Honda cb400f 1976

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Here`s mine ...... purchased new June 1975 , exchanged in March 1976 for a new Triumph T140V Bonneville , which was slower .... both in top speed and acceleration ........ as well as being in a completely different league as far as mechanical integrity was concerned .......


Covered 11,000 miles on the 400/4 in those nine months ......... whereas the Bonneville threw it`s toys .... ( and it`s big ends) ... out of the pram after just 10,000 miles from new .........

Both the Honda and the Triumph were nice motorcycles ........ the difference being the Triumph wasn`t much use for motorcycling ...........

Not the Meriden Co-op`s , or even Edward Turners fault of course ....... It was just that this was the time when motorcyclists were still getting used to the idea that the Japanese were in the process of changing their perception of what a motorcycle could be ...... for ever .............


Wanted the 400/4 since I first saw pictures of it in December 1974 ......... Ordered it from APS Motorcycles in April `75 ...... had to wait seven weeks for it to arrive , such was the demand for them .......

It would cruise at an indicated 85 mph on the motorways ..... Smoother than an oiled-up Hugh Grant ........... Replaced the original Bridgestone tyres when they wore out with Dunlop TT100`s , which ruined high speed straight line stability when riding solo ...... although carrying a passenger would damp out the head shaking at the aforementioned 80-85 mph ........

Pics show a snow covered Mendip Hills ..... the Elan Valley reservoirs ........ and a spot of off roading on the top of a Welsh mountain ........


PS ..... Saw one ....( a maroon F2 ) ...... heading down the A38 towards Bristol just this afternoon ........

PPS ....... My dad had a yellow F2 back in the `seventies as well ........
 
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As a 16 yr old I bought one brand new in July 1976. Had a motorbike endorsement license before before a car endorsement, rode it year round to work and to trade school in the winter, not pleasant around my location. Bike never faltered once in 5 yrr until trading it in on a 1980 Kawi 750. Only issue I had was that it wasn’t a big bike, my hockey knees couldn’t live with its tiny scale nowadays.
 
EncinoBoy said:
Steve: You have mentioned those "hockey knees" in a few posts. Please elaborate...graphic details okay.
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I played ice hockey from 5 yrs old thru the various levels of kids and junior hockey, couldn’t make it more than local rep teams, so no professional for me, but went onto regional teams and then senior leagues until 54 when they just wore out. Throw in competition level racquetball for 25+ yrs and yeah, they hurt all the time now, on waiting list for a new knee now.
 
I inherited a 6000 mile 1976 CB400F from a friend who passed away. It had sat in his rather damp garage for 15 years after my friend was badly injured in a motorcycle accident, and could no longer ride. Given the time it hadn't turned a wheel, it was a testament to Mr Honda's build quality of the day. I gave it a sympathetic rebuild, refurbishing as many parts as possible, or if too far gone, replacing with NOS or reproduction items from David Silver, a vintage Honda spares specialist in the UK. When the rebuild was completed I passed it on to a friend who had had several 400/4s and had always wanted to buy the bike . It's been in her hands since 2018, has appeared with my friend (who is the UK Honda Owners Club President) on 'The Motorbike Show' with Henry Cole. and won a few awards at several shows, but the pleasure of reviving a bike that was a great favourite of my friend, has been to make it a memorial to him.
 
rocketonarail said:
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Here`s mine ...... purchased new June 1975 , exchanged in March 1976 for a new Triumph T140V Bonneville , which was slower .... both in top speed and acceleration ........ as well as being in a completely different league as far as mechanical integrity was concerned .......


Covered 11,000 miles on the 400/4 in those nine months ......... whereas the Bonneville threw it`s toys .... ( and it`s big ends) ... out of the pram after just 10,000 miles from new .........

Both the Honda and the Triumph were nice motorcycles ........ the difference being the Triumph wasn`t much use for motorcycling ...........

Not the Meriden Co-op`s , or even Edward Turners fault of course ....... It was just that this was the time when motorcyclists were still getting used to the idea that the Japanese were in the process of changing their perception of what a motorcycle could be ...... for ever .............


Wanted the 400/4 since I first saw pictures of it in December 1974 ......... Ordered it from APS Motorcycles in April `75 ...... had to wait seven weeks for it to arrive , such was the demand for them .......

It would cruise at an indicated 85 mph on the motorways ..... Smoother than an oiled-up Hugh Grant ........... Replaced the original Bridgestone tyres when they wore out with Dunlop TT100`s , which ruined high speed straight line stability when riding solo ...... although carrying a passenger would damp out the head shaking at the aforementioned 80-85 mph ........

Pics show a snow covered Mendip Hills ..... the Elan Valley reservoirs ........ and a spot of off roading on the top of a Welsh mountain ........


PS ..... Saw one ....( a maroon F2 ) ...... heading down the A38 towards Bristol just this afternoon ........

PPS ....... My dad had a yellow F2 back in the `seventies as well ........
Click to expand...
A few pics of my old 4/4s. V reg one owned 80/81, S reg 83/84.
First one was very nice, being only 14months old. Quite a late registered bike, it must've hung around due to Super Dream popularity I suppose.
VHO 247V is still taxed and on the road somewhere. Last I heard, somewhere in Shropshire.

Bought the second one from a chap who stuck an ad in the local paper shop window. It was a very tidy one-owner bike, and came complete with fitted nose fairing, Ace bars and a Dunstall silencer. Plus a rack and top box.
It had IOM TT stickers on the top box, so I figured he didn't hang about on it.

The bloke let me road test it, but insisted on riding pillion. We'd gone maybe 3 or 4 miles and pulled up at some lights.
I asked if he'd "Mind if I open it up a bit on the way back"? "I thought you already were" says he.

Thinking he was joking, I gave it some through the twisties, en-route to his place. He got off the back, muttering to himself, walking bow-legged and unsteadily. A bit like John Wayne with a prolapse.

He was still muttering when he said "Never been that quick on it before"... I bought it there and then. It was a very smooth running, un-thrashed machine. I don't think he shat himself, but he may well have 'touched cloth'.....

P.S. Pillion passenger in the pic is not the previous owner...
 

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Absolutely loved my 400 Four,smooth reliable and great fun chasing bigger bikes down around the deceptive bends heading for Box hill a bikers haunt for what seems like for ever.
I brought it off a guy who was buying a new CBX 1000,it wasn,t till I came to adjust the cam chain did I find out that the adjuster bolt was snapped off!!.....Cheers Mate :unsure: ........still I had the last laugh when he wrote his CBX off racing an XS1100 home from Box hill,unfortunately you can't put a Honda on a double decker bus as he had tried to do.......he lived to tell the tale thankfully.

I have other pictures somewhere,but here's one I found from back in the day at Box hill car park......one bike I would like to have back.
 

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Schurminater said:
Absolutely loved my 400 Four,smooth reliable and great fun chasing bigger bikes down around the deceptive bends heading for Box hill a bikers haunt for what seems like for ever.
it wasn,t till I came to adjust the cam chain did I find out that the adjuster bolt was snapped off!!.....Cheers Mate :unsure: .
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The 350 and 400 (same motor really) had the cam chain tensioner system with the pinch bolt onto a rod system, loosen the pinch bolt and the rod would be free and the spring tensioned the blade against the chain, nip up the pinch bolt and locknut. On these motors the rod almost always got stuck and wouldn't move from the spring pressure. You removed the cap and used a small drift to tap on the end of the rod which snapped free and the spring did it's job and the motor was suddenly super quiet again. Almost every one I serviced had had a noisy cam chain "almost since new" and been serviced umpteen times "they are all noisy like that", the owners were always super happy.
 
They were lovely little bikes, and I have fond memories of both. They were fun to ride, you just had to keep them revving
to get the best out of them.
A mate at the time had an RD400e. We swopped bikes one day. It handled ok, but the engine was vibey and the brakes were crap.
Might've just been his bike I suppose. Either way, I was happy to swop back.

The first one I had felt such a step up from my old, well knackered cb250g5. Back then in the UK, you could ride a 250cc bike as a learner.
The 4/4 wasn't much bigger really I suppose. Nonetheless, I consider it to be my first 'big' bike.

I took it steady on my way to the really 'big and fast' stuff. Think that, along with a bit of luck here and there, is why I'm still around....
 
The mid - seventies was a really great time for bikes like these .......... Almost overnight , a virtually new class of middle weight bikes suddenly became available .......

From slow old pushrod singles we went to two stroke triples ( GT380 and KH400 ) ............ two stroke twins ( RD350 / 400 ) ............ Heron chambered vee twins ( Morini three and a halves ) ........... ohc fours ( CB400/4 ) ........... ohc twins ( CB360 and KZ400 ) ...... ok , the last two we hanging onto the coat tails of the others , but they still sold ..........

Modern ( for the time ) tech ..... disc brakes and electric starters , indicators and candy colours ...... all the stuff normally associated with much bigger bikes suddenly available in middle weight , attractive , and affordable packages ....... their appeal was irresistible .............

Little wonder they sold like hot cakes ..............
 
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Steve G. said:
As a 16 yr old I bought one brand new in July 1976. Had a motorbike endorsement license before before a car endorsement, rode it year round to work and to trade school in the winter, not pleasant around my location. Bike never faltered once in 5 yrr until trading it in on a 1980 Kawi 750. Only issue I had was that it wasn’t a big bike, my hockey knees couldn’t live with its tiny scale nowadays.
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A new 4/4 at sixteen? Lovely. No such luck in Blighty, I bought a clapped-out Honda SS50 for 30 quid... Never got to ride it to school though,
'cos I left in the July, and wasn't 16 until August.... Bloody.

Got my full bike licence well before car test, same as you. After all, you got to get your priorities right eh? ;)

Eventually I did get my first car. My newly acquired and clapped-out 20yr old Ford Anglia 105e, joined a really clapped-out cb250g5.

Come to think of it, the first road going vehicle I had that wasn't clapped out, was my original 4/4...:unsure:

Funnily enough, the similarities continue with my next bike too. I bought a Kawa Z650f2. The bike was bought from the local dealer,
still in its' delivery crate. They'd had a fire and were selling off all undamaged stock at knock-down prices. Paid £1150 for it, in the Autumn of '81. No warranty of course, but it was fine. No issues at all in the 2yrs I had it. Lovely bike.



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I bought a '73 350/4 (the much maligned forebear) in about '76. It was a personal bike of a Honda dealer principal in a town near me and was in as new condition. A jewel of a little motorcycle but certainly too complicated (read expensive) for it's size and output. (Another example of Honda making it because they could I suppose)
Was smooth as silk and while it didn't have a lot of power would rev out over 10,000 rpm wonderfully and sounded like a big bike.
I put some 4 into ones on it and on the first ride with them the baffle blew out, what a racket. Local copper used to always harrass me about riding into town and the bike bellowing but I used to say I was doing the speed limit, many a fun argument there and threats of boots up the arse if he caught me.
They weren't overly popular due to the penchant for big and powerful at the time but that bike would happily cruise along at 80mph+ on rural back roads and really was a lovely little bike. Not a racer or competitive in any way but real world riding was great fun......................
 
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