My F2 Rebuild

[F2 Paul 876]

Thanks his site is all ready on my Favorites bar, normally have a look every few weeks at the site. Tims F2 is on it.
I would like a gen Yoshi if i can find one, His one will do just fine if i can not find one it dose look really smart and looks like better ground clearance than the Yoshi.
I have a good while yet before i need one no hurry at all.
Paul

[SteveD CB500K0]

Steve Carpenter ("Carpy") is indeed an expat Brit - drop him a line - he loves to hear from Honda owners from back home!

[Yoshi823]

I found that the original downpipes, once welded up with the joins for #1 & #3 solid, gave good power & ground clearance. The first silencer that I went to from standard was a Harris Racing track outlet pipe...



...but this got damaged after an off on some diesel...



So I had one made for me by John Campbell at CG Exhausts in Dartford. John still makes stainless exhausts for anything nowadays & specials & one offs are his speciality. But in those days it was all mild steel & once chromed they complemented the original downpipes nicely...




At first I didn't mind the chrome, but it didn't like the welding when the downpipes were welded, so the whole lot was shot blasted which removed the chrome & I painted the lot with Kal-Guard Gun Kote...

[F2 Paul 876]

Looks like we where going down the same line at the same time. Same Tank which i still have same fairing (still have) at some times, i later fitted a Rickman front fiberglass mud guard still got. Most of the stuff will go back on the bike when i get around to doing it, but i hope to finish it all to a much higher standard than i did first time, there is only so much spraying / rebuilding you can do in the barrack block ! .
I only had the head gas flowed and that was done free by Towcester tuning when they did the last engine rebuild for me. They had just got the kit in so need a engine to try it on and as mine was in the shop at the time i got the free gas flowing.
they are still going of sorts just down the road mostly cars now.
I remember Campbell Germetric's ? a blast from the past.
Paul

[K2-K6]

Brilliant old photos coming out, nice to see some stuff from this era.

I had a yoshimura pipe on a K2 (bought it at the dixon shop in Godalming) black one as yours mostly rotted from inside but still have remains. Also have access to a almost new one on 750 F2 the owner of which said I could use to get a copy made............. so loosely thinking of exploring getting one made in stainless have done no work on it so far and guess that it's not possible to market someone elses design. So if I can find a scource then see if any interest in getting some made as a group together kinda thing.
As you say they have a wiered balance between quite at low revs along with a good top end noise plus good flow.

I bet that CBX sounded sweet!!!!

Kal Gaurd.......there's a blast from the past. Mostly used their "Chain Kote" since the seventies and now  the only one I buy, the graphite one. This makes chains last longer than anything I've seen just apply it when you get home after a run and it stays on the chain then.

[Rozabikes Tim]

Count me in if you do pattern up a a "yoshi copy".

Tim

[F2 Paul 876]

Nice bit off tangent stuff there but lets get the thread back on line.
I have done a bit more, cleaned and polished up a bit of the rear mud guard.
I have done the airbox got that back togeather just a new airfilter for that now.
I have done one front right side foot rest the left one is ready to put back togeather but i have lost the spring, it shoot off as i was cleaning it up with the wire brush in the elct drill, it hit the wall a few times its some where but still cant fined it should come across it some time.
Took the metal bit out off the top of the rear mudguard and have cleaned this up its got its undercoat on should get the top coat on  this comming sat if i do not find time in the week.

[F2 Paul 876]

The Footrest photos right side only.

[F2 Paul 876]

That metal bit from the rear mudguard, did not take as long as i thought it would to clean up the state it was in.
More at a later date when i can find time to get on with it.
Paul

[UK Pete]

Nice detail, what do you use on your plastic to clean it
pete

[Yoshi823]

With referance to the Yoshimura exhausts from Dixon Racing, I don't think that they were genuine Yoshi at all, but stuff that was approved by the Yoshi factory. The one for the 750/4 & the 400/4 were so differant in design that this is why I have come to this conclusion.

There was a road test in Motor Cycle Mechanics years ago of a 750/4 that had been prepared by Dixons, & John Robinson wasn't kind to it in his article. The exhaust was dangerous as it reduced ground clearance considerably & I have a picture in my mind of the length of the silencer section having a long graunch in it from just such an occasion.

Does anybody still have the Dixon Racing catalogue from that era?...not the later one with the CB900FZ/GS1000 stuff in it but the earlier one. I have mislaid my one, but I still have the genuine USA copy.

[K2-K6]

You could be right with that one as they do seem inconsistent with the look of track stuff that Yoshi made. The top of the silencer tube was peaned (dented) inwards to get it close to the bottom frame rail and lift it as close up as possible but the curve from center to outside of the bike seemed to be arranged to clear a center-stand, if that were not fitted you could run it further under the bike. So maybe more of a replica for the road fitment than pure race type.

I ran one on a K2 and it seemed to give more clearance than standard 4 set but it did scrape a bit but considering the tyres then it felt like close to the limit anyway.

Apologies for off topic, maybe needs a spot of it's own if more discussion.

[F2 Paul 876]

Hi I have allway understood that my pipes were gen Yoshi road pipes that Dave Dixon sold i had one from him and one from some one Else that i cant remember who both the same except finish, the track use ones as far as the brain cells remembers were diffrent. I had clearance problems getting up and down kerbs/ steps all ways scraped the bottom, to park off road at the old dears place had to go up kerb and then a big step to get in and out of the garden. The lean on the left side was OK the right side less clearance i found that the main stand did not go as far up with the Yoshi fitted but once you got used to it it was OK and as Pete says you were close to the limits of the tyres in them days. Yes we should open a topic on Yoshi's as all the SOHC  cc's used them. I would be interested in some remakes if we could do it at a fair price.

Pete I clean the plastic first in gunk then wash it off then use the Foam cleaner then the All for one you have to use the all for one a few times to build up a base then polish dry with a soft cloth. do not use brake cleaner at first to degrease as it takes ages to clean the stains that it makes of the plastic thats why i now use Gunk on the plastic bits its kinder to it.

I think aim going a bit OTT on the clean up, but i have started now so it would look naff if i only did 1/2 , i am all so trying to use all the nuts bolts washers that came of the bike and if i just left them dirty they would not look right. It is all done with wire brush and Rol locs scotch brights  and sanding disc's on a black / decker and with a small bit of detail with wet /dry by hand.
Till next time Paul

[K2-K6]

It's looking good with all those bits cleaned, don't see why you shouldn't clean and prep all the pieces as you'd probably regret it if you wanted to do it later.

Followed a friend on F2 years ago and saw him lift the rear wheel just enough to make it slide! when lent on to standard pipe RHS and only just stayed on it so clearance is always an issue if you ride it like that. Probably has just as much to do with rear shock compression damping as well as there was a dip mid corner that effectively bottomed it out.

Marzoccis or S+W replacements would be good period mods for it, girlings were ok but seemed a bit crude and seemed to have high spring rate.

[F2 Paul 876]

Yes thats what i was thinking when i started to clean it all up yes i would probably regret it and it would be a lot easier to keep on top of it once back on the road so thats what aim doing now.
Got the rear mudguard metal bit finished now painted and lacc on it, got some small 4mm bolts to replace the the ones that broke and sorted the other fixings ie the rivet  ones on the mudguard replace with stuff from work as had to work today.
Aim going down the Marzocchi route. NJB shocks are Girlings under a new name by a bloke that worked there i had a pair of dial a rides i think thats what they where called did not last long only about 60k before they where shot was not overly imprested with them.
The Maziss were the best i have had on a F2.
See ya Paul