Honda CB400F2 Restoration Part Two
Series originally printed in Mechanics in 1994

The Strip Down

Having satisfied myself that the engine would run, by connecting it up to jump leads, I borrowed the battery from my 150 Gilera and had an illicit spin up and down the lane to warm the oil. With a hot engine, six pints of 12 year old oil ran out quite willingly. The oil filter come off easily thanks to its 17mm headed bolt. Those horrible 12mm versions never allowed enough purchase .

The seat, which appeared reasonable, turned to dust as I detached it from its hinges. I removed the brackets but the rest was fit for the scrap bin. The tank was next to come off and left the works exposed. The exhausts are so closely grouped around the head that a 1/4" drive socket is essential. There simply isn't enough room for anything else. I have been spraying the nuts and bolts with penetrating oil for the past few weeks, and this paid off. All of the nuts came off easily, except for one which brought its stud for company. With the clamps undone, the severely corroded split collets had to be coaxed away from the head. Corrosion looked severe, but they all came off with a sharp tweak from my biggest screwdriver. Only two other bolts hold the exhaust system, and with these removed, the whole piece came away in all its decaying glory. Was it a design feature that the less visible parts of Honda exhaust systems rot first?

The rear mudguard would have come away without undoing the bolts, but I decided to do the job properly. Two of the bolts broke off under the persuasive powers of my spanner. Never mind, the mudguard's going with the seat...

With the back end looking quite racy, I was able to tackle the beast from the rear. The rusty Girlings came off, followed by the rear wheel. For some reason, these wheels have a distinct dislike for giving up their spindles. No matter how much grease is used during assembly, the axle always seizes into the brake plate. This time was no exception. My big hammer had to come out with an aluminium drift to persuade it through the hub.

Once the wheel was out, it was possible to get at the air box. All those little bits that couldn't find a home elsewhere on the 'Super Sport' are hidden here. Starter solenoid, battery, regulator, rectifier and winker relay are all closely huddled under cover behind the abbreviated side panels. The forest of wires is so dense it is difficult to locate the mounting screws. Eventually they gave up the struggle, leaving only the solenoid attached to the engine.

Prising the air box off soon left the carbs with nowhere to hide. With the one remaining throttle cable removed, they were powerless to resist. They came away nicely as a single block, once the breather lines were pulled from their grimy home under the engine. I took out as many engine bolts as I could see, but the motor remained solidly fixed to the frame. Then, looking in the caked-on grime underneath, I noticed two more clamping it to the chassis. Stopping for a breather, I recalled the last time that I had done this job. It is very difficult to get the engine out of the frame single-handed, especially if, like me your back isn't 100%. Better to lay the whole plot over and lift the chassis off the engine.

In order to make the job easier, I moved back to the cycle parts and removed the handlebars, headlamp and top yoke. Once all the bolts were freed, the whole lot came away with yards of trailing wiring harness. With that lot dumped safely in the parts department the remains became easier to deal with.

Out came the kids' toboggan ( we never get any snow anyway! ) to rest the clutch side of the engine on. With rocker breather cover and sump removed ( sorry about the oil on the path, Dear! ) the last two bolts were extracted, to leave the two halves of the bike forming a wobbly heap on the toboggan. With the frame lifted off, the engine teetered precariously as it tried to take its first steps unaided. I just managed to catch it before it did something silly.

The frame was now rather lighter to manhandle while the front forks were removed. That lovely (?) floating caliper front brake was seized solid as only it knew how. I wonder why Honda don't make these now? They were much more interesting than 6-pot Nissins. With a little more spanner twiddling the steering head bearings were rolling all over the path and the stands soon clanked into the 'to be blasted' box.

It was all over. I now had a Honda 400F2 spread over 20 square metres of lawn. There was quite a bit of tidying up to do. (Yes Dear, I'll make sure its all tidied away) All the parts were sorted into their own piles. Parts for blasting, parts for the bin, parts for zinc plating etc.. All bolts were put into a box ready for measuring up for replacement. I am a stainless steel fanatic. Apart from the big bolts, which will be zinc plated, all other fasteners will be stainless. The frame and swinging arm were cleaned off ready for blasting and stoving. Most parts were already reasonably clean, but I made sure that there were no large areas of grease for the blasting grit to get stuck in. The large parts were joined by a selection of smaller items and brackets which I will finish myself once they have been blasted.

With the frame and sundry components loaded into the car for immediate transit to the blasters, the other debris was moved into the workshop for further examination. I was ready for a cup of tea and a sit down! See you next time .

Graham Curtis 17 March 1998

Thanks to the following suppliers who helped with the project

Tippetts Motors (Surbiton) Ltd
312-320 Ewel Road,
Tolworth,
Surbiton
Surrey KT8 7AW

Mick Bull Motorcycles
Unit 2,
36 Canal Street
Derby DE1 2RJ
Tel 01332 367470

David Silver Spares
Unit 14,
Masterlord Ind Estate
Station Road
Leiston
Suffolk
IP16 4JD
Tel 01728 833020

Derby Plating Services Ltd
148 Abbey Street
Derby
DE22 3SS
Tel 01332 382408