Honda-SOHC

Trust this posts ok and doesn't offend too many. Can't see why it would...

Sorry folks but have been mainly on the USA sister site with this one, but had some top class help and advice off the .co.uk site early on - just a couple of pics to show 'before and after' or perhaps more accurately 'before and as far as I have got so far' with the Foale frame and K4 engine. Not running yet, but final shape now in sight.

Now this may sound a long way off in terms of both time and distance, but bear with me - The Shetland Classic Motor Show and Tours 2012 dates are now confirmed, it is from 31st May to 5th June 2012, with the exhibition itself being over the weekend of 2nd and 3rd June.
I have to say I am not one who habitually attends shows - I did Stafford about 3 years ago, I went to the NEC Bike Show for several years on the run but haven't been to that for maybe four years or more, but the Shetland Classic is different. It is held every two years, so if you don't go this time then you can't go again until 2014. I thought i'd give it a go in 1998 as a one-off. I have been back for every one since, so in an anoracky sort of way this will be my eighth. Yes it is a long way - for me it is 370 miles to Aberdeen, then there's the overnight ferry trip to Lerwick. Some travel a lot further, but as far as I am aware everyone who has been has enjoyed it. The Show itself attracts (as I recall) about 500 exhibits in various groups from bicycles through stationary engines, motorcycles, cars, commercials and ultimately Traction Engines (5 of them in 2010), and exhibitors from all over the UK and beyond - Faroe, Denmark, Holland - even Wales. One bloke comes regularly in a Vincent with wicker sidecar. If you want to see dedication personified, watch his other half trying to walk after getting out of the sidecar at Aberdeen docks!
Last time the oldest vehicle was a 1904 Darracq, and the bike exhibits run from the early years of the last century up to the present day. Exhibits are either in the inside halls of the very large Clickimin Centre in Lerwick, or in the grounds around it. If you put your bike in as an exhibit it doesn't mean it gets locked away - it can be parked outside overnight (with security patrol free of charge for peace of mind) and you can use it as often as you like to explore the place, or you can join one of the Tours which take place on the two days before and the two days after the main weekend, depending on the class of vehicle - car, bike, commercial, and the date of the vehicle - pre or post 1980, or was it 1960, I forget, but you get the idea.
For a taste of what was there in previous years there is a fairly crappy website at http://shetlandcms.co.uk/    but the photos are good and give you an idea of things.
If you want to express an interest in going then you need to contact Graham Johnston at graham.johnston10@btinternet.com or write to The Shetland Classic Car Club c/o 69 Gilbertson Road,Lerwick, Shetland ZE1 0QJ. Bookings start in November and spaces on the ferry are limited, so if you at least express an interest then you will get early notification of what is available. They do arrange discounts on the ferry fares, and a variety of packages to get best value for money. There are loads of hotels, B&Bs, and camping with excellent facilities.
Additional to all this, the people are incredibly friendly and welcoming, the scenery is amazing, and it is as far from a Monday morning as it is possible to get.
I'm going, and all being well the Foale project is too. And the wife of course.

I sold this bike in 1981 in the South Manchester area. It was fitted with a chrome 4 into 2 exhaust, a Rickman cafe racer fairing, clip-ons and rearsets. I heard from a third party that it was fitted with a CB550 engine about a year later, but never had that confirmed. Haven't seen it since I sold it - has anyone else?

Having decided (almost) that the 810 pistons in the CB won't be reused in its rebuild, I was going to get a set of Wiseco 836cc pistons. I have heard of Wiseco and I think they are OK (opinions please...)
However a well known internet auction site has now thrown up a set of 'Cycle X' psitons which take it to 850cc.
Any opinons either way on Cycle X versus Wiseco please?

This must have been raised before, or at least passed through a lot of members' heads but here goes anyway.
I admit to being mentally ill, I have three Italian bikes to just the one Honda if you wanted proof. But I must be getting worse as I keep pondering about buying one of the Benelli 750/6 things. Yes, the ones with the dodgy gearboxes, that weigh too much, that are as much in fashion as flares and stack heels, but what the heck.
Anyway - while De Tomaso pretended it wasn't really a rip off of the 500/4 with 50% nailed on the end, we all know it was - right down to the bore and stroke as I recall. So in the possible event of me actually remaining mad for so long that I acquire one, does anyone know for sure which if any parts are a straight swop? Oil filters spring to mind as a possibility, but what about stuff like valves, pistons, wheel bearings, points, exhaust gaskets etc? All info gratefully received.

See the pics - not me, but what the bead blasting has revealed. The moral of the story is to undo ALL bolts and nuts before using a crowbar to remove the head. Good news is that Pete Lovell in Smethwick should be able to do the necessary welding (he hasn't seen the job yet but I trust him!) and then it can all be vapour blasted to look nice and shiny. Anyway, look at the pics and weep!