The old Honda 750 was showing its age. Not that surprising, having survived three decades and 66,300 miles. Most of its discord was concentrated in its gearchange and transmission. Hyvoid primary chains were a throwback even in 1968 when, after all, Honda had perfected gear primary drive in their earlier twins. Now, on the overrun it clanged, sending shuddering vibrations through the chassis. Actually engaging a gear was an art that could only be achieved by those who'd misspent their youth on ancient Honda twins.
The bike was mostly original, updated merely with a set of Girlings, stiffer fork springs, modern tyres and aftermarket brake pads. That meant that as well as fighting my way through the gearbox I also had to suffer the trauma of finding Honda's famed ergonomic proficiency was totally nonexistent in the late sixties.
High bars and forward mounted pegs meant strange body pains as soon as I whipped the bike through the 70mph limit. The wide bars should've given good control over the front end but merely seemed to amplify the large wheel's fight with the tarmac. The overall impression of the suspension was of an unique combination of resistance to movement over bumps and a soggy, loose reaction to road traumas. I was never quite sure where the front wheel was going!
On introduction, the CB750 radically redefined the motorcycle game - a time when oil leaking and unreliable British twins ruled the roads. Honda merely fiddled with the design for the next decade, the range becoming outclassed by rival Suzuki and Kawasaki's, which arguably age much better.
These days, the bike is hopelessly outclassed by any number of 500's, let alone the hot stuff! This is as it should be, of course, the only semblance of its classic status found in its general engine toughness (the feel of the transmission disintegrating as much a part of its character as a Bonnie's penchant for shedding components as you ride along).
The handling was certainly far from impressive, even on the modded suspension components. Honda's racers of the era were notoriously prone to throwing their riders off and the same ill-conceived steering geometry and weight distribution were distilled into their road bikes. Few British bikes weighed in at 500lbs, the Japs had no-one to copy.
It's not merely the sheer excess mass (though later Jap bikes were to become yet heavier) but the way a lot of it is concentrated in a tall, wide engine. Throw in minimal frame support at the steering head and swinging arm mounts, for major flex to accompany any attempts at excess speed. The speedier the road the more traumatic the experience.
The lack of feeling of security never really let me master the bike, I always felt remote from the machine rather than part of the experience. In contrast, a similar era Bonnie embraced and encouraged the rider in an instinctive manner, although it would never match the relentless reliability of the Honda it was a damn sight faster through the swervery.
Most of the hard cases fitted the CB with ace-bars and rear-sets, which helped better centre the weight distribution and gave more control, but the machine could still go wayward in a big way at ton-plus speeds. It didn't have the ditch seeking abilities of a Z1 on the overrun, though to call it hinged-in-the-middle was spot on!
Honda's first era four didn't have a riotous mix of torque and power to compensate for its handling slackness. 60-odd horses, for its day, was on the pace but its weight and internal wear made it seem dog slow in the nineties. There was none of the snappiness of a modern, even mild, four and a couple of times I nearly wrote myself off when taking cars in fast moving traffic. It was crucial to make sure the revs were over 6000 to make the bike crack along at a moderate pace, it just didn't want to motor in top gear at lower rpm. Snapping through the box was a waste of time as it was more likely to find a false neutral than extract useful power from the engine.
Given the constraints of the handling and power, the bike was only just able to gasp along at 90-100mph on long motorway trawls. I used the pillion pegs and got my head down, the former dangerous as the ancient single disc needed all the help it could get from the rear drum. The front brake was especially dangerous in the wet - lag ruled until the disc would suddenly snap on with untoward power.
After a week I still hadn't broken the machine in, still massive barriers to enjoying myself. The Honda did bring out all kinds of strange characters who insisted they had owned one just like it in their youth and wasn't it the best bike ever made. I felt highly tempted to wander around with a handily placed sick bucket!
One ride stands out in my mind, a blast down to London. The Honda vibrated mildly at 90mph, I was more concerned with my arms turning elastic and needing a neck brace! The bike weaved mildly on the smooth motorway but still evinced from the odd, concerned cager a heavy blast of horn. All I needed, some distorted face of a cager concernedly giving me some trouble whilst his own car weaved from lack of attention.
The dreaded Volvo driver tried to do for me. It was one of the modern variants that wasn't instantly recognisable as a Vulva. Sitting in the middle lane at a steady 80mph until I went to overtake when he speeded up to the ton. I fell back, he slowed down. Finally, I got my head down and wrung the Honda's neck. 125mph, thank you very much. Plus a massive speed wobble and the Vulva driver inches from my numberplate, probably laughing his head off.
I had to hurtle the Honda towards the hard shoulder, the only way to get the twit off my back. The wobble went so vile that it almost ripped the bars out of my hands; indeed, almost ripped my hands out of my arms! Compared to a modern motorcycle, let alone a cage, an incredible amount of effort, muscle and bravery required to run along at ton-plus speeds. Fuel was still better than 50mpg which at least shows the engine designers knew their stuff back in the sixties.
There are not many sixties Honda fours on the road. The only other CB750 I saw was a restored example. Had a new speedo so no knowing its real mileage. After a bit of pestering, the owner agreed to swap machines for half an hour. The stock suspension made the bike even more floppy than mine, but the gearchange was an order of magnitude more precise and the engine a bit smoother. The bike had cost him five grand - not a ridiculous sum in classic circles but not good value in my book.
I had no problems selling my bike at a good profit to a born-againer who hadn't owned one first time around. He turned up on a 750 Zephyr so I think he was in for a massive culture shock but he was all smiles.
Curiously, although I hadn't exactly enjoyed my 4000 miles with the CB750, I missed the old bugger and was soon on the lookout for another bike. Reading through the UMG's Used Guide, I settled on the CB500/4 as a possible replacement. A somewhat more modern motor with a proper wet sump design rather than the 750's separate tank; much less mass at just over 400lbs.
The CB500's universally recognised as a classic motorcycle. This means that there are quite a few overpriced dogs on offer. I think I must've seen them all! After much coming and going, I tracked down a 33000 miler on offer for 1200 notes. It had a brand new exhaust system but needed tyres, chain, sprockets, front brake pads and saddle.
I fixed the bike up via the breakers and was soon on the open road. The CB500 claims fifty horses but the general civility of the OHC four cylinder mill merely makes for the mildest of acceleration. Admittedly, there was little of the 750's vibration and the handling was much easier going and more stable. Again, the bike ran to Girling shocks and stiffer fork springs but the relative lack of mass meant the Honda was much more relaxed and composed. Honda were beginning to get a handle on steering geometry and weight distribution when confronted with the unlikely layout of the across the frame four. The riding position was also almost in the modern world, if the pegs were slightly further back would've been perfect.
The bike ran out of puff at about 90mph. It'd break through the ton but needed to be worked through the soggy gearbox. Get the change just right, it'd hold max revs through the gears and turn a decent velocity but usually a missed change would bounce the engine out of its power band and I'd have to start all over again.
On the road speeds were just as fast as the 750, the difference being that the smaller four could be continuously revved high and the road speeds never threatened to throw the bike off the tarmac unlike the 750. Fuel was the same at 50mpg and the bike needed similar 500 mile service sessions - ignition timing, valves, camchain tensioner, carbs and oil. Somewhat tiresome.
Like the 750, clutch drag ruled in town after a long, hard ride and the bike could overheat to quite an alarming degree. Hard rides burnt off more oil than I would've liked but it was pretty obvious by all the heat coming off the motor.
I did about 8000 miles before the small-ends started clattering. Unfortunately, I had to do about 200 miles at 40mph before I reached home, which finished off the engine. By then the main bearings were knocking and stroker-like smoke was pouring out of the exhaust system. One totalled CB500 engine, thank you very much!
Not one to give in easily, various bike rags were studied with the aid of a magnifying glass until an advert for an engine was found. On the plus side, the motor could be heard running but it couldn't be tried on the road as it was stuck in a frame with no forks or wheels! It didn't sound particularly healthy but I got the price down to a 100 sovs, couldn't really complain.
The engine swap went without any major traumas - I was expecting seized in engine bolts, and the like, but it had evidently relatively recently been taken out as there was still a touch of grease on the bolts. The engine was seriously worn but hadn't gone fatal - 90mph top speed and only 40mpg!
Rode around for about 600 miles and finally sold the bike for 1350 notes. An outrageous amount but decent ones go for over two grand so it wasn't totally out of court and I'd got the chassis in fine fettle. I could see that a new CB500 would be a fine machine, albeit not a very fast one but in my experience the vast majority on the used market are way overpriced, relying totally on their (deserved) classic status.
I was actually looking for a GS750 when I next came across a CB400F, variously described as a little gem of a machine or boring and bland. This one was a two grand specimen with 31000 miles on the clock and just two (long term) owners. The guy who was selling had bought a new Suzuki 750 four which shone beautifully in his garage. He hadn't wanted to trade-in because he wanted to vet the Honda's new owner!
I must've passed muster because he let me have the bike for 1700 sovs, throwing in a lot of free spares and a manual. I felt honour bound to do 500 mile oil changes - not that there was much choice in the matter, neglect them and the six speed gearbox developed an additional half dozen false neutrals. Even some recent Honda gearboxes have turned out to be nasty pieces of work!
The CB400F claims 37 horses and 375lbs. Although the mileage was quite high the engine was happy to sing a 10,000rpm siren song, seemed to run along faster than the heavily worn CB500. Lots of work on the gearbox was needed, but the bike had such a splendidly neutral riding position that I felt inclined to put in the maximum amount of effort.
I was rewarded with near 100mph cruising, excellent comfort, 55mpg and brilliant handling. Okay, modern bikes on fat tyres are an entirely different ballgame, but for a seventies motorcycle it could be thrown through the bends with few worries and loads of joy. The single front disc couldn't really cope with this exuberance but even then the bike was relatively easy to swing around obstacles.
A bit absurd, using four cylinders in a mere 400cc, but it was still silky smooth and clean running. I found I could leave the servicing for 2000 miles, all the parts nicely worn into each other in a way that the bigger Honda's hadn't managed. One of the past owners had thoughtfully fitted electronic ignition and a Furlong full chainguard, helping to keep the maintenance chores down to a minimum.
Along with the comfort, made long journeys much easier despite the relative lack of capacity and power. Yes, the 400 has to be strung out on the throttle to get anywhere moderately fast but the four cylinder motor was so silkily smooth that I didn't mind putting in the effort!
I did many long rides up to places like the Yorkshire Dales and Scotland, really blitzing along. Communing with the soul of the madly revving Honda; an almost religious experience - anyone for Zen and the art of being one with a CB400F? Hard to explain but there was something about the little bike that really gelled with me; perhaps its contrast between excessive engineering and minimal chassis.
I'd heard all about the engine's need for new pistons and rings every 20,000 miles - a gross slander? - and was always on the lookout for engine parts, just in case things took a turn for the worse. In fact, the Honda motored up to 52000 miles with just the predictable chassis hassles and the usual servicing.
Then, it had indeed worn out its pistons and bores. Curious, I split the crankcases, found most of the internals shining as if they were brand new. I took the opportunity to fit new selectors in the gearbox, as well as fitting used barrels and pistons. All bought from various autojumbles that I'd taken to attending - quite exhilarating to pick up a complete set of pistons and barrels for thirty quid! A brand new gasket set cost more than the various engine parts.
Reassembled, the motor purred nicely and performed better than ever. For some reason it ran a touch harder, willing to cross the 105mph barrier (108mph the most I ever saw) and turning in an excellent 60mpg. Wasn't an expensive bike to run, what with the chain protected within its enclosure and fed by a Scot-oiler (figure 20,000 plus miles!), tyres that lasted over 12000 miles and even the hard pressed brake pads would survive 10,000 miles of cut and thrust.
Thoughtfully, the brake caliper had been modded so that you could screw in a bolt and the components would pop apart. Rather better than trying to batter it into submission with a big hammer - the usual procedure on seize-prone old Honda calipers. I found it necessary to strip the brakes down and replace the fluid every 5000 miles. Could be left longer but the braking would eventually turn plastic. The SLS rear drum needed little attention but wasn't the most powerful stopper.
Another bugbear with this era of Hondas was cutting out in the wet but again someone had solved that - by fitting a bloody big mudflap to the front guard. The chrome guard was prone to corroding on the underside but this one had been undersealed, so I was laughing all the way to the open highway.
This kind of thing is actually quite typical of CB400F's - they were bought by mature riders who were into serious motorcycling and often took the time to enhance their practicality. True, a lot of owners were distressed by the aforementioned tendency to ruin the piston rings at relatively low miles and not all that many have survived the rigours of the decades since their introduction.
The good ones can go for very silly money. That was how my ownership came to an end. Someone offered two and a half grand - I was tempted but thought about how much fun I'd had. When he went up another 250 sovs I began to wonder how much life the engine might have left in it and he won the day. I was quite sad about it but that kind of money almost buys a modern four!
One Honda that has never been considered a classic is the CB750F1. One of these then fell into my hands. The guy only wanted 200 quid for a runner. The engine had gone all temperamental, cutting out without any warning. Could've been the switches or the carbs or the ignition or just the plugs. I had loads of old Honda bits in my garage, replaced most of those, added a big mudflap (the F1's even in prime nick notorious for cutting out in wet weather).
Anyway, the bike then ran fine. Couldn't see why it was held in such contempt because there was loads of blood and guts, a top speed of 130mph and handling that was pretty damn good (on the usual modded suspension). I tried to sell the bike for 1500 quid, had no takers, so did more mileage than I intended.
After about 7000 miles, with 56000 on the clock, the bottom end started knocking. Temporarily cured with very thick oil. Long enough to get the local breaker to offer me 350 sovs for the old hack! Given that these bikes have a lot more go than the classic CB750K0/1's and are available for bargain prices, they are worth bearing in mind if you're after cheap speed. Don't expect them to last forever, though.
Having read all this, predictably the CB400F's my favourite of the lot but they are mostly dubious buys now. The early CB750 is a bit of motorcycle history but way overpriced for what it offers. The 500's a nice motorcycle but it's difficult to find ones in good nick. My advice is to go for the slightly later bikes - CB550, CB650 and CB750F - as they are priced reasonably, more practical and offer a better road experience. Just don't expect any of them go around the clock.
The bike was mostly original, updated merely with a set of Girlings, stiffer fork springs, modern tyres and aftermarket brake pads. That meant that as well as fighting my way through the gearbox I also had to suffer the trauma of finding Honda's famed ergonomic proficiency was totally nonexistent in the late sixties.
High bars and forward mounted pegs meant strange body pains as soon as I whipped the bike through the 70mph limit. The wide bars should've given good control over the front end but merely seemed to amplify the large wheel's fight with the tarmac. The overall impression of the suspension was of an unique combination of resistance to movement over bumps and a soggy, loose reaction to road traumas. I was never quite sure where the front wheel was going!
On introduction, the CB750 radically redefined the motorcycle game - a time when oil leaking and unreliable British twins ruled the roads. Honda merely fiddled with the design for the next decade, the range becoming outclassed by rival Suzuki and Kawasaki's, which arguably age much better.
These days, the bike is hopelessly outclassed by any number of 500's, let alone the hot stuff! This is as it should be, of course, the only semblance of its classic status found in its general engine toughness (the feel of the transmission disintegrating as much a part of its character as a Bonnie's penchant for shedding components as you ride along).
The handling was certainly far from impressive, even on the modded suspension components. Honda's racers of the era were notoriously prone to throwing their riders off and the same ill-conceived steering geometry and weight distribution were distilled into their road bikes. Few British bikes weighed in at 500lbs, the Japs had no-one to copy.
It's not merely the sheer excess mass (though later Jap bikes were to become yet heavier) but the way a lot of it is concentrated in a tall, wide engine. Throw in minimal frame support at the steering head and swinging arm mounts, for major flex to accompany any attempts at excess speed. The speedier the road the more traumatic the experience.
The lack of feeling of security never really let me master the bike, I always felt remote from the machine rather than part of the experience. In contrast, a similar era Bonnie embraced and encouraged the rider in an instinctive manner, although it would never match the relentless reliability of the Honda it was a damn sight faster through the swervery.
Most of the hard cases fitted the CB with ace-bars and rear-sets, which helped better centre the weight distribution and gave more control, but the machine could still go wayward in a big way at ton-plus speeds. It didn't have the ditch seeking abilities of a Z1 on the overrun, though to call it hinged-in-the-middle was spot on!
Honda's first era four didn't have a riotous mix of torque and power to compensate for its handling slackness. 60-odd horses, for its day, was on the pace but its weight and internal wear made it seem dog slow in the nineties. There was none of the snappiness of a modern, even mild, four and a couple of times I nearly wrote myself off when taking cars in fast moving traffic. It was crucial to make sure the revs were over 6000 to make the bike crack along at a moderate pace, it just didn't want to motor in top gear at lower rpm. Snapping through the box was a waste of time as it was more likely to find a false neutral than extract useful power from the engine.
Given the constraints of the handling and power, the bike was only just able to gasp along at 90-100mph on long motorway trawls. I used the pillion pegs and got my head down, the former dangerous as the ancient single disc needed all the help it could get from the rear drum. The front brake was especially dangerous in the wet - lag ruled until the disc would suddenly snap on with untoward power.
After a week I still hadn't broken the machine in, still massive barriers to enjoying myself. The Honda did bring out all kinds of strange characters who insisted they had owned one just like it in their youth and wasn't it the best bike ever made. I felt highly tempted to wander around with a handily placed sick bucket!
One ride stands out in my mind, a blast down to London. The Honda vibrated mildly at 90mph, I was more concerned with my arms turning elastic and needing a neck brace! The bike weaved mildly on the smooth motorway but still evinced from the odd, concerned cager a heavy blast of horn. All I needed, some distorted face of a cager concernedly giving me some trouble whilst his own car weaved from lack of attention.
The dreaded Volvo driver tried to do for me. It was one of the modern variants that wasn't instantly recognisable as a Vulva. Sitting in the middle lane at a steady 80mph until I went to overtake when he speeded up to the ton. I fell back, he slowed down. Finally, I got my head down and wrung the Honda's neck. 125mph, thank you very much. Plus a massive speed wobble and the Vulva driver inches from my numberplate, probably laughing his head off.
I had to hurtle the Honda towards the hard shoulder, the only way to get the twit off my back. The wobble went so vile that it almost ripped the bars out of my hands; indeed, almost ripped my hands out of my arms! Compared to a modern motorcycle, let alone a cage, an incredible amount of effort, muscle and bravery required to run along at ton-plus speeds. Fuel was still better than 50mpg which at least shows the engine designers knew their stuff back in the sixties.
There are not many sixties Honda fours on the road. The only other CB750 I saw was a restored example. Had a new speedo so no knowing its real mileage. After a bit of pestering, the owner agreed to swap machines for half an hour. The stock suspension made the bike even more floppy than mine, but the gearchange was an order of magnitude more precise and the engine a bit smoother. The bike had cost him five grand - not a ridiculous sum in classic circles but not good value in my book.
I had no problems selling my bike at a good profit to a born-againer who hadn't owned one first time around. He turned up on a 750 Zephyr so I think he was in for a massive culture shock but he was all smiles.
Curiously, although I hadn't exactly enjoyed my 4000 miles with the CB750, I missed the old bugger and was soon on the lookout for another bike. Reading through the UMG's Used Guide, I settled on the CB500/4 as a possible replacement. A somewhat more modern motor with a proper wet sump design rather than the 750's separate tank; much less mass at just over 400lbs.
The CB500's universally recognised as a classic motorcycle. This means that there are quite a few overpriced dogs on offer. I think I must've seen them all! After much coming and going, I tracked down a 33000 miler on offer for 1200 notes. It had a brand new exhaust system but needed tyres, chain, sprockets, front brake pads and saddle.
I fixed the bike up via the breakers and was soon on the open road. The CB500 claims fifty horses but the general civility of the OHC four cylinder mill merely makes for the mildest of acceleration. Admittedly, there was little of the 750's vibration and the handling was much easier going and more stable. Again, the bike ran to Girling shocks and stiffer fork springs but the relative lack of mass meant the Honda was much more relaxed and composed. Honda were beginning to get a handle on steering geometry and weight distribution when confronted with the unlikely layout of the across the frame four. The riding position was also almost in the modern world, if the pegs were slightly further back would've been perfect.
The bike ran out of puff at about 90mph. It'd break through the ton but needed to be worked through the soggy gearbox. Get the change just right, it'd hold max revs through the gears and turn a decent velocity but usually a missed change would bounce the engine out of its power band and I'd have to start all over again.
On the road speeds were just as fast as the 750, the difference being that the smaller four could be continuously revved high and the road speeds never threatened to throw the bike off the tarmac unlike the 750. Fuel was the same at 50mpg and the bike needed similar 500 mile service sessions - ignition timing, valves, camchain tensioner, carbs and oil. Somewhat tiresome.
Like the 750, clutch drag ruled in town after a long, hard ride and the bike could overheat to quite an alarming degree. Hard rides burnt off more oil than I would've liked but it was pretty obvious by all the heat coming off the motor.
I did about 8000 miles before the small-ends started clattering. Unfortunately, I had to do about 200 miles at 40mph before I reached home, which finished off the engine. By then the main bearings were knocking and stroker-like smoke was pouring out of the exhaust system. One totalled CB500 engine, thank you very much!
Not one to give in easily, various bike rags were studied with the aid of a magnifying glass until an advert for an engine was found. On the plus side, the motor could be heard running but it couldn't be tried on the road as it was stuck in a frame with no forks or wheels! It didn't sound particularly healthy but I got the price down to a 100 sovs, couldn't really complain.
The engine swap went without any major traumas - I was expecting seized in engine bolts, and the like, but it had evidently relatively recently been taken out as there was still a touch of grease on the bolts. The engine was seriously worn but hadn't gone fatal - 90mph top speed and only 40mpg!
Rode around for about 600 miles and finally sold the bike for 1350 notes. An outrageous amount but decent ones go for over two grand so it wasn't totally out of court and I'd got the chassis in fine fettle. I could see that a new CB500 would be a fine machine, albeit not a very fast one but in my experience the vast majority on the used market are way overpriced, relying totally on their (deserved) classic status.
I was actually looking for a GS750 when I next came across a CB400F, variously described as a little gem of a machine or boring and bland. This one was a two grand specimen with 31000 miles on the clock and just two (long term) owners. The guy who was selling had bought a new Suzuki 750 four which shone beautifully in his garage. He hadn't wanted to trade-in because he wanted to vet the Honda's new owner!
I must've passed muster because he let me have the bike for 1700 sovs, throwing in a lot of free spares and a manual. I felt honour bound to do 500 mile oil changes - not that there was much choice in the matter, neglect them and the six speed gearbox developed an additional half dozen false neutrals. Even some recent Honda gearboxes have turned out to be nasty pieces of work!
The CB400F claims 37 horses and 375lbs. Although the mileage was quite high the engine was happy to sing a 10,000rpm siren song, seemed to run along faster than the heavily worn CB500. Lots of work on the gearbox was needed, but the bike had such a splendidly neutral riding position that I felt inclined to put in the maximum amount of effort.
I was rewarded with near 100mph cruising, excellent comfort, 55mpg and brilliant handling. Okay, modern bikes on fat tyres are an entirely different ballgame, but for a seventies motorcycle it could be thrown through the bends with few worries and loads of joy. The single front disc couldn't really cope with this exuberance but even then the bike was relatively easy to swing around obstacles.
A bit absurd, using four cylinders in a mere 400cc, but it was still silky smooth and clean running. I found I could leave the servicing for 2000 miles, all the parts nicely worn into each other in a way that the bigger Honda's hadn't managed. One of the past owners had thoughtfully fitted electronic ignition and a Furlong full chainguard, helping to keep the maintenance chores down to a minimum.
Along with the comfort, made long journeys much easier despite the relative lack of capacity and power. Yes, the 400 has to be strung out on the throttle to get anywhere moderately fast but the four cylinder motor was so silkily smooth that I didn't mind putting in the effort!
I did many long rides up to places like the Yorkshire Dales and Scotland, really blitzing along. Communing with the soul of the madly revving Honda; an almost religious experience - anyone for Zen and the art of being one with a CB400F? Hard to explain but there was something about the little bike that really gelled with me; perhaps its contrast between excessive engineering and minimal chassis.
I'd heard all about the engine's need for new pistons and rings every 20,000 miles - a gross slander? - and was always on the lookout for engine parts, just in case things took a turn for the worse. In fact, the Honda motored up to 52000 miles with just the predictable chassis hassles and the usual servicing.
Then, it had indeed worn out its pistons and bores. Curious, I split the crankcases, found most of the internals shining as if they were brand new. I took the opportunity to fit new selectors in the gearbox, as well as fitting used barrels and pistons. All bought from various autojumbles that I'd taken to attending - quite exhilarating to pick up a complete set of pistons and barrels for thirty quid! A brand new gasket set cost more than the various engine parts.
Reassembled, the motor purred nicely and performed better than ever. For some reason it ran a touch harder, willing to cross the 105mph barrier (108mph the most I ever saw) and turning in an excellent 60mpg. Wasn't an expensive bike to run, what with the chain protected within its enclosure and fed by a Scot-oiler (figure 20,000 plus miles!), tyres that lasted over 12000 miles and even the hard pressed brake pads would survive 10,000 miles of cut and thrust.
Thoughtfully, the brake caliper had been modded so that you could screw in a bolt and the components would pop apart. Rather better than trying to batter it into submission with a big hammer - the usual procedure on seize-prone old Honda calipers. I found it necessary to strip the brakes down and replace the fluid every 5000 miles. Could be left longer but the braking would eventually turn plastic. The SLS rear drum needed little attention but wasn't the most powerful stopper.
Another bugbear with this era of Hondas was cutting out in the wet but again someone had solved that - by fitting a bloody big mudflap to the front guard. The chrome guard was prone to corroding on the underside but this one had been undersealed, so I was laughing all the way to the open highway.
This kind of thing is actually quite typical of CB400F's - they were bought by mature riders who were into serious motorcycling and often took the time to enhance their practicality. True, a lot of owners were distressed by the aforementioned tendency to ruin the piston rings at relatively low miles and not all that many have survived the rigours of the decades since their introduction.
The good ones can go for very silly money. That was how my ownership came to an end. Someone offered two and a half grand - I was tempted but thought about how much fun I'd had. When he went up another 250 sovs I began to wonder how much life the engine might have left in it and he won the day. I was quite sad about it but that kind of money almost buys a modern four!
One Honda that has never been considered a classic is the CB750F1. One of these then fell into my hands. The guy only wanted 200 quid for a runner. The engine had gone all temperamental, cutting out without any warning. Could've been the switches or the carbs or the ignition or just the plugs. I had loads of old Honda bits in my garage, replaced most of those, added a big mudflap (the F1's even in prime nick notorious for cutting out in wet weather).
Anyway, the bike then ran fine. Couldn't see why it was held in such contempt because there was loads of blood and guts, a top speed of 130mph and handling that was pretty damn good (on the usual modded suspension). I tried to sell the bike for 1500 quid, had no takers, so did more mileage than I intended.
After about 7000 miles, with 56000 on the clock, the bottom end started knocking. Temporarily cured with very thick oil. Long enough to get the local breaker to offer me 350 sovs for the old hack! Given that these bikes have a lot more go than the classic CB750K0/1's and are available for bargain prices, they are worth bearing in mind if you're after cheap speed. Don't expect them to last forever, though.
Having read all this, predictably the CB400F's my favourite of the lot but they are mostly dubious buys now. The early CB750 is a bit of motorcycle history but way overpriced for what it offers. The 500's a nice motorcycle but it's difficult to find ones in good nick. My advice is to go for the slightly later bikes - CB550, CB650 and CB750F - as they are priced reasonably, more practical and offer a better road experience. Just don't expect any of them go around the clock.
J.L.