Honda-SOHC

Just come in from the garage, I am pissed off beyond belief, and the wife and cat are giving me a wide berth. 

The day started badly, the postman plays 'knock and run' and just leaves a card, despite me buying an industrial strength doorbell just for him. Get to the sorting office, pay £5.53 VAT plus an £8 fee to the Royal Mail. 

Get in garage, strip clutch, try to refit with the new plates from Z1, can't. The ad says they fit http://z1parts.net/clutch-friction-plate-honda-early-cb750 the number is correct from my parts book, but the ears are 1mm too wide and wont pass the band that goes around the basket to stop it spreading. I could grind them but there are a lot of ears, it would be rough, and why the &*(% should I have to?

I waited nearly two weeks for these to show up, now what do I do?

I'd like to say that's the last time I use non - Honda parts, but D Silver still has just 3 plates in stock.  The only OEM ones on eBay are in the USA of course.

That No3 is the little rubber bung between the fins

Don't start me wanting a set of those again. I thought I was over it.

Now you've made me see this, a 1969 K0 CB750 diecast barn find in Candy Blue Green, wrinkle tank, double cut fenders. I want. Unfortunately it's out in the middle of nowhere,  Clarkston, Michigan USA. Buyer is responsible for vehicle pickup or shipping.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-CB-/272134367739

However I did notice this little gem in the small print.

Engine is stuck and if your not aware, these barn finds have over a 95% chance of being freed up with a breaker bar on the crank.

Please Greg, stay away from the bike with your breaker bar. It's called that for a very good reason.

Thanks for your kind comments.

Here's a closeup of the general export 'batwing' sidestand and the rigid footrest.The hole in the frame bracket seemed OK, but I will have another look at it ( welding it up would be fun - do try not to set the bike alight....), the main insurmountable  problem is the stand is just so ridiculously short! It will only get used in emergencies, otherwise it's the centerstand or a handy wall. I wonder if the stand is aimed at the Asian gentleman with the shorter inside leg measurement (but how does he get the bike upright again?). Lots of 'home market' K1s this colour were sold in Japan (NLA for the K1 in Europe or North America, candy blue green was only available over here as a K0 colour) , though they have the big red speed restrictor light on the instrument bracket. They also had the batwing side stand, lending some credence to my inside leg theory.



Ive just noticed that allen screw on the gear lever, it is evil and must be replaced with the original bolt. The bike was covered in allen screws when I got it, I have gone back to original screws, even though they are made of silver chocolate (I also had a fetish about number 8 bolts for a while). There's still the odd allen screw lurking, such as the tiny chrome one on top of the headlamp holding the rim on to the shell. Very neat, but when my electrics go awry I need to get in the headlamp, and then I realise the only allen key that fits is at home in the garage. 

In my 40 odd years riding I've found electrical gremlins are rare on a properly maintained Honda, after thousands of miles on Hondas (as well as lots of other bikes) and racing a couple of them, a V4 NC30 and a CBR600, I don't recall ever actually breaking down on a Honda. Ever. Run out of fuel and walking, bits fallen off because they weren't tight any more or crashed and either the bike or me too undef*ckable to carry on, loads of times.

Before anyone really picky picks me up on it, I know the gear cover shouldn't have the shift pattern if its pre K4, but I picked up a full set of virgin NOS engine covers on eBay (alternator gear and clutch) for £200 in Honda bags and a D Silver box and couldn't resist using them for the 'new' finish, better than any finish I could get. I was just lucky it was there on eBay the one time I searched  for those part numbers. Some one must have bought those parts for a bike that never got done.

When I got the bike, as imported from Durban, South Africa, those 3 cases, as well as the fork bottoms had a slightly sandblasted finish, which let the bike down, as well as one K0 Sidepanel on the left, a K0 airbox, which looked really odd on the right, blue original K1 sidepanel next to blue airbox.

The high bars had the wires on the outside of the bars, fixing that was a bit of a nightmare.



As far as the camcover goes I'll leave well alone for now. One slip polishing in situ and I'll mark the head and then bad things will happen. 

I said to JamesH I'd put a couple of photos up when it was finished, so we compare and contrast with his. It's not finished, but then will it ever be? The cambox needs polishing for a start, but I refuse to take a sweetly running engine out for cosmetic reasons.







You see what I mean about the alarming sidestand angle. My mate suggested that in countries where they drive on the right (speedo is in kph) the short stand might suit roads with a heavy camber, in the Uk the opposite is true.



Of course she has been on a heavy diet of these. I shall be expecting an invite to the David Silver Xmas party this year.

Are you running mineral oil, or at most semi-synthetic?

Old school Halfords Classic Multigrade. But lets not start another oil thread. I take the point about modern oils, apparently if I put synthetic in my air / oil cooled 911 bad things would happen and it would try and escape through the oil seals.

I managed to make things worse by breaking the end of a pin in the tiny hole as I tried to clear it of years of hardened gunge.

I thought I needed a new one until a very nice man drilled the hole out with a pillar drill and a tiny bit. The crucial thing then is to make sure there is no swarf sticking out into the master cylinder bore, ripping up your seal with potentially disastrous consequences.

Thanks, I'll check the adjustment first, but if that's OK I'll throw a set of springs and friction plates at it.

The cross shaped lifter plate has a small piece missing at the end of one of its 'ears'. It cant affect the operation, but I'm wondering if it contributes to the 'buzz' that blurs the mirrors at speed as the clutch will be out of balance as it spins.