Topic: 81 cb650

[rb550four]

Picked up an 81 cb 650 today, which was kind of a surprise. Another surprise purchase !  Lately I been looking for a different kind of bike to ride and I came across a very affordable high mileage CBR and decided to pull the trigger but I thought I must check CL one more time just to be sure, wouldn't you know a 81 cb 650 shows up on the screen. Around here they have been harder and harder to get , and there it was with only 1700 miles on it! Yeah , I may have made a dumba$$ move but I took the 650 over the CBR (Probably be kicking myself forever) , but I'm a sucker for these things, can't help it, it's all so familiar and comforting.
  This one looks like a piece of $hit but they all do, and best of all the PO's friend is sending me the title from outta state.
Bet none of ya ever heard that before right?Aaaand, someone already broke down the carbs so I don't have to worry about taking all that time to break them down myself! Outstanding!  Why I wondered would anyone purchase this machine new and only have it on the road for one season? I'll bet that burned up wiring harness might have something to do with it.  Well that's great because it means he didn't blow it up. The engine turns smoothly in gear,feels like lotsa compression.... I got a new motor, I got a new motor.
   I know the purchase sounds a little shakey

But even if the original owner doesn't send the title, even if every wire is burned up,... I got a new motor,and it can go in my 40,000 + 650, and that motor can go in a 500 frame along with the  spoke wheels, swing arm and front suspension . That's like two projects in one......I     got a new motor.

[scunny]

good score,

[rb550four]

Started  removing some of the surface rust today, not as bad as it looked for the most part. a bit of elbow grease and never dull and the chrome is coming along. Wheels, pipes,headlight ears and fenders anyhow.
Have some rust on the frame around the battery area,so if the title ever comes ,this frame will need a repaint. The tank is looking very rusty inside and will likely see some toilet bowl cleaner soon though I still want to try electrolysis. The starting motor cover will have to be replaced the corners have rusted right off. Don't understand why since everything else is salvageable so far and you would think  that it's location under the carbs would have protected it.
 Picked up an LP salamander for the shop instead of using the Kero salamander. The fumes aren't as bad with the LP but the heat isn't as strong as the Kero . I get about 4 hrs on  5 gallon of kero, around 7 hrs on a 20 lb tank. I'm not as warm  with the LP so I keep it  close but so far, no migraines.

[fmctm1sw]

The starting motor cover will have to be replaced the corners have rusted right off. Don't understand why since everything else is salvageable so far and you would think  that it's location under the carbs would have protected it.

Those always seem to be rusted.  Look for a cover off a '79, they were chrome.  That's what I put on mine..

[rb550four]

Excellent the 79 looks chrome , like it.
I 'm asking here first with some other wanted parts under" parts wanted", I just hate  Ebay and would rather keep it all in the family if I can.

[rb550four]

Real cold today, so I fired up the LP unit and froze my a$$ off anyways. Took all the aluminum parts off the motor, got all the oxides off and gave em a polish and put them back on. Although the cast parts can use a general prep and paint, today doesn't feel like the day for it.
  Looked into a box of carbs that someone removed and partially disassembled, in no particular order.   Hmmmm, fortunately I have a spare  rack ready to go that I cleaned last summer . I might play with that when I can actually feel my fingers again.
 

[rb550four]

10 inches of snow last night, new snow blower last fall.....priceless. Gave me some time to take down a replacement rack of carbs for the snowbike (I stole it's rack and put them on a summer project) so they are soaking. It's time to get in some winter riding.
  Meanwhile I had a chance to start taking down those 650 carbs and make some sense out of all the parts in the bottom of the box they came in. They'll be getting a soaking tomorrow even though they don't look dirty. Never know, have the time....just to insure they are clean so I don't find out differently when I go to start it....the best thing about having a spare set on the shelf is      having a spare set on the shelf when you need it.
  I'm tracking down some 650 parts,  so progress is slow right now.

[rb550four]

I haven't played wit the 650 since mid Dec.,still waiting for a title (SUCKER) before frame that gets any more attention . If suspect that the title may never get here, in which case, I need to do something with this

It's one of the first 550's I put together and I used the first parts that I could get my hands on.
  Now ,I'm not digging the extended forks ,stretched swing arm or sissy bar or the paint much, the low ,low  miler engine runs like a bear. But I'm thinking I might swap out that 550 motor to the last 550 I put together and used a fresh rebuilt 500 (that was spare and I was lazy)

  That was confusing... What I mean is to take that 500 in the picture and remove it from (I forgot which one) this one  that has been finished

or this one  that has also been finished

  Solving the 500 in a 550 non issue that I have turned into an issue.
To further complicate the plan, Remove everything from this new 81 650

and place it ( engine, electrics, swing arm and front end) on the entended fork gold tank 550 previously pictured.( That may not have helped.)
  What I mean to do is...Turn that semi chop into something like this
 
  Well that's the jumbled plan , I think.