1980 Honda CM400 Resto/Mod/Cafe

Hello!
First time poster, long time reader.
I own a fixer-upper CM400, but I love it. It is such a simple bike to work on and has such a great vibe. Anywho, on to the business:
The bad:
- When we first picked it up, it didn't start. (A simple matter of a blown fuse).
- The left side side cover fell off during a test drive and was promptly run over by a car. (Completely crushed my spirits that day).
- The carburetors were all gummed up as with any old bike that's been sitting awhile. (I cleaned them, but they still had a leak coming from the overflow lines so I ordered some float needles to see if that would fix the problem and I'm still waiting for them to arrive.)
The good:
- Runs strong
- Good tires
- Clean bike that hasn't been modded before. (Clean template)

So I suppose my first question is a carb question... has anyone else had this same problem where the gasoline will pour out of the overflow? How did you fix it? I've completely taken it apart, cleaned it, put in new gaskets and o-rings and put it back together. When it still leaked I thought the only problem could be the float needles or the floats themselves. Since the floats were good and had no pinholes, I decided to just order the needles.
Thanks for reading and in advance for any advice/wisdom! ;D

Here she is as of 2/7/15:
Carburetor is taken out and awaiting new float needles.
The seat has been reupholstered.
This ol' Honda is looking as good as ever.

If its constantly pouring out of the overflow, I would check that the float height is set correctly. If it is, check the brass emulsion tube in the float bowl for any hairline cracks which will allow fuel to constantly leak.

better check that the overflow tubes are not cracked

if they are they will let fuel leak no matter where the float is set

Okay, will do. With these carbs in particular it is difficult to evaluate the brass tubes in the bowl because they don't come out. So looking for cracks or any type of imperfection is limited to a flashlight and my eye... :-\
And thanks for the advice cxman, I didn't realize the tubes affected that sort of thing. I just thought that they were an outlet. I'll get those replaced.

Wait...brass emulsion tube...not brass needle seat. awkward. I'll go and check that out. Thanks for the advice, Green.

Carefully tap them out without damaging the carb body sirface that touches the tube.
All holes should be clean.
I just redid my RD carbs,new seats new needles all that.
They tend to leak for the first time,tapping the float chamber it slighlty stopped them from leaking.

Alright, update. 2/13/2015
I ordered some new float needles and put them in. Once I put the carbs in and buttoned everything up it ran perfectly. No leaks no nothin'. So I can only assume it was just a matter of 35 year old needles...
I took it around the block and it was a completely different bike. No more bog no more hesitation - thanks for the advice everyone!
Next up on the list now that it is running right will be "mods" and the slow transition over to the cafe look.
So the next round of questions:
Where can I find a headlight housing that has the speedo all in one?
Opinion on handlebars? Clip ons, clubmans, etc.?
And I would also like to look at upgrading the rear suspension, any opinions?
Thanks y'all

I'm also going to try and find a real camera so that i'm not posting these crappy pictures that are currently up.

Clean looking bike to start with! I am in the middle of my cm400 café build. On my build I am using clip-ons. I think it gives it more of a mean café look which is what I like, don't know what your interests are though. As for the suspension, what kind of modifications are you looking for? DCC has some rear shocks and so does EMGO. I am assuming you don't really want to modify the frame. But check out DCC, they have quality parts.

I don't know for sure on the speedo/headlight unit. I've seen a lot of people fabricate their own. You could find a more elongated headlight and cut a hole for a tach or speedo to fit. I have seen some to purchase online but they are quite pricey.

On my build I am using clip-ons. I think it gives it more of a mean café look which is what I like, don't know what your interests are though. As for the suspension, what kind of modifications are you looking for? DCC has some rear shocks and so does EMGO.

Click to expand...

PowerHungry, with your clip-ons, did you end up putting them below where the headlight mounts? Because so far as I can tell, I would have to cut off the headlight mounts, sand it, repolish, get a new headlight and lower it, and then put the clip-ons above it. Or did you completely switch out the front end with something newer?
And as for the rear shocks, just something newer that will perform better and look a little more aesthetically pleasing. I'm looking for both looks and functionality. And yes, I don't particularly plan on modifying the frame. Maybe in the future, but for now I would like to enjoy the bike for what it is that way I don't rip it apart and then get bored and sell it cheap to a guy on CL.

I bought some after market headlight mounts for pretty cheap and bought cb360 upper and lower triple trees. They have the same bearing races, I wanted to be able to slide the forks higher to lower the bike and reduce the rake a bit. I'll have to go and look for my old mounts to see if they could be modified but I think they sit on top of the forks, they don't clamp on. So clip-ons would probably have to go under the mounts which would be fairly low. New mounts are pretty cheap if you want them and it gives it a little more updated look. If you don't want to go that route then clubmans would be a good choice, they would just bolt right in without any front end modification. It just depends on the look you are trying to go for.

Here's some inspiration. My personal favorite is the last picture. I might just singularly pull from that one.

Thanks PowerHungry. CB360 huh? I'll have to look into that - thanks for the advice. Just for grins, whats your take on dual headlights? I've been throwing that idea around and I'm not sure I feel about it.

If you like it then go for it! Personally I don't really love it, I like the vintage look of these bikes, that's why I love cafes and the sort, the round headlight does a better job of that imo. But if you like the way it looks then try it out!

Here is my front end setup, as you can see the forks can slide up and down however far I want them to.

That's awesome! I'm definitely going to have to go and scrounge some up for myself - especially considering that they're plug and play...
And along the lines of the headlight, those were my same thoughts. I like the dual headlights, but at the same time they don't follow the continuity of the vintage look.

The cb360 triple tree is fairly easy to find for cheap. Just keep looking on eBay until you come across a good deal. You have to have both the bottom and top triples because they have a different offset than the cm400 bottom triple. I got mine for 40 dollars. Make sure it isn't a cb350, they may fit but I am not 100% sure. The cb360's have the same bearing races and fork tube size. So it's a drop in fit.

I have found a couple, but only the forks so far... But! Persistence is the name of the game. The search continues...