Honda CBR 400 - NC23?

[Hutchysrs50]

Well... my dads wanting to get into bikes again and were going to look at a honda cbr 400 1989 i THINK, he said its an NC23, so whatever year they are... He only wants £500 for the bike, but really im just wondering if any1 has any info of them?

are they any good?
will it breaking down because of it age?

its only got just over 20,000khm on the clock, so millage isnt bad for a bike of its age.

from what little info i have seen on the bikes, i can see theres tri and gull arm, whats the difference?

and just any1 els that owns one... anything worth saying?

Let me know, Thanks.
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Gilera SC 125 - Current

[DynaMight]

Wife had one for a few years. They are good bikes, no major problems with them at all. NC23 is the Tri-arm and the NC29 is the Gullarm, despite both being CBR400's there's not much stuff that's interchangeable, basically completely different bikes.

20,000kms is nothing as long as its been serviced. They are very reliable bikes, we had very few problems with the wifes:

It didnt like being restricted with short trips
Rad sprung a leak, probably due to a stone etc
Waterpump went
Drank oil but kept it topped up and no issues

She covered about 15,000miles on it, all weathers. Had about 50,000kms on the clock when we sold it and as far as I know its still going strong.

IMO still a fantastic looking bike for something that is 21 years old!!
Heres hers just before she sold it
https://p1.bikepics.com/pics/2006%5C04%5C17%5Cbikepics-566856-800.jpg
https://p1.bikepics.com/pics/2005%5C03%5C12%5Cbikepics-307807-800.jpg
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My bikes are at https://www.bikepics.com/members/dynamight/

[Hutchysrs50]

hi thanks for the reply.

the person we bought it off has owned it for 9 years, and hasnt used it much, so i recon its been sitting in the garage for a while, atho he said he starts it and rides it every now nd then.

he said its a clean bike, hardly any marks on it, only problem being the speedo 'box' ???? has broken and he has never botherd fixing it.

if we buy it tomorrow we will service it soon as its in the garage.

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now this is just me being abit of a noob, how many cylders do they have?

EDIT: also, it wont be restricted, hes had a full licence for years, used to ride a honda fireblade but that sat in the garage unused so it went, now its gone, he wants another bike.
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Gilera SC 125 - Current

[DynaMight]

If it's not been used all that much then check that the tyres are fairly new, check the brake pistons are not seized or corroded to badly, check that the chain is in good working order, may need a new battery if not looked after, check the downpipes as they are mild steel so maybe rusted to death. General wear and tear stuff can end up costing a lot if they all need doing together!! They have a 18" rear wheel too so there isnt much choice in tyres, I'd recommend BT092 as they are sticky enough to have some serious fun but last a good 4,000miles.

It's an IL4

The speed is driven by cable from the front sprocket. Either cable is snapped or its a problem at the speedo or front sprocket end. Wife had a problem with her speedo (sometimes wouldnt work, other times it would jump around) and it was a little plastic cap which went onto the sprocket nut. Only cost £7 for a brand new Honda one.
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My bikes are at https://www.bikepics.com/members/dynamight/

[Hutchysrs50]

Hey, well, just got back from looking at it, seems pretty clean, he said he dropped it at low speed and replaced all the fairings, which i belive, wasnt a mark on the bike.

he said when he dropped it the speedo stopped working, said it was a disc or somthing in the engine on the left hand side?

the back tyre will need replacing as its on the limit, he started it no problem, went for a little ride down the ally to check the brakes, all seem fine.

Picking it up on tuesday
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Gilera SC 125 - Current

[Vincent]

Sounds like you got a bargain, the motors have gear driven cams rather than a cam chain - which is nice, and are fairly bullit-proof. I'm not sure how he managed tio damage the speedo drive by falling off tho. It'd be worth fitting some crash bungs, those fairings can be fairly expensive to replace and are getting harder to find in good used condition.
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