@ Jesse: Thanks for the carb pointers. If you change your float height before I do, let me know how you go. I'm going to get to mine this week I hope. I may try that larger main jet to if you think it'll help.
@ Jason: Thanks for the encouragement mate, I appreciate it. Glad my trails and tribulations can help someone else. When I started out, I knew nothing about motorcycles or mechanics in general for that matter. As for your question about LED lighting, no I didn't really look into it. I didn't feel I needed it and when I begun, I didn't want unnecessary issues with my electrics.
@ Hush: Thanks so much mate, that's exactly was I was going for. Something not detracting from the original look too much. Appreciate the kid words.
Ok so updates.
Got my cut down upper triple tree clamp painted by a friend after the powdercoaters wouldn't do it because of the body filler I used (said it would bake off, fair enough).
If I'm honest, this was more work than I thought it would be. Lot's of things to undo.
Once I got the old upper triple tree off, I had to install the clips on. I bought a set here in Melbourne from a store called
Modern Motorcycle Company. However after a quick mockup on the bike I realized that there was no way they were going to work without significantly hitting my tank. So I bought a set of the same style clipons from
Airtech that has recessed bolts. I would prefer that there weren't hex head, but I can't imagine finding a phillips head bolt that works (not to mention getting it tight enough might be impossible). Anyway, you can see the difference in profiles of the two clipons here.
Regardless of the Airtech tank saving clipons, they still hit. Both here at the neck and also the switch gear hitting near the tank emblems.
You can see it's not much on the steering stopper lug. I've read various ways of remedying this. From using small hose clamps or rubber hose on the lugs, to tapping a screw into the lower triple tree. Trouble is, on the CB400F, there really isn't much 'meat' on the stopper lugs. I'm not sure a hose clamp or hose would stay on the lug. Likewise I doubt there would be enough 'meat' in the lug to tap a suitable diameter screw in there. Maybe I could come up from underneath the lower triple tree. Does anyone have some experience on a CB400F with stopping clipons hitting the tank?
So this whole process got harder. The modified triple tree didn't fit right away. So I loosened the front axle clamps, the lower triple tree fork bolts and then lifted the front of the bike up. Once I had done all that, I used a rubber mallet and massaged it all into place. Chipped some paint on the modified upper triple tree in the process, but it was only minor. I was surprised at the lack of durability of paint when compared to powder coating.
Then I installed the switch gear. Getting it all out of the clubmans was a pain. In the end, it was easier to just cut it out of the bars. Clubmans cost $30, the switches $100's. I didn't want to damage any of the wires when I had no intention of using the clubmans ever again.
I'll take more photos of the completed setup as I need some second opinions on shorter throttle/clutch cables and gauge placement.
Ok, the other day I was syncing the carbs and I did the inevitable for a novice like me and dropped my tank. Well rather it rolled off the bench and landed square upside down on my tool set. Miraculously it didn't scratch anything, it 'just' pushed in the filler cap area. I was devastated as you can imagine.
However, the following day my mate Rhys, who is considerably more manly than I, was able to pull most of the damaged area out by pulling firmly up on the filler neck. There are some small dimples left, but with some sort of hook I can insert into the tank I think I can pull the rest out enough that I won't really notice it. So not a bad save I reckon'. I've read you can get dents out with a heat gun and a can of compressed air too.
Last week I came close to blowing up the engine! I was racing my mate Rhys off of a stoplight and didn't pull up hard enough from first into second. The bike clunked into neutral and me being the rookie that I am, I then dumped the throttle. I don't know what the engined revved too before I realized what had happened but I immediately heard a loud 'clacking' sound coming from the tappet area on the number 1 cylinder.
I limped the bike home. It didn't behave any differently, just the clacking sound. So I left it over night and in the morning, pulled of the tappet covers. I discovered the number 1 inlet tappet nut was almost undone completely!
You can see here were it was impacting the tappet cover!
I was expecting damage to the adjusting screw but it was fine.
Of course this near catastrophe was entirely my fault. When I pulled the rocker cover last week and consequently had to adjust the valve clearances, I must not have tightened the lock nuts down hard enough. Will the high revving from the missed gear change, it must had rattled it lose enough. Had it loosened a tiny bit more, I might have done some serious damage.
So this time, I was determined to do it right. After some research here on the forum, someone mentioned that using a 'Robinson' screw as a tool. A quick call to a tradey mate with 'what the hell do we call a Robinson screw here in Australia?!' lead me to the square drive decking screw isle. The guy at the hardware store gave me one for free and with a masonry plug as a handle, the job of adjusting the valves clearances got so much easier!
Ok, that's a big enough update for today.
Thanks again lads,
Rick.
