1975 CB400F from the back right corner of a heated garage in Stowe, Ohio. We bought this from the original owner.
It was complete and unmolested except that the OEM turn signal mounting hardware and left-side "grab handle" had been
removed in favor of the period sissy bar.
It turns out that that little chrome grab handle is the holy grail for this motorcycle. It is very similar
to the one used on some CB750's and in fact the reproduction parts are sold as applicable to both.
The 750 version does have a noticably different bend, but does fit the mounting points. Purists that we are,
we decided to search patiently for the correct OEM part. After all, it would not prevent the bike from running
and riding and could easily be added later. Finally, the daily search turned one up at a junkyard in St. Louis
so we called to verify it's authenticity and were told it was in decent shape and was in fact recently
removed from a CB400F. It was promptly ordered, delivered, polished and whoops, much to our
dismay it was a -369 part for the CB360 and did not fit even though the honorable
proprietor of the "Archway International" junkyard swore that it came off a CB400F. That
part was put back in play on ebay and the search continued...
After a couple months time, the correct part appeared on the internet again, this time in
the Netherlands at "Roukama Motorparts VOF" for 12 Euros which seemed very fair, except that shipping
to the USA was quoted at 40 Euros which spoiled the fun and we decided to just be patient. I have a colleague
at my day job who I have known for a number of years, but turns out not that well really. Nice fellow, quiet,
just never had occasion to work much with him until recently. We were discussing our vacation plans for the summer,
and he mentioned that he and his wife would be in Europe and spending a few days in Amsterdam.
I said wow what a coincidence... Once I convinced him that it was just a little chrome handle and looked nothing like a
crack pipe, he agreed to bring it back to America. I had it shipped the 10 kilometers from the Roukama
Motorparts World Headquarters to their hotel, the Golden Tulip Hotel Lion d'Or. The package was there when
they arrived and I received a text message from my friend that all was well and he would see me in a week or so.
I began receiving other text messages in the days that followed, with pictures.
It seems that "Mr. Handle" was liberated from his box and was touring Amsterdam in the style of
"Flat Stanley." As far as we knew, this was the only OEM CB400F grab handle in the world and I begged my colleague
to just bring our handle home; but the pictures kept coming.
In the end, Mr. Handle made it through customs and is firmly affixed to our project for now but would
love to see Las Vegas...
This bike has been broken down to the frame and engine, cleaned and rebuilt using new and NOS OEM Honda parts
from around the world. The last four Honda NOS jet needle kits known to exist in captivity were sourced in Australia.
It woke up effortlessly after a 20-year nap, and took Mr. Handle down the road. 50 miles later it was obvious that we
had pinched that awkward round bowl o-ring in the #3 carb, and that the fork seals weren't quite up to par. All that
behind us now, the bike will be in heated indoor storage for the winter and we'll think about a sale in the spring...
