Manuals in order of personal preference. OEM Honda shop manual, excellent photography and detail if you can find one secondhand. Haynes maintenance manual, covers the CB400F in great detail, photography and detail very good. Clymer manual, a preference for drawings rather than photo’s. Having all three to hand will allow you to check for typo’s and give maximum clarity to the task you are performing.
Clutch nut spanner, I made one from an old 7/16 Whitworth socket. Use an angle grinder to acheive a rough shape and finish with a square file or Dremel tool to form the four castellations.
Wheel bearing retainer spanners, again I made mine from steel bar & bolts.
Rear suspension bush extractor/installer. Another home made device made from scaffold tubing, large washers, nuts & bolts.
Bench vice – a large one is very useful as a press for seals, swing arm bushes etc. etc. Personally speaking a heavy duty workbench and large engineers vice would be my first requirement before any work begins.
Swing arm bush installer: On some bikes you can just push them in with the palm of your hand. DO NOT USE A HAMMER! if not, they are made of a composite material and very brittle. Better to use a length of 12mm studding, long enough to pass through the swing arm tube, two steel plates suitably drilled to accommodate the studding and a 12mm nut on either end, now just wind in each bush with the two nuts one by one.
Useful bits from your household waste: An old plastic milk container with lid (filled with white spirit), old washing up bowls & microwave meal trays make excellent part washers. Old toothbrushes are great for awkward nooks and crannies.
Cleaning tasks: Cotton buds and various solvents useful.
Fork seal removal: A claw hammer wrapped in a cloth will lever out the seals easily after first heating the legs to around 75°C. Most other seals pop out with a large flat bladed screwdriver.
Large 60ml syringe is useful for topping up batteries and adding fork oil. These are available on eBay or maybe the local veterinary practice.
I had access to: a bench grinder/polisher, lathe, pillar drill, taps & dies and bead blasting cabinet. This helped me to keep restoration costs to a minimum?
Helicoil inserts: ideal for damaged threads, M5, M6 & M8 were used. Loctite these in place as they can come loose.
O-ring kit: a useful emergency source of replacements. Nitrile are OK but for the best resistance to oil & petrol use Viton type.
Socket sets: For motorcycle work I find that a 3/8th’s” socket set is better suited than the more conventional 1/2″ type. Sometimes a socket of the right size can be useful as a puller/pusher of various seals and bushes, worth bearing in mind.
Torque wrench: NOTE: I find the cheap click type reluctant to indicate the correct torque when using stainless steel fasteners into aluminium – TAKE CARE. Buying a digital wrench is the recommended option and will save many a thread. Draper do one for a reasonable price, I chose a Bahco 3/8″ wrench, excellent but twice the price.
Honda’s CB400F special service tools
07900-3770000 CB400F special tool set complete
07902-2000000 Pin spanner (48mm)
07906-3230000 Box wrench 12mm
07908-0010000 Tappet wrench set
07910-3230101 Front wheel bearing retainer wrench
07910-3290000 Rear wheel bearing retainer wrench
07914-3230000 Snap ring pliers
07916-6390000 Lock nut wrench (16mm)
07917-3230000 Allen head wrench 6mm
07933-3330000 Generator rotor puller (Understood to be M18x1.5mm pitch)
07942-3290200 Valve guide driver
07945-3330100 Bearing driver attachment (inner)
07945-3330200 Bearing driver attachment (outer)
07945-3330300 Ball race driver attachment
07947-3330000 Front fork oil seal driver
07949-6110000 Driver handle
07953-3330000 Ball race remover
07955-3770000 Piston ring compressor (4 pcs)
07957-3290000 Valve spring compressor
07985-3330000 Piston base
07959-3290000 Shock absorber compressor
07984-2000000 Valve guide reamer (Intake)
07984-3770000 Valve guide reamer (Exhaust)
07921-0010000 Flare nut wrench
07922-2870000 Drive sprocket holder
07797-2920300 Special tool case
OPTIONAL
07504-3000100 Vacuum gauge set
07908-3230200 Carburetor synchronization wrench
Some of these tools are still available – try David Silver Spares.