Mike's CB550 Project

[Bryanj]

Those are perfect mate

[Mike_Berkshire]

Thanks Bryan! I’m dead chuffed that I managed to do this :-)

[Mike_Berkshire]

All in all and thanks to all the advice and guidance from the forum; good progress this weekend. The engine is now back together, valve timing done and inlet tappets set. The exhaust tappets will be set shortly when the feeler gauges arrive which will allow me to measure the right gap. My current gauges gave me the choice of 0.05mm and 0.1mm with nothing in between. I also had a nice surprise in that I had a proper look at the tank and the seat for the first time since I had stripped the bike down. The seat pan has very little corrosion, just some pitting coming through the paint in places and the tank has just one dent; I thought it had 2 for some reason.

Exhaust system coming this week (4 into 1 Stainless Delkevic) and once that is on the next mountain to scale is the electrics.

Mike

[Nurse Julie]

Looks great Mike.

[Johnny4428]

Looking good Mike! Nice work done there, like the black cylinders too!

[Mike_Berkshire]

Thanks Johnny. Black cylinders, black headlamp brackets, black grabrail - much easier than chrome plating :-)

[Johnny4428]

Indeed Mike, just had a quote from Chromefix for the following - £380 + VAT.




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[Mike_Berkshire]

Indeed Mike, just had a quote from Chromefix for the following - £380 + VAT.

Ouch! If you zoom in you might be able to see my silver painted clock dishes too - didn't work out quite how I had pictured them in my minds eye.

[Johnny4428]

Not as shiny but tidy and cheaper!

[taysidedragon]

All in all and thanks to all the advice and guidance from the forum; good progress this weekend. The engine is now back together, valve timing done and inlet tappets set. The exhaust tappets will be set shortly when the feeler gauges arrive which will allow me to measure the right gap. My current gauges gave me the choice of 0.05mm and 0.1mm with nothing in between. I also had a nice surprise in that I had a proper look at the tank and the seat for the first time since I had stripped the bike down. The seat pan has very little corrosion, just some pitting coming through the paint in places and the tank has just one dent; I thought it had 2 for some reason.

Exhaust system coming this week (4 into 1 Stainless Delkevic) and once that is on the next mountain to scale is the electrics.

Mike

You can set the tappet clearance without feeler gauges if you know the thread pitch of the adjuster screw.
For example; pitch of 0.5mm, half a turn gives 0.25, quarter turn 0.125mm.
Bryan will be along shortly to give the right amount of rotation. 

[Sesman]

Indeed Mike, just had a quote from Chromefix for the following - £380 + VAT.




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Might be cheaper to buy some of that new?

[Mike_Berkshire]

All in all and thanks to all the advice and guidance from the forum; good progress this weekend. The engine is now back together, valve timing done and inlet tappets set. The exhaust tappets will be set shortly when the feeler gauges arrive which will allow me to measure the right gap. My current gauges gave me the choice of 0.05mm and 0.1mm with nothing in between. I also had a nice surprise in that I had a proper look at the tank and the seat for the first time since I had stripped the bike down. The seat pan has very little corrosion, just some pitting coming through the paint in places and the tank has just one dent; I thought it had 2 for some reason.

Exhaust system coming this week (4 into 1 Stainless Delkevic) and once that is on the next mountain to scale is the electrics.

Mike

You can set the tappet clearance without feeler gauges if you know the thread pitch of the adjuster screw.
For example; pitch of 0.5mm, half a turn gives 0.25, quarter turn 0.125mm.
Bryan will be along shortly to give the right amount of rotation.

Thanks, I hadn't thought of that. The feeler gauges have just arrived though so I will use them for now.

[Mike_Berkshire]

Although I did a full rebuild on the carbs before the stripdown to get the bike running I have split them gain, replaced fuel lines and vacuum links with new tubing, removed the float bowls to check for any crap that might have got in and then reassembled the carbs and done another bench synch. Carbs are now back on the bike with new carb to engine rubber boots and Im in the process of putting the air intake/plenum etc back together - a bit of a puzzle as this was in bits when I got the bike.

I have new rubber boots from carbs to plenum; I am assuming that the 2 rubbers without the curve/bend in them are for carbs 2 and 3 and that the ones with the bend in them are for carbs 1 and 4 and they are orientated in the plenum so that the intake venturi bit of the boot faces towards where the air flows in, ie towards the airbox itself. Is that right?

Cheers, Mike

[Sesman]

Like this Mike?

[Mike_Berkshire]

Yes, thanks. It is the portion that is inside the plenum I am trying to work out as 2 of the boots are concentric and 2 of them have an angled portion that sits in the plenum. I am assuming that the one in your picture (carb #1) is angled on the inside of the plenum, away from the choke lever and towards the paper element?