Topic: 1975 Honda CB400 Four Project - Rookie

[jessezm]

Perfect, bud! 

[Flying J]

Looks much better. I think it is a little to long. And thats just my opinion. If it was my bike, depending on how hard it would be to move the seat forward I might leave it. But you asked so this it was I think looks good. But i am no expert by any means.

[Retro Rocket]

Looks much better. I think it is a little to long. And thats just my opinion. If it was my bike, depending on how hard it would be to move the seat forward I might leave it. But you asked so this it was I think looks good. But i am no expert by any means.

Its better off a little long in my opinion, they are not very big bikes in the first place , don't want to be too cramped..

Mick

[RickB]

Thanks guys,

I dropped it off at the upholster this afternoon. I see this seat as a double anyway. Regardless, being 6'2" on a 400F, I need all the length I can get. Thanks for the feedback anyway, it's great to get an un-bias opinion.

I'll be sure to post plenty of photos when it's back form the upholster.

Rick.

[RickB]

Hi all,

So the seat is finished with the upholster, I just have to pick it up.

In the mean time, I got more parts in the post. My kibblewhite valve springs and DID performance cam chain arrived from 400fourstore.com. I dropped them off to my mechanic who then took the cylinder head off for more machining (valves seated etc). I had to order some more parts for him. The drive cush rubbers in the primary drive sprocket where rock solid and loose fitting. So loose fitting that the numbskull previous owner had jammed pieces of hacksaw blades in as shims to hold them snug. Are you kidding me?!



Got my brake line from Shaun at Slingshot.



Also a brake light pressure switch.



On first inspection the line seems about one and half inches too long, but I've got bigger problems.









Yep, this problem hasn't gone away. So what I'm thinking now is to find a 90 degree male-to-female fitting that I screw into the master cylinder and then put that banjo into that. I think it'll work whilst not cluttering up things too much.

Something like the 892 or 884 fitting below? Provided the thread and depth are correct of course. Would this work? Where could I get this part? A fittings/brake store perhaps? I'm presuming it doesn't need to be anything special as long as it fits.



Any thoughts?

Rick.

[MasterChief750]

the mc on my 78 750 has the brake light switch built into it. could give you a lil room.

[RickB]

Thanks Masterchief. I've considered upgrading to a modern master cylinder, but I really like the stock look and feel. I've gone to all the effort to clean and rebuild the stock one, not to mention it works fine, that I'd rather keep it. If I can find a 90 degree fitting, I'll try that as it'll likely be cheap. Otherwise I'll try having the bars bent an extra little bit to allow clearance.

[RickB]

Hi guys,

Ok so got the seat back today. It's looks how I was expecting to some degree. It just doesn't fit to the brackets I drilled because the foam pushes up against the tank. I should have shaved down the foam myself while I had it on the bike before giving it to the upholster, but I didn't anticipate the problem. So I'll have to work on it still. Bugger.





It appears to fit fine here, but it's about an inch too far back for the seat hinge to line up. Still, it looks pretty good I think (Note: the tank is just sitting above the rubbers, not on correctly hence the angle).

Rick.

[malcolmgb]

That looks great Rick, perhaps when tank is sitting properly in the frame the seat will line up better. Looking at the seat picture the stitching at front is the wrong side of the padding, good luck with it.

[HedNut]

Wow...looks like they did a great job seat! Too bad i doesn't fit just right...  I hope it doesn't cause too much problems for ya! Looks great all around..... I love your build!
Cheers!

[j squared]

I went from page 1 and 2 to page 9 and had to backtrack to make sure you didnt get a different bike!!  Awesome work, keep it up.

[RickB]

Thanks for the encouragement guys.

With the master cylinder problem, I think I'm going to have to get steeper angled drag bars. Or add like 10 degree bend myself somehow, depending on what's available and how much extra bend I need to get clearance.

The seat. I'm going to pull it apart and shave more foam out tonight and take it back to the upholster.

Rick.

[MasterChief750]

have you given superbike bars a thought? got em on my 750 and they are so comfy and no clearance issues with the mc.

[RickB]

Yeah I have but I just like the simple shape of the drag bars. I'll have a good think about it tomorrow when I'm in front of the bike and can work out exactly what needs to happen.

[RickB]

A quick few photos,

So after an exhaustive search trying to find a 90 degree adapter fitting for my brake line, I gave up. I'm convinced it isn't a commonly made part. So the next cheap alternative was bending the $25 drag bars. By increasing the angle of the bars by some 15 odd degrees, this should allow the banjo bolt to clear the bar clamps. However this may cause the grips to hit the tank... Cause and effect.



I had my mate Rhys helping once again. I wasn't sure about how to do this correctly. I'm read about using a press or even filling with sand and heating.



In the end we just used  a bench vice and some leverage. It worked a treat. It 'kinked' the inside of the bend slightly, but nothing major and certainly not something I will even notice as it's underneath.



This was the first go at it. I obviously wanted to have both ends symmetrical, so we traced it out to get it right as best we could.



This was the amount required. A little bit of trial and error but it should be enough. Once I install it all I'll know for sure. It's actually a lot more bend than I had originally thought. I wonder if the angle is going to be too steep to be comfortable?

All this to keep an original master cylinder!

Rick.

[j squared]

Id love to see how these turn out when they are installed, keep us posted!!

[TWINFIN]

First of all ...GREAT JOB SO FAR!!

So after an exhaustive search trying to find a 90 degree adapter fitting for my brake line, I gave up. I'm convinced it isn't a commonly made part. ...
Rick.

http://www.z1enterprises.com/SearchResult.aspx?All=True&KeyWords=banjo

This might have helped you?? Maybe still could? Z1Enterprises, Inc. has lot's of banjo fittings among other things.
 

 
 Those "Drag bars" are extremely uncomfortable bars! Just like an older mountain bikes bars. Your forearms will get tired of them (had a set on my RD400) and they kinda suck in the turns as well. The stock bars are not that comfortable either. BMW made some comfortable bars that don't rise too much and are turned in and narrow. Work great on the 400-Four. They look similar to upside down clubman bars. I could post a photo of them on a cb400f if you like. If you still want that real low look and feel (amen to that) ...clip-ons or clubmans ...but those drag bars are really for just that: Straight line Drag racing! The stock banjo angles and too long of stock upper hose will not work well with any lower bars.

 Not to sound down on your choices, but thought this could help. Keep up the great work!!
-Damon

[derkapitan]

Great build-up! Gives me inspiration to get moving on my 350F. Good luck with the rest!

[MorePDX]

Nice project!  I enjoyed looking at the progression and can't wait to see the final result.

[Kwality]

Mudhustler - did Jesus build your hotrod?

[MorePDX]

I knew you people would get me!  Yes, Kwality, he was the PO of my '77 750.

[-CB-Jamie-]

hey, been followin your thread for a while now and must say its coming together really well, your bike is looking great and you can really see all the hard work you put into it, kudos to you i've just started a cb400f project myself and i have a lot of work ahead of me now as well

[tom8Toe]

Anyway, I figured I'd have a go at building a cafe racer inspired CB400 Four on a budget.

Must have been a nice budget 

Wow, for a first time build, I gotta hand it to ya. You got skillz. Keep up the good work. I'm looking forward to seeing put back together.

[ivanhoew]

bars like mine work well.. very comfy ,and stock master cylinder .






regards
robert

[Another CB400F]

Hi Rick,
I am " doing up" my 400F that I have owned since about 1978. It has been off the road in storage for the last 15years while I rode other bikes. It still looks a bit ratty. The only thing I have had to do is regrind the valves; free the brake caliper arm- they all seem to sieze. It will pay to keep it lubricated. Also the exhaust. I purchased a Motad system for $600 from Mark Chaplain in Gipsland. I am pleased with it. It looks good, very similar to the original and there is still plenty of space to get at the oil filter.
One small piece of advice that may be helpful. When you put the engine back in the frame wrap some rags or other protection round the frame tubes to avoid scratching the paint finish. It means you can rest the engine on the frame while you move it into possition without the worry of paint damage.
The bike looks terrific. I started riding in the mid 60s in the UK when cafe racers were all the rage. They need to be long and low to get the right look. Yours is perfect. When mine is registered I'd love a trip to the peninsular to see your work in the flesh.