My cb400T build "Kay"

This is my first build and first motorcycle. Complete noob, so feel free to mock. DTT has been a great resource so far, so thanks to all who have and continue to share knowledge.

Quick bg for those that care: Been wanting a bike and, separately, to start fixing old vehicles (e.g. was looking at 70s fiat spiders last summer) for years but never had time/money/space. Now I have time/money---I'm making do with lack of space. Anyway, was looking to buy a used bike when in my searches I saw a few pics of cafe racers and they were just what I was looking for, plus the older bikes are simpler so I figured I'd have an easier time working on it.

The bike: bought a cb400tii for $600. I realize now it probably was worth $400 max. Oh well, part of the learning process. It ran without problems which was unique among the variety of other 70s hondas advertised on CL. I got tired of looking for the right bike and frankly, many of the more cafe-apt bikes (cb350s, 550s, etc.) seemed overpriced. People bought a cafe seat and a new light and wanted $2000. Result of the cafe craze maybe.

Here is as-purchased:



My workspace (the sidewalk):



Current status:





Frankly, I'm starting to like the cb400t tank. It can look good if done right (Black Motor Covenant's "A-Bomb" opened my eyes). Clearly, my work so far has been all cosmetic. More substantial things are to be tackled in upcoming weeks: rebuild carbs, new suspension, rearsets, etc. I have some questions coming, but for now wanted to just set up the build post and introduce myself.

looks nice and slim

Thanks for the advice. I'll be searching for new shocks in a few weeks after I've gotten to ride it a little.

So a question for anyone: what the heck is this? Was in my tank and I noticed it when I took the tank off to paint. You can't see it in the picture, but inside the grated tubing is a long packet of what sounds like sand. Is this some kind of fuel filter? Should I not have removed it?

I like that seat a lot. That's one of those ones you can find on eBay, right?

Also concerning the exhaust, did you remove the crossover/collector part and just bolt the mufflers to the stock headers? Or did you make/buy new headers?

I ride an '82 CB450T myself, I'll be following this thread (and probably annoying you with a lot of questions, if you don't mind that is )

kj4130 said:

I like that seat a lot. That's one of those ones you can find on eBay, right?

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Got the seat here. It was overpriced and took 4 weeks to get here (from Vietnam), so I was regretting the decision. But now that it's on the bike, I'm very pleased. I think it matches the tank well. I never really like the typical cafe racer cowl w/ these tanks. The stock seat actually looks good with the tank, but as you can see the seat as I inherited it was a disaster (complete with masking tape patches!).

kj4130 said:

Also concerning the exhaust, did you remove the crossover/collector part and just bolt the mufflers to the stock headers? Or did you make/buy new headers?

Click to expand...

Yes. Removed crossover b/c it was rusted to all hell. Old mufflers had rusted holes, too. Plus I wanted a simple muffler look. These EMGOs are just bolted on to the old headers. Louder than stock---not harley loud, but enough that I may baffle them a bit at some point in the future.

kj4130 said:

I ride an '82 CB450T myself, I'll be following this thread (and probably annoying you with a lot of questions, if you don't mind that is )

Click to expand...

Bad idea, since I'm a noob and all my advice is suspect at best. But I can warn you about my mistakes!

Also, you might want to check out the CM400 / CB400T thread, if you haven't already:
http://www.dotheton.com/forum/index.php?topic=26184.0

that is simply brilliant - well done!

*70s fiat spiders come in pairs, or more...

I suspect the thing that came out of your tank was a fuel gauge.

So the build got put off for a bit. I bought a Monster 900s, so I've been enjoying that. Anyway, got back to riding the Honda and noticed a problem.

While it starts up and runs fine, after riding for a few minutes I get smoke coming out of the right exhaust. Smoke may not be the right word, since it isn't black (more white/gray) and isn't that thick (but definitely visible). It doesn't have a strong smell that I can identify (like burning oil).

Anyway, I'm looking for advice on where to start looking/testing.

White smoke on an air cooled engine is quite a mystery. Burning oil typically gives off blueish smoke, a rich mixture will give off black smoke and water/coolant will give off white smoke. If it was just a bit when you first started up, I would say it was moisture build up, but after it's warmed up????

tsbigdog said:

White smoke on an air cooled engine is quite a mystery. Burning oil typically gives off blueish smoke, a rich mixture will give off black smoke and water/coolant will give off white smoke. If it was just a bit when you first started up, I would say it was moisture build up, but after it's warmed up????

Click to expand...

Thanks. The strange thing is that there is no white smoke at start up, but it appears after riding for a bit (10 minutes). The first time it was after 30+ minutes of riding, then it happened earlier each ride. Only on the right exhaust.

Okay, so I have a theory: I figure that since it comes only after I've been riding, and usually at higher revs/speed, maybe something is shaking loose (like rust or whatever) in the tank from the riding/vibrations and getting into the fuel, which is then burning? That wouldn't explain why it occurs only on one exhaust side and not the other, though, so is there something in the process where old worn parts would shake off dirt/grime/rust and get burned on just one side?

Did you rebuild the carbs?

I had a vintage honda shop (Adam at Liberty Vintage in Philly) do it, so I'm inclined to believe it was done well. Further confirming that is that everything runs fine, that is, it's not like the "smoke" comes with odd knocking sounds, dying engine, etc.

After a lot of life changes, I'm back to working on my bike. Since buying it last winter, I've:

1. Bought another bike (one that's "only" 12 years old). Good news since I can now work on the Honda while still having something to ride.
2. Moved to NYC. Since I can only keep one bike in the city, the Honda is at my sister's in the 'burbs. Allows me a nice work space.
3. Took a moto maintenance course. Not a formal class, just some basic classes from an old mechanic. I highly recommend to anyone is NYC with limited mechanical skill. Wrote a summary review here.

So now with some mechanical confidence, a little $$$, and a space to work on the bike, I (hopefully) can get some stuff accomplished. Pic above shows the mess I'm dealing with since I'm installing clip-ons and replacing all hand controls. Waiting on some final parts. I've got a red accent theme going, hence red fuel line and I have red spark plug cables from DCC to install.

After I got my hands on it this weekend for the first time in awhile, I see a lot of stuff that needs repair/updating. Current TTD list is:

- Fork maintenance (they ain't pretty)
- Rear suspension upgrade
- Rear set install (I have these)
- Front brake upgrade
- Kickstart only (remove electric starter)
- Clutch work (not sure what exactly, but shifting isn't that smooth)

Will post more as I work this winter. Questions brewing...

Got a lot of front end work done. First on the menu was to disassembled the forks and rebuilt them. Getting fork seals out was a PITA!!! I tried prying and no luck. I tried the fill-with-water technique and no luck. I resorted to just hammering with a screwdriver and STILL no luck. Eventually, I saw a recommendation to boil the fork slider w/ seal. This loosened it enough to bang it out with 50 wacks of the screwdriver. Behold the old seal:




Next was to clean the steering column and replace the bearings. Thanks for member Frankenfe for some answers. Like the forks, the column looked like it had never been maintained. Getting the lower race out was next to impossible, but once again boiling helped. I now recommend a crab pot as essential to a good tool set.



After, I was able to reinstall clip-ons and attach my new throttle tube, grips, brake lever & master, clutch lever, and left-side control unit. But the clip-on sweep and black grips w/ red accents look the bees knees! 8) No pics yet since I want to finish the wiring, etc. I'm a little nervous, since electronics are the weakest of my many weak spots.

BTW- firewood makes a great engine stand, as seen below. With all the down trees in the area from Sandy, I decided to expand the practical uses of firewood.