Topic: 500/550/650's that followed me home

[rb550four]

   Hey David,
  I was wondering how long those engines  lasted too. I didn't see any oil seals or gaskets in the assembly process. No torque wrench. just a 3 way tool, a screwdriver and a hammer. Simple engines that most common men of that era could deal with on the side of the road.
   I was thinking these test riders was hardy bunch testing those machines everyday like that. You could tell that they loved to ride, between the jumps and trying to kick them sideways round the bends, these guys loved the job. I would imagine they would be the ones to beat at any track on race day.
 
  I have no pics of the 550/650 nighthawks swap or the Wing refresh. It never got underway, even though last spring I was chompin' at the bit to get  going on them.  Fact is , I fell off the wagon last May, and it's taken me  a while to get back on it. I don't touch bikes if I drink, never.   I'm sober for 38 days now and wanting to get out there and get these projects started .  There will be pics when it 's happening.

[RAFster122s]

I am glad you are doing better and have the 38 days and wish you many more to add to that.

Yeah, I was amazed at the mosquito fogger startup until broken in I presume?  Or was it always that way until warmed up enough...  yes, those test riders had it in their blood and they were having fun.  Riding a motorcycle is a very different experience from a bicycle. First MC I had really opened up a whole new world and something I still enjoy.  A convertible with the wind whipping through your hair is very enjoyable as well, but not too many convertibles accommodate my torso height. Unless reclined a lot I am looking above the windscreen or the top frame of the windscreen is blocking my vision.


Hope you and family enoy a great Thanksgiving and early winter.  You know it is your thread, you can take it to any topic or direction you wish.

David
David

[Restoration Fan]

   My wife thinks it strange to feel connected to a machine, I don't know ,maybe. But I'd wager there are a few of us that have a  connection and do similar things. Yes?

I couldn't have stated it better, rb. 
I think any rider shares an affinity for his/her bike.  BUT someone who actually rebuilds or restores one of these bikes develops a much deeper affection for all of them at that point.  You do indeed develop this bond.  And yes, I do talk to mine...pat them lovingly...make comments to or about them.  You have to let all of your ladies know you appreciate them, after all.

Ron

[rb550four]

Happy New year  everyone.
  It's been damn chilly around here so there's been no shop time for me til now. I spent the morning shinning chrome and polishing tanks at the theater and been straightening up the shop that I have neglected most of this year. Feels good to be back out there.
  Been listening to some old rock and roll ( haven't listened to this stuff in 25 years) and it reminded me how it felt as a younger man hanging out .Almost forgot how it felt. Thought I might share a little  with you all. Do you guys remember what you were doing when you heard this last?

                                                                                                               
   It may be old,  but still relevant.

[Restoration Fan]

A couple of those were actually prior to me but I absolutely grew up listening to them.  Brings back fond memories.
Thanks for posting them, rb!

By the way, if you have Amazon Prime, make sure you take advantage of Amazon Music.  They have some fantastic 60's, 70's, 80's, etc playlists and they're all free (well, they're paid for by your annual Prime membership).  I've found that I like to just select a new playlist, start it playing and enjoy it while working on the bikes.  Every now and then, a song comes on that I haven't heard in decades and I'll stop and start singing with it.  I'm SURE the family enjoys hearing my crooning coming up through the floor when that happens.

[Stev-o]

  Been listening to some old rock and roll ( haven't listened to this stuff in 25 years)

Hey rb...havent little to rock in 25 years? What do you listen to, hope it aint Justin Beeber!

I saw The Guess Who in concert last year...

[RAFster122s]

RB,  Glad you are getting some time in the shop...hasn't been too many years for some of those tunes but others I haven't heard in a coon's age as the old saying goes...

David

[rb550four]

Too much Rockin out and never to Justin Beeber, and  not enough got done in the shop. Can see some floor at least.
I figured some of you would remember a couple of these tunes.
 I've been listening to alternative rock stations for years , and  like allot of the tunes, but for some reason they seem vague to me and most of the guitar work is sloppy. Where as the old rock had a story or a message that was clear, in your face,and almost expected a response from the listener. Powerful, maybe that's the word.
 I went to a 3 Dog Night concert a few years ago but I never really made it to a concert  in my younger days....Once , I was going to a Grateful Dead concert in the Watkins Glen, there was so many people , cars were parked on the road miles away from the concert site (that's were the partying started), almost impossible to get into. The band had to be flown in by chopper. Never made that concert, don't remember much of that week either.
  But I do remember skipping school and honing my skills in a Vega with some senior girls, with the Guess Who playing on the 8 track. Special times. Every time I hear one of those songs, I know just how special it all was.
 
 

[RAFster122s]

Hey RB...while BikeEXIF has turned into a foo foo site with the bikes they feature I saw this and thought of you...

http://www.bikeexif.com/harley-battle-kings-2017?omhide=true

[rb550four]

  What a beautiful machine, even though it's a Harley. Seems to handle well . You have to throw some weight around to get it to go where you want, reasonably compact considering the track size, I like it! Looks great in motion!
 

I' saw this Harley a little while back. I really liked the angle of the track, The forks looked badass but wasn't a good length for staying upright. I think that could be a wicked machine if there were two skis up front a little closer to the frame.

Any Northern rider, no matter what they ride, need to ride in the winter. There are some that are up for the challenge ... let me rephrase...There are some that are just driven to do this to a machine ,can't help themselves, they just have to find a way to ride in the snow too! Right or wrong...I can relate to this, and am always pleased to see someone do this.
  I don't know if I ever wrote this into one of my threads...After riding the snowbike , it occurred to me that the best machine to use for such a winter activity would be the Spider. Two skis up front instead of wheels(the steering is already there)and the rear suspension and wheels should have a factory track conversion. After all , both are made by Bombadier. I wrote the factory about this , what a wonderful sales idea  , to be able to get the winter season too! They would have none of it, and sent a very nicely worded reply (in read between the lines plain English roughly translated, WTF is wrong with you) to let me know they would not be interested in this idea at all. Oh well, guess some day someone will make a machine that can be used year round,until then,  it's always interesting to see what people come up with.
Thanks for sending that link.

[seanbarney41]

Unless the snow is really quite deep, like more than 8", a set of aggressive, non dot, knobbies on your favorite lightweight single cylinder dirt bike is pretty damn fun in the snow.

[RAFster122s]

Haha...that is funny RB.  Yeah it was a pretty Harley and there are several out there, still on the road.
95% of Harleys are still out on the road. The other 5% made it home to the garage, or was it the other 5% are at home in the garage.

Even a bicycle can be fun in the snow if it isn't too icy and not more than about 4 inches or so.

If you could afford it the Aerostich one piece suits are excellent cold and freezing weather.

You been in the garage/workshop of late?

David

[rb550four]

  I wish I could say I was in the shop, I've been hard at work on the job, haven't had decent shop weather, and a handful of other excuses.
   I Hoping for some decent shop weather when I return...maybe turn a wrench or two then.

  When I left the Army I had a cl350, no car, put MX tires on it and rode it 20miles to work all winter, everyday. Too old to get away with doing that again, but not too old to forget how harsh that winter really  was.
  But I still want to ride all year long, especially when we can't.

[RAFster122s]

Just looked at San Carlos and you will be able to get some FANTASTIC Chinese in the San Francisco area and according to Google there is a good Pastrami sandwich shop in town...  Plus you can get a good burger at In N Out burger.  Double Double with fries Monster style is unique.  Just a Double Double is really good too.
Enjoy a good In N Out burger, been too long since I've had one.  5 Guys in DC area before they spread out all over the East was really good, they still are very good.
Hopefully you will have a little time to go see a few big redwoods. They are stunning.

[RAFster122s]

Yeah, I understand RB. 
Cali will be really nice being there even if you don't have a lot of time to enjoy the weather in the day.  Even at night it will be nicer and good to be able to be in t-shirts or short sleeves.
Getting older we grow less flexible and injuries tend to increase because of lack of flexibility or strains after early to mid 40s. 
The ability to shrug off the weather or injuries and aches tends to be less than when we were young men.  You might not complain about it but you with time will come to realize it to be true no matter how much time you spend in "da Nile" area.


That's life on not getting shop...having the desire to get there is needed. You got that.


Have fun in Cali.

[rb550four]

  Did the job in California then went back to NY, can't say that I know why. This past winter weather was a bummer  But I was lucky enough to find a guy with a rusty cm 400 who wanted to "bring it back"...needed allot of parts and time... Was lucky enough to be able to buff the original tank paint back to almost like new everything else was blasted clean and repainted or new... That bike turned out better than I hoped it would . It helped that I had a decent budget to work with. Went through the rest of it, it was allot quicker than I expected and handled very well. Everyone was happy. I ordered extra pet cocks for the cm 400 because they were a perfect replacement for some petcocks on a couple of the 550s.
  The cm 400 adventure got me back in the shop. Started to play with some of my machines that would look better  if I switched some parts from a different machine , and so there was allot of parts changing going on, and now  I'm a bit happier with the collection .
   Blew a head gasket on my favorite 500. But , as luck would have it, there were 2 rebuilt 550 engines in a shelf, so it was getting an upgrade I thought....naaa. Took it all apart, sanded down the frenched frame , fenders and anything else that was looking tired. base coat /clear coat everything ( The same color sunrise orange it was before )  that wasn't polished aluminum. I like it  better now. will go through the 500 engine  soon an fill in that void on the shelf .
  Pics ? Yeah I wish I knew how to do it with no photo bucket. I have a flip phone in case I get in a jam somewhere , but it doesn't take pictures...I do have a digital camera . Oh , my kids are coming this weekend perhaps one of them will tutor the old man. Okay I'll send pics after I get some learnin from them.
  Went to look at a 500 last night, it was covered in pigeon crap , in pieces for 25 years in a barn. He also had a 160 dream , that looked like parts to me ( if anyone needs a  dream parts bike let me know, it's available). The 500 got on the truck and followed me home. It turns freely for a change! I was happy with the purchase, wife, not so much. Let the games begin.I was having a rough spell for a while, things are better and  it feels good to be back.

[RAFster122s]

Glad you are back RB! I am happy to see you back here and it is good to hear you are doing better. Did you finish putting the 2nd level
on the garage?

Photo bucket has a hack workaround for Chrome and Mozilla if I recall correctly is the 2nd browser. It tricks Photo_ucket into thinking it is not a public request but private.
Imgrl flicker and few other alternatives.

David

[rb550four]

 The second level on that old barn? Yes , I topped it off with a steel roof this time. the entire 2nd floor is now dedicated to my wife's storage, those yellow and black bins from Costco ...5 high for 45 feet  on one side and she's starting to fill up the 45 feet on the other side. I won't say a word about it as I tend to hoard certain things myself.
 I think it was last fall, this older man that I know in town has been telling me about his Honda 750 and silverwing for years. maybe 5 years ago he thought that I should be the owner of the silverwing and was hot for me to purchase it for some reason. I told him that I didn't even have to see it to say NO, always thought they were about the ugliest engine configuration anyone could ever build and there was no way it could make it into my garage, so he should put it on Craigs List, he did,took him 2 years to sell it. 2 years ago he decided that I should be the next owner of his 750. It was a 2001, told him it's too new for me ,not interested. Every time I saw this man he would ask me to buy this bike....told him I didn't need to see this one either. One day he's telling me about his new electric log splitter that he bought ,splits logs in seconds, go through a cord in an hour. Okay old man , this I have to see. so I went to his house he shows me how it works. That was the fastest splitter that I'd ever seen, heck, I could watch that thing in action all day! Then this 2001 750 entered the conversation. Alright, I'm here ,it's here ,show me this bike. Well first of all he never  washed it , looked like it was in a barn for a few years. Does it run?  he says NO, he called a local shop to fix it, they sent a trailer to pick it up and brought it back with a brand new $450 back tire on it and it still didn't run. "So did you want me to work on it ",I asked ." No, I want you to buy it, you'll love it!" Yeah but I didn't want it I said. The old guy said " you'll want it at $500, and give it a good home".....I got the trailer and brought it to the shop .
  New battery , oil change, carbs rebuilt and a massive clean up (no new paint) buffed out the paint and  chrome and there was allot chrome  hiding under the filth.... Boy did that machine clean up well. Runs so smoothly, predictable handling, the aftermarket seat is so comfy, kept the windscreen on( I'm getting to like that), leather saddlebags, and the widest set of handlebars Ive ever seen. Turn the key, hit the starter and it just goes and it's just a pleasure to ride. I've done allot of riding this year , and take it out whenever I can , only missed 23 decent riding days this year. That old guy was right about that 750! could never be convinced me about that silverwing, but I really have enjoyed this machine and thank him whenever I see him or his wife in town. It's nice to have a dependable machine that you enjoy riding, easy parts availability, and don't feel that you have to collect them too ,  for a change.

[Gurp]

Great to see you back RB. You should do a STF project. Your garage has quite the stash!

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

The second level on that old barn? Yes , I topped it off with a steel roof this time. the entire 2nd floor is now dedicated to my wife's storage, those yellow and black bins from Costco ...5 high for 45 feet  on one side and she's starting to fill up the 45 feet on the other side. I won't say a word about it as I tend to hoard certain things myself.
 I think it was last fall, this older man that I know in town has been telling me about his Honda 750 and silverwing for years. maybe 5 years ago he thought that I should be the owner of the silverwing and was hot for me to purchase it for some reason. I told him that I didn't even have to see it to say NO, always thought they were about the ugliest engine configuration anyone could ever build and there was no way it could make it into my garage, so he should put it on Craigs List, he did,took him 2 years to sell it. 2 years ago he decided that I should be the next owner of his 750. It was a 2001, told him it's too new for me ,not interested. Every time I saw this man he would ask me to buy this bike....told him I didn't need to see this one either. One day he's telling me about his new electric log splitter that he bought ,splits logs in seconds, go through a cord in an hour. Okay old man , this I have to see. so I went to his house he shows me how it works. That was the fastest splitter that I'd ever seen, heck, I could watch that thing in action all day! Then this 2001 750 entered the conversation. Alright, I'm here ,it's here ,show me this bike. Well first of all he never  washed it , looked like it was in a barn for a few years. Does it run?  he says NO, he called a local shop to fix it, they sent a trailer to pick it up and brought it back with a brand new $450 back tire on it and it still didn't run. "So did you want me to work on it ",I asked ." No, I want you to buy it, you'll love it!" Yeah but I didn't want it I said. The old guy said " you'll want it at $500, and give it a good home".....I got the trailer and brought it to the shop .
  New battery , oil change, carbs rebuilt and a massive clean up (no new paint) buffed out the paint and  chrome and there was allot chrome  hiding under the filth.... Boy did that machine clean up well. Runs so smoothly, predictable handling, the aftermarket seat is so comfy, kept the windscreen on( I'm getting to like that), leather saddlebags, and the widest set of handlebars Ive ever seen. Turn the key, hit the starter and it just goes and it's just a pleasure to ride. I've done allot of riding this year , and take it out whenever I can , only missed 23 decent riding days this year. That old guy was right about that 750! could never be convinced me about that silverwing, but I really have enjoyed this machine and thank him whenever I see him or his wife in town. It's nice to have a dependable machine that you enjoy riding, easy parts availability, and don't feel that you have to collect them too ,  for a change.

I'm still gasping over the $450 rear tire! 

[rb550four]

  Yeah, it's a nice wide tire and all, but I thought $450 was a bit steep, even with a trailer both ways.
I hope that I don't have to buy a tire like that, holy cow, have to sell the bike to afford the tire...you don't suppose that old man thought  that very thing when he sold it to me?

[rb550four]

My last sweep the floor bike was this camo bike.... I used allot of the parts that were sound but wouldn't clean up well. Not wild about flat black so camo seemed to be an acceptable option.

[rb550four]

Not like most of the others aren't of the STF variety. This 550 got a 500 engine and some Kawi mixed in with it.

[rb550four]

 Oh ,, my kids came home and gave me some learnin , so now I can post pics without photo bucket...we ended up going through google photos, not that hard ...even for an older guy like me....just have to get in practice  so's I don"t forget how it's done.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Not like most of the others aren't of the STF variety. This 550 got a 500 engine and some Kawi mixed in with it.

Cool tank. The angle of the rear sets are a little extreme.