1980 Honda CM400E A good bike? New rider...

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Surfsage · #1 Unread post by **Surfsage** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:42 am

I've never ridden a motorcycle before and am considering this one for my first bike. It is in excellent condition and has only 7500 miles. The guy is selling it for 1300 with a trailer. What do you think?

#2 Unread post by **cb360** » Fri Oct 28, 2005 9:47 am

Sounds like a great deal if its' in good shape. Especially with a trailer. Excellent first bike and it should be easy to move if you get tired of it and it's easy to work on. I'd say go for it.

bikeguy joe · Fri Oct 28, 2005 1:59 pm

I second the motion.....

Joe Mc · #4 Unread post by **Joe Mc** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 6:04 am

They are very good beginner bikes, but with that low of miles you will probabley have to replace a few things.

My '78 had 12,000 on it when I bought it and cosmetically was near perfect. Before riding it I had to replace the tires, oil seals, and rebuild carbs.

If you don't need the trailer you can find one for alot cheaper.

Surfsage · #5 Unread post by **Surfsage** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:04 am

Hey thanks for all the input! I bought the bike today for $850 without the trailer. It is indeed in very good shape. New battery, front tire, throttle cable, and a carb overhall 2 months prior. The forks and the engine are super clean. All spokes lookin good. All electrics and both brakes working well. It started right up smoothly and felt real good through all rpm ranges in all gears. The engine braking was also smooth and there was no slipping.

I do have a few concernes however that I will also post on the mechanical part of this forum.

The throttle doesn't want to snap back when released. The owner said this tends to happen when the air is cold and that for him it works like a cruise control. Since I'm a brand new rider I'm dubious as to whether that's a good thing for me. He thought by lubricating the cable/lever area in the main part of the bike the problem might be solved......?????

There is a small amount of rust on the outer edges of the wheels...(about 3/8 inch away from the rubber all the way around. Is this a problem???

On the very underneath surface of the bike engine and exhaust pipe there is a film of black oil. He said this was normal and that the bike doesn't use any oil. What do you think?

Crydee · #6 Unread post by **Crydee** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 7:22 am

bike dosn't use any oil what?

Surfsage · #7 Unread post by **Surfsage** » Sat Oct 29, 2005 8:05 am

It doesn't use any oil as in losing oil to leakage etc... of course the bike needs oil to run.

TorontoBoy · Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:57 am

All MCs need oil. 4 stroke bikes have an oil resevoir to lubricate the engine, just like a car. For 2 strokes you add oil into the gas and this lubricates the engine.

I'm a little concerned if the previous owner told you the bike needs no oil. Is he really hiding something, is he ignorant, or has never done an oil change? You need to find out how old the tires are (replace them if more than 5 years old), chain (in good shape? also take a look at the sprocket), battery (how old?), and certainly change the oil if it looks black. Old bikes need more TLC than new bikes, no matter their low mileage.

A throttle that does not snap back is a serious safety hazard and needs to be fixed now. This failure would not pass a safety inspection. Usually the throttle is pretty simple, like lube the throttle cable or replace it. There's a throttle spring somewhere, maybe on the carb, that's strong enough to snap back the throttle. Take off the right hand grip. There should be a plastic sleeve (under the handgrip) that covers the handlebar. This plastic sleeve sticks to the right hand grip and rotates, giving you that throttle movement. You may need to disassemble the right brake/control asembly to get to the plastic sleeve. Clean up the gunk that might be between the plastic sleeve and the handlebar, then lube it with some grease. Make sure it's silky smooth, providing little resistance for the throttle spring. Once you lube the cable you should be in business.

Check out Dan's MC repair course. As a newby I've gone back to his site many times when I've been puzzled about my bike.

ronboskz650sr · Sat Oct 29, 2005 12:15 pm

The throttle sleeve can also hang if the PO put new grips on and left off the nylon washer that goes between the rubber and the brake lever housing. If the bike has bar-end weights, they can be in too far and cause this as well. Also a loose return cable, or tight primary cable can cause it. Also dried out cables with no lube will bind, just like the clutch cable. Make sure both cable are slack free when the throttle is closed. Adjust the barrel adjuster if needed. Lube them if needed. Make sure the spring is there, too.. (duh). I rode around for a few days with no return cable at all while ai waited for the part. Same effect as a loose return cable...pretty scary.

bikeguy joe · Sat Oct 29, 2005 1:46 pm

The rust on the rims should pose no problems, use some extend or other rust "killer" and forget about it.

The guy saying "it doesn't use oil" is just a way of saying "it does not consume excessive amounts of motor oil for no apperent reason".....obviously not a big deal.

The black "crumb" underneath could be road crud or other.....

Have fun, be safe and enjoy that bike.