Honda-SOHC

Even if you have long fingers you will find it handy to make a small wooden tool so you can press from the inside of the air box to get all four rubbers in place. When I did my 400 rebuild I fitted it with the rear wheel, mudguard & battery box out it was easy that way.

If you fail to find something suitable most trade electrical sellers have stuff like this - there are wider & longer  ones that you can drill out.
I would have thought other models would have something that works - my old lawn mower had something similar.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/134570778114?hash=item1f550b1e02:g:NRAAAOSw~T9jvX33&amdata=enc%3AAQAIAAAA4NpcCWEnWdZWpH6cgSFdxVQNLQeWoyCPoSPQL9WgwvjVwpaG6EgbbRf52WgFZZGcrbv8c80ktFjrxLsUrad0%2FEdGhrfczCupjXPgnzSKUKUxqU3EWejRyUuczXXJBfpvgqfJoHF8bp7T1v%2F1gb0MJW2VVM3dMg6G9ptsM393jVS52VUE4sPJze6ESmUZMx%2F5%2BEGFqi5hxfKHDkNARhyAEmUkq4u9ZuA5TN2w8Osg2GkhqozzLT3ncJz68achh6PExNhS5JeCA0apatWGuv0jii5cJVj5jPtFi8FmgT37GsLn%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR_aJ6fGDYg

Will no one ever forget my beginners blunder.

I still marvel at the fact it got me to Ashbourne & back a couple of times as a two cylinder bike
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Thanks for the warm welcome all, I agree, I was very lucky to be able to buy the bike back and there certainly does seem to be plenty of help, advice and reference here. I will try to search for any information that I may need before asking silly questions!!

Looking forward to getting involved.

Yes very lucky indeed - I bought back my old Mini 1275 S some 4/5 years after I had sold it when the owner turned up at my house - he gave me first refusal. I was short of cash as we had recently moved house so it was quite a low offer - he snapped my hand off - that was the start of another extensive rebuild. Wish I still had it the values have gone daft. Still I did my bit as custodian - LOV378F - last log book issued in 1995 - it's been returned to it's original colour - battleship Grey.
Trichcolour Cooper by Macabe Thiele, on Flickr

They certainly can run very poorly when the carbs are not spot on plus the dynamic timing needs to be correct for cylinders 2 & 3 not just 1 & 4. Depends what system of electronic ignition you have if that is fixed or adjustable.

Cylinder in-balance during running can make some horrible noises - as regards running hot most probably as it's running too lean.

If the carb emulsion tubes have never been out they could well be full of dirt - easy enough to remove and clean out if you are careful. New O rings a must - did you replace the fuel strainer in the tank - worth doing imho.

Lastly have you tried removing the plugs and turning the engine with the kick start by hand to get the feel of the engine as the pistons move through the cycles - does it feel reasonably even. Try to avoid thinking the worst until the carbs are done it will feel like a different bike. I assume you did the camshaft chain tensioning adjustment - another source for noises.

That looks a beast of a bike Ken  - badge is hard to read a 1300.

Too powerful & heavy  for me today but a great looking bike - love the wheels & brakes not to mention the rear dampers.

Yes I've watched that before possibly from a previous link here.

About 65 odd years ago when most of us had coal fires and trains were steam driven I remember the smog. Acid rain was named the cause of all sorts of environmental disasters. Then it was CFC's burning a hole in the ozone layer - now it's Diesel & Petrol cars.

In 25 years time when we have moved to heat pumps I suspect it will be the leaking refrigerants to blame. How much natural atmospheric pollution do volcanoes produce I wonder, not to mention all the munitions being exploded in various countries around the world.


The funniest bit is when they blame Cow farts for the excess methane gas - us  humans seem reluctant to accept that sometimes the answer is outside our current level of understanding.
I blame Beelzebub if that helps.

I will be honest and say i picked a wheel with good drum and usable rim from my pile of wheels when i assembled that bike so apart from the fact the brake plate fits the wheel i dont know what it came off, i think it was one of the relined drums i had done

Do you know if the "pile of wheels" were  all 500 ones?
Would the relevant axle & spacers have been attached to the corresponding wheel?

I would have thought there must be some way of identifying a 500 hub presumably a measurement of its axial width?

FWIW I believe it is a 500 hub with the wrong spacers fitted in place.