Renovation Time

[florence]

I might try that.

[z1100r]

 Started the painting today....I love the bike in the vid below...so thats what its going to be..dont care if its wrong, this isn't a restoration.

Ready for laquer... and supershine...!!!


Honda CB 500 Four K2 - Candy Blue - 1977

[florence]

Looking very nice, fast work.

Don't worry about restoration, it's just wrong anyway.  Very few bikes remained standard for very long after they were bought.  Most people fixed all the standard things that were a bit rubbish and made the bike suit their own taste and style.  Your bike is a great example of that.  Why would you want to go back to single disc brake and slippy clutch, brown paint etc...?

[matthewmosse]

Re modifications and insurance, I was with CN until they got really stoppy and refused cover on my BMW r90/6 because it had a 1000cc engine - ie bigger barells, bottom end on them things is the same from 800 - 1000cc. They wanted an engineers report that it was properly fitted. Previously I'd swapped 500 and 550 motors a few times on my 500 sidecar with no problems off them, they were even fine with the bmw being twin plugged and having leading links and a sidecar, just that engine swap they wouldn't budge on despite me pointing out I couldn't get to an engineer without cover and that the engines hld by 2 wadging great bolts that would be nigh on inpossible to get wrong. I just went to Lynnbrooke who were offering 'buy back salvage' as a policy benefit, something I'm rather keen on having as I can put pretty much any dammage short of a total burn out and rather like my 500/4 too much to see it broken after an accident. Cost wise I can cover 5 bikes for myself, my dad and my wife for

[captaindonutbikes]

so what beefing up to the clutch did you do ? would be very interested

oh and lucky b-stard for starting out the box after all those years. honda reliability proven 

[z1100r]

Well to be honest I cant remember ...but the clutch was a real major problem when I raced it..it used to let go big time down Cadwell straight and snetterton straight was a nightmare. It was a real weak point. When I was racing I used to rough sand blast the steel plates every week and replace the friction plates every 2 months. It would be OK then. On the road after I finished racing I was skint and used to go everywhere at 60mph on

[Yoshi823]

That 500/4 in the video sounds like a bag of old nails. A bit of set-up & carb balancing needed there I think.

[deltarider]

That 500/4 in the video sounds like a bag of old nails. A bit of set-up & carb balancing needed there I think.

If you mean the blue one, yes, that's what I thought... but maybe it's idling way below 1000 rpm.

[z1100r]

 I thought it was a bit noisy and rattly too. Trouble is most of the bikes on Utube sound pretty awful. The one above is in a bit of an echo chamber though and if he's just started it from cold the original 500 carb choke is a bit crap. I much prefer the cable choke on the 550 carbs, you can position the choke for smoother running as you warm it up. In saying all that when I first got my 500 and started it up Iwas amazed.....you could barely hear it and it would sit at about 800 revs tickover all day and was a little electric motor, no rattles or clonks.

 Alot of the clonking is hyvo chain though isn't it - my bikes done sod all since it had a new hyvo and camchain. The rattliest thing on mine is those old RD rear footrests.

[florence]

This is why I previously offered to record people's bikes and edit them to film so that you get broadcast quality sound but no-one is interested.  I think it would make a great video.  The barrier probably is the cost but having said that people spend a fortune on their hobbies.

[Yoshi823]

I have a feeling that much of the noise is getting the cam chain tension correct. This is normally down to the correct positioning of the crankshaft before actuating the tensioner. Once this was done & the tappet clearances set, it was down to getting the carbs set up properly. On K3 carbs #2 was fixed, #1 was then set to #2, then #3 & #4 were set to the others. But with 500 & 550F carbs they all had adjusters so they went out of sync more regularly.

(As a bit of advice, it's pointless trying to sync the carbs until the engine has been completely serviced ie. oil, filter, air filter, tappet clearances, spark plugs cleaned & checked for correct gaps, points cleaned & gapped etc. Once all of this si done, then try & sync the carbs. If this proves difficult, I would suspect the 'O' rings between the inlet manifolds & the cylinder head. These can be tested by squirting some WD40 around this area...if the engine speed picks up there's likely to be an air leak pulling in too much air.)

[z1100r]

 The big strip down tonight then...Bike will be comming completely to pieces tonight and everything black is going to the powder coaters to be shot blasted this week.

  What do you guys reckon to Powdercoating....remember its not a fastidious resto...its just a smarting up....I'll have it all back by Friday if I get the whole lot powdered. Thats frame, swinger, brake rod, and various engine mounts and other brackets. I can get on with the forks then..... I need some springs anyone recommend fork springs.

  Think I'd rather just let them powder it for now...I have heard of restorers doing this anyway and then blowing a coat of paint on top of the powder for a real shine.

 New rims and spokes not arrived yet, so cant do wheels.

 I will have spent about a grand on it.....but surely after 30years it deserves that..!!! I'm going to use the bike again but its winters are over, it doesn't deserve anymore salty wet..

[Spitfire]

This is my frame just back from being powder coated, the finish is good but not perfect, however it is as tough as old boots, I had to remove some coating for the earth points and it was very hard.

Den

[z1100r]

 A step ahead of me eh..!! Who did the Powder and how good was you're frame...pitting etc. Mines gonna be bad, I'm not expecting miracles, but I am expecting where its smooth now for it to be smooth in those places when it comes back.

 I just rang up a Powder coaters near me this morning and they quoted me

[Spitfire]

The powder coating was done by Elite Engineering in Liverpool, the frame (CB750F1) needed some weld repairs, here's the before shot.

This is the bike being stripped down, I did start to rub down and undercoat the rust spots but in the end it turned out to be one huge rust spot.

The total cost was an eye watering