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Of course Julie gives good advice.But you may want to follow the principle of "if it's not broken don't fix it".When my old CB750F1 was resurrected I first serviced the motor, then run it and addressed issues as they appeared.But for example loads of stuff including crank and gearbox oil seals etc are still original and working fine.Good luck with your project.
I think once you remove the rocker cover and inspect the cam and rocker condition they will provide a good indication of how the engine has been previously looked after. The top end of the engine is what suffers most when oil and filter changes have been neglected.Once you remove the head to inspect the pistons and bores you will really know what you have on your hands. Any signs of rust/scoring etc will point to a full stripdown. As a minimum I would remove the sump pan to check the primary chain, cam chain tensioner horseshoe and the tensioner plunger. The contents of the sump pan will also provide a good indication of the state of the engine.Read Julies rebuild thread for a good example of what may be lurking around the piston area as an excellent example of how to inspect the engine and what may be lurking within.Not to worry if you find various nasties, lots of help and advice on here. I sense a nice winter rebuild coming on....................Good luck Dave
If you have pulled the head off you, would of disturbed the base gasket and you will need to remove the barrels to change that
Just pull the barrels off, you won't find a dead body under them
Base gasket NOT head gasket Just pull the barrels off, you won't find a dead body under them
Multi cylinder Hondas are better built than old brit stuff and when you release the head bolt tension you also release the clamping force on the base, when you wiggle the head off chances are you move the cylinders a bit so the base gasket will leak.I dont understand your question about pistons, you cant do anything to them without removing cylinders first[/quoteNot sure what my question was now about the pistons either as NJs post answered it anyway.Today I fired her up for a few minutes then checked that oil was reaching the valves etc. As I was replacing one of the tappet cover caps I was reminded how hot front pipes get! Nice little burn mark on my right little finger..... all the Missus Wendy did was laugh at my stupidity.