1979 CM400A Winter Rebuild [COMPLETE]

Some light rain today. Nothing too dangerous, but got it a bit dirty. That's why I never really bother too much with the cosmetics if it's a daily driver.

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Same old story, but I like to check in. Almost 600 miles now. I did an oil change around 450 miles. It was still pretty clean. I could have kept using it, but figured I'd do it out of general principle.

Everything is still running top-notch. Lot of highway driving past couple of days, doesn't skip a beat. Entire RPM range is great. No "burps" or "hiccups" when holding at certain throttle ranges... indicative of improper carb tuning. I've been having a lot of fun on these 55-60F days with it.
 
70F today and now at close to 700 miles. Purposely took route 30 west out to the "light cycles" sitting in roadwork traffic then 462 east which is kind of like a "business route" which also involved sitting in traffic. Over 40 miles round trip and no issues at all. @esh21167 probably knows the area I'm talking about.

Averaging about 40-45MPG which is in spec.

If you're not out riding currently you should be!
 
950 miles. Still going strong. Got myself a new rear tire recently as the old one was expired and starting to become a race slick. No problems otherwise.

Now that this is done mechanically the plan is to have Mike do the valves on the 550 this winter then cylinder pistons on the 550 the following year and finally start focusing on cosmetics for the 400 then the 550. Any small odds and ends of easy cosmetics like new headlight bucket, etc. I'll post here.
 
Maraakate said:
70F today and now at close to 700 miles. Purposely took route 30 west out to the "light cycles" sitting in roadwork traffic then 462 east which is kind of like a "business route" which also involved sitting in traffic. Over 40 miles round trip and no issues at all. @esh21167 probably knows the area I'm talking about.

Averaging about 40-45MPG which is in spec.

If you're not out riding currently you should be!
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Frank,this ride is on the 400A ?

Friday afternoon and there's always traffic stalling the flow;I'm heading out for a ride anyway.
A trip to the store on county roads.
 
About 50 miles to go and finally at the 1000 mark.

I did forget to mention that I was curious that it wasn't going past 75. It does, the speedometer doesn't seem to do anything after 75. Verified GPS at 84mph the other day and still had some room to go. So the advertised speed of 87mph is achievable.
 
Nice out today, had a small sprint where I could be a bad boy. Well... about as bad as you can get on a Hondamatic. 81MPH GPS confirmed. Had more to go, wasn't screaming. I have also discovered just from goofing around the limit in gear 1 appears to be about 58MPH. It just simply won't make it past that. However, no idea the RPM I don't recommend holding it in gear 1 at that speed for extended periods.

Screenshot_20240428-190932.png
 
~2,000 miles since rebuild. Still going strong. With 97F/36C weather for the past week or two it's been tested and road pretty hard. Not a single issue. Always starts easy, rides well. Only maintenance I've had to do recently was adjusting the chain about 1/4 to 1/2 turn on each adjuster, cam chain tension (barely needed any adjustment because it's all still very new), and oil change. Oil was still fairly honey-like in colour, but starting to darken. No funny smells, no rubber or metal bits, no silver colours coming out with it. This has been on the Shell Rotella T4 15W40. I had some Honda GN4 10W40 gallon left and used it this time around to get rid of it.

I will also say with the incredibly hot weather and 30-50 miles each time I ride it my CDI and the DynaTek ignition coil have held up to this abuse which includes stop-and-go traffic.

Averaging about 38-45MPG with errands and traffic. Anywhere from 45-50 with highway. Consistently 48-50 if almost exclusively highway.

At some point when I get a moment I'll check the valve clearances, but I'm sure they're OK.
 
Planning a trip from Lancaster, PA to Elmira/Corning, NY for August 1st. Will be taking spare stator/rotor/coil/CDI combo, spare tubes. I think that should be OK for the journey.

In any case, went for a ride today and back end felt "drifty". Instantly realized it was a tube. Pulled over and... TimePhoto_20240720_132831~2.jpg
I was a few miles from the house, would cost the same for a tow versus getting a new tire. Limped it back, new tire will be here Wednesday. At least it wasn't a failed tube like I had last year with the CB550 and that nobody got hurt.
 
ballbearian said:
It pays, to pay attention to little changes on your bike. Your perception helped to head off a bad day, well done.
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True. Sucks about the tire. Was hoping to really get some miles in before I leave.

It's about 150 miles to Elmira, NY from here. I've done the ride perviously on the 550. 400 will be a bit more interesting as I'll have to fill up around 80-90 miles. Will be necessary to bring a 2 gallon can with me. With the CMs puny 2.5 gallon tank your option is to get the larger CM400E tank. I believe, but Jim would know for certain, that the larger CB400 tanks can work but also requires changing the seat. I'll make a thread on this ride sometime before I leave and will give status updates on fill ups and arrival.
 
Maraakate said:
True. Sucks about the tire. Was hoping to really get some miles in before I leave.

It's about 150 miles to Elmira, NY from here. I've done the ride perviously on the 550. 400 will be a bit more interesting as I'll have to fill up around 80-90 miles. Will be necessary to bring a 2 gallon can with me. With the CMs puny 2.5 gallon tank your option is to get the larger CM400E tank. I believe, but Jim would know for certain, that the larger CB400 tanks can work but also requires changing the seat. I'll make a thread on this ride sometime before I leave and will give status updates on fill ups and arrival.
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Always good to have, at least a small, back up can if you miss your planned gas stop. It's good to stop often, to check your tires too.
 
Got the new tire mounted.

So here's what I plan on bringing. All of this should be unnecessary, but you know how it goes...
  • Tire changing supplies: Spare tubes for front and rear, foot-operated pump, tire levers.
  • Spare ignition system: stator/rotor, CDI, ignition coil, spark plugs.
  • Electrical tools: pencil torch (filled with butane!), solder, flux, various crimp connectors (3.5mm m/f bullet and the m/f terminal pins), crimp tool, heatshrink tubing, wire stripping, DVM with PVA.
  • Spare fuses and bulbs.
  • Lubricants: Two quarts of oil and chain lube.
  • Carb stuff: carb cleaner, jet cleaners, spare float valves.
  • Flywheel puller and torque wrench.
  • 2 gallon gas tank with gas.
I think this should cover most situations out there, short of bringing an entire spare engine with me!
 
So the trip to Elmira/Corning did not work out as planned. It was raining right before I was leaving and then rained the rest of the trip so I had to take the car. :/

In the mean time we're at 38,000 miles on the speedo now. So about 2300 miles since the rebuild. I did get around to checking valve clearances and they're still within spec. Everything still running great.

I did hit one small snag recently with the rear brake lever travel getting weird/soft. Brakes worked fine, but it would be "slow" to return. Not dragging, but just I don't know how else to describe it. Brakes have been rebuilt with NOS caliper piston and NOS master cylinder plunger a couple of years ago. I rebleed the brakes that would cure it for a little while then it would happen again. I got another master cylinder for next to nothing and totally disassembled that one and cleaned it. Including remove the cup.

When I went to transfer my cup to the used cylinder I then took this opportunity to check things out under the cup. First thing was that the smaller hole in the cylinder was partially plugged. When I pulled the plunger out and took a small paper towel in there I saw some tiny rubber bits. So this means the hose I was using was starting to disintegrate and starting to effect the plunger. I have another hose that was in good shape from a customer's bike I worked on in the past. Swapped it to that and the used cylinder (just in case the bore or something on mine was bad... I don't have those ball gauges to verify) and has been fine for quite a while. I don't want to say it's totally fixed until I give it a few weeks, but so far so good. If it happens again that means I really need to source a NOS hose, which they are available. Otherwise I'd have to have it custom made as I am not interested in aftermarket hoses that don't look the same.
 
Still truckin' along here. About 100 miles away from 3,000 total miles since rebuild. The brake issue has ceased so the hose was the issue.

In another thread I took it to Centralia the other week and today got back from Chambersburg. Both about 150 mile round trip. No issues whatsoever. Consistently about 48-50MPG on the highways during both these trips.

Oil consumption is good.

Had to adjust the chain recently, as to be expected, wear good. Always lube my chain before and after a long ride like these and at least once a week if I'm riding often. Always keep your chain lubed, you can easily get 10-20K miles if you do. It's not hard to do, and if you're real cheap and don't mind some sling on the tires then just use the cheapest gear oil or bar and chain oil you can find. Lasts forever. I use that quite a bit. Most of the times I just use the aerosols like Maxima Chain Wax but long journeys the gear oil always makes me sleep a little better. Doesn't really matter either way, but old habit.

This makes no real difference, but for those out there who are interested in these details during my last maintenance I put some ND X24ES-U plugs in them this time around (ooo the u-groove!). No difference in performance, but they have held up fine. So if you come across them at the parts counter because it's all they have left OR because you want to save 20 cents it won't hurt if you use them. U-Groove more of a gimmick, but maybe it helps someone else sleep better at night. Maybe you like to be a hipster and use a more exotic plug. 😂 I actually have quite a few of these, the resistor plug variants including NGKs version because of the ignition coil kits I sell. Never know what someone might want.

Overall, just having fun. Not sure if I'll hit 5000 before January. Probably more like 3500-4000. Not too bad.
 
A serious, but small, hiccup today. Some jackass hit me while I was crossing the street. YES, I am fine! I was wearing all my gear so just a tiny scraped knee. However, bike fell over. Only thing was the headlight bucket/tabs needed pushed to the right. Typical when they drop. And the gear lever always gets bent. Every time. You drop a 400A and that heel/toe shifter always bends. Anyways, got it back, bent it back into shape for like maybe the 5th time in it's life. Big prybar and a bit of vice grip action and it's back in business. A good thing because they're kind of hard to find and it's one of my favourite things on this bike. Feels very satisfying to smack it into 2 with your heel once you hit ~50mph in 1.

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EDIT: Yeah, you'll probably notice the furnace tape with hose clamp on the left muffler. Started getting a hole in it recently and got loud. This hack works OK for now until I get another one. One of the downfalls of this bike IMO. I've been through quite a few mufflers over the years.

I'm sure you all have some interesting stories of morons who have hit you. Feel free to share.
 
ballbearian said:
Glad you're fine and a couple wrinkles on the bike will serve to remind you to keep your jackass proximity meter working good.
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Wearing leather helps. I must admit I do need to get leather pants or chaps one of these days. It's the last thing I need to complete having all leather. If I had the chaps then I would have walked away totally clean, but having work pants on is better than shorts.

Where you live it's probably pretty bad. I was out in Lancaster City, normally out in Marietta I don't have to worry about that kind of stupidity.
 
Glad you're OK. I was going to ask about your "Oil consumption is good" comment. on mine it takes about 300- 400 miles to go from the top full mark to the low mark. Just wondering where that fits in your experience.
 
esmith250624 said:
Glad you're OK. I was going to ask about your "Oil consumption is good" comment. on mine it takes about 300- 400 miles to go from the top full mark to the low mark. Just wondering where that fits in your experience.
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This is rebuilt so oil consumption will be different for you... but I did an oil change about 1000 miles ago and it just finally reached the low mark the other day. So it seems I'm about double the mileage compared to you. And I've pushed it pretty hard. Like revving it up to 60mph in 1 then shifting to 2 on the highway. WOT on highway pushing the limit around ~80mph for a good minute or two. So it definitely would have been vaporizing some of that oil from the stress.

I will say, as a side tangent, the 87mph max is only achievable if you're completely tucked, chin to the tank, bombing an incline. Best I've done is about 83mph and had some room to make it to 85mph but that was enough for me. I recall Jim saying he knew someone who personally got a speeding ticket doing 100mph on these. I wonder if he had it geared differently. Stock it's practically impossible to do so.
 
Still going. Have not ridden it much since late November. I did not make another thread about it, but CB550 is getting new Kibblewhite stainless steel valves as intake #4 was leaky anyways. Some knucklehead had the head off before and lots of pry marks on the head itself that it's basically trash. Got a better one from eBay sent to the machinist. Should have it back in about a month or so. Excited to just get it back to spec.

The goal was to get up to 40K miles on the 400A. I was about 600-700 miles shy of that goal.

A long while back a forum member posted pictures of the official CB400/CM400 carb adjustment tool. It took me a while, but I finally managed to find one at a reasonable price. Have not had a chance to put it to the test, but I am a sucker for official special tools if they can be found at reasonable prices. :)
 
Maraakate said:
Still going. Have not ridden it much since late November. I did not make another thread about it, but CB550 is getting new Kibblewhite stainless steel valves as intake #4 was leaky anyways. Some knucklehead had the head off before and lots of pry marks on the head itself that it's basically trash. Got a better one from eBay sent to the machinist. Should have it back in about a month or so. Excited to just get it back to spec.

The goal was to get up to 40K miles on the 400A. I was about 600-700 miles shy of that goal.

A long while back a forum member posted pictures of the official CB400/CM400 carb adjustment tool. It took me a while, but I finally managed to find one at a reasonable price. Have not had a chance to put it to the test, but I am a sucker for official special tools if they can be found at reasonable prices. :)
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I like mileage goals :) Close is OK too. (y)
 
Took it out yesterday and started right up no issues. I got a renewal card in the mail and figured it's time to just get the antique plates.

It used to be you could get the plate the same day by going up to Harrisburg's main DMV and bringing your title, registration, old plate, proof of insurance. I was warned they required pictures now. Not an issue. Took pictures of the front, rear, and sides. I get up there then they complained I need a picture of the VIN now as well and asked me if someone was home that could just take a picture of it for me quick. Nobody was. So I'm mad, go home. Go back yesterday and brought a VIN pencil rubbing and a picture of the VIN from my phone and apparently they moved the goal posts again. Now it has to be an actual picture that you print out in colour of the VIN and she also complained that the front wheel was not aimed straight in the picture (?!). So, second trip to CVS for more pictures. I get there today and after much standing around while the trainee did her best I finally got this...

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Maraakate said:
Took it out yesterday and started right up no issues. I got a renewal card in the mail and figured it's time to just get the antique plates.

It used to be you could get the plate the same day by going up to Harrisburg's main DMV and bringing your title, registration, old plate, proof of insurance. I was warned they required pictures now. Not an issue. Took pictures of the front, rear, and sides. I get up there then they complained I need a picture of the VIN now as well and asked me if someone was home that could just take a picture of it for me quick. Nobody was. So I'm mad, go home. Go back yesterday and brought a VIN pencil rubbing and a picture of the VIN from my phone and apparently they moved the goal posts again. Now it has to be an actual picture that you print out in colour of the VIN and she also complained that the front wheel was not aimed straight in the picture (?!). So, second trip to CVS for more pictures. I get there today and after much standing around while the trainee did her best I finally got this...
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Wow, that makes the Florida DMV look really smart... :rolleyes:
 
PA can be fairly bad, but even for the DMV this was bad.

The easiest thing to do would have been to just do it through the mail, but the renewal card came in and I just figured I'd head up there get it done instead of renewing for another year for no good reason. The other option is a notary which they would just fill the forms out on my behalf and mail them and charge me $45 to do the same thing basically.

I'm surprised they gave me such a hard time, even with the pictures. I did ask yesterday what do they even do with the pictures? Do they have a team of people who are experts in certain vehicles that deal with 100 point restorations to see if it's the original parts? Do they literally get stored in a folder in a vault somewhere or what's the deal? Nobody could give me a straight answer except that they are sent somewhere and someone does file them. And you have to print out on your pictures on colour photo paper. As in, you have to go to CVS and print them out from your phone/USB/memory card.

I've heard Florida is apparently a key factor in why the VT loophole disappeared. And that Virginia and California are probably the two worst DMVs around.
 
Meanwhile in TX I just title the bikes, register one and swap the plate around - even cars here don’t need an annual inspection anymore.

CA is weird, but not really overly difficult on anything pre-carb. They just run on engine number so if you’re transferring states it can get messy.
 
EzPete said:
Meanwhile in TX I just title the bikes, register one and swap the plate around - even cars here don’t need an annual inspection anymore.

CA is weird, but not really overly difficult on anything pre-carb. They just run on engine number so if you’re transferring states it can get messy.
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You mean, in "theory" you have a friend who may have done something like that. I also have a "friend" who would do something similar. Maybe. In theory.
 
Got the GoPro 4 today and been playing around with it. I found it works better with the 1080p "super" mode. I also need to invest in an external mic maybe mounted close to the exhaust. Too much wind noise. Otherwise, works well.



 
Video looks crisp. Someone sells a foam cover for the GoPro that is said to cut wind noise significantly. I bought one but have not yet tried it.
 
Yes, i did some research its called WindSlayer. I ordered it. When it shows up I'll do another ride and see how it goes.

Video does look good. Not bad for $60. Next generation, gen 5, has built in GPS stuff you can add in as overlays in the video editor l. That'd be nice, but I don't need it that bad.
 
Maraakate said:
Yes, i did some research its called WindSlayer. I ordered it. When it shows up I'll do another ride and see how it goes.

Video does look good. Not bad for $60. Next generation, gen 5, has built in GPS stuff you can add in as overlays in the video editor l. That'd be nice, but I don't need it that bad.
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Good price for a Hero 5, I might have to look into upgrading from my 2014 Hero 3
 
I got a Hero 4. I still think it's pretty good. Came with accessories and extra batteries.

I will say the quik app to sync with phone is very obnoxious. Works when it feels like it. And this is coming from a professional programmer!
 
Maraakate said:
I got a Hero 4. I still think it's pretty good. Came with accessories and extra batteries.
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Still, with all the goodies it's a deal.
Maraakate said:
I will say the quik app to sync with phone is very obnoxious. Works when it feels like it. And this is coming from a professional programmer!
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I had similar results with the wifi connection so I could watch on my phone while the GoPro was on my drone above. Worked okay when it wanted to work, sometimes it was just not cooperative.
 
Yes. I found that I have to go through the menu on the camera and then select wifi then select mode and click app then connect again on the phone it usually works then. No idea. I only used it for previewing when on the helmet before I take off. But still kind of obnoxious.
 
I will make a separate thread about this, but for anyone who is following and is curious about GoPro stuff here is what I've learned so far:

What you need starting out for motorcycle rides:

* GoPro Hero 4
- Average Price: $50-$100
- NOTE: Very much depends on what is included. After what
I've learned make certain it comes with the waterproof
housing, battery charge, data cable, and possibly head strap.
From what I've seen with all of that included it can be found
around $80.

* GoPro Helmet Front/Side Mount Official
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01GCKO9Z8
- Average Price: $18
- NOTE: Comes with two adhesive mounts and one of the mounts has a pivot.

* Wasabi Battery AHDBT-401
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00O19HUX6
- Average Price: $10
- NOTE: Recommended to buy at least 2, maybe 3. Average battery life
assuming 1080p "super wide" @ 60fps is about 60-120 minutes.

* USB-A to Mini USB Cable
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00NH13S44
- Average Price: $7

* Waterproof Housing
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B077QKKTVP
- Average Price: $15
- NOTE: Original from GoPro is no longer sold.
Either get this or find OEM used in
a bundle sale.

* GoPro Hero 4 WindSlayer Foam Windscreen AFRAS-301
- https://www.ebay.com/itm/116527031645
- Average Price: $10
- NOTE: No longer manufactured. Look for NOS on eBay.

* Micro SD to USB Card Reader
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06Y1G18KS
- Average Price: $8
- NOTE: Easier to pull the card and transfer to PC directly
instead of trying to use phone app. ALTERNATIVELY
you could use the data cable and it SHOULD show up
as a separate drive, but I have not tested this yet.

* GoPro Head Strap 2.0
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C6RKJ65W
- Average Price: $18
- NOTE: Needed if you want to do hands free videos like repair
tutorials, etc.

* Wasabi Power Triple USB Battery Charger for GoPro Hero 4
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07VRWW451
- Average Price: $12
- NOTE: You should already have a charger if you're buying
a used GoPro Hero 4.

* SanDisk 256GB Micro SD UHS-I Rated
- https://www.amazon.com/dp/B082WNC4NK
- Average Price: $22
- NOTE: 16GB yields about 45 minutes of continuous 1080p @ 60fps.
Max supported by device is 256GB. If you have a bunch of
old 16-64GB micro SDs around that should be plenty.

Other things I've learned:

The official app is called GoPro Quik. It is annoying to configure. If you have bought a used device like I have then you must reset the device when you first get it. From here you would install the app and make sure bluetooth is on. I had to "pair" it from bluetooth on my phone, then try to connect in Quik app. Then it asks for a password. Make one up, then it says it failed, then you run it again. This time it shows a screen to make a name and password up then it asks for the pin. Then it works? Makes no sense.

Even after that, I've found in order to successfully connect you must go to the camera settings and select MODE -> APP. It will show a screen briefly about the GoPro App then return to main screen. Then on the phone try to connect. Otherwise, it just spins and never connects. I have to do this every time. It's very annoying and broken.

The only real use case for the app is for the live preview so you can get a preview of what everyone would else see before you leave for a ride. It also has a bunch of freemium ad crap for "Cloud" storage.

Turn off wireless and LEDs before you start recording. If you don't then it will significantly drain the battery.

There is a desktop app also called GoPro Quik. It's now discontinued but can be found on archive.org. GoPro discontinued it and made a new Mac version, but they promised a new Windows version would be out in 2024. Has not happened. This utility is basically like Windows Movie Maker. I have not tried it yet.

1080p superwide @ 60fps is what you probably want for riding. 1080p with "medium" or "narrow" is what you probably want for video tutorials. Avoid 4K as it takes up a lot of space, is only limited to 30fps, and drains battery quickly. There is no reason to do 4K for what we're doing, in my opinion.

Wind noise is a problem. Further research revealed that the waterproof housing makes a big difference AND the WindSlayer makes a very big difference. Beyond that, you can use an external mic with use of an adapter, or you could record the audio separately and edit it in post-production.

For post-production you can use Quik app (not recommended), Quik Desktop, Windows Movie Maker (if you have Windows 7 or earlier), or www.clipchamp.com. Clipchamp is a web browser-based version of Windows Movie Maker. It was a site bought out by Microsoft. I think this works the best. Very easy to use and can be linked to upload directly to YouTube and other sites.

If I could do it over I'd possibly get a GoPro Hero 8 with most of the above included things. That can be found around $120-$150 if you look hard. The bonus with that is there is less things discontinued and GoPro Hero 5 and later have GPS ability (could be useful to put as an overlay in your ride videos) and apparently some stabilizer tech for the image. However, the Hero 4 works quite well and I'm satisfied with its performance. I went into this expecting I'd drop about $120-$150 and this is exactly what I spent.
 
I bought a couple of Wasabi batteries, they're okay. The charger is okay but not impressive, if you aren't careful the top cover that adapts the batteries to the charger can come off. Since then I found Kastar batteries and they seem at least as good as the Wasabi batteries, and personally I charge them in the GoPro (but my older Hero 3 uses a USB to mini USB cable and I charge them from my computer)
 
Yes, you can do without the charger and charge directly from the camera.

Funny, I read the Wasabi battery apparently seem to last longer WHEN NEW (maybe this is a key point?) than OEM batteries.

In either case, the battery life is the worst thing about these "action cameras". There is nothing stopping you from getting a 3 or 6 foot long USB cable that runs to a power bank in your pocket or under the bike seat and have all day recording. I may do that if it ends up annoying me enough.
 
Maraakate said:
In either case, the battery life is the worst thing about these "action cameras". There is nothing stopping you from getting a 3 or 6 foot long USB cable that runs to a power bank in your pocket or under the bike seat and have all day recording. I may do that if it ends up annoying me enough.
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I've considered it myself. I let mine run one day while Chris and I were riding, stopping for gas, and a break stop when we talked to a couple of other riders on adventure bikes. It died about 20 minutes later during a part of the ride back to the cabin that I would have wanted recorded. Since then I tend to turn it off each stop. Still, when you consider the advancements in the last 20 years, it's amazing you can have a 1080p video camera running on a battery not much bigger than a sugar cube for an hour.
 
It is neat. The problem is I think it's so focused on being small and light and it may make sense in some "adventure" situations. But, mounted on a helmet or handlebars I don't think it would kill them to have one with a wider battery. I know they make the "BacPac" thing that attaches to the back, but there doesn't seem to be an aftermarket of those.

I was looking around last night, curious, and TomTom made a camera that was more shaped like a bullet so it would have longer battery life. That's something I wouldn't care about being mounted on the side of a helmet or on handlebars.

I got the helmet mount this morning and works as it should. I am waiting for the "WindSlayer" and waterproof housing to show up. However, I found where the mic hole is and put a piece of red scotch brite over it and went for a test ride. It does make a difference. Not huge, but it does help. Probably need denser foam for a real windscreen effect. Should find out in a few days.
 
Maraakate said:
I got the helmet mount this morning and works as it should.
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Initially I was paranoid about the helmet mount staying stuck to the helmet at speed. I was going to work on a safety strap just in case, had one I thought would work with a clip on the end, but it wasn't quite long enough to reach the D-rings on my helmet strap. Since then, after trusting it for a while, I've come to the conclusion it's up to the task, I've been 100 mph or damn close more than a few times and it's solid. I put mine on the left side of my helmet, never been a fan of putting one on the top. Looks goofy and the view is way higher.
 
That VHB tape is some serious stuff. The kit comes with 2 adhesive mounts so I could try and mount on the side as well. Won't hurt anything.

Here is a video of me testing it this morning with a piece of scotch brite stuff over the mic. It is much better, not perfect, but it's not as overwhelming as it was before in my opinion. Hoping that the denser foam makes a big difference when it arrives:


To anyone who watches that and is new to these bikes... notice I how I started with choke closed/pulled up. I start it, let it idle like this for a few seconds and then I immediately move it down somewhere around 1/2 to 3/4. The idle then drops. You ride around, after some time has passed you progressively lower the choke until it is off. I see a lot of confusion about that from new riders who are not used to it.
 
Maraakate said:
To anyone who watches that and is new to these bikes... notice I how I started with choke closed/pulled up. I start it, let it idle like this for a few seconds and then I immediately move it down somewhere around 1/2 to 3/4. The idle then drops. You ride around, after some time has passed you progressively lower the choke until it is off. I see a lot of confusion about that from new riders who are not used to it.
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Or, you just sit for another minute or so with it idling on choke/fast idle and you can ride away without choke at all. But I'm retired and not in a hurry.
 
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