aaron33royer33
New Member
Hello out there! I am so excited to finally start on my own project after researching and shopping for so long. I am an engineering student at Georgia Tech in Atlanta, and I just purchased a 1975 Honda CB400F. The bike needs A LOT of work to get back on the road, but that's just what I'm looking for. I am really interested in learning how the bike operates and functions through this intensive project. The end goal is a cafe style with a minimalist setup.
About the bike:
I bought the bike from an Army veteran who had similar cafe ambitions with it, but did not have the time. Lucky for me, he already ordered nearly every part necessary to get the bike running again (gasgets, ignition kit, jet kit, new tires, master cylinder, Clymer and Haynes manuals, etc.) and provide parts to achieve the cafe appeal (seat, clubman bars, lights, pods, new tires). All in all I paid $750 for the bike and parts, and the guy was kind enough to deliver to the storage unit I have on campus.
Priorities:
I want to be as systematic as possible about the build, mainly because I want to keep the total cost below $1500. This may sound crazy, but there's a catch. I am a mechanical engineering student here at Georgia Tech, and the department has an entire invention studio and machine shop full of every tool, machine, and expert you can imagine. Best part is that it's FREE to students to use. Just have to supply materials.
I want to get the bike running before I start doing anything else. My short term plan is the following:
1) Compression Check
2) Wiring (as bare bones as possible just to get it to start)
3) Ignition Check
4) Carburetor Rebuild (already done 2 out of 4)
5) Give it a kick!
Again, I am so excited to start up my own project thread on here after seeing the great advice from you guys on other projects. I will certainly be taking valuable lessons from some of the other builds on here (all hail neevo), and look forward to keeping everybody updated along the way. All feedback, suggestions, and questions are greatly appreciated as I have no experience in this field and am wide eyed with the opportunity ahead to get this beautiful street machine back into the game.
About the bike:
I bought the bike from an Army veteran who had similar cafe ambitions with it, but did not have the time. Lucky for me, he already ordered nearly every part necessary to get the bike running again (gasgets, ignition kit, jet kit, new tires, master cylinder, Clymer and Haynes manuals, etc.) and provide parts to achieve the cafe appeal (seat, clubman bars, lights, pods, new tires). All in all I paid $750 for the bike and parts, and the guy was kind enough to deliver to the storage unit I have on campus.
Priorities:
I want to be as systematic as possible about the build, mainly because I want to keep the total cost below $1500. This may sound crazy, but there's a catch. I am a mechanical engineering student here at Georgia Tech, and the department has an entire invention studio and machine shop full of every tool, machine, and expert you can imagine. Best part is that it's FREE to students to use. Just have to supply materials.
I want to get the bike running before I start doing anything else. My short term plan is the following:
1) Compression Check
2) Wiring (as bare bones as possible just to get it to start)
3) Ignition Check
4) Carburetor Rebuild (already done 2 out of 4)
5) Give it a kick!
Again, I am so excited to start up my own project thread on here after seeing the great advice from you guys on other projects. I will certainly be taking valuable lessons from some of the other builds on here (all hail neevo), and look forward to keeping everybody updated along the way. All feedback, suggestions, and questions are greatly appreciated as I have no experience in this field and am wide eyed with the opportunity ahead to get this beautiful street machine back into the game.