Honda-SOHC
SOHC.co.uk Forums => CB500/550 => Topic started by: Tomb on October 03, 2022, 03:50:52 PM
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After a long 7 years I have been trying to get back to my Honda 500 cafe racer. I love this bike and missed it. After divorce, death of mum, new relationships, failed relationships, new relationships, dad with cancer, covid, redundancy, unemployment, my adult daughter wedding, other daughters breakup & new partner and breakup and all the finances (bank of dad 🤪) that go with it. Plus all the race team (drag racing) work, too numerous engine builds, tuning etc, we won the Santa Pod Club Championship.
Life has distracted me.
I was so glad to log in here and see nothings changed, aah stability! Thank you everyone.
What took me away from my Honda? It was poorly and I didn’t have time to work on it, I knew I could lay it up in my garage and it wouldn’t suffer and would be there for when I had time. What brought me back to my bike? I picked up this…
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Blimey Tom, sounds like you need a rest 😁😁😁😁 Your old Honda will be a good distraction from life and its many problems 😊
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'we won the santa pod club championship' err, youre not getting away with that! more info and pics please...
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Racing?? We’re in Funnybike class, next class down from Top Fuel, which we hope to be in next season with historic top fuel bike Imperial Wizard. That’s another story though. And it’s not Honda so for another thread/board.
I believe my bike should have a 550 motor, not the 500 lump that was in it when purchased 38 years ago. The 500 engine lost 4th gear 10 years ago, I planned to fix that but never got round to it, then I lost a cylinder, I went through the usual suspects but never cured it putting it down to compression, it has done a huge mileage. I recently purely by chance picked up a K3 frame and motor and that set me back on course.
I decided to run up the new engine in its frame to test it, I removed the cam cover to check, all good showing this motor is low mileage. Back together I removed the carbs that came with it, not good but fixable later. Like everyone else I prefer the earlier carbs so removed them from my bike, took a leap of faith and hoped they would be ok after sitting for 7 years (yes I know 🤪) which later turned out ok (so far) and tried fitting them to the K3 motor… er nope. I didn’t know they don’t fit and have different manifolds, after swapping them from my bike I got the motor running. 3 kick and ticked over nicely WOW!
So now engine is out of the frame ready for the swap.
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Sorry I’m bad at posting photos, never done this on a phone before
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Tom, you certainly have a had quite a few years of trial and tribulations. Look forward to the cafe build....
Matt
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Tom, do you know Kev and Liz Charman? They frequent the stripand do all sorts of straight line mentalness?
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I’m not moaning, it’s life, I’m sure everyone else is similar. ☺️
I’ll do more photos as I get the new motor in. It’s not really a “build” like you folks do, more just a fresh motor. I have most the parts needed to rebuild the 500 motor later.
And a teaser of the race bike, I know I said I wouldn’t…[attach=1]
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Tom, do you know Kev and Liz Charman? They frequent the stripand do all sorts of straight line mentalness?
Very well, Kev has just got his Top Fuel rolling chassis ready for the build
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By the way I’m the idiot crouching behind shielding my eyes, I build the engines, I’m not idiot enough to get on the beast 🤣
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Good to see your name again on the forum. 'Interesting' few years! Good luck with the rebuild
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Here is the bike so far
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Gawd you have been through the Mill Tomb I remember the catchy user name - welcome back.
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No more than others I’m sure. It’s my excuse for my absence.
Yes my name sounds terribly morbid too, but it’s simply Tom B…. Yes my surname starts with B 😂
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Next problem- getting seized top rear engine mount bolt out, gonna leave it soaking in WD40 overnight and attack it with heat tomorrow
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Good luck with that Tom! Must be seized in engine mounts? Bit of heat in about the engine lugs will help.
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Tom, do you know Kev and Liz Charman? They frequent the stripand do all sorts of straight line mentalness?
Very well, Kev has just got his Top Fuel rolling chassis ready for the build
small world isnt it? I got them someclutch plates and a cool T spanner for the plugs, lat time I was out here in ther states. They were mates of an ex of mine. Stayed good friends with them when we finished. I got the bettrer end ofteh deal I reclon ;D ;D
that chassis? ;D ;D
Looksqi
uite a weapon this one!
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(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20221003/fc82de346aa6b7dc33431fec83e3b1c8.jpg)
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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Not being funny here Tom but I've scrapped better bikes than that ;D ;D ;D
Engine bolt most likely corroded inside the engine not the frame, that could be a BIG problem.
What happened to the left hand side panel, you have an electrical fire under there?
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Not being funny here Tom but I've scrapped better bikes than that ;D ;D ;D
How sad, poor bikes. I prefer saving them.
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Apparently plenty of heat and constant wobbling will set most bolts free (I normally add in some choice swearing for full effect). A mate of mine swears by immersion in diesel if it is small enough.
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After much heat and hammering, and torsion using socket on the head it’s now turning, so free in the c/cases, but still stuck on the steel spacer. I’ve soaked it and hammered more and heated more. I’ve kept swearing till I really have to but will if necessary 😂
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After hours I’m getting somewhere, small victories 😎
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Finally!!!! Bloody ’ell that was hard work
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Huge swear of appreciation echoes around the garage ;D
Well done Tom 8)
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I think smugness was a bit premature as the front bolts in the crank case are solid too. I’m being careful with them as using a breaker bar might spin the nuts and break the cases
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Home made 4 into 1 exhaust could do with a bit of hot metal glue gun work.
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Do you mean the bolts holding engine to frame or bolts holding cases together?
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A bit of love needed for sure. Have you tried Plus Gas penetrant oil, its absolutely spot on. Some of the mount bolts and case bolts were practically welded onto my 550, a 24hr soak in that and a bit of heat and not broke and all came out without necking off.
flea bay number 202951224018
EAN 5010352802202
I was surprised how good it is, worth a go if youve heaps of stubborn ones to do Tom.
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Engine to frame would be my guess Bryan. One of the engines I recently bought in the job lot has both front bolts stuck and both underside also stuck. I was trying to get them loose when I spotted someone had snapped a cylinder stud, N/S/R and in order to get the remains out of the cases they'd cut across the gasket surface and fitted a slightly bigger stud. I threw the cases away after seeing that, I tried to salvage the rest of the studs but they refused to come out even with a LOT of heat.
BTW, the engine bolts wouldn't come out either, ended up drilling one out but it drifted a little, I was looking at how to fix that when I spotted the stud. Combination of both of those was enough for me to give up. Sometimes you're just flogging a dead horse.
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Do you mean the bolts holding engine to frame or bolts holding cases together?
Not the cases together.
The front bolts in the cases that hold the triangular frame brackets. The bolts are solid in the captive nuts in the cases, if I turn the bolts and the nuts turn with the bolts will the nuts break the cases, when using a long breaker bar?
I have snapped the head off one, so only one bolt to go before engine can come out, and even that one is only holding the triangular bracket, the M8 bolts are out of the frame.
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A bit of love needed for sure. Have you tried Plus Gas penetrant oil, its absolutely spot on. Some of the mount bolts and case bolts were practically welded onto my 550, a 24hr soak in that and a bit of heat and not broke and all came out without necking off.
flea bay number 202951224018
EAN 5010352802202
I was surprised how good it is, worth a go if youve heaps of stubborn ones to do Tom.
Tried plus gas, WD40, diesel, heat, big breaker. I’m going to spread the nut with a sharp chisel next.
Thanks for all replies chaps, even if I’ve already tried most stuff, one reply I might not have. The encouragement is great too.
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Yes, the casing are likely to break if too much pressure is applied. Even an impact gun refused to move mine. I had some luck doing this on one of my engines, I drilled a 3mm hole in the casing above the bolt, I then fed penetrating oil down this hole for some time, this method allowed the oil to go inside the corrosion and slowly get it to release. I then filled the hole in with epoxy and painted over it. It can take some time to work, mine took around 10 days before the bolt would move.
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Engine to frame would be my guess Bryan. One of the engines I recently bought in the job lot has both front bolts stuck and both underside also stuck. I was trying to get them loose when I spotted someone had snapped a cylinder stud, N/S/R and in order to get the remains out of the cases they'd cut across the gasket surface and fitted a slightly bigger stud. I threw the cases away after seeing that, I tried to salvage the rest of the studs but they refused to come out even with a LOT of heat.
BTW, the engine bolts wouldn't come out either, ended up drilling one out but it drifted a little, I was looking at how to fix that when I spotted the stud. Combination of both of those was enough for me to give up. Sometimes you're just flogging a dead horse.
Not quite so desperate as I have another engine to go in, but I would like to rebuild the original later so it would be nice to get it apart without breaking anything
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Phew!! I haven’t worked this hard since I had a job 😂[attach=1]
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Just wiring compatibility between K3 motor and 500 motor to work out before pulling the wiring, it was a mess when I got the bike in the eighties which I repaired with terminal blocks (to my shame)
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A bit of love needed for sure. Have you tried Plus Gas penetrant oil, its absolutely spot on. Some of the mount bolts and case bolts were practically welded onto my 550, a 24hr soak in that and a bit of heat and not broke and all came out without necking off.
flea bay number 202951224018
EAN 5010352802202
I was surprised how good it is, worth a go if youve heaps of stubborn ones to do Tom.
Tried plus gas, WD40, diesel, heat, big breaker. I’m going to spread the nut with a sharp chisel next.
Thanks for all replies chaps, even if I’ve already tried most stuff, one reply I might not have. The encouragement is great too.
Bigger hammer and more consise Anglo Saxon then! :D
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;D ;D ;D
So far not much swearing and surprisingly all knuckles intact ;D ;D
This bike was my winter bike, my daily ride to work, it’s going to be used similarly when up and running again, and may be used for work if I get a job, the way prices are going up I may need to. Early retirement (forced) is ok but doesn’t pay so good
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That studs and bolts are making you work, but you are getting there.
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Phew!! I haven’t worked this hard since I had a job 😂 (Attachment Link)
Well done, not all of them are as cooperative.
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Wiring is same unless its a VERY early 500 with round pin block connectors
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Thanks for the encouragement chaps, and info Bryan. I’m guessing it’s a later 500 motor as the cases are the shape as the K3. From what I can see of the 500 wires which are badly discoloured it looks the same. I have the rec/reg from the donor frame/engine so can sort it.
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Early and late rectifiers look different but wiring is same and they work same, only difference is fuse/switch wiring if you use loom, switches and electric panel all from same bike you will have no problems
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I’ll link the K3 engine wiring into the original wiring, as you say it looks the same. I’d already wired a none standard rectifier in years ago, but retained the original mech regulator.
The new engine is now bolted in the frame using lots of copperslip, this took a while as the crash bars weren’t too straight when taken off (small off in snow saved by the crash bars).
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I have the exhaust to weld up and fit, carbs to fit. Loads of other jobs later on like recover the seat etc.
I know it’s not in the same class as the work you lads do, but I’m really enjoying doing it. I’ve done prize winning restorations in the past, but there’s something nice about not having to worry too much about chipping the paint or is this bolt shiny enough to use.
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My old Honda is up and running. Once everything was welded up and fitted I found a few unrelated jobs to do like fuel tank cap rubber perished.
I love this bike
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Love the red frame - the tank reminds me of the Cafe Racer look that Honda did with the old 125 Benly Sport I think they were named circa 1966.
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Looks good, and bet it feels good to get it going again.
Quite steep handlebar angle there, reminiscent of Jarno Saarinen or Ogri ;D
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Very nice individual build there. Looks like a five gallon Manx tank?
I'm with Nigel re: the clip-ons, great when you are motoring but oh so painful in town. My Morini is great on the open roads but an absolute pig in traffic not helped by a grabby dry clutch!
Enjoy it, there's something special about riding a home brew👍
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If the fuel cap is standard I have some of those rubbers if you can't find one.
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I’m loving riding it again but yes, it’s a bit hard work on the shoulders and neck at low speed. I used to ride it everywhere even touring, not sure now I’m a good bit older 😂
It’s a Monza style cap on the Ali tank, I knocked one up out of old innertube 😂 well it’s in keeping with the rest of the bike isn’t it, and that’s what I made the last one out of 25 years ago, we’ll see how it handles E10 fuel.
I went to the post office with the V5 and asked to tax it explaining it was over 40 years old, young fella checked and taxed it for me free, he asked me to sign the old V5 for me and said he’d send it off. Thank you very much, excellent service I says.
Next bikes to get up and out are my CB77 (which only needs a battery), my CB550 sidecar outfit which will be later on, same with my old 1970 CD175
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Nice bike I like to see someone not afraid to be different, the tank reminds me of the one that I had on my A65.
(https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img923/9018/hUzBQE.jpg)
Cheers
Dennis
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Yes it’s the same tank, I saw a few of them for sale at Stafford at the weekend so still obtainable
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Great look there - took me back to the mid 70's! Bar position is similar to my CR Rep - looks the part but now really hard work!