UK Lockdown! My Honda Bros gets a rare day outside of the shed. Honda Hawk GT/Bros 650

[@xaviermadorell]

Coolant leak usually is caused by one o-ring flatted on the pipe that links front and back cilynders water coolant connection. It is failrly aeasy to fix, just you want to relplace this o-orin.

[@RikkyTang]

Brilliant, thanks for your comment. The engine is on a cupboard at the moment with the coolant drained and so I'll take a look and see if I can get a new O-ring (since the current one is probably over 30 years old!)

[@UKDub61]

I enjoyed that video Rikky, i have a 400 bros and i never know if its going to run or not. Nuisance! It fell over several times last winter and that has caused many issues. I had to take the tank off and drain it i ended up respraying it. There’s rust in there and that blocked the fuel pipe. I have a fuel filter on it now fitted in the shop on the last day of lockdown. And on the way home the bike died on me. So annoying when that happens. Near home though, but on the bottom of a hill, luckily a passing biker was good enough to stop and park up and assist me. So a pal has tried to diagnose the problem with me, its electrical, could be a relay on the battery has failed. I have one on order from china so God knows when that will arrive. I like your stand. Where did you get that? Nice. Stay safe Tom

[@RikkyTang]

Hi Tom, your intermittent problems on the bike must be very frustrating! I had running problems on the bike when I first bought it and it turned out to be a dying CDI unit. I'm not sure if a failing CDI could cause the bike to just stop but its another thing to consider. I'd make sure the wiring inside the headlight nacelle is sound too - it's a right rats nest in there! In my most recent videos you can see I'm trying to strip the bike down somewhat... I want to paint the engine, tank and I have a rear hugger and a replacement seat cowling to paint too. It's a long term thing! The stand is an Abba Superbike Stand and I had to buy an extra item called the Swingarm Remove Kit which replaces a couple of the footrest bolts with fittings for the stand. You can see how I went about it here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5OTiIOBr7WChq8 Thanks for stopping by!

[@UKDub61]

RikkyTang! Thanks for the reply and good luck with your project.

[@A_S_100]

I'm probably pretty late on this one but, I'm a Honda Bros 400 owner and my one didn't run when I bought it. CDI failure is unusual. First check the fuel pump and then check the starter relay and choke cable. Often, people put Chinese parts on to replace the originals and that is what can cause problems because they don't last. 1) My fuel pump is a Mitsubishi fuel pump of a Kawasaki ZXR400 (pretty similar to original). A lot of OEM Mitsubishi low pressure electromechanical fuel pumps from other carbed bikes from the 1990s/2000s will fit the Honda BROS and will last a lot longer that 2) My starter relay is off a 2015 Honda NC750. You need to plug the red connector in the wrong way round for it to work or swap the wires diagonally so that it fits the relay normally. I had a Chinese one which melted after a week and wrecked my starter motor. Chinese starter relays realistically can't handle the cranking current of anything more than a 125 single so be cautious about buying them. 3) Choke cables on these are notorious for jamming in the open position or the choke springs are weak and the plungers are not sealing leaving the choke slightly on. Honda Bros hates the choke on when the engine is warm so that could make you're engine cut out as well. Second hand genuine parts of different bikes can definitely be a better shout than Chinese parts. Since I got rid of all the Chinese parts on my bros, I commuted on it every day for the last 3 years or so and it didn't break down or play up even once

[@RikkyTang]

@@A_S_100 Thanks for chiming in with your experiences! To be honest my own video just popped up while I was Googling for something else Bros related, so I found your comment by pure chance! My fuel pump still works but is a rusty looking mess so I'm sure that will have to be swapped out at some point. I hope that ​Tom managed to solve his running problems. My bike is in bits now but I hope to have it up and running again in time for Spring :-)

[@davidstables276]

What Abba stand bobbins are you using? I have a Bros 400. Thanks

[@RikkyTang]

These are the ABBA swingarm removal kit bobbins.. Video here :-) kzbin.info/www/bejne/p5OTiIOBr7WChq8

[@thatwolffe3802]

Would these be comfy for a bit of touring? I'm trying to find an alternative to a super four that isn't a CBF500/600 lol.

[@RikkyTang]

Well it's got a fairly narrow seat and a small fuel tank so it's certainly not designed for long distance. Also it will be hard to find model-specific luggage for such an old bike. It could do it but I think you'd be better off with a SV650 or Z650/Ninja. Even a Royal Enfield Interceptor 650 might be worth a look!

[@thatwolffe3802]

@@RikkyTang My arse is weird so its more comfy on narrow seats for some reason, I toured 700 miles on an 05 cbr125 and at the end of each 200 mile stint I was mostly fine, rode for a day on an sv650 at my training centre and could barely walk when I stood up. I'm mostly looking for something sub 600 even though i'm getting my full A license to be honest, I really want a CB400 Super Four Spec III but they are a bit out of my budget :p.

[@RikkyTang]

@@thatwolffe3802 Well in that case a Bros 650 could be just the ticket! Even the Bros 400 doesn't lose too much in performance apparently although it's a bit revvier.

[@papuyyytv301]

im just a newbie , what is the difference between Bros400 and Honda superfour?

[@RikkyTang]

Hi there newbie! Well the Superfour and the Bros 400 have different engine designs and therefore a different character. The Superfour has four small cylinders set across the frame and the Bros 400 has a v-twin 2 cylinder engine mounted front-to-back. Put very simply people might prefer the Superfour if they like the sound of race bikes (or like to pretend they are riding one) because a lot of race bikes also have 4 cylider engines. The Bros has bigger pistons and does not rev up as high as the Superfour and so are aimed a bit more at people who maybe like a more relaxed pace. The Bros can still go quite quick though! Try to find riding videos of each bike and the difference will be pretty obvious 😊

[@Добрыйсамаритянин-п7е]

Очень круто!!! Вещь!! Катайся - не хочу!!!