Author Topic: project 1 of12 started (Read 33671 times)

lucky · « **Reply #25 on:** February 15, 2012, 04:51:57 PM »

Day 15 still no photos. ........

rb550four · « **Reply #26 on:** February 15, 2012, 07:00:50 PM »

I am so sorry about the pictures, my daughter promised to get right on it. I'd like to have at least one of my bikes pics on this site, The only one that made it onto the gallery was a sculpture of a bike in my snowbank, did it for fun. The joke was on me, for some reason it was the only snapshot that didn't has to be sized down and it made it through. Yeah, I removed it. But, today was a warmish kind of day in NY so off to the barn after work I went, # 3 500 engine wasn't seized for some reason ( still had plugs in it), PO told me it was outdoors for years, covered in oil like every gasket and "o" ring was wasted. The inside of the top end was clean, pistons too, cylinders look great, and it turns over smoothly. There must be something wrong with this externally lubricated engine somewhere. Gonna break the cases down tomorrow and check the gears a shifting forks, they usually get rusty after sitting outdoors , or should I should just flip it over and give that gearbox a visual inspection,run thru the gears and play with the kick start for a while, all the seals look good even the shifting rod seal seams ok. Could this be one of those low mile motors PO was too lazy to clean the carbs and lost interest? Never had one of those. I bought 3 500's from this guy at the same time and they all looked beat, do you think that it's possible that he didn't know how to fix a simple problem? Do you think that I would be kicking myself if I didn't split the cases? So tempting,especially with this pile of motors to go through, it'd be like hitting to lotto or something, should I take a chance on this one? $:-\$

rb550four · « **Reply #27 on:** February 16, 2012, 08:11:38 PM »

Got all over the inside of the transmission, no rust on the gears or even on the shifting forks, this motor 's innards are so clean, I just don't understand why the entire cycle was in such poor condition on it's exterior.. the case's paint under all that oil was like new, a little kerosene and it was clean. No obvious wear or damage anywhere, I 'm thinking we'll give this motor a chance, lap the valves, change the seals and gaskets, finish the top end up tomorrow night.

rb550four · « **Reply #28 on:** February 18, 2012, 09:42:08 PM »

#3 is all together and going in a frame tomorrow if it's warm enough, have high hopes for that one. 2 more 500's on the floor waiting to be torn down. Then the 550's. They are all in completed bikes and will be removed/rebuilt one at a time, then get replaced in their respective frames with the possible exception of snow bike. I rebuilt that engine last fall and ran the hell out of it only a few times on the ice, then sat in a corner all summer, I could use that engine in a different machine since we haven't had enough snow to warrant a start up this year.

rb550four · « **Reply #29 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:10:37 PM »

This is project #1 500 engine rebuilt

rb550four · « **Reply #30 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:12:31 PM »

This is project 500 #2,rebuilt engine last week

rb550four · « **Reply #31 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:15:12 PM »

project#3 Rebuilt engine kind of,got high hopes for this one ,didn't seem to be worn,spoke of it in earlier post.

rb550four · « **Reply #32 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:17:02 PM »

My almost stock 550 will be getting rebuilt soon

rb550four · « **Reply #33 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:19:03 PM »

My cafe style 550, This gets rebuilt soon too

rb550four · « **Reply #34 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:20:52 PM »

Crossover kawasaki gpz 1100/ honda 550 project in progress last summer

rb550four · « **Reply #35 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:22:04 PM »

Kaw/honda project done.....this gets rebuilt soon too

rb550four · « **Reply #36 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:24:12 PM »

This was a parts bike that I was thinking of making a cafe style, I changed my mind and made it the next orange bike you'll see.

rb550four · « **Reply #37 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:25:48 PM »

Ya, this is what the parts bike looks like now, this too will be rebuilt soon.

rb550four · « **Reply #38 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:28:24 PM »

This is my favorite 500, engine has been rebuilt

rb550four · « **Reply #39 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:30:25 PM »

This is my semi chopped 550, the only survivor of the flood, It was on high ground.

rb550four · « **Reply #40 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:32:26 PM »

This is my snowbike 550, I need to ride something in winter ,so I made this last year.

rb550four · « **Reply #41 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:34:21 PM »

Our snowman needed a ride so I made one for him too....This does not need to be rebuilt.

rb550four · « **Reply #42 on:** February 22, 2012, 07:44:39 PM »

My daughter has tutored me in photos so some new ones of this winters work should be coming along as it happens, I hope. The 500 projects don't look like that anymore, and there's been some part switching going on, got 2 500 motors on the bench none on the floor, and I'm itchin to get going on those 550's. sorry for the wait on some pics.

XC204 · « **Reply #43 on:** February 23, 2012, 10:16:40 AM »

Wow you are rebuilding all of those past 1-2-3 photos! I really dig the Orange one the snow bike is cool too.

rb550four · « **Reply #44 on:** February 23, 2012, 04:28:53 PM »

1,2,and 3 are also being rebuilt, 2 frames were ready and rolling last summer, 3 needs some wheels and a bunch of other stuff, Yeah, I understand why you think I wouldn't do those 3, but, each one I can save from the scrapyard makes me feel better, it's really not much more work, gotta do it all anyways, and it always keeps me looking for parts bikes. Speaking of which, tomorrow I have an early appoint. with a man about a 500 cafe racer, blown engine

, been garaged since 91, and everything from the jug up is in boxes, has title. We'll see if it follows me home.

rb550four · « **Reply #45 on:** February 24, 2012, 06:21:44 PM »

Guess what followed me home today,that's right,another 500.It looked alot better than project 2 until I got a better look upclose and personal. It was changed to Cafe style about 12 years ago, fiberglass seat, windscreen ,and all the fun stuff of the day.The only problem was that whoever owned it did all the work without a manual , so he had no technical information, and was absolutely not mechanically inclined at all. There isn't one thing on this bike that went back together the way it came off. Truly amazing,very funny ,and really sad, it was worth the money just to see how badly someone could screw things up,gotta find my camera.

XC204 · « **Reply #46 on:** February 25, 2012, 05:23:52 AM »

No I understood bikes 1-3 but to tear into the other nice ones thats dedication!
I understand the keeping them out of the scrap heap thats how I am on my bicycles and now my CB500 which also had 2 floods flow beneath it about at pipe depth. Got a good place you get engine parts rings gaskets etc from?

rb550four · « **Reply #47 on:** February 25, 2012, 05:24:18 PM »

I don't know if it's the cheapest place to get stuff but my local snowmobile shop has been hooking me up on almost every thing at reasonable prices ( I don't think they mark it up much for me), The Honda shop still has my right arm for the first set of rings I bought there a few years ago. The snow mobile shop uses a site that ryhms with Dracula,not exactly sure, but, the prices haven't hurt as much thru them ,they"re all OEM . That would be for rings ,bearings,extra seals that don't come with complete seal kits. Motion Pro for the cables. Vesurah gasket complete kits around $65 (comes with no gaskets for the crankcase) Honda wants $65 for the head gasket alone ( did that once ) Veserahs kit is the 550 kit and you'll have to order a clutch side separately for a 500. The last time I looked the crank gaskets were not avail. for 500 thru Honda...But...1980 cb 650 has the same crank gaskets and are still available. Crank/rod bearings are getting hard to find depending on which letter your rods are and what color code your crank is,...very personal information like that. I haven't found a crossover for that stuff yet ,But you can bet that somebody on this site has. Always get a shifting rod gasket unless you like automatic chain oil and slippery garage floors. Vaccume gauges for sinc'ing carbs are no more expensive than having a Honda tech do it once,and it's a tool you can keep and reuse. I 'm making the switch to Alan heads because screws suck and there has been a kit on E Bay for around $40. I have multiple engines so I have a shop kit that I refill regularly. The metric "auto parts stores " 'O' rings don't fit your model engine on neither the bottom or the top of the jug, and you 'll need those O rings( they come in the vesurah kit as does valve seals ). If another reader knows of a better place to get/ product to get , please chime in now.

XC204 · « **Reply #48 on:** February 26, 2012, 09:25:43 AM »

Thanks for the parts info I have one exhaust valve that broke in my hand when taking it out looks like it fractured some time ago as it has a rust line part way through the cracked off stem just above the valve.

rb550four · « **Reply #49 on:** February 26, 2012, 12:15:23 PM »

This site has an online resource list under FAQ maybe you can find some new stuff there. Ebay used parts if you can't find it in 500 parts , There is usually a selection in 550 parts. Same valves...different springs. or buy the whole valve train, all the same, bolts right up. Look it over good when it gets there, your tappets will switch over if the others are beat, keep your springs with the old head-not the same, pay particular attention to the spark plug threads- install a plug in each. Nothing more aggravating than lapping the valves, torquing the head and installing the engine only to find that the plug threads are shot . Broken valve sounds like a drag but, better to find out now.

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Author Topic: project 1 of12 started (Read 33671 times)