My Winter Project

[Gary in NJ]

Together again.



I feel like it’s been a push to get to this point. Now that I’m here I’ve got a sense relief.

And now that I’m here…it’s time to finish this f’er.

 

[trepetti]

Beautiful.....just beautiful

 

[meadeam]

You're making great time. It would seriously take me a year to do that amount of work.

I've been wanting a project bike lately but just haven't come across anything I like for cheap. The older bikes that used to be so plentiful are getting harder to find and more expensive.

 

[Gary in NJ]

I had a vivid dream last night that woke me up around 4am. When I assembled the subtransmission to the engine I had a feeling that I didn’t get the shift drum right, and I thought to myself “no problem, correct it later”. Sure enough when I attached the shift lever a few nights ago the lever didn’t move so I removed the transmission cover and reworked the shift drum. While I had it apart I was rotating the rear tire noting how smoothly it all turned, and I engaged the main shifter into first gear. And nothing happened. It “clicked” like it went into gear, but nothing engaged. So I tried 2nd, 3rd, 4th…no engagement.

I didn’t panic, nothing has oil in it yet and the clutch is dry. I moved on. It’s gonna need a kick of power from the primary and a wet clutch to get it all working again.

But in my dream (nightmare) last night, I didn’t check the engagement of the gears, and the shift forks were in the wrong place. The engine will need to come out and be split to correct the problem.

So from 4am until about 6am, that’s all I thought about as I tossed and turned in bed. “Did I not assemble the shift forks correctly?” “Did I put a gear back in incorrectly?” Why weren’t any gears engaging?

So at 6am I was in the garage. I removed the spark plugs and the rotor cover so I could turn the engine over by hand. I didn’t want to engage the starter because it would require that I fill the engine with oil, and if I had to split the case again, better to be dry.

I gave the engine about 3 revolutions. Then I went and exercised the clutch lever about a dozen times. I spun the rear tire and clicked the bike into second gear…and of course it was put back correctly. The wheel was as locked up as a bike in gear should be. The transmission is fine.

So with an early start to the day I got everything installed today except the grips, exhaust, oil cooler and turn signals. I did install all fluids because this bike is ready to be started. I hoping to find time tomorrow to install the exhaust system.

 

[PauliusD]

Gary, it's 2AM here and I'm showing my half sleeping wife the photos of this build saying "I want to do something like this too"
The bike looks mint Hats off to you!

P.s. glad to hear that dream turned out to be a nightmare in the end

 

[Sdaniels]

Love the new seat on the old Honda...new handlebar too. Do you have a better shot of the rear end? Those aren't the stock shocks & wondering what you're doing with the fender...I like the direction this bike is heading.

 

[Motogiro]

I am Impressed! That is so amazing from where you started with this project and it included some unforeseen hurdles to get past.
A great thing is sharing your experience with us because those experiences are always added to our tools.

 

[Gary in NJ]

Love the new seat on the old Honda...new handlebar too. Do you have a better shot of the rear end? Those aren't the stock shocks & wondering what you're doing with the fender...I like the direction this bike is heading.

In a few days I’ll grab some photos of the finished bike and give some explanations on some of the mods. My mods are very minor, but in the aggregate I think they bring the original design up to date. The bike appears to me to have a bit more aggressive look - from boulevard cruiser to power cruiser.

 

[Sdaniels]

In a few days I’ll grab some photos of the finished bike and give some explanations on some of the mods. My mods are very minor, but in the aggregate I think they bring the original design up to date. The bike appears to me to have a bit more aggressive look - from boulevard cruiser to power cruiser.

Very much looking forward to it...oh & it definitely has a more aggressive look. The seat & bar help with that...shortening the forks probably helps too. Did you opt for shorter shocks or are they stock length?

 

[meadeam]

This is awesome. I really like how the bike is more up to date without looking out of place. It looks correct. Someone unfamiliar with the bike could easily be convinced that it came this way from the factory.

 

[Gary in NJ]

These bolts were used at the oil cooler lines, where they attach to the oil pan. They received the brunt of the burning oil as it escaped my engine. The first photo is how they looked after an attempted cleaning with degreaser and brake cleaner a few months back when I was disassembling the bike. The thought at the time was “replace them, but keep them tagged so I know what size to purchase”.

As I was attaching the oil cooler to the bike I came across these bolts and thought to myself “these will clean right up in the vapor blaster”. And they did. Each took 30 seconds.



They aren’t perfect (they are pitted & scored), but they get installed at the underside of the bike. That vapor blaster is a tool of a thousand uses. It may not pay for itself in saved bolts, but it sure makes what was once a laborious process a real pleasure. And I’ve discovered it can reclaim plastic, rubber and even painted parts.

 

[Sdaniels]

Wait, that's it? A couple of bolts?!!! What a cruel tease this was

 

[Gary in NJ]

I didn’t mean to be a tease. So enjoy a few photos of the exhaust as I complete the rear fender section.

 

[Sdaniels]

Was wondering if you were going to use the original exhaust. It looked like it was in decent shape but this definitely updates the bike further...and I'm betting it weighs quite a bit less too. What brand? I think I can make out 'Delkevic' but not 100% sure...

 

[Sdaniels]

....oh & you need to upload a video with sound. That's going to sounds wicked. Don't forget to remove the stickers!

 

[Gary in NJ]

It is a Delkevic 4into1 with a megaphone can. The OEM exhaust was badly oil stained and would require some time to get it right…or to find out that it wouldn’t be right. My “moving it from garage to basement” weight estimate is that it weighs somewhere between 60 and 70 pounds - oil soaked - with brackets. The new exhaust is about 12-15 pounds. That’s a big savings on a bike that weighs 610 pounds. I also removed an additional 30 pounds between the fender assembly, turn signals and signal holders, engine guards, seat and some other odds and ends. This bike will be in the 540 range, which is pretty good for what it is.

Yeah, I’ll post a video with the baffle in and out. I’ll live with it in, but it would be nice to hear how it sounds with it out. I had a full Delkevic system in my SV650S and it sounded great with the baffle in…with the baffle out it sounded like the end of times.

Here is the short list of remaining items
- Attach/wire front and rear turn signals
- Attach/wire brake/tail light
- Rebuild rear brake master (I saw a few drips after it was bled)
- Install battery (it’s on the BatteryTender now)
- Empty fuel tank of fuel I put in back in October and create new fuel line with inline filter.

That’s it, maybe 2 hours of work. I “could” start it now, but I know once it’s started I’ll want to take a short ride.

 

[Sdaniels]

"...with the baffle out it sounded like the end of times. "

You're killing me, Gary! That's some serious weight savings. Yeah, these older Japanese bikes had lots of metal bits & pieces that add up quick. Very interested to see what you came up with for the fender & tail light setup but going by the seat you've got I'm sure it'll be impressive.

 

[Motogiro]

Man! I don't know if this is allowed on this site cuz this is pure porn! Love that exhaust and it hast a removable insert!

 

[Gary in NJ]

The bike is ready to start. And has been all week. I spent the last few days cleaning out the fuel tank. I wasn’t sure of the rust situation in the tank but I decided to fill the tank with with 4.4 gallons of vinegar (5% acid) and let it soak for a few days just to be safe. Today I got 3-1/2 gallons out that were clean, and when it stopped running I switched to reserve expecting to see the remaining 0.9 gallons come out clean, but after about a pint the flow stopped. I picked up the tank to confirm it still had fluid and then gave it a good shake. I dumped the contents into jug and got over a half gallon of rust sludge. After 5 or so rise cycles I finally got clear water out. I ran a mix of 1/2 cup of baking soda and a gallon of water to neutralize the acid. After draining that and another rinse I emptied a quart of isopropyl alcohol to contain any remaining water and that was dumped after a minute of sloshing. This method worked well, I was surprised how much gunk was removed.



With the tank now free of rust I topped it off with 50:50 avgas and unleaded and saw no reason not to start it. It started right up on the first attempt and was off the choke in about 30 seconds. The exhaust sounds great; it barks but isn’t loud. We got a snow storm today…so maybe I can get it out for a ride in a few weeks.



The photo is after the run. I need to get the bike into daylight so you can really see how it looks. I have a start video. I’ll see if I can edit it into something useful.

 

[Sdaniels]

When my son bought a 75 CB360 I used metal rescue to clean out his tank. That stuff is worth it's weight in platinum. Removed every bit of rust, is reusable, doesn't harm paint & can be dumped onto the ground when done, completely biodegradable. I'm glad the bike started up, Gary! Yeah, we got some of your storm down here in NC too...hopefully you'll get a nice day next week. We have a 70 degree day forecasted on Thursday.