I've been riding for about a thousand years, and decided to "relive" my mis-spent youth by buying a 1975 CB400F off of eBay. Turns out, it generally looks good but has some mechanical issues.
The former owner painted the motor with some silver paint that is not heat-resistant. I have not yet determined how I will strip off the paint that does not blister off.
There is a medium-pitch whine coming from top/center of the motor. I'm guessing that I will become intimately familiar with the cam chain tensioner.
Oil is seeping out of the head gasket on cylinder #1.
Some of the screws holding the clutch cover have been broken off (!).
At this point, I'm looking at pulling the motor (for repaint and possibly dis-assembly), getting the frame and swing arm powder-coated, and replacing the wiring harness. The carbs need work but, fortunately, I just overhauled and synched a set of CB400F carbs a few months ago.
Thanks in advance for entertaining my questions.
Bob
Nederland, CO