THE GRADUATE: HONDA CB400F CAFÉ RACER

[weeksy]

https://www.bikebound.com/2023/03/07/the-graduate/

[DefTrap]

It's an ok design - I don't hate it

I don't get the fuss with the base bike. When I started riding, in the 90s, it was already a classic based purely around the fact that it had an OE exhaust that gave grown men the shivers, but you hardly saw any around even then, certainly few with the fabled swoopy pipes. Presumably they were all scooped up by blokes in the 40s and 50s to restore and display at bike shows.

[cheb]

I think it was popular with smaller humans as it was quickish and civilised.

[mangocrazy]

When they first came out they were pretty ground-breaking, esp. with the aforementioned swoopy pipes. But the pipes rotted like buggery, Honda didn't update the model significantly and a 250LC was quicker and learner-friendly (for a while).

[Bustaspoke]

Honda didn't update the model significantly and a 250LC was quicker and learner-friendly (for a while).

Honda dropped the 400/4 & replaced it with a parralell twin CB400T which they restyled as the Superdream.Replacing multi cylinder models with paralell twins isn't a recent trend
The 250 & 350 LC's came out a few years after Honda had stopped building the 400/4.
As an old fart I've always had a soft spot for the original Blue 400/4 & back in the day I considered buying one & fitting a Yoshi 460 kit but I got sidetracked by two strokes
Brown seat ,rear shocks that look like they've been taken from a Enfield Interceptor,I would prefer an original Blue bike to that Cafe Racer.

[mangocrazy]

Honda didn't update the model significantly and a 250LC was quicker and learner-friendly (for a while).

Honda dropped the 400/4 & replaced it with a parralell twin CB400T which they restyled as the Superdream.Replacing multi cylinder models with paralell twins isn't a recent trend
The 250 & 350 LC's came out a few years after Honda had stopped building the 400/4.

How did I not remember that? I'd completely forgotten that the 400/4 had such a short model run. I seem to remember them being really popular. Probably too expensive to build compared to a twin.

As an old fart I've always had a soft spot for the original Blue 400/4 & back in the day I considered buying one & fitting a Yoshi 460 kit but I got sidetracked by two strokes
Brown seat ,rear shocks that look like they've been taken from a Enfield Interceptor,I would prefer an original Blue bike to that Cafe Racer.

Give me a standard bike every time over that cafe racer. Seat the colour of rust, black shorty megaphone on chrome pipes - who needs that?

[Yorick]

I remember the 400 was well liked, but the uglier 550 was better and not much more expensive.

[Bustaspoke]

I remember the 400 was well liked, but the uglier 550 was better and not much more expensive.

Back in the day two of my mates had the 550,they both went on to own Z900's,maybe they liked the 4 pipe aesthetic?
I preffered the 400/4 & took the two stroke route..

[Yorick]

I remember the 400 was well liked, but the uglier 550 was better and not much more expensive.

Back in the day two of my mates had the 550,they both went on to own Z900's,maybe they liked the 4 pipe aesthetic?
I preffered the 400/4 & took the two stroke route..

17 GT185
18 RD250
19 GT750

[Bustaspoke]

I remember the 400 was well liked, but the uglier 550 was better and not much more expensive.

Back in the day two of my mates had the 550,they both went on to own Z900's,maybe they liked the 4 pipe aesthetic?
I preffered the 400/4 & took the two stroke route..

17 GT185
18 RD250
19 GT750

17 CB125T
18 GT 250 RAM AIR
19 250 X7
20 XJ550
21 250 LC

[The Spin Doctor]

I remember the 400 was well liked, but the uglier 550 was better and not much more expensive.

You are kidding aren't you?

I had a 78 400F and my brother bought a 550 because he always had to have a bigger bike than me, and it was a wallowing hippo that went into a weave at the drop of a hat.

The 400 wasn't perfect - I still remember the tank slapper that put two little dents in the tank where the switch gear hit it... that was on the Sidcup bypass on the lefthander at the bottom of the hill just where you run into the 40 limit. But it was a nicer bike to ride.

I'd put 80-odd k miles on mine when I loaned it to him. Day one he crashed it, day two he had it stolen.

I did have a couple of others later on. I gave them away to Biker Breaker. She always promised me a ride when she'd restored one to working state Didn't get one lol

[Taipan]

I don't dislike it, but these bikes with their baby colours, brown seats and gimpy tyres are starting to merge with each other. Let's see some innovation on custom bike builds now please!

[Horse]

Honda didn't update the model significantly

There were the grand total of two changes:
- frame-mounted pillion footrests on the F2 model and a few late F1s (previously on the swing arm)
- F1 was red or blue, F2 was burgundy or yellow

That was it. IIRC some markets got a 350 version.

I bought mine (Red F1, with F2 frame) secondhand in '78 and the Dream twin was already out by then.

[The Spin Doctor]

Honda didn't update the model significantly

There were the grand total of two changes:
- frame-mounted pillion footrests on the F2 model and a few late F1s (previously on the swing arm)
- F1 was red or blue, F2 was burgundy or yellow

That was it. IIRC some markets got a 350 version.

I bought mine (Red F1, with F2 frame) secondhand in '78 and the Dream twin was already out by then.

75 to 78, final models in the dealers in 79.

The third mod they should have done was to uprate the weedy cam chain 'tensioner' spring. I discovered (after the cam chain snapped) that the official Honda method for tensioning the chain was to undo a blanking plug over the end of the tensioner itself, back off the locking bolt, then lean on the tensioner with a screwdriver poked down the tunnel. If you followed the workshop manual, you only took any tension OUT of the cam chain as the spring wasn't strong enough to overcome the slack, and it just got looser and looser.

I was lucky when mine snapped at 20k - just two bent valves. Rebuilt the thing on the kitchen table in my digs, much to the annoyance of the landlady. Only had one bolt left over when I put it back together... that motor did about 65,000 more miles after that, so I must have done something right.

[Horse]

I bought mine (Red F1, with F2 frame) secondhand in '78 and the Dream twin was already out by then.

75 to 78, final models in the dealers in 79.

The CB400T Dream was introduced in 1977.

The Dream was only on sale for a six-month period before it was succeeded by the Euro-styled CB250N and CB400N Super Dream in 1978.

[Dodgy69]

Lovely wheels.

[Mr Moofo]

Burn the brown seat and it would look a lot better