Wednesday, August 8, 2012

Introducing "The Beast from The East"

So...I picked up this bike from a family friend for free. The catch? No title! It is a 1978 Honda CB400TII that starts easily, only has about 7,000 original miles,  has some leaks, and probably needs a good tune-up. I removed the chrome trimmings - grab bar, luggage rack, and highway bars. I have also replaced the engine oil and spark plugs, and ran some carburetor cleaner through the fuel tank. Running a little rough right now. My next steps are to remove the valve cover, torque the head bolts, and adjust the intake and exhaust valves. Right now I am waiting for a replacement headlight bucket. Once I receive this part, I'll start the front end part of the project. This will include lowering the front forks, replacing the handle bars with clip-on handle bars, bolting on new headlight ears, and the the replacement headlight. I will also replace the front end blinkers as well. I don't want to get much further than that until I figure out whether or not I am going to be able to the title for the bike. A lot of people are telling me to part the bike on eBay, but I am going bang forward on trying to get the title first. It would be a shame to chop this bike up. Other than a few dents and dings, it's pretty clean for a 30+ year cycle. Click here to take a video walk around of the bike here on YouTube.