Should I buy this 75 cb400/4??

[twinsarehot]

I know you'll all probably say yes, but I'll throw it out there. I'm rushing out after work to check out a 75 400/4. The guy has been getting rid of his huge bike collection in RI for quite sometime, the bike runs and is only missing a clutch cable and a side cover. He wants 800 for the thing, which is damn cheap.

Thoughts and opinions on the 400/4? Is $800 or slightly lower, too good of a price to pass by?

I also do not have a running bike at the moment, which is another huge incentive to buy this. Hopefully he has the paperwork. Obviously would be a resto job.

bike porn to make things interesting:

 

[inxs]

- do you need another hole to throw your cash into?...another oldie thats going to require harder to get parts?...can your 800 bucks be more profitably spent on your current project/s getting it/them ready for summer?

 

[twinsarehot]

inxs, saving me from impulse buys lol. I'll check it out either way, if it really doesn't need anything I may take it, but I also need a new welder.....the 400/4 are becoming collectors, worth cleaning and reselling?

 

[inxs]

- a welder is a wonderful toy...what are you considering?

 

[twinsarehot]

well, I move around too much to have anything huge, I can mig and stick weld, right now, I have an 225 amp arc welder by Lincoln. I was looking to upgrade to a MIG welder. I was thinking about gasless migs, but know nothing about them. Are they any good?

Does anyone have suggestions for something small and cheap, as I'll be using it for about 3 years before upgrading again.

 

[Kyd727]

i collect vintage jap bikes.
as you probably know, the big things with any vintage bike is the exhaust and mufflers, seat, tank, and title.
if that exhaust is in good shape(hard to tell in the pics), then that bike is a steal.
if i were you, provided you have the cash, i would buy it, then detail the hell out of it, tune it up and sell it. im sure you could just about double your money.
then you could buy your welder, and another bike to flip!!
- Tom

 

[KevC]

I always liked the CB400F, very popular over here in the UK in their day & a gorgeous little bike, physically very small.
There are 3 on ebay, all 1975, two at $2500 and a track bike at $1500 so £800 sounds a steal
Kev

 

[gentlemanjim]

I'd buy it in a heart beat. Where is it? I had one wayback when and it was a wonderful machine

 

[Gordon]

TAH, Gordo here> There used to be a guy who ran one of those up & down Manton Ave when I was there. That was a very reliable ride for him, & he wasn't a mechanic, by any mean's. He used to come into the garage quite often . to bullshit & ask question's about the bike's. Nice enough guy, & that bike ran on & on & on. He still ran 3 year's later, when I left that garage. Of course all that is ancient history.
Like they said, if you got the cash, & are looking for another project, buy it. But do the checklist before..

 

[yamaman]

I've got a small inverter arc welder, it's a great machine. It'll run a 2.5mm rod right down on 40A, and produces a lovely smooth weld. It will also run a 3.25mm rod at 130 (or 140, can't remember where it tops out) with an evil crackle!
Can run a tig off it, though I don't have that gear, that's on the wish list! Of course top of the wish list would be a liquid cooled, foot controlled TIG. Kemppi would be nice!!!!

 

[shaas]

I can't advise to the Honda but I can recommend Lincoln or Miller MIG welders. they both make very nice units that will run off 120vac or (better) 220vac. Go with gas. Much less mess and smoother running. Should be able to get one set up for less than a grand.

 

[mule]

If it was really a "Collectors Item", it would be selling for a lot more than $800.! Also, in this ecomomy, only the true "Collectors items" are fetching serious money. My experience says that a very cool, early Japanese bike that has been meticulously restored, usually sells for about $1500-2000.00 less than the guy has in it. If you buy this CB400, you will become "That Guy". Also, almost any bike that is running good, is being ridden. Not sitting in a barn.

Yes, it's possible to get all starry eyed when you see pictures of pristine, restored old bikes on the internet. Usually those bikes get restored because the owner loves it and is not doing it just to make a buck (which is impossible). There are almost NO bikes out there that you buy cheap, put a ton of time and money into and still sell for more than you have in them. Very, very rare, my friend! And those bikes would be beyond your reach just for the price of admission. I'm talking Indians and Vincents and such. Plus bikes like that require metal work which IS possible. Most of the Rising Sun bikes require long obsolete plastic parts or carb parts, switch gear, oddball oil seals and gaskets and most were manufactured at the begining of the "consumable" motorcycle era. Meaning they aren't meant to be restored. The antiques are almost all re-workable steel and alloys. Big difference. That's why all my bikes are custom. I don't have to search the world over for obscure, expensive original parts. I just make or adapt anything I want.

 

[650Skull]

If the bike is road legal and is a good runner it would be a nice bike to ride around. I had a 73 CB5004 and it was wonderful bike. I would buy one tomorrow if i found one at the right price.

On the welder i bought one of these a few months ago and it is a beauty. have test welded thin 3mm iron at 30amps with a 2.5 rod and can get it to work. Has a 15amp plug so i mad up an adapter to plug into the house 10 amp sockets.......sounds a bit like yours yamaman. 170amp inverter carry welder

 

[ryan79]

sent you a p.m. give me a call first.I have already seen it.

 

[jay760]

How tall are you? the 400/4 is a tiny bike.

 

[gentlemanjim]

Mule,

You are spot on target. I am a great fan and admirer of your craftmanship. I love the challenge of doing a restoraton, but not being failthul down to the last nut, bolt and bulb. I just finhihed a Guzz V50 III and changed just about every part except frame, forks and engine. I am now doing a XS 650 styling it like a retro cuiser should look like (IMO) badlander seat, strechhed headlight, lowered rear suspension.

The CB400F is a bike I have always lusted for (amond a dozen others) and would like to bring one up to current standards just to scoot around on. Make a profit? The last bike I restored/modified (BMW K75S) broke about even, but had fun with the experience and the challenge.

It's hard to find to find a bike at the right price to work on when you have to factor in the transportation expense.

 

[XS1961]

I bought one just like that back in the autumn for £50 !! ..Im way too tall for it so Im waiting till the summer to flog it on for a profit to help pay for XS parts/work..
These old 400/4's have a bit of a cult following over here , I cant understand it myself they do nowt for me..

 

[twinsarehot]

I took a look at it last night, man that thing was a beauty. Besides a few spots of surface rust, the thing would be ready to ride pretty easily. The tank has a few gas spills, but the inside is completely clean. The exhaust headers are great, few spots of surface rust and the mufflers are slightly pitting from the bottom. The seat is practically new.

There is no paper work for the bike which I find a pain in the ass. But I'm 5'11'' 160lbs, the bike is practically made for me.

 

[Backroader]

There were never many of the 400's as compared to the 350 - 4s and 550 -s. were I grew up in Thunder Bay.

Like most people are suggesting, if the pipes, seat and tank are good then it should not be too expensive to get going and ride. It most likley will need a carb overhaul as well. As far as re-sale, well that's up to the others like your self that want one.

Good luck

 

[mule]

No paperwork! Serious red flag! IF you buy it, do all the paperwork stuff first, Before you put a nickle into the bike. OR, buy it and part it out on EBAY to all the people willing to spend lots of money on a restoration of the same type of bike.

A couple friends of mine bought a pair of 400's about 2 years ago. They both could now be in a museum. They're fricking perfect. The bikes were featured in Ultimate Motorcycling a year or so ago. However, they refuse to divulge how much money it cost them to pull it off. I bet it's twice what the bikes are now worth. And that's doing all the labor for free.