Topic: 1977 CB550F IDK (first build)

[minimo]

Back on the ground. No spotters = back straight and bend the knees. Ugh


Flip it on its side


Drop the frame down


Engine hanger brackets prepped/fastened (with rear engine bolts in for placement). Before/after scrubbing off rust/debris and polishing slightly


Don't forget the thread locker


Tightening down the rest tomorrow. Buona notte.

[minimo]

Whoopsie daisy -- back on the lift. Anyone know a good chiropractor?

[minimo]

On a side note here, just thinking about how far my build has come and how long it's taken me so far, I think more time is spent looking for the right bolts/washers/nuts than actually working on any part of the bike. Pretty darn pathetic, huh? Ziplock bags all over the place and a sad attempt to keep parts and their respective hardware together... There has to be a better system. Notwithstanding, the bags and bins and various boxes are definitely whittling down and somehow miraculously this build is coming together. I don't know what I'll do with myself once I finish this project.

[goldarrow]

Time to get yourself registered for MSF course

[minimo]

So I wish somebody had told me, yet I guess it's not entirely too late (nothing really is at this rate), I forgot to scrape away the powder coat at certain mounting surface points so that a proper engine/frame ground can exist. So, while I still have access I can get to at least the rear upper and lower engine mount surfaces, being sure to scrape away the paint on the engine surface as well. I'll have to pick up some dielectric grease or rust inhibitor too now... Sigh. Just when things were going kinda smooth. Pfft.

[minimo]

Time to get yourself registered for MSF course

You kidding, goldarrow? That means that I'll have to ride this thing when it's done I should just invite you to test drive!

[Restoration Fan]

Subscribed.  Love your comments and the build is looking great.  Very envious of the weather you guys have for riding year round out there in LA.

[minimo]

Thanks, Restoration Fan. It is a bit chilly tonight though.
:-D

So I got my triples on with the All Balls tapered steering bearing kit! Woo hoo! Seems to be the thing to do lately. Anyway, they turn pretty smooth.

Here's how it happened:

First, the parts




I'm not sure why I anticipated a lot more strife over this. Maybe it was because there are sooo many posts about it, one guy saying it should be this way and then someone else saying another. Whatever. The only way I could know for sure was to just get into it. So I did.

There are two distinctly different sized races & bearings. The bigger of the two goes to the bottom, the smaller goes up top. The same goes for the dust seals.




I set the races in place and smacked them in with my Harbor Freight Bearing & Race Driver Set. Perfect tool for this. Smashed them in with a dead blow. Oh, and before I forget to mention, I had the ALL BALLS sitting for a few months in the freezer; they practically slid in with minimal hammer time.



Here's the washer I used for the lower bearing. The kit came with two.



Here's the order of how they go on the lower tree:



I employed that other washer to smack the bearing down with a 1.5" PVC pipe and a mallet. Part went down with one big thrust. Easy peasy.




Made for a pretty snug fit



Fit the smaller of the two dust seals on top and turned the steering head nut on snug (not too tight - I still wanna be able to steer around on this) and that was it.



Next up... Installing the front forks which I've already rebuilt. Assembly is fun!

[goldarrow]

Yes.  Assembling is best part of the build. Cleaning up is the worst. 

I don't remember if the 2.7 mm is the thicker or thinner washer, but I have been using the thinner one on all my bikes that I replaced the bearings.  You can tighten up the trees nut until the trees stop turning, then back out the nut about quarter turn or do. 

[minimo]

Yep, 2.7mm.That was the thinner washer.

I forgot to mention the copious amount of grease smothered into these bearings and races. I used Lucas Brand lithium grease. It was the red stuff. Should be fine as a lube and an agent to resist dirt and moisture, we shall see.

As far as grease is concerned, I'm also prepared to receive a 3 oz tube of Honda Moly grease http://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Honda-08734-0001-Moly-Grease/dp/B0083BWUYW (and a mini 3 oz gun). I read that's the stuff to use on the swing arm bushings/axle and squirt into the zerks because of the lower friction on that part...

[goldarrow]

I don't think you'll be utilize center stand, but if you do, install that before swingarm make life a hole lot easier later

[minimo]

Thanks for the tip, goldarrow. I won't be using the center stand because I plan on mounting my battery somehow on the place of that. I'll need to mock up the swing arm to make sure I dodge it.

[minimo]

Good pointers here on pressing the tapered bearings in:

[rtbmrgl]

Good pointers here on pressing the tapered bearings in:

Another way is to freeze the race then it usually drops right in. The opposite for the bearing, heat it up on a hotplate and freeze the triple tree. Done this for transmission gears and bearing for years.
Just another way with the same result.

[minimo]

Dremeled slight flats on some 7mm washers to go in the gaps of the fork tube clamps, because @SohRon said so.

[Stev-o]

Good progress.  I like that bearing driver tool, may need to pick one up. 
How thick are those D washers?  I believe they need to be .090 thick or you risk cracking that triple.

[minimo]

Thanks, Steve-O. And good point about the thickness. I noticed they slid in very easily so the D-washers are probably not thick enough. Thanks for calling that out. Ugh. I gotta look for replacements.

[streak09]

Thanks, Steve-O. And good point about the thickness. I noticed they slid in very easily so the D-washers are probably not thick enough. Thanks for calling that out. Ugh. I gotta look for replacements.

I did some research on this topic earlier as I was in the same situation. The correct PN for the "D" washer is (53235-300-000), and it is either hard to find or very expensive when found. While searching, I found (from someone on this forum, can't recall who, sorry!) that the cylinder head washers from CB750s are the same thickness (maybe also the CB550s...?). I was able to pick up a set for cheap, and I will just grind the flats in them. I  measured the washers I received and they all fell between 0.089" and 0.091", so they are right on. Hope this saves you and some others a headache! The CB750 cylinder head PN is 90485-035-000.

[bambuhiphop]

Dremeled slight flats on some 7mm washers to go in the gaps of the fork tube clamps, because @SohRon said so.

I like this! Going to "borrow" this idea.

[Blackfin5]

I think you should take the short drive down to San Diego and lift my engine in for me too.  No spotters; geez.  Yutes.....

[minimo]

Sure, San Diego is not too far. I can barter some of my weight lifting in exchange for some of your polishing expertise, Blackfin5 ;-P

That's some good researching, streak09. I'll keep that in mind. Meanwhile, I'm going to see if I can double-up on some thin washers to help fill up the rest of the gap in these fork tube clamps. I figure as long as these washers are functional, nobody's gonna notice.

[minimo]

The fork clamp gaps bugged me so I stopped into a local nuts and bolts shop, Luky's Hardware and found some washers that may work. They seem to slide in fine - they are thicker than the specs provided by streak09 - but I hope there's enough of a gap now to tighten the forks down.

[seanbarney41]

Are you sure those spacer washers are even supposed to be there?  Only certain years and models had them originally from Honda...

[minimo]

I was just taking heed of some posts in the forums, specifically in SohRon's '74 CB550 build where he mentions that failure to put a "D" washer in the fork clamp gap could likely crack the yoke. I don't want to crack my yoke so I think I'll put a washer in there. Granted, mine is a '77 so maybe Honda closed the gap a little tighter after a few years of yoke breaks from customers? I certainly don't want a situation where I don't have enough tension on the fork clams and I hit a speed bump and my triples slide off my forks. Oh, what a nightmare.

[minimo]

In the 1977 CB550F PARTS LIST, there is indeed a "D" washer (#12, part no. 53235-300-000 WASHER, SPACER x2) applied to the top tree gap but not the lowers:

Boom