Honda-SOHC

Hi

Kettles I had one of those back in my youth and the smaller GT550 as well!!! Wish I had never sold it seeing the price they fetch these days!

I am located in South Birmingham. I have found these guys - http://rechroming.co.uk/default.htm but I have yet to approach them and see what they say!

I would be interested in your contact but I may be able to disassemble mine if the baffles and stuff are only held in by pot rivets! But I could do with someone who knows if they can be dismantled or not speaking up!!!


Cheers

John

M0WBY

Hi
 
Has anybody sent away a set of exhausts for rechroming? What do you do about the insides of the exhaust? The baffles and packing and stuff...

Cheers

John

Hi

Time for an update! It now has shiny replacement mirrors. Yes but that is not all! She is in a sorry state at the moment with bits taken off left right and centre! But I am getting there slowly!

I have managed to secure a set of carbs from France (well two sets actually that I can make one good set out of I hope!). Bitsa should be posting them to me any day now. Why are the main jets bigger in the US spec VB44 carbs than the european VB54 carbs? I would have thought bigger jets means more fuel unless the needle is bigger as well??? So the old girl is laid up waiting for the carbs to arrive. Whilst I am waiting I have been a busy little boy. I have removed the old case protection bars that are damaged and I am waiting till I can afford to get a new set. I also have been busy with the polishing kit getting the crud off the engine casings and getting them presentable!

I have secured a set of head light brackets also from Bitsa. I have bought a pair of pattern part replacement indicators from M&P motorcycles in Swansea and I have bought new rubber cushions for the head light brackets and also the bracket that goes behind the Honda cover on the front from from Dave Silver. I have a replacement second hand Honda badge to go on once the bracket arrives!  So I have started disassembling the forks ready to put all the new bits on when they arrive.

My replacement front fender arrived last week so the old one has been taken off and is in my parts bin! I was going to have it rechromed but it is past it and the new one is in such good condition that I am putting it straight on!

I have a set of replacement clocks also from Bitsa (Is there anything he does not have or can get his hands on?). They are ex-Dave Silver pattern parts but should do me ok! Saved me £34 in shipping from the US! So the old CB750 tacho that has seen better days got chucked out! The US speedo that only reads up to 80mph has been demoted to my collection of spare parts.

The rusty old twin snail horns that barely worked have been taken off and chucked away! Just trying to decide do I put another set of snails on or do I just get a standard chrome motorcycle horn?

I have yet to order a new seat cover! I can get a set of new Honda Tank badges from Western Hills Honda but I am going to wait untill the winter really set in before I send the tank and side panels off to be resprayed.

My grab rail from Mid west cycles has yet to show up... but I am sure it will come soon. Western Hills informed me that the spacers I ordered from them they don't have so I have to drill out the old bolt end from my old one! Not looking forward to that as I have all kinds of scenarios involving broken stud extractors dancing across my mind!

I found out that the rear shocks can be refurbished with new springs if you are brave enough to try and take them apart. The only thing wrong with mine is the springs are rusty. I have never tried taking them apart and I may chicken out and take the easy option and just buy replacement ones. Can't decide which option to take!

All that leaves is what to do about the exhausts! Tricky question this one. Mine are Honda 4 into 2 as fitted to the CB650Z model. Now a lot of the pictures of 1981 CB650 Customs have these exhausts but also a fair few have the 4 into 4 exhausts which I prefer. I was told by someone that the 4 into 4 exhausts was the original exhausts that were fitted to the CB650 custom. But how come so many have the 4 into 2 like mine? Was it a popular upgrade? Do they perform better? There is a pair of 4 into 4 exhausts but the price of them and the cost to get them shipped to me is making me think twice about them. If I did get them It would be many months into the future! I may just get mine rechromed!

Such is the life of a restoration man! I hope I enjoy riding the old girl when she is finished.

Cheers

John

Hi

I am after a right hand switch gear for the 650. Mine does not have the on/sides/off switch for the lights as it is a US model. I understand that the 750 and 900 have the same ones. I think it is part number 35150463680 (35150-MA2-600). I t is not available from Western hills, CMS or David Silver!

Can any one help?

Cheers

John

Hi

Which are better Mechanical (Piston valve) or constant velocity carbs on a CB650?

I know the CV carbs are found on the later models and have mahosive main jets compared to the older mechanical carbs (92 vs 120).

But does later = better? Better performance? Better durability?

I know the older ones you can set the float height but the CV ones are fixed level floats.

Just wondering...

Cheers

John

 

Hi,

What were the symptoms? I have a 650 and it pops and bangs and won't rev up right under load. Especially at about 5k rpm. I think I need to take the carbs off and adjust the float hight and possibly renew some bits. All the plugs came out really black with soot on mine.

Cheers

John

M0WBY

Hi

Well using a few tricks of the trade I managed to get the sticky floats sorted and I took it for another run. It stayed dry. It really does not like quick handfulls of throttle but if you gently turn the throttle and are patient it is much better and actually does rev through the range but it is not right. It is running very rich on all four cylinders. I will have to borrow or buy a vacuum gauge set and try to get then balanced properly.

Anybody got a set I could borrow in the Birmingham area?

Cheers

John

M0WBY

Hi

Well the battery arrived today. I also fitted the plugs and HT caps. I had forgotten the trauma that changing the plugs in one of these bikes are!

Anyway I tried firing it up and had no joy! I had to resort to a squirt of easy start to get it to fire in the end. The engine runs cool requiring choke for about ten minutes and it pops and bangs a good one! But when it is warmed up it runs great. It was running on all four cylinders today which is a bonus. I aim to take it for a run tomorrow and see how it preforms. One thing I noticed the crash bar on the left hand has some damage where it has been dropped at low speed. I think it has been bend back as I can't get it to change up the gears as my foot catches it and I have little feet as well!

Another thing I wanted to ask. If a bike has indicators fitted do they have to work for an MOT? Because neither of the front indicators work because one of them the bulb has corroded really badly and the other was not even connected up! It was MOTed 2 weeks ago as well. 

Ho hum...

Fun fun fun!

Cheers

John
M0WBY