Nice work! I have a smaller cousin of your bike that needs attention. It started giving me some issues about 2 years ago so I parked it. A week ago just for the heck of it I jumped the battery and it started right up on the same 2 year old gas! It definitely made me rethink my recent decision to get rid of it...and your thread also inspired me to do something about it :) ...but too many projects so little time
Thanks and I'm happy to hear your bike fired right up after two years. Believe me I know about too many projects. My Christmas lights are still up because of this particular project. Dave..
I was able to take the Honda out for a 30 miles ride this afternoon. A very different ride when compared to my V-Strom. I have very little experience with "cruisers" so it was interesting ride. I was surprised how compact the ergo's felt when compared to my Wee. The 650 engine pulls very strong all the way up to 6k RPM. I didn't want to take it any further until I know the motor is good to go. It handles well but the suspension certainly needs some work but nothing that I can't live with for a while. It has a very pleasant exhaust. I have a lot more to do but she's a rider!
Nah, that thing stays. Now I have to figure out who installed the damn rev limiter. It revs fine standing still but when riding it won't pull more than 5k rpms. Dave...
Well I took it for a 40 mile ride last weekend and noticed a few things. It rides very nice, the front brakes need some work, it won't pull more than 5k RPM under load, and it's going to be a nice bike once I'm done. ;D I put brand new plugs in before the ride to try and determine if it was running rich or lean. I think it's lean. Some of the symptoms I've been experiencing (all indications of a lean condition): + Poor power output (above 5k RPM) + Runs better (but not good as it warms up) + Spark plugs overly clean..with no deposits or slight glazed appearance + Rough, erratic idle that drifts toward higher rpms than expected based on the setting of the curb idle screw. Sometimes a lean condition will cause a "hanging" idle that is slow to settle down to set idle speed. + Sluggish...hesitates when the throttle is opened, then recovers (often accompanied by a slight backfire) + Surging at steady throttle cruise operation (big time) + Temporarily removing air filter element makes the engine run worse. + Slight back-firing on deceleration. I never did get around to fine tuning the idle mixture, they are set to the post rebuild setting 2.5 turns out. So I'm surprised it's running this lean. I've pulled the carb rack because I never got around to installing the infamous t-fittingg between 1/2 and 3/4. I finally broke down and ordered the silly things ($$$$). I've got the carb rack off awaiting the fittings. While I have everything apart I decided to take care of a few small things (e.g. installed a new horn, installed the chrome starter cover, and cleaned up the left side cover). Before: After: Before (day it was brought home three months ago): After: Anyone know what silver paint best matches the engine? Dave...
Sounds like you're making good progress. I agree with the lean condition. At least the plugs are all the same color lean. I'm sure you know that a hunting idle can also be a vacuum leak. What's your polishing technique?
I know there are about 4,000 different ways to clean up/polish aluminum. I'm sure there are better ways but I simply used a 2" x 2" piece of gray scotchbrite pad, a bit of Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish, and scrubbed it into a slurry. I only did about a 2" x 2" section at time. Then I wiped it off, took it over to the bench grinder that's setup with a spiral sewn buffing wheel, hit it with some medium grit polishing compound, and buffed away. Then I repeated the process with a new piece of scotchbrite till I got it where I wanted it. It's by no mean perfect but it looks a lot better than it did. Dave...
I just finished a 4 month Norton project and polished all the alumin by hand and it came out great. This is what I did, the stuff that was really bad I started with 400 wet and dry then went to 600, all the way to 2000 making sure to use plenty of water. Some of it i finished with 0000 steel wool then used Mothers to polish some of it I did by hand some of it I used a drill motor and a foam ball. Duplicolor makes a color for the Honda motor that is very nice, there is a thread on here and the guy did his SL 100 motor with it. Another way to clean up the motor without taking it apart and blasting it is with a soda blaster, I got one a Harbor Freight and it worked great. Here is how it came out, some before and after
I can say for sure they didn't look that nice when they were new and I always liked those pea shooters. The Duplicolor engine paint on my Volvo block is surprisingly durable for a rattle-can job.
Well after much pain and suffering I was able to get this thing running smoothly. I now know WAY too much about two jet CV carbs. Way too much. I took her for a 70 mile ride today and was very pleased with her performance. The past few weeks have been about troubleshooting the poor performance but I was about to get a few things done while fixing the beast. Disassembled, cleaned, lubed, and adjusted the advancer, set the timing, and set the pluse gap. I also cleaned up and painted the cover. Lots of parts in a single carb huh? :) I have a lot more work to do (e.g. replace the mirrors, chain, sprockets, head gasket, strip/paint frame, etc) but for now I'm going to step away and ride this sucker! Plus my V-Strom needs some work. Dave...
If the front brakes are still not up to par its a good bet the lines are swelling. Even if they're new ones they probably were made 20 yrs ago.
Man, that thing's looking good! Those Honda CV carbs are a blast, aren't they?! I know the ones on my CB750F way too well too.
I've had them apart twice since my last post. The first time I spent hours ensuring everything was clean and clear. I followed Mike Nixon's guide for cleaning these carbs. It was very good a explaining the operation of the carbs which helps you understand how the air and fuel flows through the carbs. Once I got them 100% clear the bike ran much, much better but still had an issue with a slight hesitiation when I'm crusing at 50mph and give a bit of gas. So on advice of the nice folks over at www.sohc4.net I bumped up the main jets to 125 from 120. It's done but it's been cold and raining the past few days. Once it clears up I'll take it for a spin. Dave...
Yep, I agree they are swelling a bit under braking. Someday I'll pony up for stainless lines. Dave...
Can you recommend a bike shop in Tally where I might find touring pants? We leave here about mid-morning on Friday.
I have a 79 CB900 that had the same problem, bled the sucker about a dozen times, tried the master cylinder of my V-strom and nothing fixed the problem.. on one of the last bleeds I had my hands on the brake hose and could feel it expand in my hand. I had been given an unwanted set of braided lines from friend and tried those, fixed the problem beautifully.. 30 year rubber lines just dont cut it!! great resto BTW