Topic: 1976 CB500/550 Project "Squirrel"

[riverfever]

Funny!  i am surprised it wasn't a Harley rider who thinks his bike is 100% "american" made.  Most of them come up with the best comments... as they wait at the dealer for their oil change to be completed...


Bike is looking great!  Nothing wrong with a little OCD when rebuilding these beauties.

Thought I'd share this funny. Today a guy asks how the project is coming along and I say I finally got the gauges and led's sorted. He kind of laughs and I ask what's so funny. He tells me I don't need idiot lights and that all I need to do is proper preventative maintenance. Then he asks, "What's next...a tire pressure monitoring system?" He goes on to say that he just hates when people rely on electrical gadgets instead of mechanical knowledge and how bare bones is just so cool. I say, "First...I only wanted the led's functional so things weren't half a$$. Second...don't you own a Vulcan with GPS, radar detector, stereo, neon lights, etc.?" He says, "Well yeah but...."

Thank you Tweakin. Your bike is one of the ones here that has been an inspiration during the tough times. Turned out very unique.

[dagersh]

River,

When you want to get into those wheels, its not as hard as it seems.  There are some great threads on here as well as videos in the net on how to re-lace.

Polishing the hubs - that is a PITA!!!!!

Looking good!

Gersh

[FunJimmy]

Thought I'd share this funny. Today a guy asks how the project is coming along and I say I finally got the gauges and led's sorted. He kind of laughs and I ask what's so funny. He tells me I don't need idiot lights and that all I need to do is proper preventative maintenance. Then he asks, "What's next...a tire pressure monitoring system?" He goes on to say that he just hates when people rely on electrical gadgets instead of mechanical knowledge and how bare bones is just so cool. I say, "First...I only wanted the led's functional so things weren't half a$$. Second...don't you own a Vulcan with GPS, radar detector, stereo, neon lights, etc.?" He says, "Well yeah but...."

Good story. Some people should learn to keep their opinions to them selves.

[riverfever]

I got home today and found a large box on the front porch. It was utterly destroyed. I didn't even want to get out of the car because I knew what was probably in the box. As I started up the stairs I started feeling better. The tank wasn't really "in" the box. It was kinda half out of the box. There was a sticker on the box that said, "Delivered but possibly damaged." I was afraid to open the box. I carried it to the garage and cut the tape (would have been faster to just pull the tank out of the hole it was already poking out of. Amazingly, there wasn't any dents other than the large ones on the side that I was after in the first place. One of the corners back where the tank meets the seat was kinda boogered up but not bad. I want to thank Cal for helping me out. He really did an amazing job getting those knee dents smooth. I have a whole new appreciation for good body work. Cal...I wish there was something else I could do other than pay it forward but I will do as you requested. You have restored some of my faith in mankind. In fact, several of you here have. This is such a wonderful community. I have belonged to a lot of forums but this one has made me feel at home (in a very short period of time) more than any others. Thank you everyone.

Here's a quick picture of the tank. I came down with the stomach flu this afternoon so I haven't done anything else but get it out of the box.



And sharp eyes will see an issue with the filler at the back of the tank where it meets the seat. That's from my ummm efforts. The filler is cracking a little. So after receiving some guidance/tips from Cal tonight, I will take that and another small area back down and try again. I think I applied filler, then primer, and then more filler and created an issue. Or I used too thick a layer of filler. More to come.

[riverfever]

For no other reason than because I am now over the flu and I was bored...I decided to pull the left side motor cover today. This is how it looked.



After hours and hours of sanding...it now looks like this.



It still has a ways to go but it's a heck of a lot nicer looking than it was. I'm up to 500 grit now and I'll probably go higher and then buy a buffing wheel/compound and then try to get it as nice as possible.

[riverfever]

I think I might be done sanding this cover. I'd still like to put it to a buffing wheel but it's much better than it was. Sure makes that alternator cover look like a pile huh?

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Good job with the sanding.  I'm looking for a decent "Honda" cap for the alternator cover.  Mine is mangled from a PO's tipover.

[riverfever]

Thanks fellas. I looked for a new cap last night on ebay and found several. They only wanted about 100-200 for them. 

[dagersh]

Riv -

If you want to just keep it as a brushed satin piece, get some of the finest steel wool you can get (I think #0000) and use it in long, continuous sweeps over the cover.  If you don't dig the look, polish it all out again.

Just an idea....

Gersh 

[riverfever]

Maybe we could collectively consign a replacement from FrankenFrankenstuff? Certainly there are others that would desire such a piece? I'll need a new one for my 500 build too.

Chris, postman dropped me off a big box today! I'm targeting Friday for addressing those blisters. I'll be in touch on that.

Wow that was fast Cal. Hope it made it there in better shape than when it arrived on this end. That box was mangled! Sorry you have to see it again but extremely thankful that you wanted to. I have much to pay forward.

I have to buy a set of his side covers in the next month so maybe I'll mention that and see what he says? I'll let you know.

[riverfever]

Riv -

If you want to just keep it as a brushed satin piece, get some of the finest steel wool you can get (I think #0000) and use it in long, continuous sweeps over the cover.  If you don't dig the look, polish it all out again.

Just an idea....

Gersh

Last year before my injury, I built a beautiful singlespeed mountain bike (that now hangs). I used a set of aluminum cranks that are older but highly sought after by singlespeeders for their lightweight. I sanded all the anodizing off and really worked hard on them. I ground off all unnecessary metal and wet sanded all the way to 1200 and spent a good week on them. I took them to a guy to have them buffed out and they are like mirrors. Gorgeous. I would love for this to be that way. I think I see this bike going in waves. Obviously this is the first one but next I see going through the motor, painting the frame and motor, new wheels, updated electrics, and just more updated and minimal overall. The polished bits would look great but I don't know if I can get this that way. There's a lot of hard to reach spots and my OCD doesn't like things to be halfway done.

Thanks for the tip on the brushed finish. That could look good too. Even for my long term vision.

[riverfever]

Bit of an update. The tank arrived on Monday. Cal did an amazing job fixing what I didn't do correctly in the first place AND redoing the work that he had already done. I still can't believe how fast he got it done. Truly impressive. I also got a new tail light installed and wired up tonight. I think I like it but still deciding. For some reason I spent a lot of time tonight just staring at the bike and trying to decide if I like how things look.



I haven't gotten time to go to the motorcycle dealer in Colorado Springs and see what options they have for batteries but that's on the list for this weekend. The other thing I have to get done pretty soon is clean the inside of the tank again and line it.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Bit of an update. The tank arrived on Monday. Cal did an amazing job fixing what I didn't do correctly in the first place AND redoing the work that he had already done. I still can't believe how fast he got it done. Truly impressive. I also got a new tail light installed and wired up tonight. I think I like it but still deciding. For some reason I spent a lot of time tonight just staring at the bike and trying to decide if I like how things look.



I haven't gotten time to go to the motorcycle dealer in Colorado Springs and see what options they have for batteries but that's on the list for this weekend. The other thing I have to get done pretty soon is clean the inside of the tank again and line it.

The tank indents are seriously gorgeous. Wow!!

[riverfever]

Thank you. Both of your bikes are ones I look to a lot for inspiration. Cal did all the hard work. Seriously. I just hit the tank with hammers for a few days and threw body filer on it.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Thank you. Both of your bikes are ones I look to a lot for inspiration. Cal did all the hard work. Seriously. I just hit the tank with hammers for a few days and threw body filer on it.

Cal is a man of many talents and a nice guy, too.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Take it easy guys, it's just primer!

Some pics of Riv's tank in progress. He's telling the truth, he beat it up like a rented mule with a hammer then added some filler. Blasted and ground all that out, did a little metal work to even it out, then smoothed out the wrinkles. A little primer, blocking, and back into the post office's hands. Riv, looks pretty good on that bike. Needs FrankenFrank's side covers...

For me, it's the defined line you achieved that carries a great looking curve.  That's not easy. That's skill.

[riverfever]

I got more Works toilet cleaner, Acetone, and Denatured Alcohol. Got Red Kote ordered as well as a Yuasa battery.

[riverfever]

Will do Cal. I'll wrap the top of the tank and be very careful.

[riverfever]

Anyone have some fender struts they are interested in selling?

[Mortie21]

I have several sets laying around.. they don't look pretty but will do the job. If you pay for shipping I will send them to you.

[riverfever]

Thanks Mortie. I missed a set on ebay 2 days ago but found another set on there yesterday morning and the seller seas taking offers so I threw one out and he took it. They should be here soon. We'll see how they look.

Got the new Yuasa battery installed yesterday and all is well again with the electrics. I stopped on the way home and got more acetone, toilet cleaner, and denatured alcohol to clean the tank. Red Kote was waiting when I got home. It's dumping snow up here now though so hopefully this weekend I can get the tank cleaned and lined and then let it all dry.

[dagersh]

Riv,

Use a hair dryer after washing out the tank, it does a great job pretty quickly and won't damage anything.  I am sure its been said, but the better you prep for the coating, the better the results.  When its all done, it is really rewarding to know that the tank is pretty well protected forever - if not our lifetime, at least!

Gersh

[riverfever]

Thanks for the tip Gersh.

Today my fender struts arrived. They are in excellent shape. I really think it makes the front end look so much better.



I couldn't help myself.

[Tews19]

The bikes looks good. Curious how old are your tires?

[riverfever]

Oh the tires are ancient. Front is a Sears tire. Completely dry rotted. Most of the time I don't even feel safe sitting on it in the garage. That's for sure on the list before I can ride it.