Topic: Forum Virgin

[JD]

Hi Guys, Ive just joined your forum after doing lots of research on the internet, and this site has some amazing bikes and some very knowledgeable fellow bike builders,
Ive just saved a 1978 CB550K from the scrap heap, the owner had stripped it down and lost interest in the bike and was throwing it away!!!!!and as it happens i was looking for a new winter project.( living in the Scottish Highlands we have plenty of winter) but we also have some of the best Motorcycle roads in the world. I payed £150 about $220 for it, money well spent!!
so far ive stripped the frame to bare metal and repainted it, rebuilt the front forks and painted the bottoms, the engine casing have now been wire brushed to death, and painted in high temp matt silver, with black barrels and ive spent countless hours hand polishing the clutch cover,gear selector cover, tappet covers........
The swingarm has been wire brushed back to the bare metal and painted and rebuilt,, i dont know what ive spent on new parts which are still to fitted...(i think ill just keep it that way)... but the bike needs a lot of work to make it what i want it to be.. i will upload some pictures as i progress if i can figure out why my pics seem to be to large a file to upload..

[mono]

*pop*

awww yeahhhhhh...

[mono]

welcome!  sounds like you got a great deal, no matter what condition it was in.

i've found that resizing pics using MS Paint is easy - just reduce them to postcard size and they usually upload OK, or you can reduce the image quality on your camera/phone to make them naturally smaller.

or you can dump them all to flickr or photobucket or picasa and post links. 

can't wait to see your progress thus far.

[Stev-o]

Welcome, sounds like you've been busy. +1 - get a free acct at photobucket.com, it will resize them automatically.

[Free Booter]

*pop*

awww yeahhhhhh...

dAMN!  Beat me to it...    Welcome to the club!   (wait. What kinda "club" is this?)  anyway...post some pics and ask lots of questions. Lots of knowledgeable people here (not me of course). I have no such knowledge.

[Garystratos201]

Welcome to the forum . I'm kind of new also. Please post a lot of pictures........Gary

[JD]

Thanks for being gentle with me guys!!!!!!

This is the day i picked up the bike, it fitted just nice into the pathfinder... like it was meant to be

[JD]

The engine work started,

[JD]

The engine coming along nicely, still polishing  , no insides yet been waiting for new gasket set, pistons and rings, and so on and on and on...

[JD]

frame finished after bare metal respray, my original thoughts were to restore the bike, but looking at what an be done with the 550/4 im now going down the cafe racer road, and so the frame will have to be cut and modified for the seat unit and tail piece, which i will fabricate from scratch so it will be a one off.
I work away from home, so by the time i get back there will be a big box of shiny new parts to be fitted  it will just like Christmas for me... (ebay's a terrible thing)
Might let the kids open a couple of bags so they dont feel left out!!

[JD]

Well thats me just heading home from work after a month away,
My wife tells me that all my new parts have arrived and my garage is full of boxes and bags...
will post a picture when i get back, just like xmas..

[Sam Green Racing]

JD = Jack Daniels but he was Welsh, You must be his Scotish cousin Jock Daniels. 
Anyway, don't mind me, welcome to the forum, you've made a good start, keep the pictures coming now you have them figured them out, the children like looking at pictures.
Where have you been working and what do you do ? (I'm a nosey bugger)

Sam.

[zombeegrant]

What kind of tires ate those?

[JD]

Sam Green Racing, Jock daniels??? really?  hahahahah i work Offshore on an FPSO, 400 Kilometers offshore from Angola, im a Mechanical technician, im one of the ones who get dirty offshore!! ive built a couple of kit cars and done some restoring on a couple of old british cars, but bikes have always been my passion, my first bike was a DT 80 when i was 10 never been without a bike since,
yeah more pictures to come,

[Old Scrambler]

Welcome Aboard...........somehow most of the technical mechanics gravitate to CBs

[JD]

 The tyres are Metzeler Lazertech on the back and Metzeler Perfect ME11 on the front, purchased be the previous owner. but they dont look like they've done any miliage.(yet)

[JD]

All the new parts waiting for me 
Genuine parts where possible...

[Sam Green Racing]

Sam Green Racing, Jock daniels??? really?  hahahahah i work Offshore on an FPSO, 400 Kilometers offshore from Angola, im a Mechanical technician, im one of the ones who get dirty offshore!! ive built a couple of kit cars and done some restoring on a couple of old british cars, but bikes have always been my passion, my first bike was a DT 80 when i was 10 never been without a bike since,
yeah more pictures to come,

ANGOLA  I'll bet you don't go home for lunch then. 

Saying that, I guess at a cost of 800 million US dollars, the KIZOMBA has a fair sized staff canteen. 

ME, Talktalk Manchester, 5 minutes each way.

Sam.

[JD]

My engine almost completed, ive put quite a bit of work into getting it looking like this, considering was stripped and just left lying in a shed by the former keeper.

[JD]

a before and after shot,  very happy with the results.

[JD]

carbs are next then the wiring, ive got loads of inspiration from this site as to what im going to do to tidy up the wiring and hide it under the seat and tail piece, i think ill get rid of the side panels i like the through look its clean and uncluttered.
And ive just ordered a MAC 4into1 chrome exhaust system from the states, $109 shipping  but it looks the dogs, well worth it..  

[scottly]

i work Offshore on an FPSO, 400 Kilometers offshore from Angola, im a Mechanical technician, im one of the ones who get dirty offshore!!

My brother-in-law has also been working off-shore from Angola!!?? He probably has cleaner hands, as his gig is process control.  Ever run into a fellow named Del, from Bakersfield, CA?

[jerry h]

Looks like a great start to your project.


I love this picture..... It should be on one of those inspirational posters with the following..... "IF THERE'S A WILL, THERE'S A WAY" 

[JD]

i work Offshore on an FPSO, 400 Kilometers offshore from Angola, im a Mechanical technician, im one of the ones who get dirty offshore!!

My brother-in-law has also been working off-shore from Angola!!?? He probably has cleaner hands, as his gig is process control.  Ever run into a fellow named Del, from Bakersfield, CA?

Del , no does'nt ring any bells as they say, he would'nt be on the same installation anyway were not producing any thing yet, still in the hook up phase, first oil expected end off December

[Sam Green Racing]

Is it the Kizomba that you're on ?

Sam.

[JD]

Is it the Kizomba that you're on ?

Sam.

No Its BP's new FPSO the PSVM, but there are guys from the Kizomba on board...

[JD]

Hello guys its been a while the cafe racer is all but finished but... hope you can assist me ive been searching the web for assistance on how to set up my Carbs,  Ive been out for a run today for about half an hour, on returning back to the house i was looking over the bike and spotted that cylinders 3+4 seemed to be hotter than 1+2, so much so that the exhaust headers on 3+4 had a nice blue tinge to them and 1+2 where still gleaming stainless steel.... but after carrying out a very quick touch test number 2 cylinder was so cold that i could keep my finger on the header after just 3 min's of the bike being shut down.... where as the other pipes were still to hot to touch....i removed the spark plugs and number 2 was quite white compared to the other plugs which were wet and black, so i swapped the plugs around and number 2 is still the same.. so i can only think its a carb problem but the manual i have does not cover the PD46A carbs... i need information on all the measurements and settings to restore factory setting so i can begin from scratch, at the moment im running the bike with a MAC 4-1 and individual air filters .. help would be greatly appreciated.

cheers JD