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Topics - kent400

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Misc / Open / Do Honda Destroy Redundant Stock?
« on: February 20, 2024, 09:48:36 PM »
[ Guests cannot view attachments ] Well it certainly appears that they do looking at these four speedometers.

They are never fitted CB360P ones that have a whack right in the centre of the glass that's bent the needles. On further investigation the 'whack' was pushed the needle pin into the mechanism. The owner's original instructions were to fit new glasses and straighten the needles, maybe it wasn't noticed that the needles were touching the dial faces and on one of them the distance counter was partly obscured by the face.

Dismantling gauges with broken glasses is a pain in the arse and managing to do that with some loss of blood is a challenge. Dyson on duty but there's usually tiny shard with my name on it!

These speedometers are nothing like I've seen before, must have cost Nippon Seiki a fortune to tool up to manufacture these and I understand there were on a couple of thousand produced.

Will I get any of these to function is unclear at the moment, a challenge for sure and I'll update on progress. [ Guests cannot view attachments ]        

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Desperately Seeking!! / CB750 K1 Speedo Mechanism
« on: May 17, 2022, 08:50:40 AM »
I have a K1 speedo that is very badly corroded (see images) and the mechanism is beyond all help. It's the type with the angle drive on the back. The body, inner body and the base I can restore. The angle drive is fine.

The gauge has clearly has a quantity of water in it for quite a long period of time. The glass is intact so it must have been left outside face down outside or maybe fished out of a river. There's a rusty tide mark on the glass.

The bike is a USA import purchased from DK, the tacho is not in the same condition and so it seems the speedo was fitted just to make a complete bike here or in the USA.

The owner of the bike isn't a forum member, should be and needs to be!

3
Misc / Open / Soldering Iron Recommendations
« on: March 31, 2021, 07:03:34 AM »
I'm sure there are Members here that are a 'dab hand' at the art of soldering. I'm using one of those cheap Draper ones but looking to upgrade so any recommendations appreciated.

Usually I'm just repairing looms so just electrical connection and that's not too frequently. Then there's the best solder to use, what I have came from  Maplins years ago and was made in Asia.
   

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Other Bikes / BSA A10 & BSA C10 For Sale
« on: June 17, 2020, 09:39:24 PM »
Now I'm not the owner of this pair. They were partly dismantled by the owner's father who passed away some years ago. Apparently all the parts are there for both. He's looking for £2500 -£3000 for the pair but I've no doubt that's negotiable.

Shame the back-drop of the images is a skip so comment on that are not required!

The A10 is a 1952 -Re-registered 1981. Last taxed 1982 & is thought to be the Gold Flash model

The C10 250cc side valve 1956 last taxed 1984

Located in Dartford

5
Other Bikes / Tiddler Tyres
« on: August 27, 2018, 09:12:10 AM »
The little CB160 I have uses a 250-18 tyre on the front and 275-18 on the rear. It seems there are few options for a 250-18, Heidenau, Duro, Cheng Shin and Anlas. There's far more options for 275-18.I know a few members have 'Tiddlers' who might have some experience of the tyre makes above.

At the moment it has Golden Boy tyres, yes I know sounds like an oriental takeaway and a google search came up with a takeaway in Horncastle. I fitted the tyres when I restored the bike and needed to get the bike on the wheels quickly and were all I could find locally but I've always be uneasy about them.  Added to that they are about 10 years old now but have only covered 1000 or so miles.

Might consider a 275 on the front also but not too sure that would leave sufficient clearance between the guard stays mounted on the forks but I suppose there's some reason why a wider profile tyre is fitted on front and rear. 

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Misc / Open / Now there's a thing!
« on: December 08, 2017, 03:11:57 PM »
An earwig stuck on a tacho gauge face right on the zero and I'm not sure if the owner knew what it was. Usually it spiders who spin a massive web and one must conclude there can't be much of a living to found in a gauge unless of course they can exist feeding on dried out grease.  Obviously this 'critter' crept in there when the gauge was removed. Always a good plan to seal up the bulb holes when it's not fitted

7
Misc / Open / Were where this lot found, under a bush?
« on: June 07, 2017, 02:32:20 PM »
Well if not under a bush we have a serial CB72/77 gauge collector and as can be seen from the image they are dire. Following a conversation from the owner I thought I was getting two gauges, not sure how two developed into nine. The bezels were removed by the owner, I hate to think what they are like.

At least with four of them there's little hope due to excessive wear at the drive end and bent needle pins where whoever removed the needles didn't use the well known two teaspoon method applying equal pressure both sides.

[ Guests cannot view attachments ] I do like a bit of a challenge but this little lot are pushing the boundaries!   

8
CB750 / CB750f Custom Gauges
« on: January 23, 2016, 12:41:00 PM »
Not to everyone's taste but done at a friend's request, I thought they look rather good and might be of interest to those members building a custom bike in so far that it gives a few ideas.   

9
Other Bikes / A speedo Restoration Rip Off
« on: May 31, 2015, 10:37:08 AM »
Just had a Suzuki GS 550 speedo passed to me that had been restored at a cost of £150, after just 99 miles it stated to make a noise and the needle was erratic. The owner contacted the restorer who wanted another £100 to look at it again and quite obviously the owner wasn't happy with that.

The speedo is one of those plastic bodied type, basically a plastic pot with the bezel securing the glass. The plastic body had been cut in half to get to the mechanism when really all that needed to be done was to remove the bezel and two screws at the bottom of the body. It had been glued back together and some parcel tape wound around where it was cut.

The problem with it was easy to spot, it was partly seized at the drive end, this of course should turn freely and it should be almost possible
to spin to square drive with match stick. i could possibly got away with a dribble of light oil in the drive end followed be a good few spins of the drive but I wanted to check the rest of the mechanism to make sure it was OK. Well the mechanism hadn't been cleaned or lubricated, so all the owner had for his money was glass cleaned inside, bezel painted satin black and a spot of red paint on the needle

Glued the body back together and made rather a better job of it and even ran a spot of white paint around the joint so it was less obvious. This speedo sits in a housing I understand

The restorer wasn't revealed to me but just the clue 'Mr B' . Why in the world would the plastic body be cut when the bezel could be remover, OK it's a bit tricky but with thought and care it's fairy easy. In fact an easier gauge to deal with than our SOHC ones, no band remove, no body to paint and no metal base to re-zinc plate.

The speedo is now back on the bike and working fine. Tested to 85mph apparently. i'm sure that anyone with a moderate level of skill could have made a far better job of this than this so called gauge restorer.

10
CB500/550 / CB550f speedo face wanted
« on: March 03, 2014, 05:43:53 PM »
just been passed a badly damaged CB550f speedo to repair, apparently the bike fell off a fork lift truck. Now this speedo isn't as I understand it the usual Nippon Denso one, it's a Nippon Seiki one and whilst at first glance they look the same
they are not. The body, face, internal mechanism and base are all differant. I have a base, straightend the inner and outer bodies so that's sorted. What I need is a dial face, a ND one is the same size but the holes in it that secure it to the mechanism are two close together and the apertures for the mileage counters don't line up.

To aid identification the face has Nippon Seiki Japan on the face, a side trip winder and a trip knob that can't be unscrewed. Anyone have the same type laying around in any condition?

11
CB350/400 / David Silver's Replica Parts
« on: February 20, 2014, 08:32:32 AM »
I went to the MCN Show at Exell last Sunday, David Silver Spares  had a stand there with a couple of restored 400 fours on display. Also
on display there were his replica his replica 400f parts range. He has quite a range now, I had a close look at the front guard and the
chain guard. The quality is very good, I had a close look at the chain guard as a question was asked here if anyone had bought one and I reckon you would be hard pushed to spot any difference from an original. The chrome was as good if not better than an original, there's
little doubt that it would cost more to re-chrome an original than the cost of this replica. The front guard also look good, maybe someone
here has bought on and could comment as the chrome on mine isn't too good now.

We know the replica exhaust isn't quite right but it's quite a complicated part to replicate but following a conversation with Matt on the stand I got the impression that this is being addressed.

Needless to say the show was busy and the traffic awful. A few very scantly clad  young ladies on the stands led to few 'jabs in the ribs, boiling over dumplings springs to mind.

12
Misc / Open / Anyone given away parts that have ended up on flea bay?
« on: November 22, 2013, 02:16:12 PM »
I suppose if you give anything away it becomes the property of the person you gave it to. That said when you go to the trouble of packing the items, taking them to the local Parcel Force depot because the box is too heavy and even getting a rare unobtainable NOS part from a friend at a very reasonable price. OK the shipping was paid  and the the NOS part. All to help someone with their project.  Subsequently the NOS part appears on flea bay and sells for a good profit, other 'give away' items sell on flea bay. Smacks of extracting the amber bodily fluid to me. They were not SOHC parts so it's unlikely the individual is on here but it's taught me a lesson.

13
CB750 / CB750f Instrument dial overlays
« on: April 10, 2010, 04:15:57 PM »
I wonder if any forum members have purchased any, who supplied them and what they thought about their quality. I'm aware there are about 4 suppliers, one in UK, two in the U.S and one in Canada. I'm not a CB750f owner, just a humble 400f one! I have dial face overlays for those and have mastered the tricky task of removing and refitting the band. A 750f owner has asked me to do the same job on his instruments. I would normally pass on anything other than 400f ones but it seems I can't get out of it! Still having made the tools to do the job, just a larger version of the 400f ones I had better get on with it.

It seems there are so many differant dial faces fitted to the CB750f that getting some made isn't an option. The 400f has only one type of tacho and two types of speedometer dials so that's easy.

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