I currently have two CB1's both type 2's with alloy billet passenger foot pegs and the stainless steel exhaust system . These were only sold in Japan and are now selling for good money . If you can find one , buy it worth every penny , bulletproof engines which are incredibly fast for a 400 cc machine . All the engines are from the earlier CB 400 RR Aero NC 23. You can tell by looking at the engine stamp on the right side tucked behind the cable . It will read NC 23 E and the CB1 is designated as a NC 27...The only difference between the two engines is the gearing . On the NC 23 Race bike the first gear was almost unusable in town , being very tall and in one gear could reach speeds of nearly 90 miles an hour . On the NC27 the gearing is designed for quick shifting and much more usable for regular use ... Best tip for getting the best out of this pocket rocket is use the revs and don't be afraid to bury the needle up to the red line . Once you've overcome the fear of doing any damage , the engine spins freely giving max power of nearly 57 rpm at around 10.000 revs , they are built so well and can handle it . The gear driven cam will howl and with the revs comes the torque , easy roll on's and it will certainly reward you in spades ... An amazing machine grossly overlooked . Only produced from 1989 untill 1991 . 22.000 built in total with different versions as mentioned for the USA / Canada. In Japan they got the higher spec version with factory stainless steel exhaust and alloy billet instead of steel ...Type 1 for the states and type 2 for Japan ...
I bought one in 1989 with low miles on it. It was so unique at the time, but new, the price was almost the same as the 600 Hurricane. I think this was its downfall. Also, the reason it was only offered in the USA for only a few years. For the money you got gear driven cams, down draft carburetors and clip-ons. People overlooked the bike and picked the more powerful 600. Unless you rode one you would never understand how awesome this bike was. I rode it every day for six years and put 80,000 miles on it. I finally sold it, but it still ran great. Never a single mechanical issue a super solid bike. A small story about the bike. On 1/6/1994 I woke up to the Northridge earthquake. While it was still dark I rode it home from a friend's house to see if my home was still standing. Me and the bike were washed away in a flood from a broken watermain at the intersection of Ranaldi and Balboa Blvd. I almost drowned and the bike was washed away. I found the bike the next day in the gutter way down the road. The insurance company totaled the bike and I bought it back. It cost about $500 to drain the water and fix it and then I road it for another almost two years before I sold it. I wish wish I never sold that bike because it was my trusty stead. A testament to Honda. Like they say if you buy a Honda you better like it because it will last forever.
About to do a very similar project on a CB-1! I found an online seller that has the original paint color (apparently) but I guess that only works if you want to paint it yourself. Your bike is absolutely beautiful btw!
Thanks for watching my video ! Congrats on your CB1 !, you can find Honda paint colours online from places like colorite, but they're expensive. I need an accurate formula for the CB1 Blue, But no rush, it looks fine for now
@FITNESSOVER45 hi there, I’m in Canada and parts generally are not plentiful, as the bikes are somewhat rare. I didn’t restore this one it was 98% done and came with a boat load of spares already so I haven’t had to search. I’d say you may have some challenges on parts unless you have a spare parts bike. You may be farther ahead with a Hawk GT/ NT650
I've been searching for those clip-on flatbar conversion pieces for quite some time. Do they have any part numbers or manufacturer info on them? I have 2 CB-1's, and would like to make one of them a bit more comfortable for occasional commuter duty.
Yea getting harder to find here in Ontario too, only about 20 gas stations left selling it, but not a big deal if you use Stabil when storing it and put in a carb kit with Viton rubber and it will handle the ethanol fuel ok.
@@chrisdadigger1018never had it gunk up the carbs. Some say it degrades the OEM rubber orings . Ethanol will seperate after a short time, so Stabil is a must for my bikes if I can’t find ethanol free
It is my understanding that the CB400SF was the CB400 "Super Four" which was the successor to the CB1 and started production in 1992. The CB400SF looks much more like the Hornet. Any literature I have seen refers to the CB1 as the CB400F. The Factory Honda Service manual also refers to the CB1 as the CB400F. If you search "CB1 Owners manual" for example, there are lots of images of the manuals showing the CB1 and CB400F names on the front covers.
@@true-moto-resto That's really strange. I have a 1977 CB400F and it's a completely different bike. And if you google "CB400F" no CB1s come up, but I also looked at some pics of the CB400SF, and I was wrong as it is also a different bike, although very similar. I will never understand why Honda has made so many different 400cc bikes with the same name.
@@theyeetus1428 Hi there, they're just different generations of CB400. 75-77 was Gen 1 (the one you have) 89-90 was Gen 2 (AKA the CB1) 92 - onward Gen 3 (AKA the CB400SF "Super Four")
I currently have two CB1's both type 2's with alloy billet passenger foot pegs and the stainless steel exhaust system . These were only sold in Japan and are now selling for good money .
If you can find one , buy it worth every penny , bulletproof engines which are incredibly fast for a 400 cc machine . All the engines are from the earlier CB 400 RR Aero NC 23. You can tell by looking at the engine stamp on the right side tucked behind the cable . It will read NC 23 E and the CB1 is designated as a NC 27...The only difference between the two engines is the gearing . On the NC 23 Race bike the first gear was almost unusable in town , being very tall and in one gear could reach speeds of nearly 90 miles an hour . On the NC27 the gearing is designed for quick shifting and much more usable for regular use ...
Best tip for getting the best out of this pocket rocket is use the revs and don't be afraid to bury the needle up to the red line . Once you've overcome the fear of doing any damage , the engine spins freely giving max power of nearly 57 rpm at around 10.000 revs , they are built so well and can handle it . The gear driven cam will howl and with the revs comes the torque , easy roll on's and it will certainly reward you in spades ... An amazing machine grossly overlooked . Only produced from 1989 untill 1991 . 22.000 built in total with different versions as mentioned for the USA / Canada. In Japan they got the higher spec version with factory stainless steel exhaust and alloy billet instead of steel ...Type 1 for the states and type 2 for Japan ...
I bought one in 1989 with low miles on it. It was so unique at the time, but new, the price was almost the same as the 600 Hurricane. I think this was its downfall. Also, the reason it was only offered in the USA for only a few years. For the money you got gear driven cams, down draft carburetors and clip-ons. People overlooked the bike and picked the more powerful 600. Unless you rode one you would never understand how awesome this bike was. I rode it every day for six years and put 80,000 miles on it. I finally sold it, but it still ran great. Never a single mechanical issue a super solid bike. A small story about the bike. On 1/6/1994 I woke up to the Northridge earthquake. While it was still dark I rode it home from a friend's house to see if my home was still standing. Me and the bike were washed away in a flood from a broken watermain at the intersection of Ranaldi and Balboa Blvd. I almost drowned and the bike was washed away. I found the bike the next day in the gutter way down the road. The insurance company totaled the bike and I bought it back. It cost about $500 to drain the water and fix it and then I road it for another almost two years before I sold it. I wish wish I never sold that bike because it was my trusty stead. A testament to Honda. Like they say if you buy a Honda you better like it because it will last forever.
Thanks for commenting! Cool story ! Glad you lived to tell that tale!
Just bought one here in Scotland for the summer, love these stories
About to do a very similar project on a CB-1! I found an online seller that has the original paint color (apparently) but I guess that only works if you want to paint it yourself. Your bike is absolutely beautiful btw!
Thanks for watching my video ! Congrats on your CB1 !, you can find Honda paint colours online from places like colorite, but they're expensive. I need an accurate formula for the CB1 Blue, But no rush, it looks fine for now
@FITNESSOVER45 hi there, I’m in Canada and parts generally are not plentiful, as the bikes are somewhat rare. I didn’t restore this one it was 98% done and came with a boat load of spares already so I haven’t had to search. I’d say you may have some challenges on parts unless you have a spare parts bike. You may be farther ahead with a Hawk GT/ NT650
I've been searching for those clip-on flatbar conversion pieces for quite some time. Do they have any part numbers or manufacturer info on them? I have 2 CB-1's, and would like to make one of them a bit more comfortable for occasional commuter duty.
The brand stamped in them is “LSL”. Hope that helps. “St4” is also stamped on them. Bars and risers are LSL
I would’ve bought one of them along time ago if we had better gas available. Ethanol, free gas is hard to find in my area.
Yea getting harder to find here in Ontario too, only about 20 gas stations left selling it, but not a big deal if you use Stabil when storing it and put in a carb kit with Viton rubber and it will handle the ethanol fuel ok.
@@true-moto-resto does it gunk up the carbs ?
@@chrisdadigger1018never had it gunk up the carbs. Some say it degrades the OEM rubber orings . Ethanol will seperate after a short time, so Stabil is a must for my bikes if I can’t find ethanol free
@@true-moto-resto ok thanks
@@chrisdadigger1018 if you are in Canada or USA you can go to pure-gas.org and see where the gas stations are still selling ethanol free fuel
It's actually the CB400SF. CB400F was made from 75-77.
It is my understanding that the CB400SF was the CB400 "Super Four" which was the successor to the CB1 and started production in 1992. The CB400SF looks much more like the Hornet.
Any literature I have seen refers to the CB1 as the CB400F. The Factory Honda Service manual also refers to the CB1 as the CB400F. If you search "CB1 Owners manual" for example, there are lots of images of the manuals showing the CB1 and CB400F names on the front covers.
@@true-moto-resto That's really strange. I have a 1977 CB400F and it's a completely different bike. And if you google "CB400F" no CB1s come up, but I also looked at some pics of the CB400SF, and I was wrong as it is also a different bike, although very similar. I will never understand why Honda has made so many different 400cc bikes with the same name.
@@theyeetus1428 Hi there, they're just different generations of CB400.
75-77 was Gen 1 (the one you have)
89-90 was Gen 2 (AKA the CB1)
92 - onward Gen 3 (AKA the CB400SF "Super Four")