Post by: Charlie J on August 10, 2020, 08:44:27 PM
Anyway, it is what it is and I'll see what I can make of it. First job was to see if I could get the engine running after the bike had been left in a shed for at least 30 years.
So jobs done so far;
Stripped and rebuilt carbs which as you would expect were completely gummed up. New needle, jets, gasket, airscrew etc. The biggest problem was trying to fit the non-shaped o-rings. I had to resort to the use of super glue in the corners to get them to stay in place
New plugs, point and condensers
New oil and filter
Static timing set
Valve clearances adjusted
Timing chain adjusted
Rigged up basic ignition and starter circuit wiring (a lot of the original wiring is missing/damaged
Rigged up temporary fuel supply
Connected to booster start battery charger
Hit my makeshift starter button
The bike fired up immediately ;D ;D I almost danced a jig. What a wonderful feeling, but it didn't last long. The bike dumped half her oil on the floor, used 2 pints of petrol in 10 seconds and filled my shed and the surrounding neighbourhood with exhaust smoke.
Back to the drawing board. Traced the oil leak to the bolt inside one of the side covers on the cylinder head cover and got that sorted. The disappearing petrol was coming out of the overflow of all four carbs. When I rebuilt the carbs, I set the float height to the specified value of 22mm which just didn't work, I ended up with a height of 26mm using the clear tube method. Fired her up again on the button and the bike is running well but with clouds of grey exhaust smoke. Checked the cylinder compression and it's about 135 psi on all 4 cylinders which I hope is good enough. Next job is to change the valve stem oil seals whilst leaving the head on to see if that sorts the smoke problem.
Post by: Nurse Julie on August 10, 2020, 09:02:08 PM
Post by: hairygit on August 10, 2020, 09:14:05 PM
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Post by: SPR on August 10, 2020, 10:08:49 PM
Post by: Charlie J on August 10, 2020, 10:18:18 PM
Remember to do the compression test with throttle wide open ....
Thanks SPR. Throttle was wide open.
Post by: Charlie J on August 18, 2020, 10:00:00 PM
Post by: Nurse Julie on August 18, 2020, 10:13:53 PM
Post by: Charlie J on August 18, 2020, 11:15:27 PM
[attach=1]
[attach=3]
[attach=2]
I'll try and get these areas repaired the best I can. You can also see in the photos that the tappet caps have seen some treatment from a hacksaw in the past in order to sort out where they had been rounded. I had to use 15mm, 16mm and 17mm spanners to remove them!
There is also an irregular shaped hole which I don't think should be there.
[attach=4]
I don't think it does any harm, unless someone can tell me differently? The tachometer drive also looks beyond repair.
I used a Sealey VS1542 Valve Collet Remover/Installer
[attach=5]
to remove the valve springs so I could replace the oil seals without removing the cylinder head. I was a bit apprehensive about using it as I had read some reviews that said the tool was fine for removing the collets but not so good at reinstalling them. However, the tool worked a treat for me. The only slightly tricky part was dealing with the exhaust valves on cylinders 2&3 because of the proximity of the posts for the fuel tank mounting rubbers. But a sharp tap, square on with a 2lb hammer did the trick. I also used the string down the plug hole and rubber band tricks which I read about on this forum. I can't remember who posted them but many thanks anyway.
I reassembled everything and used the damaged rocker cover as it was just to see if the oil seals had done the trick. The bike fired up immediately accompanied by clouds of exhaust smoke. So much for an easy fix! I'll take the head off next and see what that reveals.
Post by: Charlie J on September 02, 2020, 10:21:26 PM
I also have a spare 500 cylinder block with standard 56mm liners. The liners have a light coating of rust and two vertical scratches in one of the bores that are just detectable by a finger nail.
This leaves me with a number of options and I can’t decide which is best so would welcome any advice.
3.0mm oversize for the 550 block with new pistons etc
Minimum possible rebore for the 500 block with new pistons etc
2.5mm rebore for the 500 block and reuse the existing pistons with new rings
There may be a problem with using the 500 block because as Hairygit pointed out in a previous reply, the 500 crankcase has been machined to accommodate the larger diameter liners of the 550 block. There is only about a mm or so difference but I don’t know if this will cause a problem, so again, any advice will be greatly appreciated.
Post by: Bryanj on September 03, 2020, 03:40:14 AM
3mm over is a lot but there are so called 605 kits with liners out there, lots of options.
Mail me and we will discuss it
Post by: Charlie J on September 13, 2020, 07:42:38 PM
Whilst waiting for the rebore to be done, I took the sump cover off to have a look at the primary drive chain. As can be seen from the photo, any hopes of good news soon disappeared.
[attachimg=1].
The chain has a huge amount of free play and has been chewing its way through the crankcase.
Just got the cases split after whacking with a rubber mallet for 10 minutes before I discovered the ‘secret’ bolt in the sump area! Next job is to take a look at the crank bearings, but following my discoveries so far, I’m not too optimistic about them being in good shape. Oh well, all part of the fun as they say.
Post by: Charlie J on September 13, 2020, 07:47:22 PM
Post by: Erny on September 13, 2020, 08:45:11 PM
Post by: Bryanj on September 13, 2020, 09:16:38 PM
Post by: Charlie J on September 13, 2020, 09:29:15 PM
Will do.
Post by: Charlie J on October 07, 2020, 09:47:00 PM
Rebored cylinder block picked up from Bryan. Great job done and I got the benefit of picking Bryan’s brain for half an hour - priceless. He also took a look at the crank, shells and cam chain tensioner and confirmed they were ok to reuse. Thanks again Bryan.
I bought the bike without a log book. The process of getting a new V5C was fairly straightforward. I filled in DVLA form V62 with my details together with the frame and registration numbers and sent it off with a cheque for £25. I got an acknowledgement from DVLA a couple of days later saying that my application should be processed on 01st October and a V5C issued within a few days. Got the log book through the post on 5th Oct so no complaints there. Next step will be to get it SORN’d.
I’ve cleaned up the casings etc ready for painting with VHT paint but just have to wait until my wife goes out so I can use the parts washer for the final clean. For some reason, she seems to think that just because it’s fitted in the kitchen it should only be used for dishes!
Once the cases were apart I could see the damage that the primary chain had caused by chewing into the casing. [attachimg=1]
Splines on kickstart spindle also stripped so have ordered a used replacement from eBay [attachimg=2]
Have dual purposed my bike lift as an engine stand using a length of rebar and some threaded bar. I was afraid to use my work bench in case the engine got lost amongst all the other stuff.
[attachimg=3][attachimg=4]
The four gearbox bearings look, feel and sound ok to me, so given the high cost of replacements I am considering reusing them or is this false economy? The clock shows that the bike had done 47k miles but I have no way of knowing if this is accurate. Any views/advice on this would be welcome.
Thanks
Charlie
Post by: Charlie J on October 07, 2020, 10:45:06 PM
I’ve put it on the ever increasing shopping list. The oil guide is not available via CMSNL or DSS but there are a couple on eBay from Germany - £32 + £16 postage!! I’ll check mine out to see if the damage is in a critical position. If not, I’ll try some super glue.
Post by: Charlie J on December 15, 2020, 11:56:11 AM
Just getting around to reassembling my front forks after a refurb and need some help in identifying an item I had zip tied to one of the dampers. I’m guessing it’s got something to do with the front suspension but cannot remember where it came from and can’t find it in the manual or parts list. The forks are off a CB500 K1
Thanks in advance
Charlie
[attachimg=1]
Post by: Bryanj on December 15, 2020, 03:11:07 PM
Post by: Charlie J on December 15, 2020, 09:05:09 PM
Post by: Charlie J on October 18, 2021, 07:27:47 PM
It didn’t take me long to realise that my project bike was not complete enough and was in such poor overall condition that a “correct” restoration was going to cost more than I was prepared to spend. So, I just did my own thing with a vague picture in mind of what I wanted to achieve. I’m quite pleased with how it looks and the engine starts on the button and runs well with no oil leaks. I managed to do everything myself except the rebore (thanks Bryan J) and the seat reupholstery. Also thanks to all on the forum. I spent hours reading and learning from the sohc community.
However, I do need some more advice if anyone can point me in the right direction please. I rode the bike a few hundred yards down the road and all seemed well until I tried the back brake. There was a definite “pulse” through the brake pedal. I didn’t notice any cracking in the brake drum lining and have renewed the wheel bearings. I’ll recheck the drum lining, but is there anything else that I should be looking at that might cause the problem?
Thanks
Charlie
[attachimg=1]
[attachimg=2]
Post by: Bryanj on October 19, 2021, 01:23:33 AM
Post by: andy120t on October 19, 2021, 05:12:28 AM
Post by: Sesman on October 19, 2021, 08:41:27 AM
Second the rear brake theory.
Like those clocks. Can I ask from where you got them?
Post by: Laverdaroo on October 19, 2021, 09:44:49 AM
Another one on the road, well done.
Post by: Nurse Julie on October 19, 2021, 04:50:44 PM
Post by: Charlie J on October 19, 2021, 07:52:25 PM
For those that asked:-
Clocks were dirt cheap from EBay but look good, work fine and seem to be of decent quality. Here’s a link for where I got the rev counter from. I think I got the speedo from the same place.
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/154291886420
Exhaust is Marving Honda CB500 Four Complete Exhaust - RACING Line 4/1 - Chrome from https://www.wemoto.com/
TEC Adjustable Damping Gas Shock Absorbers - Honda CB500 CB550 Four SOHC from
https://www.tecbikeparts.com
Regards
Charlie
Post by: Sesman on October 19, 2021, 08:31:18 PM
Post by: Laverdaroo on October 20, 2021, 03:21:39 PM
Mine is too far 'passed it' to restore so its going to be a resto mod like yours but love the pipe, I'd forgotten about Marving and to be fair not having done heaps of research yet as haven't needed to, I'm liking the idea of those pipes rather than mine which although standard are a bit jaded to say the least and the PO has had the grinder to them already. Might be an easy win for me.
Cheers
Post by: Sesman on October 20, 2021, 03:30:55 PM
Post by: Charlie J on October 20, 2021, 04:47:45 PM
Post by: SteveD CB500K0 on October 20, 2021, 07:09:30 PM
I took the baffle out once.
That was enough.
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Post by: Charlie J on October 22, 2021, 08:28:31 AM
Am I right in saying that the 500 pipes will fit the 550 then?
I can't guarantee that they will fit a 550 as I have got a 500. They are advertised as fitting both. I'm sure others on here will know if there are any differences. Or you could give Wemoto a call. I found them very helpful.
Post by: matthewmosse on October 23, 2021, 08:48:15 AM
Post by: Bryanj on October 23, 2021, 09:57:00 AM
Post by: Charlie J on October 23, 2021, 11:08:52 AM
Post by: Bryanj on October 23, 2021, 03:52:28 PM
Up
Rev
And
Off
Sod
Post by: Charlie J on October 23, 2021, 05:50:19 PM