Hi Dale, I would think BigBadFrankie'll be along at some point as he's much more experience of Honda's than me, but here goes my three penn'orth.
I bought an F400 last year which I've only just got round to getting running, and am battling years of 'maintenance' (read neglect) which seemed to consist of putting petrol in the tank, and that was it! They're a nice machine and I'm expecting mine to be a good work horse when it's back running.
First off, look at the general condition.
1) Check for loose/missing bolts & nuts. Many of them are metric fine and will be slightly harder to get hold of than metric coarse. Move the various adjuster levers on the handlebars, tiller column and hitch (the bit where a plough would attach) as they should all be free and un-seized.
2) Check all of the tines are there, are undamaged and not too worn. Used replacements are few and far between and command a premium on Ebay, new ones are expensive (I've seen £175 for a set!).
3) Has it got a pair of pneumatic-tyred wheels with it? They came with new ones as standard and, as there's no front transport wheel, they are a heavy * to get around otherwise. Check the tyres are in OK nick as new ones are quite pricey.
4) Check the petrol tank for leaks as they are now an obsolete part and used ones are scarce. If it is leaking and/or rusty it's not the end of the world. I grafted on a GX120 tank which, while it doesn't fit as well as the original or look as pretty, does work.
5) Check the exhaust silencer for serious rust as they are an obsolete part too. Again, some rust should be espected and other silencers can be grafted on.
6) Check the seals on the axle (where the tines attach to the rotovator) aren't leaking, as mine were and I've just had to get a pair. They weren't too bad price-wise but Frankie has done his and says it's a bit of a fiddly job. Once I've done mine I'll let you know.
7) Check the clutch cable where it meets the clutch lever is not frayed and the lever itself pulls/releases smoothly. If it doesn't, the cable might be damaged. A new one is £18 and straightforward to fit, but you need to take the belt guard, drive belt & drive pulleys off and unship the throttle cable and engine stop switch cable to change it.
Feel the engine to see if it is hot/warm. This may indicate difficult starting and they may have pre-warmed it to make it easier.
9) Ask them, with their hands off the machine to tell you how to start it. Honda's, even one's this old, should fire up with consummate ease so if they don't summat's up.
Get them to leave it running for a few minutes. Check that it idles fairly steadily and doesn't puff out dstroyer-like clouds of smoke (a little bit is OK). Check that the carburettor doesn't leak petrol, as mine did from the float bowl seal. Refurbishment kits, including gaskets, are available, as are new carbs (don't ask why I know this
)
10) Get them to show you how the tiller actually works (how to 'drive' it), including the gearbox. If you can, try and actually use it to dig some ground to see how it goes. Again, if you can, get thr wheels put on and try driving it about on them.
Please don't be put off by the seeming lack of parts, nearly all engine parts are still available and many others are too. I'd treat anything you find which might need replacement as a negotiating tool for lowering the price, as F400's are still well worth having.
Hope this is some help.
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June 26, 2009, 09:03