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Topics - Oddjob

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1
CB500/550 / I'm curious as to what this would really do
« on: February 02, 2024, 11:30:46 AM »
I love mucking about, thinking of ways to make the bike both easier to maintain, or to make it handle a little better or go a little faster or even just last a little longer. It's why all of my bikes are modded, not in your face modifications, just little subtle ones that you may not spot until you're up close, most are missed by most unless you're an anorak on the model (guilty there on the 500).

A little example, whilst working at QPM I had to repair a CBX1000 that had had a turbo fitted and the owner had been stupid and turned the boost up above recommended settings, the CBX at the time had only been out for a few months, so little was really known about the engine, the owner wanted a one off, something people would crowd around in the car park, more money than sense kinda guy, so he went down to Dixon Racing and had this huge turbo bolted on, the result was it blew the head off, snapped all the studs, snapped the camchain and blew the head off so hard it dented the underside of the frame. I was given the job of repairing it, which involved a new head etc. It took me a few weeks to do waiting for parts etc, anyway, on completion I bolted the engine back in the frame and was putting the cams etc back in when I noticed something unique about the CBX1000, there are 4 cams not 2. They are joined in the middle by hardened steel crosses, like raised plus signs on each side of a coin of metal. Really odd setup. The more I looked at it the more intrigued I became, you had the ability to reverse one set of cams so that due to the wasted spark system you could have 2 cylinders firing at the same time, 1 and 6, 2 and 5 and 3 and 4. A sort of double 3. All the mechanics came to look at it and we decided to see what it ran like in that configuration. The CBX had only been out a few months as I said so we must have been the first to do this, so I reversed the left hand cams so they matched the right and started it up, it started no problem like that. It did however sound odd, a really odd exhaust note, quite nice actually, I only ran it like that up and down the workshop just to see what it felt like and it felt more powerful but not as smooth as the straight six did. No tank on, just the petrol in the carbs BTW. After that I changed it back and never saw the bike again after it left the workshop. The owner learned his money can't buy everything.

And so I was idling my time thinking of random stuff, and I noticed I have an opportunity to do a mod that whilst others may have done it they've never had the ability to see exactly what they've done in terms of results. In a short time I'll be replacing the clutch damping rubbers in 2 clutch baskets I have, one is a 500 and the other is a 550. It's not well known but the clutches have different gearing between the models, the 500 has 64 teeth on it's rear gear and the 550 has 63, to accommodate this change Honda fitted a different primary drive gear with the 500 having 23T and the 550 24T.

So it's not possible to change the clutch on the 500 to a 550 one without changing the primary drive gear at the same time and of course the 550 clutch is a lot bigger than the 500 is, having a different way of releasing the clutch, the 500 push rod and the 550 cable operated. In the dim and distant past I'd attempted to graft a 550 clutch onto a 500 engine but the clutch casing is slightly different and as a result the engine oil just pours out. I do know someone on the forum has tried this very mod by blocking up the casing alteration to keep the engine oil in place. It should work in theory. But what difference will that make to the engine besides having a lighter clutch that is. Different gearing gives different results, Honda knew this and also altered the gearbox in the 550 so it has different gear ratios for some of the gears, so IF you change the gearing on the clutch but still run the 500 gearbox what difference will this make in real terms?

So what, I was thinking, is what happens IF I fit a 550 rear gear to a 500 clutch basket, in effect retaining the 500 clutch but running the 550 gear ratios, without having to do the casing mod. What result would that give? better top end speed, better acceleration, no appreciable difference, I'm curious.

It would be a simple matter to test the results, notice what speed at what revs the 500 setup gives and after replacing the clutch with the modified basket along with the primary gear run the same test, does it make a difference, and if it does is the difference worthwhile? If it lowers the speed  it's most likely increasing the acceleration, is this something worthwhile? Would it allow the engine to pull to the redline in top for instance, something the 500 won't do unless it's going downhill.

Am I sad to think of stuff like this?

2
CB500/550 / CB500/550 clutch basket damping rubbers
« on: January 21, 2024, 02:55:13 AM »
In the next few weeks if all goes to plan I'll have in my possession a few sets of these rubbers. I've already sold 3 sets of them and I'm thinking of keeping 2 sets for myself so that will leave just 1 set spare. Anyone interested? not 100% sure of cost yet as we don't know the price of onward posting from Europe where they are made and of course how much it will cost me to send them onward to the buyers but initial sums are leaning toward somewhere between £55-60 a set. That's comparable to the price Max charges for a set for the 400-4 and AFAIK Max has no plans to make these due to the odd shape of them.

To fit them will involve you drilling off the heads of the rivets holding the large gear onto the back of the basket, removing the remains, tapping the towers to 6mm and countersinking the metal plate fitted to the back of the gear. Not hard but not exactly a doddle either.

As these bikes get older the chance of the original rubbers going rock hard increases and that can cause the gear on the back to move back and to, this creates lash in the drive train and will almost certainly shorten the life of the primary chain and it's hub rubbers. It also accounts for some of the noise at tickover. Replacing them should smooth out take off and deceleration in theory if nothing else.

I may buy some more sets in the future providing the person buying them for me in Europe doesn't mind doing it again, however these may be the only 6 sets imported as the maker of them will not post to the UK.

The inside of the basket looks like this when it's apart, just for reference. If you look carefully you can see where the rubbers are splitting at the corners.





First one to say yes on this thread is the winner, no PMs please.

3
CB500/550 / CB500 Fork ears or headlight brackets
« on: January 11, 2024, 07:16:43 AM »
I've managed to acquire a pair of NOS CB500 fork ears, these are rare as hell and both are in really good condition except I've noticed they both have a dent on the back of the tube part. Seems to be roughly in the same place so I was wondering if they all have that as a way of avoiding hitting the tank for instance.

Can anyone who still has a decent set confirm if this is the case or not. If they don't have the small dent I'll find a way of repairing them from the inside to remove the dent.

I've had a O/S ear for some years now but spotted a N/S for sale over Xmas and decided they are better in pairs even though I won't be fitting them as I prefer the CB550 ears for my bike.

4
CB500/550 / CMS selling pattern parts as genuine
« on: January 10, 2024, 03:39:34 PM »
Just ordered 4 sets of genuine CB550 0.5mm piston rings from CMS, listed by their part number of 12031-374-000. Priced at £32.50 a set.

They have just been delivered and they are in RK boxes with a Honda part number sticker attached, as in, NOT genuine. I was willing to pay a premium price for genuine rings and could get a set of rings from Cruzinimage for $15 a set if I wanted pattern parts.

I've emailed them ask why they have deceived me into paying premium prices for pattern parts.

I've got to say I feel cheated here.

Just be warned if you are ordering rings from CMS.

5
Misc / Open / Any electricians on the forum
« on: January 01, 2024, 10:06:33 PM »
Fairly sure there are a couple but I need some advice.

I've just had to replace one of my storage radiators, the one I removed just had a double pole socket running on economy 7, the new one needs not only that but a mains powered feed as well. Not a big problem as luckily this one is situated right next to a double ring main socket. However the new one has features the old one doesn't. As a result even though I've always done all my own electrics I'm not sure if what the manufacturers are saying is actually needed, I mean by that, it's brand new, surely they are making a safe product, why do they need you to test the insulation with a 500v test voltage? why do they need to check how many Kwh it's consuming on it's first charge for instance?

Here's a link to the installation manual, https://www.electricradiatorsdirect.co.uk/manuals/technotherm/Technotherm-TTB-E-Duo-Storage-Heater-Manual.pdf go to page 9 and have a read, let me know what you think, I've fitted at least 8 storage radiators and they've always been just wire in, switch on and open the windows as the bricks smoke like a bitch the first charge.

Let me know what your thoughts are please.

6
Desperately Seeking!! / Standard set of 550 piston rings, 13011-374-000
« on: December 19, 2023, 11:32:05 PM »
Ideally I'd love to just borrow a set, need to check what the end gap clearance is on a set of barrels I've just acquired. Ideally I'd like to reuse the original pistons as the gap between the piston and the bore feels really good, however I prefer to test the end gap as a better indicator of how worn the bore actually is. If the bores are not too bad I'll maybe try another set of standard rings or get them rebored .25mm.

Let me know if you have a set or sets lying around, if one set works out I'd be interested in buying the others.

7
CB500/550 / New carb linkage rods
« on: November 18, 2023, 04:32:09 PM »
I've got Max, who used to be a member on here, to make me a stainless steel linkage rod for the 500/550F carbs. The original ones as we all know tend to rust and pit for fun. In the past I've had a few hard chromed and that works well but whilst the first ones I had done cost me about £25 each the last 2 cost me £65 each. I spotted some stainless steel one being made in the USA a few months ago but after contacting the seller to enquire about the cost of making me 6 the first thing he did was increase the price, that didn't sit well with me so I declined that offer.

As I said I then contacted Max to see if he could make a few, with the idea being to fit them in carbs I'll be restoring and selling and also in case any other members wanted one. With Max no longer being on the site I thought I'd see about becoming his go between, he sells them to me and I sell them onwards to members. I may also be doing the 400 clutch basket rubbers as well in case you were wondering, he's just waiting on some more Viton to arrive to make some more.

Anyway, Max sent me a pic yesterday of the new rod and the original I'd sent to him for him to copy. I'll test the new one to see how it fits etc and if it's ok I'll order a few more but maybe after Xmas to defray the cost during what is an expensive season for most

Here's how they look.



If you're interested in one let me know so I know how many to order made. Cost will be approx £45 plus P&P onwards, say £2.

8
Misc / Open / Time to sell a few of my NOS spares?
« on: November 16, 2023, 11:54:35 PM »
I've been thinking for a while now that when the price of shell bearings starts to go around £30 a shell I'll cash in and sell all of mine, got a notification from Ebay today for some Green mains shells, clicked on it and £30 a shell, https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/225871638903?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D777008%26algo%3DPERSONAL.TOPIC%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20230811123856%26meid%3Dc37c6d64c5b545538eee2f04885b6193%26pid%3D101770%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26itm%3D225871638903%26pmt%3D0%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D4375194%26algv%3DRecentlyViewedItemsV2%26brand%3DHonda&_trksid=p4375194.c101770.m146925&_trkparms=parentrq%3Ada87e42d18b0a4f1b4f2e03bffffb3f4%7Cpageci%3A6fd1a06e-84da-11ee-8eeb-cef2485e3528%7Ciid%3A1%7Cvlpname%3Avlp_homepage for shells I might add that are still available from DS for around £17. Even DS is starting to struggle finding shells these days, no blacks, no yellows, browns are special order but a few greens by the look of it.

I have a bucket load of black main shells, a fair few yellows and some browns and greens although as my engine takes browns and greens I doubt I'll sell those just yet until I work out of I need them or not.

I also have quite a few conrod shells as well, probably around £4500 in total at £30 a shell.

Should I wait and cash in later or sell now?

9
Misc / Open / Cruzinimage pistons and rings
« on: November 09, 2023, 01:13:05 AM »
Just wondering if anyone has ever checked or compared the profile of a Cruzinimage piston against a genuine Honda one.

I'm reading some really negative stuff about aftermarket pistons and especially about the quality of Cruzinimage  piston rings, notoriously the 350 four ones which are reportedly very soft and wear extremely quickly. Reports I may add that come from a very experienced mechanic and certified Honda/Kawasaki mechanic trainer, not the sort of person to shout wolf you'd image.

I've seen an image where 2 pistons are joined on the same gudgeon pin, so they sit side by side and it's impossible to get them misaligned as that's exactly where they'd sit on the conrod, the rings were in different positions, the crowns didn't align or even look the same, Hondas are normally flat and the aftermarket was really domed, this would seriously affect the compression.

Another image of Cruzinimage rings after less than 500 miles, both a before and after picture showing ring end gap, it had doubled in less than 500 miles, which is worrying as a lot of members have fitted these kits.

Not trying to scare anyone here, just wondering IF anyone had done a comparison, especially of the piston. Just curious to see how they compare.

10
Been doing a bit of work on these recently. The tap fitted to the early 750 and the 500, bowl underneath with metal strainer and the dual outlets etc.

After taking apart a few I've found serious problems with the seals inside. Most likely due to age but also due I think to the ethanol in fuel these days. The 2 orings were brittle and flat on all of them, the one which seals the tap against the tank and the one fitted between the brass strainer and the bowl. Simple enough fix, just fit some new ones in Viton.

However the special doughnut seal behind the fuel tap lever (16955-268-020) is another problem. These are quite expensive to replace, CMS at £5.74 doesn't sound so bad but it's the postage that kills that one or DS at £7.24 plus whatever postage DS deems appropriate, most likely £2.95 which makes it £10.78. That's not cheap but the problem I think is that they are old parts and are most likely made of nitrile so the same problem will rear it head again over time. Namely it's reaction to ethanol.

All the ones I removed were pretty bad, really stiff, hard to even bend, all of them had shrunk in thickness. I measured a new seal against and old and the old had really thinned out, around 3.3mm when new to 2.6mm when old. This seal relies on compression to seal, the 2 screws next to the lever compress the lever against the seal, saying that, why no grease or lube is used is beyond me, it's no wonder the lever can be stiff to move and it also explains why these wear down so fast. If you study a new seal you'll see the 4 holes in it are raised up, they all have a lip around them, on an old seal that lip is gone, worn away. As soon as that happens I suspect petrol starts to leak past the seal and into the carbs, it fails to shut off the petrol as it should. Maybe remove the pipes on yours and see if they are dripping when the taps closed.



So my solution was to try and make the doughnut out of Viton or FKM as it's known, that has proved harder than expected. I can make them but the thickness of the sheet of Viton I bought at 4mm means it's too thick for the tap to close up again. So I need to work out how to thin it down whilst still keeping it flat so it seals, I've just ordered some 3mm Viton to see if that would seal, I'll have to make one and see.

So just a word of warning, you may think your tap is closed and find it's actually not. Which could cause problems with your carbs if the fuel starts to sit there long enough. If it doesn't leak now, it's possible it may do in the next year or so.

11
Member 4 Sales / Restored CB400 Rotor cover badge 11632-333-010 Now SOLD
« on: October 22, 2023, 03:16:10 PM »
I have completely restored this badge after it suffered a small amount of damage when the bike fell over.

It has been polished and the paintwork redone. Painted exactly like a new one. If your rotor cover is already polished this will suit it perfectly, if not it will at least make the existing rotor cover look better.



DS charging £90 for a new one. £60 inc P&P.

12
Misc / Open / Anyone know what happened to Max (AMX92)?
« on: October 16, 2023, 02:02:46 AM »
All of a sudden he seems to have gone. Anyone know any reason why that should be?

Max in case you weren't aware was the maker of stainless steel parts for the SOHC bikes we all love.

He was interested in doing a little project for me that would have also benefitted a lot of other members but he profile is no longer active.

If it's private could you PM me and let me know, not asking for the reason but just an explanation.

13
Member 4 Sales / CB550F New wiring loom made by BigAl on here.
« on: September 22, 2023, 07:17:59 PM »
This loom is for the CB550F1/F2. Never fitted, not tampered with. Labelled as made by Alans Electrics. Sold by Al for £265 or £295 on Ebay. For sale here for £200 inc P&P


14
Member 4 Sales / Some CB400F oil seals
« on: September 22, 2023, 07:00:19 PM »
Got these in a job lot of oil seals and found they weren't as advertised as belonging to the CB500/550 models.

6 seals in total, 4 are in genuine Honda packaging, unopened, the other 2 are in DS bags with handwritten writing, so not sure if these are genuine or copies. If I suspect copies I'll say so. Prices are without P&P, which will be £1 no matter how many you buy.

91206-286-013. Cb400 gearshift shaft seal. Genuine. £5
91207-333-000 Cb400 Mainshaft blanking seal. Genuine £6
91202-KFL-841 Cb400 Clutch actuating arm seal. Genuine £6
91204-259-003 Cb400 Kickstart shaft seal. Genuine £3
91201-324-023 Cb400 Tacho drive seal. Suspect genuine. £2
91205-333-015 Cb400 Countershaft Sprocket seal. Suspect copy. £10

15
CB500/550 / Latest acquisition for the CB500K
« on: August 14, 2023, 06:53:04 PM »
Just bought these.

Solid stainless steel, highly polished. Meant for another bike but took a chance and bought them and they fit perfectly, except maybe the width is very slightly bigger, will find out if it affects them fitting soon but I test fitted them in my spare swinging arm which has no paint on and they are just ever so slightly proud but a coat of paint may cure that.


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