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1981 CM400A Rebuild

rookie mistake #2: check your tail bag before you ride, lost a water bottle today. could have lost my brake lock and fuel gauge tool too.

Yet another learning experience, with bikes you get them often and with vintage bikes you can have them every day. (y) Just good it was only a bottle of water
 
question: After re-arraigning my cables to diagnose my speedo issues, my choke cable no longer stays up when i pull it. Is that normal? I need to hold it open while it warms up now.
 
Most people with a well tuned engine are reporting mid to upper 40's.
There's lots of variables with motorcycles though. Headwinds or crosswinds, terrain, tire pressures, chain condition and lube, etc.
 
Minor drop today. Phone rang and was way too loud in my helmet BT speaker. I pulled over but some loose dirt threw me off balance and I dropped her on the left side. No damage really, just dirt and the shift lever bent a little. Right footpeg gouged my calf a little but not bad for a 2mph fall. Would not go into neutral right away but probably the shift lever jammed.
this was before the fall.
 

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1 more mod, really, just 1 I promise.. I pull over a lot and would like 4 way hazards. The unused amber led's on the luggage rack brake lights will do nicely. Going to hide the hazard button just off the right cluster/tach/gear. I know i can do the rears, not sure if the fronts will work since i also have an ST2 turn signal canceller on that circuit. If not I can use the parking amber led in the headlight to flash easily, thats on its own button.
 
Simple way is to use a On/Off(SPST) switch. Connect Light Blue T/S wire to one side and Orange T/S wire to the other, wires inside the headlight bucket.
To use 4 way simply flip the switch and use one of the turn signal directions. You may need to use a Heavy Duty flasher rated for 6 bulbs or more.
 
nothing is simple. the st2 module is preventing the switch from accessing the relay. I'll wire a separate relay for the hazards.
 
got the 4 way working with the separate flasher but of course, i forgot to hook back up my usb socket so i'll have to open it back up this weekend. that headlight case is a wiring mess.
 
$338 for the speedo rebuild. main bearing was shot and warped after the drop from PO
 
usb issue was a ground wire that came loose, i just pinched it under the mount to the handlebar. I think the brake light switch on the new master cyl is already going bad, was testing it and hit a few pulls where there was a small delay. i'll dig up the old one and test.
 
cool ride with the original speedo back on it, works great, no jitters, pretty accurate too.
 

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so i got an extra parking brake lever, dremeled the paint off. Now it will semi match the chrome brake lever. Should I protect the polished aluminum with any paint or coating?
 

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$338 for the speedo rebuild. main bearing was shot and warped after the drop from PO

Did a US company do your speedo? I have a set of gauges in Holland for over 6 months now with no end in sight. I would be interested in a NA vendor that offers this service. Don't care about the price, its more about the job being done correctly and in a timely manner.
 
Thank you. Wow 7-10 days turnaround. My guy must be overwhelmed, or a one man show.
 
question, any difference between 35330-413-003P and 35330-413-003?
my parking brake light is jittery even when not engaged
 
On CMS or DSS the P designation normally means it is a pattern reproduction part of the original one. The number without the “P” is normally an original part.
 
replaced the parking brake switch on left handlebar control, for anyone wondering, it pushes out from the handle end and the new one wedges in place with the notch down.
 
bought a set of side panel decals. My left side is fine but my right side has some nicks and scratches. easiest way to remove old decal i'm guessing is a low-setting heat gun??
 
I'm pretty sure the decal is under clear coat which means sanding and repainting the cover. I could be wrong but I have yet to find a tank or cover that hasn't been done this way. Heat guns are dangerous around the plastic, very low melt point.
 
its fairly raised already so im guessing there may be another decal under this one. yes, they say it must be clear coated. 'll try that in warmer weather next month.
 
its fairly raised already so im guessing there may be another decal under this one. yes, they say it must be clear coated. 'll try that in warmer weather next month.

My go to do it all steam cleaner from Amazon. It works wonders on removing decals as long as they are not under clearcoat which was the factory default position on the originals. It also works very well for cleaning carb passages and jet circuits of varnished crud which my Ultrasonic missed more than once. (It is bucking for retirement) Any cruddy areas on a engine especially the fins etc it cleans up really well with some engine cleaner assistance if needed.

Comes with a litany of accessories that could also be used around the house. Tile grout anyone! I feel like a carnival barker. ;)

Best $40 I have spent on any tool in my crib!

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added some chrome trim to the tank, jury still out on whether i like it or not..
 

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tried out my dashcam (transcend drivepro20). man my brakes squeak a lot. :p

temp mounted to left fork.

 
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Clarity looks pretty good, interesting that the date and rolling timeline are in the lower left. Tiny little squeaks from the brakes, pads are probably just a little glazed
 
mounted higher on the handlbar, no rubber buffering it.

 
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added some chrome trim to the tank, jury still out on whether i like it or not..


That's a sweet looking ride. I like that trim around the tank and have used it myself on occasion, depending on the tanks rim set up and the look of the bike. That ice blue colour really looks nice and the chrome parts (ie) muffler etc, all blend in well IMO.
 
can someone point me to the thread that had the LED conversion bulbs in it? i can't find it and another cm400a owner is asking me, and i can't find my superbrightled.com receipt.
 
General rule of thumb, if the wind is blowing left stay to the right of the lane. This gives you enough maneuver room if it gets hard.
Also when you drop into a shielded area, between hills or buildings know that as soon as you pop out you'll get hit with a gust. In severe winds lean the bike into the wind while remaining upright, yeah it gets a little weird having one arm stretched out a bit more than normal
 
working on a 3d printed frame, will be 2 tone blue
 

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i'll dip the raised text in darker blue..
 

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dipped in chrome paint, not too shabby for a cheapo frame
 

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Those are the Honda Comstar alloy wheels. If you look closely at all the punch-stamped info on them you'll see both "tubeless" and "Do Not Disassemble". You should also see "Tubeless" on the tires' sidewall(s). The alloy wheels do not use nor need tubes and so there shouldn't be any in those tires.

I just did a motorcycle tire industry "analysis", learning/searching for new tires for my '82 CM450 which has the exact same wheels as yours. I looked at the websites of:

Avon (England)
Bridgestone (Japanese)
Continental (German)
Dunlop (American made)
Duro (Chinese)
Kenda (Chinese)
Heidenau (German)
IRC (Japanese?)
Metzeler (now Chinese owned)
Michelin (French)
Pirelli (now Chinese owned)
and
Shinko (acquired Yokohama, Japanese)

You won't find a rear sized 4.60x16 and when I did find a 3.50x18, it/they were ONLY for rear applications.

The "S" is a speed rating for "Good up to 112mph" and the "4PR" = 4 ply rating, or 4 plies of rubber.

I narrowed my choices down to the Dunlop D404 and Shinko 712, asked a couple of elder Honda guru experts here their opinions, and just bought the Shinko 712 tires 100/90-18 56H front and 130/90-16 67H rear, both with "H" speed ratings (130mph), 4 plies of rubber, the 56 & 67 being Load Index ratings which are plenty for our 400/450cc motorbikes with their 810-pound GVWR (the bikes weigh ~420 lbs with a full tank of gas, add a 200 Lb driver and sometimes a ~130 lb passenger, a little gear, verify 28 psi of air in the front and back (unless with passenger, the rear gets 36 psi) and you're good to go.

Are all comstar wheels for this bike tubeless? I have a 79 with tubes, but I thought I recall the book stating it needs tube or did the construction change or honda gave it the OK in later years? I assume rims are same parts numbers between years but haven't checked.
 
Those are the Honda Comstar alloy wheels. If you look closely at all the punch-stamped info on them you'll see both "tubeless" and "Do Not Disassemble". You should also see "Tubeless" on the tires' sidewall(s). The alloy wheels do not use nor need tubes and so there shouldn't be any in those tires.

I just did a motorcycle tire industry "analysis", learning/searching for new tires for my '82 CM450 which has the exact same wheels as yours. I looked at the websites of:

Avon (England)
Bridgestone (Japanese)
Continental (German)
Dunlop (American made)
Duro (Chinese)
Kenda (Chinese)
Heidenau (German)
IRC (Japanese?)
Metzeler (now Chinese owned)
Michelin (French)
Pirelli (now Chinese owned)
and
Shinko (acquired Yokohama, Japanese)

You won't find a rear sized 4.60x16 and when I did find a 3.50x18, it/they were ONLY for rear applications.

The "S" is a speed rating for "Good up to 112mph" and the "4PR" = 4 ply rating, or 4 plies of rubber.

I narrowed my choices down to the Dunlop D404 and Shinko 712, asked a couple of elder Honda guru experts here their opinions, and just bought the Shinko 712 tires 100/90-18 56H front and 130/90-16 67H rear, both with "H" speed ratings (130mph), 4 plies of rubber, the 56 & 67 being Load Index ratings which are plenty for our 400/450cc motorbikes with their 810-pound GVWR (the bikes weigh ~420 lbs with a full tank of gas, add a 200 Lb driver and sometimes a ~130 lb passenger, a little gear, verify 28 psi of air in the front and back (unless with passenger, the rear gets 36 psi) and you're good to go.

OK, did a search on partzilla. It does have a tube listed so I wasn't wrong. Looks like 79 and 80 uses same part number but its different for 81. Guess I'm still on tubes?
 
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