Featured Honda 400/4

I think many of us (of a certain age) either owned one or had a mate who had one back in the 70's and 80's. I had a red F1, my first 4 cylinder bike. I went all over on it. I recall I overtightened the oil drain plug cracking the alloy sump after an oil change, but fortunately the engineering workshop I was an apprentice at the time had some very good MIG welders who sorted the offending crack out for me. I sold the 400 after owning it for a couple of years and after trying a couple of 550/4's which I really liked but couldn't afford at the time I bought a second hand 750/4. My wife then bought herself a 400/4 in the early 80's as they were great bikes for smaller riders.

 

learnt a bit about mechanics on mine!

 

Ah yes, roadside maintenance, those were the days.
Loving the beige suit Crispey, where can I get hold of one?

 

1970's

 

Glad to see you were making use of that most essential of all tools for precision maintenance, the wood-handled hammer laying in the road (probably nicked from your dad's toolbox..mine was).

 

That's one thing I really like about bikes of that era, relatively simple to work on. For a real challenge, just try that on your Rocket 3.

 

Now I need patience :-(

 

Nice looking workshop!

 

The Honda 400/4 was the first road bike I went on the back of in 1976 as a twelve year old. The lad who rode it attempted to show me my first magic ton in a short stretch of road except he was short at 95mph as the road wasn’t long enough. It was Ingleby road Bradford.
At that time I muscled my way in to work at the ‘Motorist Discount center’ group of shops as a snotty nose helper. At the same time a nearby motorcycle shop called ‘Brook listers’ loaned this one particular branch shop a bright yellow unregistered Honda 400/4 which I’d sit on and dream! The manager there at MDC was also the original the lad who too me out on his own 4/4!!

 

I learnt to ride on one of those 400/4’s the memories, very nice looking bike mate

 

I learnt to ride on one of those 400/4’s the memories, very nice looking bike mate

 

And so it begins,

 

I don't know about handling and performance unmatched, I rode a few and I'd take my RD400 every time though they were good looking bikes +1 for Morini

 

I loved my rd350s and 400s, great bikes.

 

6 months lay up, some fresh fuel, battery charged and started 1st kick, even started on the electric start, love it,

 

Electric start..new fangled nonsense

 

Handy if it conks out and your struggling with a left-sided kick-start though,, very embarrassing lol

 

My right leg has been fucked since 1978 so left side kick start is bloody handy.