Topic: Got around todoing the rings on my 650

[cgswss]

My #1 cylinder was really bad- I would have had to go atleasr .20 over to clean it up.

Picked up a low mileage jug cheap, honed and put in new rings reassembled with all new gaskets.

Have put 200 mile on it in last two days and changed oil and filter.

This thing is running great!  I could not even keep up with my brother in law before now I put 2 car lengths on him in the 1/4.

No oil leaks, no "gas smell".  I think this is the way the bike ran when new!

[cgswss]

Today

[onepieceatatime]

Looking good. You have done a nice job on that bike.

[JimJamerino]

Where did you source rings for a 650?

[cgswss]

Off e-bay

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-CB650-1979-1980-1981-1982-Motorcycle-Piston-Rings-4-Sets-Standard-Size-STD-/360479624901?pt=Motorcycles_Parts_Accessories&vxp=mtr&hash=item53ee428ec5#ht_500wt_1083

They are good quality rings.  No slop in the groves.  top ring is chromed and the rings are marked as to which side up.

[cb650]

Whats your brother in law  ride?

[Goldbug]

The CB650s are pretty damn fast. Glad yours is fresh now. Maybe I will do mine.

[cgswss]

My brother in law has a stupid fast 500 shadow.  we have gone to the strip 2x with his bike "to see what it will do" and ALL of his runs have been in the high 13s  (yes that is a 1/4 mile)  His best run about 3 weeks ago on a nice cool night was 13.79

I really don't understand how a 500 twin with shaft drive can run that sort of times.  But my brother in law and I have always had a bit of fun.  When I got a '63 GTO tri power, he got one. only I put a turbo hydromatic in mine and juiced the engine (back in the Royal Pontiac days).  When I got my 427 vette, he got a 427 vette (mine was faster).  He had a 650 triumph, I got a 750 Norton, only mine was full of Dunstall goodies before it first hit the road. (mine was faster).  He got a 750 Honda, and spent a huge amount on juicing it, My Suzuki was faster (it was a breathed on 1000 with "750" tags on it)

So I have no idea what the inside of the motor may be.

[cb650]

What times you get?  Best I ever did was a 13.5   

[cgswss]

haven't run mine yet- only 400 mile on the "new" engine, but weather allowing we may just have to go up on Saturday night.

We are quite a sight at the strip.  couple of old guys with gray hair and buck horn bars in the middle of a sea of crouch rockets and kids that all look like they are in their teens.

At the beginning of the spring I had a real treat.  The guy that had the shop I used to race out of called me up.  The shop is closed but he kept a couple of my old drag bikes.  He met me at the track with my old "Who's Chicken" Norton drag bike.  The crouch rocket crowd made a lot of cracks about it.  Well I ended up in the middle of a bunch of 600s.  Those guys were real surprised when they kept loosing to an old guy on a 50 year old Norton.  In the end I lost because I busted out of my 11.50 dial in, but it sure was fun!

[lucky]

Today

I really like the looks of your bike.
It has kind of a BSA 650 look.

[onepieceatatime]

Today

I really like the looks of your bike.
It has kind of a BSA 650 look.

Really? 
I thought it was kind of a Honda 650 look...

[cgswss]

I think you are talking about 2 different pics.  My avatar IS a BSA 650  '63 Lighting  Had a lot of great times on that bike, except for the crappy electrics.  It was fast too.  It still lays in parts in my brother's garage.  Wish parts weren't so expensive, I'd love to put it back together.  It needs pistons, but it was already at the max overbore in '64.  The thing that it needs the most is spark.  I could get it running with the old pistons if it had spark.

[cgswss]

update on performance...

They had a run-what-ya-broung night at the strip.  Basically no trophy, no classes- sorta a all night time trial for $5 plus insurance (so $10)

First run of my cb650- 14.12 @ 95.6mph

After some changes (air pressure, advancing the timing, removing the side cover and holding the filter in with fender washers, going to 105 jets, putting a 15 tooth sprocket on it, and tying down the suspension), my best time was...

13.34 @ 100.66.  I still lost every race I ran because most of the other bikes were running low 12s (600s)

I did win one race- on an old friend's bike.  (10.59 @ 129.90)

[dave500]

good stuff cg.

[derelicte]

Great stories.  Put that BSA back together, you clearly know what you're doing.  If it takes some cash you'd probably have no problem getting your money back.

[cgswss]

I don't want to SELL it <BMFG>