Therewere fe wchanges madeto theCB400F
betweenits arrival in 1975andthe exit of the
F2 after 1978. The footrestswere repositioned
further forward earlyon; pillionpegs moved
in 1976 when the F1arrived,and alocki ng fuel
capshowedupfor 1977
rear brake pedalforthe upward change!
My 500EFI Bullet is alsorear brakeright
and fortunately Ihavenot hadasimilar
occurrence. Inever take one of the other
oppositechange bikes out on the same day
because of thisrisk.
So what’sthe Honda like?It hasnooil
leaks and the chrome mudguards arenice,
they maybethe originals.The engine block
has afresh coat of silverpaintand thetiming
side is similarly spruced up.There is brushing
evidenceonthe gearbo xcover wherethere
has been some aluminiumcorrosion but –
hey –thisbike has been aroundfor42years,
and it is notarestoration.
Thefront disc seized on while itwas
parked in the garage.Inoticed asIpushed it
offthestand.Iundid one side of the caliper
and,using asmall G-clamp,was ableto push
back the piston thus freeing the wheel.A
local bike shopoverhauled the caliper and
fitted new pads and seal,which werebought
from David Silver spares.Igot the bikeMoT’d
at thesame time even though itwasexempt.
Thesix-speed boxisv erypositivefor all
changes; it engagesfirst withoutaclunk,
unlike theBullet.Ikeep countinmyhead
aabboouuttwwhhiicchhgeeaarrIIaammiinnbbeeccaauussee,wwiitthhtthhee
anlosetrackof
whereyou are. Thereishardly anytorque in
comparisonto my British bikes.The Honda
will pull from 4500rpm. but it is bestto drop
downtwogears ifyouneed to get amoveon.
On A-roads,60mphfeels niceand unhurried,
but forcountryroadsIuse lowergears to keep
the revs up.Ondual carriagewaysthe Honda
will sustain 80mph without fuss–something I
haven’tdone sincethe Norton days.
TheHonda’s throttle isrelatively light
comparedto the twoolder Enfields,
especially theConstellation.Before it was
deliveredto me the dealer promisedto clean
and set up the carbs,which mayexplain why
the bike runs and idles sowell.The steering is
neutral and,for the speedsInow ride at, the
handling with the new shocks is stable and
safe;I’mrunning on newish moderntyres.
Theseatist he original (with itstoolkit
as well) and iscomfortable.The Honda’s
footrests aremorerearset whencompared
to the Enfield’s,especially the EFI where
yousit upright. TheHonda’s rear brake is
strong,although the frontdisc wasalittle
spongy while the new pads settled in;Iam
neverhardonbrakes,though. Thebrakes
arewell upto the job–but thereisl ittle
eennggiinneebbrraakkiinngg.
Iprefermybikestolookcorrectandstandardand thereisnothing on the Honda I
would change.The level of equipmentoffers
safet yand is much better than the older
Enfields.Ihave(if needed) parking lights
with the ignition keyremoved, and an easy-
to-get-a tsteering lock.
TheHonda needsthe choke to start, but
whenwarm it just takesaquick press of the
starterand the bike burbles into life. On my
old British bikesIwas usedto revvingno
higher than 3000 or 4000rpm.TheHonda
does nothing belowthere,soIhavetoride
differently.Thereisnotorque and it is only
at 6000 revs thatthings starttohappen.
This engine thrives onrevs and it seems
aliento do this,but it ’s wherethe funcomes
in.Peak powerisat8500rpm andIrarely
needto exceed that. Changing downtwo
cogs is greatwhenblipping the throttle.
This produces greatsounds from the single
Motad exhaust and the engine!
TheHonda is nowmybikeofpreference
to ride,and Irealise thatfor along time I
miss ed out on some biking pleasurefrom
this very differen texperience.‘Whattook
yousolong?’askedaVJMCmember.How
righthewas.Get agood Japanese bike
ffrroommtthhee 11997700 ssaannddeennjjooyyiitt,tthhaatt’ssmmyy
recommendation.42 I AUGUST 2019 More old bikes online: Real-Classic.co.uk