Added another CB to the family

[ClassicVW_imp]

Good choice, lots of luck with it! Another instance where the not available in the U.S. CB400 would probably be perfect.

That Yamaha has a very fiddly starting procedure that gets annoying really fast according to all reviews. In addition to the kick starter, there's a sight glass on the cylinder head to assist you in finding the best position for compression, and a decompression lever on the left handlebar! Who the heck wants to deal with all that in 2015 when you're just running a few errands around town and stopping and starting a half dozen times? And it was worst in stopping distance in the tests.

[CB4ME_imp]

Great bike offered at a great price and perfect for you lovely wife. Thanks for sharing and may you an the missus have many a safe and pleasurable rides together.

[gary_imp]

Good choice, lots of luck with it! Another instance where the not available in the U.S. CB400 would probably be perfect.

That Yamaha has a very fiddly starting procedure that gets annoying really fast according to all reviews. In addition to the kick starter, there's a sight glass on the cylinder head to assist you in finding the best position for compression, and a decompression lever on the left handlebar! Who the heck wants to deal with all that in 2015 when you're just running a few errands around town and stopping and starting a half dozen times? And it was worst in stopping distance in the tests.

Not only that but I believe that because it is EFI and needs to fire the fuel injector it takes a fairly strong kick to get it to fire. It's quite silly.

Thanks for all the support, she reads this and gets a kick out of the replies. She put about 80 miles on it today and did great! The weather her has been just amazing, so many bikes on the road.


However, the bike sprung a small leak under a cover.


I tried a little torque on the inspection cover but it is solid. I am hoping it is as simple as a faulty o-ring. I will be letting the dealer know when they open on Tuesday.

[JustPassinThru_imp]

Good choice, lots of luck with it! Another instance where the not available in the U.S. CB400 would probably be perfect.

That Yamaha has a very fiddly starting procedure that gets annoying really fast according to all reviews. In addition to the kick starter, there's a sight glass on the cylinder head to assist you in finding the best position for compression, and a decompression lever on the left handlebar! Who the heck wants to deal with all that in 2015 when you're just running a few errands around town and stopping and starting a half dozen times? And it was worst in stopping distance in the tests.

I wonder how much of that was to re-create the original SR 500? Because that was EXACTLY how those 1979-81 bikes started. Use the compression release, a grip handle on the top of the handlebars, to take the compression off as you slow-rolled the engine just PAST compression. That was why the window on the camshaft.

You had to then SLAM down the kick starter and inertia would roll it through the next compression cycle. And fire. You HOPED.

Try doing that after you stall it starting at a light.

And there was NO getting around it. If you just slammed the kick-starter down against engine compression, you would bounce back up and maybe fall over, if you were straddling it. It was, IIRC, 10:1 compression and the kickstarter was geared for speed, not leverage.

When I looked at the SR 400, I didn't start it but the salesman did. He said it was a simple thing BECAUSE OF the FI. But you're right...car engine or anything, you have to spin a FI engine a bit longer to get it to start. I never thought about the feedback loop getting set up...

[ClassicVW_imp]

If they did all that just to recreate the fiddly original, then they went waay too far retro! Now that you mention it, I recall a bike review saying the same thing- "What if you stall it at a light that just turned green?"
I say you'd probably get run over here in Joisey.

[DGShannon_imp]

Good choice, lots of luck with it! Another instance where the not available in the U.S. CB400 would probably be perfect.

That Yamaha has a very fiddly starting procedure that gets annoying really fast according to all reviews. In addition to the kick starter, there's a sight glass on the cylinder head to assist you in finding the best position for compression, and a decompression lever on the left handlebar! Who the heck wants to deal with all that in 2015 when you're just running a few errands around town and stopping and starting a half dozen times? And it was worst in stopping distance in the tests.

Not only that but I believe that because it is EFI and needs to fire the fuel injector it takes a fairly strong kick to get it to fire. It's quite silly.

Thanks for all the support, she reads this and gets a kick out of the replies. She put about 80 miles on it today and did great! The weather her has been just amazing, so many bikes on the road.


However, the bike sprung a small leak under a cover.


I tried a little torque on the inspection cover but it is solid. I am hoping it is as simple as a faulty o-ring. I will be letting the dealer know when they open on Tuesday.

It may well be the other way round. One of the first (actually only) fuel injected kickstart bikes I have experience with is the Montesa 4RT which is a Honda, also marketed as the Honda RTL in Japan.


It is interesting in that it has no battery, but yet fuel injection needs some electric power. (long story, but it uses some capacitor discharge). At an rate, you would think that it would really require a strong kick. But, if you treat it that way you will never start it. If you rest your foot on the kickstart, and just easily push through the stroke, it will start right up easy as pie. That, and it is best if you just keep your hand off the throttle, as you MUST NOT give it any. Many new owners cuss the bike having one heck of a time starting it. Yet, owners that have learned the tricks make it look kindergarten simple. I would imagine that the Yamaha has it's own set of tricks that, once learned, would make it a non issue. But, aggressively kicking at it, as is the tendency of most to do with a bike that won't start, is very likely not the solution.

[gary_imp]

Good choice, lots of luck with it! Another instance where the not available in the U.S. CB400 would probably be perfect.

That Yamaha has a very fiddly starting procedure that gets annoying really fast according to all reviews. In addition to the kick starter, there's a sight glass on the cylinder head to assist you in finding the best position for compression, and a decompression lever on the left handlebar! Who the heck wants to deal with all that in 2015 when you're just running a few errands around town and stopping and starting a half dozen times? And it was worst in stopping distance in the tests.

Not only that but I believe that because it is EFI and needs to fire the fuel injector it takes a fairly strong kick to get it to fire. It's quite silly.

Thanks for all the support, she reads this and gets a kick out of the replies. She put about 80 miles on it today and did great! The weather her has been just amazing, so many bikes on the road.


However, the bike sprung a small leak under a cover.


I tried a little torque on the inspection cover but it is solid. I am hoping it is as simple as a faulty o-ring. I will be letting the dealer know when they open on Tuesday.

It may well be the other way round. One of the first (actually only) fuel injected kickstart bikes I have experience with is the Montesa 4RT which is a Honda, also marketed as the Honda RTL in Japan.


It is interesting in that it has no battery, but yet fuel injection needs some electric power. (long story, but it uses some capacitor discharge). At an rate, you would think that it would really require a strong kick. But, if you treat it that way you will never start it. If you rest your foot on the kickstart, and just easily push through the stroke, it will start right up easy as pie. That, and it is best if you just keep your hand off the throttle, as you MUST NOT give it any. Many new owners cuss the bike having one heck of a time starting it. Yet, owners that have learned the tricks make it look kindergarten simple. I would imagine that the Yamaha has it's own set of tricks that, once learned, would make it a non issue. But, aggressively kicking at it, as is the tendency of most to do with a bike that won't start, is very likely not the solution.

It may well be the other way round. One of the first (actually only) fuel injected kickstart bikes I have experience with is the Montesa 4RT which is a Honda, also marketed as the Honda RTL in Japan.

It is interesting in that it has no battery, but yet fuel injection needs some electric power. (long story, but it uses some capacitor discharge). At an rate, you would think that it would really require a strong kick. But, if you treat it that way you will never start it. If you rest your foot on the kickstart, and just easily push through the stroke, it will start right up easy as pie. That, and it is best if you just keep your hand off the throttle, as you MUST NOT give it any. Many new owners cuss the bike having one heck of a time starting it. Yet, owners that have learned the tricks make it look kindergarten simple. I would imagine that the Yamaha has it's own set of tricks that, once learned, would make it a non issue. But, aggressively kicking at it, as is the tendency of most to do with a bike that won't start, is very likely not the solution.

I wish this were the case with the SR400 but because my wife's kick is basically about as light as you can kick a bike and still get the motor to turn I am very skeptical that the "trick" isn't anything other than to get it to spin through a full compression stroke by kicking the crap out of it. I also tried "kicking" it with my hand because I assumed it would be easy.