My 400/4 in Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Magazine.

[AshimotoK0]

My 400/4 is to be featured in the March edition (available mid February) of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics Magazine. The article is written by Mark Williams the founder of 'Bike' Magazine.

Cheers

AshD

[UK Pete]

nice one Ash . give us another reminder a bit nearer the time
Pete

[SteveD CB500K0]

Given the way the publishing world works Pete, the March mag is probably out next week!

Looking forward to it Ash.

[Yoshi823]

I read about this article...CB400F vs. the RD400E.

No competition really...you are either into four strokes or two strokes.

[AshimotoK0]

    :  OK Guys - its out, evidently, I don't have a copy yet but already getting vibes about being incorrectly quoted.

So to put the record straight before the 'anoraks' (JOKE!!!) , out there start bombarding me with stuff.

1) I DON'T own and have never owned a 'Sandcast' CB750 and to my knowledge, none were ever officially sold in the UK by Honda, apart from, possibly, the 'Brighton show' bike.
2) I don't own or have never owned a 'rare' CB750K2 but I once owned a CB250K2 as a student
3) My 400/4 has Candy Antares Red paintwork, which I did myself with rattle cans, including the pinstripes, in 1986 before I became mega fussy about originality (i.e. became old and an anorak!! ) but that colour is an F2 colour, it's totally non-standard for a 1975 CB400/4 with the pillion footrests mounted on the swinging arm. The bike should be Varnish Blue which I am probably going to return it to, someday.

Cheers ! Ashimoto

P.S. the bike in the article is not fitted with mirrors - I have only just bought them last week, after 23 years (ongoing resto or what!!) I did have some from DSS but they were pattern so gave them to my mate for his KZ750LTD years ago.

[AshimotoK0]

Well I finally got magazine but a lot of things are mumbled up. It says my 400/4 is a rare K2 model but its actually an early F model with the pillion pegs on the swinging arm but sprayed by me in 1986 in F2 Colours - including the pinstripes  and it did take me 10 days to get it right. Some 400/4 parts are available now which were not in the early eighties ( tank stripes for one). But things like the exhaust have been discontinued I think by Honda. What I told them was that lots of CB750K series  parts are still available (pipes, fenders, repro fenders,seats etc but mainly K1 variants)

The 'cash crisis' was not really a crisis - I was moving house and the bike was my transport to work so I got a CB350 twin, as property was rocketing at the time and the bike was depreciating fast.  I felt my money was better in property. Two months after the move I bought another 400/4 though !!!

I don't have a Sancdcast CB750 only a diecast ( albeit a very early one)


They plonked my article next to a  close up shot of a grotty hired hack but readers may be confused that the hack is a blowup of my bike.

Grateful to be featured though ! Its just that the jungle drums are rumbling for me from the anorak fraternity ( I too am an anorak)


Going to post a link here to photobucket of the bike as featured in hi res.

http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv340/AshimotoK0/100_1543-1.jpg

http://i697.photobucket.com/albums/vv340/AshimotoK0/100_1594.jpg

Cheers

Ash

[Yoshi823]

Typical of magazines to screw things up. I read the article about the CB400F vs the RD400E...but I was only really interested in how they explained about the Honda. But when I read about your CB400F I noticed that they had got thing messed up as there was no way that you would state that your 400 was a K2.

Looking at the photos, is it me or have you only got one throttle cable fitted? And, not being an anorak or anything, but didn't Honda place the '400' decal slightly higher up on the side panels? Nice bike.

By the way, your daughter makes your 400F look quite small, so I would suppose that she is about 5'6" or so?

[AshimotoK0]

Well spotted Yoshi - well it was restored 25 years ago and I wasn't as fussy then !! - Yes there is a throttle cable missing as I loaned it to a mate years ago and never got it back! The bike has been off the road all of that time. You also didn't notice the missing horn (being replated) and dunno about the transfers but they and the tank are wrong anyway -they should be Varnish Blue with different transfers and no pinstripes. rest of it is correct though including the fenders and exhaust, switches etc etc

Cheers

Ash

[dave400]

Well spotted Yoshi - well it was restored 25 years ago and I wasn't as fussy then !! - Yes there is a throttle cable missing as I loaned it to a mate years ago and never got it back! The bike has been off the road all of that time. You also didn't notice the missing horn (being replated) and dunno about the transfers but they and the tank are wrong anyway -they should be Varnish Blue with different transfers and no pinstripes. rest of it is correct though including the fenders and exhaust, switches etc etc

Cheers

Ash

The bloke Mark I think his name was who was doing the article seemed to have little knowlege of the 400 so I turned him down, looks like you got the wrong info printed instead of me.........I done the right thing.

Cheers

Dave

[Yoshi823]

Ash...no wonder your daughter looks taller on your 400F...the seat isn't latched down.

[K2-K6]

It's good to see any bike stuff published but would be nice if they were accurate with simple details.

Your 400Four looks nice Ash, I guess being restored that long ago makes it quite genuine in a sense.

I only rode a friends Honda 400Four and not for very long bit must admit more of a soft spot for the RD400 as more of a hooligan bike when I used one for quite a time.

This issue is the one that also has the Honda RCB article in it which is originated from the 750SOHC motor so a couple of things relevant to this forum to read.

[AshimotoK0]

Well spotted Yoshi - well it was restored 25 years ago and I wasn't as fussy then !! - Yes there is a throttle cable missing as I loaned it to a mate years ago and never got it back! The bike has been off the road all of that time. You also didn't notice the missing horn (being replated) and dunno about the transfers but they and the tank are wrong anyway -they should be Varnish Blue with different transfers and no pinstripes. rest of it is correct though including the fenders and exhaust, switches etc etc

Cheers

Ash

"I though because he founded Bike magazine and road tested  a 400/4 when they came out he would be knowledgeable.

another person (Anon) has sent me this:-

"Mark Williams comments that when Yamaha produced their first 250 twin in 1957,

[AshimotoK0]

Ash...no wonder your daughter looks taller on your 400F...the seat isn't latched down.

Yes you are probably right Yoshi - I  thiink her sister took the shot before I had chance to put the seat pins in. (the NOS seat was stored in my loft as the original one was nibbled by mice in my brothers barn)!

Cheers

Ash