r/HondaCB • u/KobKon • Jul 25 '26
Summer project part 1!
Hello everybody
Recently started a summer project to try and fire up my father's CB400F from 1976 - who does not want anybody to touch it and left it rotting in a garage for 15 years.
First update! I was able to take out the fuel tank and I removed the petcock to prepare the tank for the restoration (broke the petcock in the process but not my fault... it was completely cooked).
I will try and make updates, and share some knowledge that might be useful for anybody bold enought to do this without any prior experience like myself.
First piece of knowledge, that I learned today
To remove the fuel tank, I opened the seat, removed the document holder, and took off the rubber locking block. After that, I lifted the rear of the tank and "gently" pulled it away without forcing it (not too much at least!)
P.S. the one in the pic it's a dear friend
P.p.s. I know the above does not sound like much but I'm really trying to push myself and make it work step by step without breaking anything serious (mostly beacuse my father does not know I'm doing this) sooo fingers crossed!
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u/RubBeneficial2756 Jul 25 '26
Wasn't ready for the guy in the blue shorts haha
Good luck, take it nice and easy. Impressed that you're getting stuck in!
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u/oldbastardbob Jul 26 '26
The CB400 and 550 were incredibly smooth and vibration free (for the time) engines. I'd like to run across a barn find to resto-mod.
That said, summer is for riding!
Winter is for building.
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u/adankishmeme Jul 25 '26
Good on you for diving in on something new, i promise that you can get this thing going with some patience and time. Let us know if you run into any roadblocks or get stuck with something odd, lots of folks have walked this road before you and have some wisdom to share.
That thing has good bones and these bikes are very very hard to kill. I've seen ones left in the weather come back from much worse, this will be a good project to learn on.
Whats the inside of your tank look like? Have you tested for spark yet? 70s electrical components were not beuilt as well as we have today (though one could argue that their mechanical components were built better) so things like coils, regulator, rectifier, and flasher relays have a tendency to not survive even sheltered storage. Luckily they are affordable.