I just picked up an 81 CM400A - my first bike, made the same year I was born! I worry that it isn't reinforcing skills and behaviors that I'd need to ride any other motorcycle, but it is a lot of fun and very easy to ride!
Awesome job. This was exactly the video/information I wanted. Getting older and am looking for one of these.this video addressed my major concerns. Great job!
Thanks, sorry for late reply. I could barely go two exits on the highway when I first rode the bike it shook so badly, I found the fork rebuild made the most difference and making sure they held pressure by wrapping all fork connections with Megatape teflon tape and Rectorseal Pipe Dope designed for gas and fluids. I used Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF as my fork oil.
I've owned several CM400/450As over the years. My first one was in 1979. I rode it from Galveston, Texas to St. Louis, Missouri and back then from Galveston to Salt Lake City, Utah, and back to Galveston. And then over the years I crisscrossed Texas countless times. These bikes are bulletproof. I've crossed rivers, climbed steep mountains, driven through blizzards, and rode across sizzling hot desserts on the Honda CM models. They might not be fast, but they are super reliable. I would take one over a new motorcycle any day of the week. And that kick start saved the day many times. New bikes just suck.
I have an 82 CM450A, and I do longer highway drives all the time. Have also done highway on my 1980 CM400A. Takes a bit longer to get up to speed, especially if the bike's cold... but it's much better when everything warmed up. The only thing that makes me hesitate on the 400 is that I haven't put highway bars or a windshield on it yet. Hello from the Facebook forum, BTW.
Thanks for the video. Couldn’t hear too clear cause of the wind - did you say you got it up to 80 mph? I’m about to get a 1981 Honda CM400A and wondering what speeds it can do. Also was the fork rebuild difficult?
thanks for the info . my buddy just got a 1980 400cc with only 1300 miles it was only registered for one year , it looks like its in great shape just sat and was a barn find , it needs cleaned up and restored . i was wondering what the top speed was being only 2 speed and clutch less . im not sure what he plans on doing with it , but its definitely 1 of a kind . i feel like its for beginners or woman to coast around locally on .
The CM400 has a smaller cylinder bore size so might have a bit less top end speed to it. Otherwise it's basically identical and most of the parts can be interchanged. I love having mine, I don't plan on changing it's a fun bike to cruise and just sight see in and such. 👍
Consider that when these were built we had the 55 mph National speed limit. I would put a fairing on it and take it cross country. Probably prefer the 750A but 400 is sufficient without a passenger and luggage.
Yeah I need to put a new speedometer on it cause the trip meter is broken and the needle bounces around and all I was finding were ones that went up to 80mph. Come to find out the Regan administration set a 55mph cap and most odometers were capped at 80mph. The whole reason behind Sammy Hagar's I Can't drive 55!
I have a chance to get an 82 cm450a with better fairing and hard saddle bags set up for Touring . Beautiful shape just a little work to get it running . 13000 miles on it .
I actually got the original Hondaline saddlebags off eBay and mounted em up. Not the matching color though but they are like finding Sasquatch. Go for it. '82 model has a few nuisances that makes it a bit more difficult to work on than '83 but is almost identical. If you ever have to remove the cam chain tensioner you have to split the case on the '82.
I'm 5'7 5'8 about 185 pounds how does this bike ride? Is it a smooth ride and how does it handle on highways and top speed? I'm looking to get one dirt cheap as a starter bike
Rides smooth for me up to about 80 but gets a bit wobbly after that. I can comfortably cruise at 80 for long periods. I can push it up to 90 I just don't like cruising there for long periods. If the road surface is really good it feels alright.
Hi All, I was wondering if someone can help. I have a 1981 CM400A, the bike is great except I am having issues with stalling when I come to a stop sign or traffic light. If I pull the choke out it keeps the bike from stalling but when I accelerate after the stop it bogs down bad, its pretty scary when I have to go through an intersection and I have no speed. The carbs have been cleaned several times and rejetted. Any helpful info would be much appreciated it.
Okay well if you pull choke out you are giving it more fuel to keep it running. Is the idle up high enough to keep it running at lights, the black knob on the underside of your carburetors? I'd also check fuel/air mixture screws after that, mine are set to a turn and a half out. Hope this helps.
I have one. Highway bike? Answer: No , unless no one else is on the road to come up from behind you. I stay on secondary highways, which usually are the older highways, having traffic lights, but paralleling the major highways (ie. Speeds where you don't usually have to go over 60 mph.) There are hills in the northeast (USA) and the cars will simply run up your butt.
The bike is around 400 pounds depending on if you have the gas tank full or not, the seat height is around 29.9 inches. I'm 5'9" it's hard to give a straight answer, so I went through the Facebook group on this. One 5'2" person said it works well for them. One said they can't place both their feet flat at stop, but slightly leans on one foot with the other on a peg and quickly got used to this. You can adjust the height of the rear shocks slightly with a spanner wrench and can probably have an upholstery shop carve the seat foam out if you needed to. I hope this helps.
While researching these motorcycles I ran across comments stating Prince's motorcycle in Purple Rain was actually a mocked up Honda 400 Because He was 5'2"! He was too thin to ride a bigger bike. In many of His videos they cut away to the fairing only to hide the size of the bike.
Thank you for posting. I’m looking into buying a 1978 model.
I just picked up an 81 CM400A - my first bike, made the same year I was born! I worry that it isn't reinforcing skills and behaviors that I'd need to ride any other motorcycle, but it is a lot of fun and very easy to ride!
Awesome job. This was exactly the video/information I wanted. Getting older and am looking for one of these.this video addressed my major concerns. Great job!
Thanks, sorry for late reply. I could barely go two exits on the highway when I first rode the bike it shook so badly, I found the fork rebuild made the most difference and making sure they held pressure by wrapping all fork connections with Megatape teflon tape and Rectorseal Pipe Dope designed for gas and fluids. I used Mobil 1 Synthetic ATF as my fork oil.
Great video Shane ... bike looks and sounds great !!! Hope alls well ... Frank
I've owned several CM400/450As over the years. My first one was in 1979. I rode it from Galveston, Texas to St. Louis, Missouri and back then from Galveston to Salt Lake City, Utah, and back to Galveston. And then over the years I crisscrossed Texas countless times. These bikes are bulletproof. I've crossed rivers, climbed steep mountains, driven through blizzards, and rode across sizzling hot desserts on the Honda CM models. They might not be fast, but they are super reliable. I would take one over a new motorcycle any day of the week. And that kick start saved the day many times. New bikes just suck.
I have an 82 CM450A, and I do longer highway drives all the time. Have also done highway on my 1980 CM400A. Takes a bit longer to get up to speed, especially if the bike's cold... but it's much better when everything warmed up. The only thing that makes me hesitate on the 400 is that I haven't put highway bars or a windshield on it yet.
Hello from the Facebook forum, BTW.
Hello!
I drove from Orlando to West Palm Beach last week, it was 320 miles or so. It was great.
Give it a medium size windscreen
@@64fairlane305 I had one, enjoy more without it
Thanks for the video. Couldn’t hear too clear cause of the wind - did you say you got it up to 80 mph? I’m about to get a 1981 Honda CM400A and wondering what speeds it can do. Also was the fork rebuild difficult?
In Brazil we have the CB 450 with the same engine!
Thank you
Thx for the video. I’d love to buy an Hondamatic one day. By the way it’s probably better to run modern tire pressure in the newer tires
The Durotour website says to check the sidewall so I'll see what sidewall says. Thanks. It's a fun bike.
thanks for the info . my buddy just got a 1980 400cc with only 1300 miles it was only registered for one year , it looks like its in great shape just sat and was a barn find , it needs cleaned up and restored . i was wondering what the top speed was being only 2 speed and clutch less . im not sure what he plans on doing with it , but its definitely 1 of a kind . i feel like its for beginners or woman to coast around locally on .
The CM400 has a smaller cylinder bore size so might have a bit less top end speed to it. Otherwise it's basically identical and most of the parts can be interchanged. I love having mine, I don't plan on changing it's a fun bike to cruise and just sight see in and such. 👍
Great little bike. People overlook these great mid-size bikes. I’d like to find a clean 400 CME or CMA as a daily rider. Greetings from Tampa.
Hey brother 👋 Love mine. So much fun.
Consider that when these were built we had the 55 mph National speed limit. I would put a fairing on it and take it cross country. Probably prefer the 750A but 400 is sufficient without a passenger and luggage.
Yeah I need to put a new speedometer on it cause the trip meter is broken and the needle bounces around and all I was finding were ones that went up to 80mph. Come to find out the Regan administration set a 55mph cap and most odometers were capped at 80mph. The whole reason behind Sammy Hagar's I Can't drive 55!
Thanks for the video! Did I miss what model and year your bike is?
1983 Honda CM450A
Nice info thanks !
I have a chance to get an 82 cm450a with better fairing and hard saddle bags set up for Touring . Beautiful shape just a little work to get it running . 13000 miles on it .
I actually got the original Hondaline saddlebags off eBay and mounted em up. Not the matching color though but they are like finding Sasquatch. Go for it. '82 model has a few nuisances that makes it a bit more difficult to work on than '83 but is almost identical. If you ever have to remove the cam chain tensioner you have to split the case on the '82.
I'm 5'7 5'8 about 185 pounds how does this bike ride? Is it a smooth ride and how does it handle on highways and top speed? I'm looking to get one dirt cheap as a starter bike
Rides smooth for me up to about 80 but gets a bit wobbly after that. I can comfortably cruise at 80 for long periods. I can push it up to 90 I just don't like cruising there for long periods. If the road surface is really good it feels alright.
I have a cm400A love it ideal to ride in London's traffic. I think of it as a posh Scooter rather than a proper motorcycle but it is fun
Very cool to hear, in Florida temps are quite high year round so I've noted you really gotta keep an air cooled bike moving here.
Hi All, I was wondering if someone can help. I have a 1981 CM400A, the bike is great except I am having issues with stalling when I come to a stop sign or traffic light. If I pull the choke out it keeps the bike from stalling but when I accelerate after the stop it bogs down bad, its pretty scary when I have to go through an intersection and I have no speed. The carbs have been cleaned several times and rejetted. Any helpful info would be much appreciated it.
Okay well if you pull choke out you are giving it more fuel to keep it running. Is the idle up high enough to keep it running at lights, the black knob on the underside of your carburetors? I'd also check fuel/air mixture screws after that, mine are set to a turn and a half out. Hope this helps.
My money is on your idle jet being a little clogged, not your main jet. I'd check your air filter, but my money is still on the idle jet.
Huh? These have been on every highway in America for the last 40 years. Maybe your next video should test the Corolla.
I'd love to do that tbh 😉
I have one. Highway bike? Answer: No , unless no one else is on the road to come up from behind you. I stay on secondary highways, which usually are the older highways, having traffic lights, but paralleling the major highways (ie. Speeds where you don't usually have to go over 60 mph.) There are hills in the northeast (USA) and the cars will simply run up your butt.
The county roads are the funnest to me rather than the highway, yeah
Is it good for somebody 5'2?
The bike is around 400 pounds depending on if you have the gas tank full or not, the seat height is around 29.9 inches. I'm 5'9" it's hard to give a straight answer, so I went through the Facebook group on this. One 5'2" person said it works well for them. One said they can't place both their feet flat at stop, but slightly leans on one foot with the other on a peg and quickly got used to this. You can adjust the height of the rear shocks slightly with a spanner wrench and can probably have an upholstery shop carve the seat foam out if you needed to. I hope this helps.
@@thematicmanofficial3211 thanks I'm definitely look more into it
It will be difficult to ride for a 5'2" guy/woman. Skill matters.
While researching these motorcycles I ran across comments stating Prince's motorcycle in Purple Rain was actually a mocked up Honda 400 Because He was 5'2"! He was too thin to ride a bigger bike. In many of His videos they cut away to the fairing only to hide the size of the bike.