Author Topic: project 1 of12 started (Read 33651 times)

rb550four · « **Reply #175 on:** July 05, 2012, 07:21:38 PM »

The photo color is not accurate at all, the color is truly eye popping, couldn't stop looking at it and wasn't getting anything done so I moved it to the theater.
Matt, It's a 2 mile long pond folks fish the hell out of it, large mouth Bass, Pickerel, eels and all that stuff.....haven't drowned worms or took out the canoe in years, but I do ride a 550 with track and skis when it's frozen .
I was dialing in the spark on the 76 k and and I was having a hard time for some reason. The spark was acting backwards checked the wires, just changed out the points and condensers, they were good,retraced my steps in my head and the possible screw up then it occurred to me that I took apart the spark advance because it was all froze up early on in the build. I put it together exactly 180 degrees backwards. Turned it around reset time and she fired up oh so nice. Off to the theater with that one tomorrow and on to the 77 finally.

rb550four · « **Reply #176 on:** July 06, 2012, 09:53:00 PM »

The 77 is half ways broken down. I,m hoping for some real progress tomorrow. The frame needs some clean up and a fresh coat of high gloss black paint.
Hoping to get the tank and side covers ready for a color coat. Have an entire Saturday to myself and want to make it count.
This machine hasn't been on the road since '99. It is a little rough but turns over smoothly, goes through the gears nicely. Owned by an old guy that gave it to his son who drove it until a charging issue arose , then it was parked until it found it's way onto my truck .
I'll bring out the camera and get some pics of the progress.

CafeDawg · « **Reply #177 on:** July 07, 2012, 10:04:45 AM »

Hope the weather holds out and you can get some painting done. The theater must be coming along if your already moving bikes over to it ? Good luck with the 78K. Another one rescued!

Respect
CD

rb550four · « **Reply #178 on:** July 07, 2012, 02:56:08 PM »

CD,
The theater is now wheres close to ready to house motorcycles yet without jockeying them around to different spaces, I still have an empty store front to put them in when the dirty stuff starts. The garage was getting too small to work in and something needed to happen so work on the cycles could continue.
Prepped and painted the bodywork on the 77 , then shot it with that french sounding named Mercedes paint that I liked so much when I bought it, should have taken the color chip outside before choosing........ anyone know what the French word for ox blood red is?

Hit the frame with degreaser first then off to the car wash.

Frame is clean and prepped for gloss black... not a French name so I'm expecting to see Gloss Black. Pics later.

Mcwilliams570 · « **Reply #179 on:** July 07, 2012, 03:13:29 PM »

The French word for ox blood red I am not sure only French I know is Je veuz combien C'estbin (I want.How much..thats fine.) lol not sure if thats right but when buying bikes what I would use...

Matt

rb550four · « **Reply #180 on:** July 07, 2012, 06:20:54 PM »

Thanks Matt, I'll write that down for the next time I travel to Canada.
RB

rb550four · « **Reply #181 on:** July 08, 2012, 09:06:18 AM »

Just an embarrassing note from me to anyone keeping up with my thread:

I'm sorry, I had to modify my last few entries or so because I f'd up. The K series that I am working on right now is not a 78 as i kept posting it was, in fact it is a 77 model according to the tag that I read when I was painting the frame. I wish that I caught this sooner and hope that no one got burned on this incorrect information . Apologies
RB.

The confusion, for me ,was the last engine seat and tank that I purchased from a guy who cut a perfectly good titled frame to sell the motor, since then I've had 78 on my mind.

rb550four · « **Reply #182 on:** July 08, 2012, 07:45:47 PM »

Already there is no chance of this machine looking showroom stock,wanted to ( a little bit) but just can't bring myself to do it.
Had some extra french sounding paint so I shot a windbreaker that wasn't a nasty old windjammer . I'm thinking of cutting down excessive plexiglass windshield that could only have been made this height for the average 8 foot tall rider that are known to ride this size machine. It could look good........ couldn't it? Hard boxes?Hmmmmm

rb550four · « **Reply #183 on:** July 10, 2012, 08:53:06 PM »

The 77K is a roller.

Found some grindings, not much ,deserves investigation.

rb550four · « **Reply #184 on:** July 11, 2012, 02:35:40 PM »

So the dirty stuff is happening at the theater ,this was this morning

Moved all the running machines to the storefront so they don't get too dusty

.

and that's how it looks in the front window.
I've been hanging rock all day ,now it's time to decompress and play with that 77 some more.

goldarrow · « **Reply #185 on:** July 11, 2012, 03:22:08 PM »

I'm like...WoW.

rb550four · « **Reply #186 on:** July 12, 2012, 06:52:23 PM »

Long, hot day at the theater today. Came home and decided to try that windbreaker on the 77, must have been really hot because, I kinda like it. Not my usual look for a 550. Don't have anything like it, and always hated add on stuff- until today.

Climbed up on the rafters and pulled down the Shoei hard boxes (sides) and gave them the quick looky see and started eyeballing the hard box on a padded sissy bar still in the rafters. I think i might like that too in the french named Mercedes color too. OMG!!!! I'm an old fart!!!!! Never saw it coming, it just happened! Perhaps it's the heat, has anyone else been affected like this?

rb550four · « **Reply #187 on:** July 13, 2012, 06:19:26 PM »

It was another hot one today, left the theater a couple hours early, hit the showers and went to the barn. I had to know if it was just the heat that made those hard boxes,sissybar, and crash bar look so attractive to me the day before.
Took a hardbox apart and polished the chrome. Gently bolted it up to the frame. Stepped back and looked, and looked some more. And said " Okay, I'm over it" . Musta been the heat give me hot flashers or somethin, panic time is over and the Shoeis are going back up in the rafters..
On another note, I met a writer for Cafe magazine, he was driving by the theater saw the 550's . He came in and we chatted about it for a while. In conversation, I dropped the SOHC4 website on him, because there are soooo many talented people on this site, he didn't know about it . He will be so excited to visit this site because there is so many interesting build stories that are cafe style related ,between the workmanship ,and beauty of so many of your projects, so many of these builds should go to print..... I hope no one will mind that I let the cat out of the bag . This site really is the pulse of the cafe movement, and i thought he needed to know.

CafeDawg · « **Reply #188 on:** July 13, 2012, 09:35:54 PM »

rb
Looks like the theater is coming along nicely and with that line up in the window not surprising you drew the attention of another motorcycle enthusiast. And yes the heat does strange things to people. Saw a guy today towing a canoe with his Harley, had a cooler and a gas grill in the canoe. Seemed a bit much and makes hardbags look streamline. Can't imagine what it's like to ride with all that behind you. Keep cool!

CD

rb550four · « **Reply #189 on:** July 15, 2012, 06:22:19 PM »

CD,
I hope that you were able to get a pic of that Harley rider, too funny!

'77 K has the motor back in the cradle. looked around up the oil pan hole for obvious issues and found none. Cam chain was loose, now tightened. primary drive chain, still respectable, decent clutch, turns smooth, valves do what they're supposed to do, cleaned it up ,painted it and popped it back in .
Almost seems too easy, even the points looked good, gotta get lucky sometime right? We'll see.
Carbs are in , everything is wired, a few more hours of parts cleaning and assembly and we'll see if it fires. Okay maybe longer I don't stock K throttle cables so I'll have to order some, these are sticky.

rb550four · « **Reply #190 on:** July 20, 2012, 03:48:17 PM »

Been wanting to finish up that 77K but still waiting for cables. Not sure if I'm kicking the theater's ass or it's kicking mine, units of lumber and sheetrock just seem to be absorbed in the space. framed 6- 8'x8' stalls and 6-8'x10' stalls with storage space above each so I shouldn't have to see anything that is unpresentable on the main floor. The heat has been a bear,slowed my speed considerably ,but things are still gettin done.
Goin to Pittsburgh to see a vintage car race this wkend, nice break.

rb550four · « **Reply #191 on:** July 24, 2012, 04:01:42 PM »

I' m back from Pittsburgh. It was very hot but the vintage car races were exciting.they were racing in a winding track in the center of a park right in the city. There were so many cars they had to be seperated by make in different fields surrounding the track. Sweet setup.
Before we planned this trip i went through the site and was excited to see that it is also a place for vintage motorcycles to meet. I saw a 550 at the first parking lot and thought that the bike part should be good ,asked a few show crew members where the classic bikes are and got strange answers like "I dunno if they have em this year" or maybe on the top of the hill ,or this isn't a harley show.

??
Well I finally found the classic motorcycle area and to my horror there was only about 10 of them,all beautiful, mostly Moto Guzzi. So I asked a staff member about it This is all that came he said.Holy crap if I knew it would be such a poor showing I'd a brought some of mine down. Anyway the car part was was great, next year they need more bikes.

rb550four · « **Reply #192 on:** July 26, 2012, 08:11:09 PM »

I'm pecking away at that K, 15 min. at a time. Tonight I found a K+ N filter set up on the shelf and thought that I would try that out since pods won't work on these carbs. So the filter is installed and soon we'll see if it works.
Haven't gotten the cables yet, they are probably at the shop waiting for me , just haven't the time to get them. The theater has been cutting into my bike time allot. 12 hr day again, ran 27 hundred foot of mc wire today. That place just eats up materials. Installed an extra 100 amp panel for the stage, should be enough power for decent lighting and sound system I hope, there's only enough power left on the building service for another 200 amp service. More sheetrock tomorrow,and maybe steal some time and grab those cables.

rb550four · « **Reply #193 on:** July 28, 2012, 09:40:17 AM »

Finally picked up those cables today and I'm ready to spend the whole day finishing the K , when on my way home I spotted ,in the back of a pickup truck parked on a lawn , something that looked like a bumper car with a for sale sign on it. Curious as always, I stopped, oh my. not a bumper car, but a side car! The owner wants $200, oh my, have to think about this,drove off did some errands, but this sidecar was on my mind. Okay I'll see the man, if I don't like it I'll leave, if I leave without it, I'll probably be kicking myself for eternity, as what usually happens when you pass something like this.
So I call the guy and stop to talk with him for a couple mins. suddenly other interested parties stop to look. I smell a bidding war coming on. The seller looks at me and says "My Dad Only wants $150 for it,"And I immediately responded with "Sold!" On the truck she went.
I went to shoot some pics, my wife dropped the camera at the classic car races last weekend but told me it's alright. I figured this out today. It must be alright when she breaks the camera.
Anyways, I can't wait to get it off the truck, camera or no camera.

goldarrow · « **Reply #194 on:** July 28, 2012, 10:46:41 AM »

Nice finds! LA local Craigslist listed a 750 with side car for $6500! Would love to see it attached to one of your 12 550s

rb550four · « **Reply #195 on:** August 07, 2012, 06:54:23 PM »

Goldarrow, yes a sidecar could be great fun on a 550 , never had one before and it looks like some modified operating rules will be in order. I read the installation instructions from the factory, and I think that they are saying "Yes , we make this product,Yes, there is a higher probability of death or worse. Sooo, maybe I didn't really need it and could have left it on that truck. Oh well. Maybe I'll get a pair of big boy pants next year and try it out.
The K is complete,haven't run it yet,needed the space so moved it to the theater. This is what it looks like today,ya , couldn't deal with the fairing or the side boxes, and all the teasing that goes with it, so it's back to basics.

And that is what it looked like when it followed me home.

rb550four · « **Reply #196 on:** August 07, 2012, 08:01:53 PM »

I'm afraid the theater has been cutting into bike time but, it'll be their new home, so I'm really trying to get it done asap
This is the progress as of last Friday.

I've a few bays 10'x8' on the right side ,8x8' on the left , all with overhead storage,the ceiling will only be 14 ft high, it was 22 feet before the slab was poured. TGI's 45 feet will be the ceiling stationed on the top of the walls.
6 Fan/light combos on main ceiling, all bays get lights only, storage bays get directional lighting on dimmers probably LED
The bar goes on the small stage that the pics were taken from, I'm thinking somekind of black padded leather with diamond tufts .maybe.
My avatar 550 is in the workshop , started taking it down tonight, it's totally seized right now,hoping to get to it soon.

goldarrow · « **Reply #197 on:** August 07, 2012, 08:45:18 PM »

so now subject title of your thread is "project 2 of 12 started"

?

rb550four · « **Reply #198 on:** August 07, 2012, 09:22:09 PM »

I have gotten through 8 of the 12 machines since the august flood of last year,rebuilt my wife's store, a barber shop ,the storefront that is currently housing my machines, and a large older home for a customer, the theater is just a detour on the same motorcycle related path for me. That is why I share the theater pics.

rb550four · « **Reply #199 on:** August 10, 2012, 06:44:31 PM »

Started working on my avatar, getting all the engine parts together to see what can be done. tranny is locked up, engine seized.... but i have a 500 trans that I just went through a few months ago that needs to go someplace, dis must be da place. found a complete oversized 550 top end that looks very promising from a previous running machine( the burnt orange one), didn't trust it enough to install into a frame until it was taken apart and given the clean bill of health Looking good so far. Am going to change the 78 k series PD carbs that is on it out to the f type because I really like pods and can 't get the PDs to run nicely with pods, too much air.
The wiring is totally full of flood crap and needs a thorough cleaning. The frame is dull and etched,gets repainted. The Kawi brakes are a little stiff needs a cleaning at least. Never liked the Kawi rectangular headlight, got some mounting brackets and are going back to a round Honda light. Last time I was painting that metal flake lime color I shot the tank ,bucket, and side covers... I think that I may shoot the fenders the same color too.I will have to cut down another rear fender as the last one is on a different machine now,the new one will still sport a Lucus tail light as there seems to be 3 new ones on the shelf.. well that's the short version of the plan anyways.
Did a count the other day, because I never count, this project is #9 of 12 for those who were also wondering when this thread may be coming to an end, gaining on it.

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Author Topic: project 1 of12 started (Read 33651 times)