Hi all,

Just wanted to introduce myself and ask a few questions about my new little beasty. It's a bit of a project bike - CBR400RR-2 which has some crash damage to the fairings and a few little things here and there which need attention. Its been stood up for over 3 years as the guy intended to fix it but decided he would never have the time... ah well all the better for me Anyway it didnt take much to get the little honda to fire up and she sounds like a sweet little engine with only 26000km on the clock. It is leaking petrol from carbs 2 and 4 though and i thought maybe the float needles were stuck and it was pouring out the overflow but i had a look and only had to do some minimal cleaning as they were all in pretty good condition.. another bonus! Im thinking it must be the carb bowl gaskets? are these known to perish? Anyone know where to get a reasonably priced set?

The other question I have relates to the colour of the bike and im hoping someone who knows a lot about these bikes might know the answer.. It appears to be painted up in the fireblade anniversary colours, purple with white rear seat cowl. Im just not sure if it was originally this colour or if its a custom job? If its original does anyone know how many were made as ive never seen another one like it, id love to know as id like to keep it original as possible. Its down on the V5 as being Black/mauve if that's of any interest? (will get some pics up asap). unfortunately i cant get to see the paint code as i dont have the key to get into the rear seat this leads me onto my last question... Does anyone know how to get into the rear seat without a key? Preferably without the need for hammers and drills

Sorry for the long first post.
Cheers,
Andy

Hi Andy, yes the gaskets are available from a guy on this site called LiteTekBlair find him in the approved traders section.

To find out what is original simply go to the general CBR section sticky and all will be revealed. Also try the link to my site where I have lots of info on 29s.

Davw

Thanks for the reply, ill get in touch with him regarding the gaskets, cheers!

I had a quick look under the CBR section sticky as you suggested but couldnt see any colour options for the paintjob mine has, im guessing its been repainted which is a shame, here is a picture so you can see what im talking about:



Great website by the way! I spent a while on there perusing, I feel like ive learnt a fair bit about the history of these bikes.

Had another play with the bike yesterday and noticed the fork seals are pretty much gone. I also have a strange problem where the bike started up fine jumping it off my 600 but then as soon as i disconnected the leads the engine started to labour really heavily. Now when I connect up to jump it again i get dash lights but as soon as i press the start button theres a click and then nothing, dash lights die at the same time... I might have a short somewhere or starter relay perhaps. Hate electrical issues, grr!

battery/reg rect

I think its modelled after the fireblade anniversary colour scheme as per the below image, Im going to have to drill out the lock to find out what the original paint code is and probably go back to that when I get around to sorting the fairings out.

tanuki wrote:battery/reg rect

The battery is completely dead so have been jumping off my 600, which starts just fine using the same battery. How would I check the rectifier? Im not too good with electronics...

Cheers got it all sorted. Turns out that connecting the battery up directly (without the jump leads) works without an issue... weird as jumping it was working fine previously.

Anyway im thinking the bike needs a service so starting with the fluids, i was just wondering if there were any recommendations for the following:

Engine oil and filter
Air filter (K&N worth while?)
Coolant

Im assuming this will all be straight forward but I have the haynes manual for reference. Is there anything i should watch out for, think about replacing while im doing these jobs?

Thanks

Don't know if you checked your brakes out but that's worth doing while sorting the bike. New fluid and seals at least. Especially if its being standing around for years. Replace plugs and coolant for the same reasons. Glad you enjoyed looking around my site. I try to add stuff once in a while as info is getting rarer on these bikes as you have found out. As your bikes getting on try adjusting suspension as it may have been randomly adjusted.or perhaps look into upgrading your suspension if the bike sinks a lot.

K&n OK but if you can get decent aftermarket cheap then that might be OK for you. I personally see no difference.

Thanks for the pointers, brakes are most definitely on the list. They seem to be working ok but I was going to give them a complete overhaul anyway. The suspension definitely needs attention, the fork seals are gone so they definitely need doing, not sure how the rear shock has coped with being stood up yet, but are there any better rear shocks that will fit if it does need replacing?

Its good to see such an enthusiastic following for these bikes, it makes me happy that ive made a sound investment :)