popular bike here than it was in the US and our climate tends to rot them so they’re a scarce commodity so what you would pay in $’s would be about the price in £’s over here.
My 400 cost me £550 in 1980, my 03-06 restoration… well I have no idea what it cost in total, but it was fun rebuilding my old 400 and taking it for a blast around the TT course on the Isle of Man this year and Im sure it cost me more than I have it insured for, but I don’t care. The smile I get every time I go out on my 400 is well worth the time and money spent.

[deefree]

Isn't that the truth about riding a 400? The degree of control for that bike has to be at the top of its class for that time. I love the 6 speed transmission especially. It seems there is a gear for every type of situation and each gear has its own little identity. I don't get it into 6th very much when riding around town, but when I do, the engine still pulls with surprising power. I guess what I'm trying to say is; Even in the lowest gear ratio, the engine provides plenty of pickup. You can go from 50mph to 70mph in 6th and it only takes a few seconds to achieve it.

I checked out the photo on your attachment. Am I seeing things or is your disassembled 400 in the LIVING ROOM?! Now that IS true love.

It sounds like you got a great deal on your bike. The first 400 I had (and traded away like a total idiot) was a bargain too. I got it around 1990. It was a red 1975 with less than 10,000 miles on it. There was a small motorcycle dealer right in my neighborhood that was moving to another location. Of course he wanted to move as few things as possible, so he was selling his used stuff at really good prices. He was going to sell me 2 SOHC Fours, a CB400F and a CB550 and he was asking $900 for both. He was showing them to me and the 400 fired right up. He couldn't get the 550 going so I asked him how much for just the 400 alone. He said $350 and I jumped at that. At the time, collectors weren't after 400's like they are now. All I knew is that it looked nice, ran good and that filled my needs.

[dave400]

Deefree, you forgot to mention the lovely sound that the original exhaust system makes when you spin up the engine and play around with all those gears.
Restoring my bike in my living room did cause one or two problems but I soon resolved those. I knew it was going to take quite some time and the garage is just a cold place during the winter months and the living room meant I was able to work on my bike all year round when I had a spare hour or two.
No wonder your sorry you got rid of your 400 what a deal you got, don’t make the same mistake with your yellow bike. It cost me $18.50 to replace my barrels and pistons, via US ebay and I’m sure with a bit of help from the forum you could do a great job on fixing the bike up.. 
Dave.
.

[deefree]

Dave,

I appreciate your encouragement and you are absolutely right. I don't need to let go of that bike so why should I? Yeah it's busted now, but it can be put right.

I'm going to spend the winter working on it and hopefully when spring rolls around...

So when you had your bike apart in the living room, how did you "solve the problem" associated with it. That almost sounds like...well maybe I better not say. 

[dave400]

 

[deefree]

Ha! LOL. So Dave, you've had that bike for many years...how many miles (or km) have you put on it?

[dave400]

I never got to ride my bike from 1983/4- 2006 so I’ve only put about 15k miles on it and  has just over 20k now.

Dave

[deefree]

I think I get it now...you had to rebuild the engine and it was disabled for quite awhile.

Is it possible to ride in the winter where you live? We get some pretty cold days here in central Ohio but I used to know a guy who rode his old Triumph throughout the entire year. It would be well below freezing and he would be out there, with his old leather helmet and a scarf around his neck. He really looked like a character!
When I was in high school, I used to ride my first bike to school through the whole winter. (Honda 50 "Super" had a clutch, 4 speeds and wasn't a step through. Looked like a real motorcycle) And that was in Cleveland where it is colder than where I live now. Ah the follies of youth...

[dave400]

I had to rebuild the whole bike after it was stolen and stripped for parts in 1984, took me until 03 to get around to it. 

Winter is a strange thing in my part of the UK, im on the NW coast in an area called Merseyside, one day it’s a nice temp (in double figures)°C so I can go for a ride, the next day the temp can drop below zero °C, we get snow now and then and it causes chaos but not very often thank goodness. The big problem here is rain!…It just never stops winter or summer.
I also used to ride a small cc Honda but a C50 step thru during my upper sixth form year but that was due to the driving laws here. I had to wait until I was 17, at 16 you had to have peddles on the moped and no way was I riding one of those!