Topic: Automatic question

[JDS]

I have a cb750 and I'm picking up a 350 here soon for a vintage racer project.  My wife has been hinting about a bike for her so I'd like to pick up something to put together for her over the winter.  She has a slight problem with grip strength so I was thinking an automatic.  I'd like to keep it lighter than a 750 so I was curious about a smaller automatic.  Didn't honda make a auto in a 400?  It would be fun to do an original rebuild on something like this and surprise her on her birthday next year...........Thanks.

[cmonSTART]

I do think they made a 400 Auto, though I forget what years.

[Bob Wessner]

There is (was) a CM400A made in 1980, perhaps other years as well.

Interestingly, there are a couple on eBay right now, one in Indiana and one in Boyne City, MI.

http://motors.shop.ebay.com/i.html?_nkw=honda+cm400

[raymond10078]

Honda made smaller displacement (400 and 450 cc) automatics from 1978 to 1983.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hondamatic

The 400s were made from 1978 through 1981, with the 450s made the last two years.  The style for the earlier bikes differed - with the latter years being more of a "custom" of that era.

The engines, other than the displacement, remained mostly unchanged through the production run.  One of the nice things is that these bikes do not have any clutch packs to ever wear out (unlike the 76 to 78 750 autos).

I bought an 82 450 for my son - no problems with it.

Suzuki also made a 450 auto, which has reportedly more pep that the Honda version.

[Johnie]

Just saw a few for sale on craigslist in WI from $395 - $1,500. Here is one in MI on eBay now:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=120886015263+&lgeo=1&viewitem=&vectorid=229466

http://www.searchtempest.com/results.php?location=54901&maxDist=200&region_us=1&search_string=honda+CM400A&keytype=adv&Region=na&cityselect=zip&page=0&showeb=1&category=8&subcat=sss&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max

http://www.searchtempest.com/results.php?location=54901&maxDist=200&region_us=1&search_string=honda+CM400A&keytype=adv&Region=na&cityselect=zip&page=0&showeb=1&category=8&subcat=sss&minAsk=min&maxAsk=max