first bike/ caff

123mclaren

New Member
hey guys ..newb member here. im looking to pickup a cb400/4 supersport thats selling for a 1000$. the guy says he just rebuilt the engine and its has some electrical problems and hasn't had it running since the rebuild. i dont kno much about buyin old bikes, i work on new english cars for Grand Touring in toronto. any information on stuff i should look out for, if i should offer him less.. the bike looks fairly good condition but there are some wires hanging about. any advice info would help.. CB400/4 superspot 10000miles on it. "fresh rebuild" :p
 
I know others may have a different idea about this, but I wouldnt pay $1000.00 for a bike that doesnt run. Maybe find out what it would cost to pay to get it running and subtract that. I have a feeling if the guy was a trusted friend you wouldnt have posted your question, so you have no idea if the "rebuild" was quality or what parts were actually replaced.

Thats my thought.
 
Of course you're gonna offer him less!
Even if it's worth $1000.00. ;D

Worst thing is you can never really tell unless you're a mechanic what might really be going on...
 
thanks guys. i was gonna offer around 500$. some of my friends said even less..im also worried about the rebuild..but hell i want a bike baD\ :)
 
sweat about rebuilding it when you run out of cash, lol. even, tearing it apart and making it a reflection of your idea is the fun part!
 
Beware the amateur rebuild...

especially if it hasn't been ridden much since... otherwise, that bike is a classic, if you grab one (i have 2), keep it, keep it pretty stock and enjoy riding it, you'll always get your money back and then some on that model. They're a real joy to ride, not much on the highway though, as the seat is pretty un-comfy and the riding position is too high for highway, but any nice twisty roads under 70mph and you'll be glad you have it. I've logged 300 mile rides on mine and i didn't stop smiling until i got home...

so, grab it, but make sure it's put together soundly, and even if there's an electrical problem, really, that's not a big deal, go grab the clymer for it and sort out the wires
 
rockcitycafe said:
and even if there's an electrical problem, really, that's not a big deal, go grab the clymer for it and sort out the wires

:shivers: electrical problems
 
aaandht said:
:shivers: electrical problems

w3rd! Old bikes are sensitive to "upgrades". I had a kz400 that would run great, then slowly start running like poo-dizzle. A couple years later I found out it was becuase my headlight upgrade slowly drained my batt... go figure. ::)
 
If he's just rebuilt the engine, he should be able to tell you what the compression is of each cylinder. $500 would be OK for the bike depending on the physical condition of it. $1000 would be ok if the engine truly has been rebuilt properly. Ask him who did the machine work on the cylinders? Who did the valve work?

What year is the bike? Earlier CB400F's are the better ones - the passenger foot pegs are on the swingarm, it has rearset footpegs, chrome gas cap showing on the tank etc. Later models were 'Americanized' (sorry!) with more forward foot positioning, higher handlebars and hidden gas caps.
 
aaandht said:
:shivers: electrical problems

The electrical system on the 400f is pretty easy, just need a wiring diagram & circuit tester. Might as well do it right from the start & clean & inspect all the wiring, connections, etc. Replace any questionable connections, and keep it all stock if you can. Only electrical changes I made to the one I had were a smaller headlight because it was hard to find the 400f sized bulb & Dyna Ignition, the bike ran so well I didn't even bother to upgrade the coils. Have any pics?
 
Back
Top Bottom