SOHC.co.uk Forums > CB500/550

Can I try to start it yet?

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matthewmosse:
Personally I would, fire it up, I would then decide on if any action was required. Even engines that have started off with oil leaks after long term lay up, have after a few hundred miles come good, the leaking crank seals on my last usa inport engine self healed after about 1000 miles of being ridden, saving me the cost of a gaskett set and seal set as well as the time stripping an engine. Also the more times an engine is taken appart the greater the risk of stripped threads, and rounded fasters etc, personally I don't get too bothred by these, I have the kit to resolve most such issues, but prefer not to have to.
 Only time I have regretted not stripping one down wax cb500/4 usa inport engine reputedly low mileage that ate it's camchain tensioners and wasn't very good at running, needing thevehicle running as my only transport I just fixed the tensioners and associated gubbins oly for a repeat of the tensioners self destructing. One day I will open it up and look - expecting to see something to explain the dammage. Even then, it ran like a bag of dog do, so were it not for having no other form of transport I could have used it would have been a strip down very soon after installation.
milage is not so much of an issue as how a bike has been ridden and maintained, my 500/4 covered a lot of miles, well over the 100,000 mark in my ownership with no engine work other than oil, filters and a check of the clearences, and camchain tension. When the gearbox started jumping out of gear I fonund the internals were not very worn in most places. Pistons are well inside tolerance, new rings are going in cos I have a set though the old ones seem within servicable limmits etc. Conversly I have had 30k mile engines that are goosed, normally thanks to things like gaskett goo from a rebuild clogging an oilway. Back when I was keen and single with spare time on my hands I removed, rebuilt my 550k3 engine in a day, had it back installed and rode to Scotland the next day. These days I avoid doing it as I find keeping the dust out of the engine between work sessions too much of a chore, so that is a consideration.

tom400f:
Sorry if you stated it already Mr T but what is the mileage of your engine (if you know)?

It has to be your decision. If you want a new finish to the engine then it needs to come apart. If it is high mileage then replacing cam/primary chain [tensioner] and servicing the clutch would be worth while.

I'm not sure that age alone is a reason. Me and bike-pusher are running three unrestored sohc bikes between us and we're happy.

If the external state is acceptable to you and compression is OK then start it and see what it sounds like. Against that, the only way to be sure about everything is to take it apart to assess and renew as required. What end result are you looking for?

And so on. You get the idea I'm sure

JustcallmeMrT:

--- Quote from: matthewmosse on September 25, 2014, 10:30:05 AM ---Personally I would, fire it up, I would then decide on if any action was required. Even engines that have started off with oil leaks after long term lay up, have after a few hundred miles come good, the leaking crank seals on my last usa inport engine self healed after about 1000 miles of being ridden, saving me the cost of a gaskett set and seal set as well as the time stripping an engine. Also the more times an engine is taken appart the greater the risk of stripped threads, and rounded fasters etc, personally I don't get too bothred by these, I have the kit to resolve most such issues, but prefer not to have to.
 Only time I have regretted not stripping one down wax cb500/4 usa inport engine reputedly low mileage that ate it's camchain tensioners and wasn't very good at running, needing thevehicle running as my only transport I just fixed the tensioners and associated gubbins oly for a repeat of the tensioners self destructing. One day I will open it up and look - expecting to see something to explain the dammage. Even then, it ran like a bag of dog do, so were it not for having no other form of transport I could have used it would have been a strip down very soon after installation.
milage is not so much of an issue as how a bike has been ridden and maintained, my 500/4 covered a lot of miles, well over the 100,000 mark in my ownership with no engine work other than oil, filters and a check of the clearences, and camchain tension. When the gearbox started jumping out of gear I fonund the internals were not very worn in most places. Pistons are well inside tolerance, new rings are going in cos I have a set though the old ones seem within servicable limmits etc. Conversly I have had 30k mile engines that are goosed, normally thanks to things like gaskett goo from a rebuild clogging an oilway. Back when I was keen and single with spare time on my hands I removed, rebuilt my 550k3 engine in a day, had it back installed and rode to Scotland the next day. These days I avoid doing it as I find keeping the dust out of the engine between work sessions too much of a chore, so that is a consideration.

--- End quote ---
I was going to go with the "fire it up first" strategy because the PO said it was a great runner when he parked it up, and it seems to turn over fine, but as I've disassembled the bike I've found more and more "creative fixes", like components held on with string, wire, tape, etc, and after removing the tappet covers, found that they had been replaced without gaskets.  Overall,  not inspiring confidence. 
As for mileage, I have no clue.  The clock says 60k,  but the engine has been replaced at some point, so no real idea.

Lobo:
Just to be clear on my behalf.... Mr T has stated that he WILL strip it down; come what may.
Armed with this info I still question the 'wiseness' of an unnecessary start.

If Mr is unsure whether to press ahead with a tear down... or not... then I guess a fire up can only help with this decision.

Generally, what a PO tells you can probably be discounted, his only thought is maximising the sale. The bike might have stood 13 yrs with zip oil in the sump.... probably not... but even so it'll likely have suffered significant moisture (= rust) in the engine. (esp UK climate)

Tom... you KNOW the history of your lovely 400F... you told me it was kept in a living room! Furthermore, a cursory glance at your machine & you know straight away it's been loved...

But yep Matthew, take your valid point about stripping it & making it all worse..

A dilemma!

Simon.

mickwinf:
I have a similar dilemma as I have a 550 import with no history but looks very original and un-messed with, so I am going to try a start up and hope it is ok. My 500 however came already in bits so I did strip the engine, and it was in good condition except for a gear selector fork and the odd oil leak. A complete engine can be cleaned and painted to look good, depends on what standard you want it to be.

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