honda 400 auto

[tpar1220]

what you guys think of this thing.. late 70's CM400A.



it's an automatic..



was my dads last bike before he passed. he bought when his health started failing and couldn't ride bigger bikes any longer. we were looking for a 750 hondamatic and stumbled up on this 400 locally. neither of us knew they existed. unfortunately... he never got to ride it..

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=413485

was last registered in 90's and been sittin in my barn 5 or 6 years. i got it running well but need wear items replaced. and i need a right side cover that looks like this one on left side..



i plan on gettin it going and complete a trip we started but never finished many years ago...

[SpudRider]

That's a nice bike. My first motorcycle was a 1979 Honda Hawk II. You dad's bike was a stablemate to my bike. I wish you good luck making your trip! Thanks for posting the nice photos.

[tpar1220]

thanks, i been meaning to get to the 400 for a while but something always seems to come up, like this...



itsa 99 concours. i had one many years ago and sold it... always regretted it.

so... put my trusty tdub for trade nuther connie..





i miss the lil bugger, but didn't ride it enough to keep it. so had a few takers on the trade but decided on the 99. it is in great shape considering the mileage... wait for it.....















151,000 miles!! normally i would pass on a bike with that kinda mileage but these things never seem to quit. i checked it over and all seemed to be as it should so i said my good by's to my tdub and brought the c10 home. on my 3rd tank of fuel it hydrolocked in parking lot of store (these bikes are prone to this). i seen it when i walked out but what a pain as i hadn't even had tank off yet so was unfamiliar with the whole thing of stripping bike down.

i had it tore down plugs out and bumped starter to expell fuel from cylinders back together and down road in 40 minutes! i got it back home but knew i needed to address the issue before riding again.

so... replaced the vacuum petcock and tore carbs off to replace needles and check float heights.



removed airbox for cleaning..



completely went thru carbs with ultra sonic cleaner.. n replaced needles..





sent bowls out to have overflow tubes installed then figured i had time so why not check for bent rods in case po had a hydrolock and didn't catch it..



they all checked out good so on to check/adjust valves..



which were all pretty tight, but screw/locknut adjusters makes quick work of that..



did a bunch of other stuff as well and soon as bowls returned got it back together and it runs awesome with a jet kit and foam insert added to air box. i have a funky ignition switch to deal with but think the concours is ready to go....

so now... the lil 400 can go on the lift...



can't wait! of course.... it's 18 degrees outside!

[cheesy]

Any Honda from the mid sixties to the early eightes is worth having. Whether the CM400A will ever be considered a collectable or desired bike remains to be seen. That said, they were a bit ahead of their time, with the Comstars and auto trans. I don't recall as to whether or not the CM was points or electronic ignition. If it has CDI ignition, this will be the weak spot. Not through any design flaw, but just because of the age of the components. Caps dry out.

My younger brother worked at a Honda dealership in the late 70s, and said that the only drawback to the automatic was that they didn't have the capability to work on them at the time. They had to pull the engine and send it out to be repaired.

If I were in the market for n+1, (where n equals how many bikes you have and 1 represents how many more you want) something from the CM series would easily find a place in my garage.

If nothing else, fix it up in memory of your Father.

[cheesy]

Nice write up. I don't know I ever got along without an ultra sonic cleaner before I got the Maggot.

[tpar1220]

i have a close friend that has a bike shop, he has the ultra sonic cleaner... so i take carbs to him. i can take em apart and re assemble easy peasy but don't like thinking i am taking advantage of him, or his shop, or his time. he doesn't charge me much so i just let him do it.

the cm carbs are next. i have it running and ride it round my place but it needs some stuff, like wear items replaced and front master cyl rebuild. other than that the lil thing is good to go, it runs well and don't leak or smoke. i just needs some time which i have not had lately.. but i am gonna make some.

i have my ol 75z1 900 on lift at the moment but it needs alot! front to back and top to bottom including a 1075 kit with smooth bores. it will have to wait though.. the lil honda is up next. and i don't know how collectable the 400a is but i have not seen any till i got this one. it is totally stock and un molested and EVERYTHING works!

i plan on having some fun with it, and it isn't going anywhere unless one of my brothers wants to use it for a while... which i doubt will happen.

[cheesy]

I'd say that you have your hands full. Tdub is next on the list but when is another story.

[edtardo]

Found this lil beauty on my local craigslist.

http://orlando.craigslist.org/mcy/4229918684.html

[tpar1220]

looks pretty good and stock (aside from paint), which is good. you gunna go have a look?

[cheesy]

If IIRC, the carbs on the CM are nearly identical to the CX and will require the use of the ultrasonic cleaner. They can be fussy if dirty, and check for cracks in the overflow tubes.

The MC is the same as the CX. Make sure the tiny, tiny, tiny hole ain't blocked. Can be a PITA to get open.

[tpar1220]

Originally Posted by cheesy

If IIRC, the carbs on the CM are nearly identical to the CX and will require the use of the ultrasonic cleaner. They can be fussy if dirty, and check for cracks in the overflow tubes.

The MC is the same as the CX. Make sure the tiny, tiny, tiny hole ain't blocked. Can be a PITA to get open.

if it not so cold today i woulda went out to barn and pulled carbs and ran em to buddies shop sometime this week. but was so cold i never left house, instead i am trying out a new version of linux on an old pc to see how i like it.

i have a buddy that rides a bike similar to the 400, his is a kz400 though..





i am glad my 400 is not in perfect condition as it will see a good bit of gravel too.

[Weldangrind]

Originally Posted by tpar1220

...but was so cold i never left house, instead i am trying out a new version of linux on an old pc to see how i like it.

Mint? Let us know how you like it. I wanna try the same thing.

I'm loving the tire choice on your buddy's KZ.

[tpar1220]

Originally Posted by Weldangrind

Mint? Let us know how you like it. I wanna try the same thing.

I'm loving the tire choice on your buddy's KZ.

i am currently running on linux, the version is "lucid puppy". i chose that one this time as it is NOT a full install. no need to go thru the process of formatting hd or partitioning and doing dual boot.

this one is a smaller install and loads/runs in memory instead of on hd. download to cd, then change boot seq to boot cd first and it will install and run. i thought since it runs in memory that it would be slow but it is very fast. it found my wireless network and i connected quickly. also installed printer and printed a test page with no issue. it's only been one day but so far so good.linux site also said can use thumb drive as well to save settings so next time you boot up it won't take as long. i just found an old thumb drive so need to try it.

nuther good thing is if i don't like it i reboot and change boot seq back to hd and remove disc and old system runs just like before. i like the idea of not doing the full install... this way i can see if i like it or not before finding a full version to replace my current op system.

we shall see...

http://puppylinux.org/main/Download%...%20Release.htm

[edtardo]

I'm thinking about it.

[SpudRider]

Originally Posted by edtardo

Found this lil beauty on my local craigslist.

http://orlando.craigslist.org/mcy/4229918684.html

Originally Posted by edtardo

I'm thinking about it.

That's a very nice bike. I would at least take a good look at it.