Author Topic: 500/550/650's that followed me home (Read 110689 times)

rb550four · « **Reply #675 on:** September 18, 2018, 08:16:39 PM »

This week lil' red 500 got 2lbs of nuts bolts and washers in the fuel tank after a couple of of acetone soaks and a mineral spirits rinse,all the gooey stuff gone and what scale was in the tank loosened up by the hardware shaken with vigor for an hour or so. good work out by the way. POR15 on the inside drying for days. Looks good. Leavin it set for a while until I can get around to prep and painting it. No dents to fill so it should go easy. Right. Down to my last set of spare side covers from Franken frankenstuff, haven't seen any posts from him lately , hope he's still making stuff.
Thought tonight seems like an oil change night. The wittled down filter bolt was never gonna turn with a wrench, or a cold chisel, found center of the bolt and drilled it out. Ordering an aftermarket filter bolt that has a larger head and seems to be stronger than the stock bolt, I have it on a few other machines , never had an issue with slipping, they do what they are supposed to do. I like that.
The semi cleaned up exhaust pipes looked okay but, I didn't get the "hard to get to spots"at initial clean up, so I took them off ,cleaned them up and buffed them...sounds stupid, but I'd rather have them buffed now, then to have the rust get worse and ruin them because I was too lazy to do them right.

rb550four · « **Reply #676 on:** September 26, 2018, 07:54:28 PM »

Aftermarket filter bolts came in, filters on the shelf, oil change done. Had some time to polish other parts while waiting, Lil' Red is looking pretty good. Didn't want to fool around with handlebar controls just for a starter button right now ,so I set a momentary switch under the seat like some of my other 500s. Went through the electric,cleaned up the connectors, getting good spark at the plugs. Lights work ... picked up and installed new flasher unit, points and condensers look new Should all be a go.
Good spark, fresh oil, clean carbs,good battery borrowed from fave 500 temporarily....threw a half ways decent tank on (til the original is painted), manometer right there.... must be time to fire this puppy up ,sync the carbs and see how it acts. That'll be another day, sun's gonna be out so I'll be roofing. At least I'll have something to look forward to when I'm done. After I'm satisfied with the running of this machine , then it's fork time.

RAFster122s · « **Reply #677 on:** September 26, 2018, 09:54:28 PM »

Cool! Sent you an email...

rb550four · « **Reply #678 on:** October 03, 2018, 02:59:19 PM »

Been cleaning and sealing tanks lately , it involved some soldering on 2 tanks...only one seems salvageable, some small dent filling and stuff like that. Lil Red's tank has por15 drying in it for a week guess it's time to prep it and get it painted soon.
I was thinking that there is enough stuff around my space that is just not usable, like this one tank, and the cut F frame in the corner, the roached wheels and tires, some damaged forks, ripped seats, seized engines that I haven't gotten to yet....instead of wasting shelf space perhaps I should just assemble this stuff and see how ugly things get...just for fun this winter.

rb550four · « **Reply #679 on:** October 05, 2018, 02:15:50 PM »

Prepped lil red's tank and shot some base coat /clear coat on it. The tank was in very good condition , no dents , the decal and dark background was in surprisingly decent condition too. so since right now I consider this machine a survivor, meaning that it wasn't seized and I haven't rebuilt this engine because I believe it will run in it's present condition, I decided to sand out everything about the tank with the exception of the background and the factory pinstripe because that has survived the pigeon palace it was left in since '87. This tank was originally olive , then blue shake can and then red shake can paint. Now the tank , my last spare pair of frankenstuff's side covers and a spare tank that I have recently purchased are the sunrise orange color of my fave 500. This make lil red no longer red, can't call it that anymore,guess I'll call it "the survivor". I'll post pics when it's all dry and on the "survivor" , I don't even want to be in the same room with it until it's dry, so far I've stuck a couple of fingerprints in the other tank...it's okay ,it's right on the side panel that will be getting a light sand and the panel blacked out and striped another day. For a $hiTTy tank, it came out pretty good , I think. pics later this week.

RAFster122s · « **Reply #680 on:** October 06, 2018, 11:43:00 AM »

Quote from: rb550four on October 05, 2018, 02:15:50 PM

Prepped lil red's tank and shot some base coat /clear coat on it. The tank was in very good condition , no dents , the decal and dark background was in surprisingly decent condition too. so since right now I consider this machine a survivor, meaning that it wasn't seized and I haven't rebuilt this engine because I believe it will run in it's present condition, I decided to sand out everything about the tank with the exception of the background and the factory pinstripe because that has survived the pigeon palace it was left in since '87. This tank was originally olive , then blue shake can and then red shake can paint. Now the tank , my last spare pair of frankenstuff's side covers and a spare tank that I have recently purchased are the sunrise orange color of my fave 500. This make lil red no longer red, can't call it that anymore,guess I'll call it "the survivor". I'll post pics when it's all dry and on the "survivor" , I don't even want to be in the same room with it until it's dry, so far I've stuck a couple of fingerprints in the other tank...it's okay ,it's right on the side panel that will be getting a light sand and the panel blacked out and striped another day. For a $hiTTy tank, it came out pretty good , I think. pics later this week.

Well, if you used 2k clear urethane you should not be near it or in same air space with it while it dries without a mask. The stuff can kill you and it doesn't take much when concentration s are high.

What do you do on tanks that have dents? Do you have a stud gun to pull most of the dent out or do you have Paint less Dent Removal skills like Calj737?

Sunrise Orange Flake is my favorite color for the 550s and 500s.

David

rb550four · « **Reply #681 on:** October 06, 2018, 03:05:55 PM »

No, I haven't gotten a stud gun yet, but I should look into it soon, seems like the best way to pull dents to me. I don't know why I don't have one , it's going on the list. Been doing some heat and cold stuff with limited success, I've been relying on filler to make up the difference, I have got to get with the program here. Skills like Cal ? few people have skills like Cal, he eats this stuff for breakfast, retains all Honda related information and is very generous with his knowledge , and has a good sense of humor....I'm more the stumble around the shop kind of guy doing things 10 different ways before I'm happy with the outcome and always pressed for time....That time thing usually blinds me from some obvious things, like a stud gun. But once I'm happy with a way to do something , I'll do that every time. Stud gun.....I'll bet once it's in the shop, I'll be doing that every time.
2k , haven't used it . I always use automotive paints....thinners, paint and hardner, got to wear a mask with all of that, it'll crystallize in the lungs. Any painting without a mask is just asking for trouble, even just the fumes in clothing ,hair and skin is toxic and should be removed and washed thoroughly as soon as possible. That stuff can take you out.
My sunrise orange flake with pearl isn't the same as Honda orange flake, but I like it.

Working on pics , this is the survivor now

rb550four · « **Reply #682 on:** October 07, 2018, 07:10:17 AM »

and this is what is was when it followed me home

SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan · « **Reply #683 on:** October 08, 2018, 08:31:46 AM »

She was a dirty bird, but now she looks great.

rb550four · « **Reply #684 on:** October 18, 2018, 11:56:42 AM »

Thanks, it 's coming around but nowheres near finished yet. I have the usual parts on order like fork seals, gaitors, petcock, and master cylinder kit... I was hoping to be able to fire it up and give it a run before it gets cold and snows, but it got cold yesterday and snowed a little last night. I didn't hear any sanders go by, so maybe there is still a shot at a ride or two if I can get this finished up soon. I never run on these roads once they've been sanded...not safe and will need to clean everything all over again. Might just have to wait til May when the roads are clean again.
I HATE WINTER! ....just felt the need to make that clear for the first time this year.
This summer the road crews in the Adirondacks have been very busy laying down fresh asphalt on allot of roads that look like a blast to ride next year. Can't understand why they did so many roads. They started in a few places in the middle of freaking nowhere , paved it to an other nowhere place that probably doesn't even have a name, no signs to anywhere with nothing along the way...It's like riding through a forest on a ribbon of smooth asphalt for miles and miles. I never know when I should stop because there is really no destination just billions of trees and the occasional deer or two, or ten that jump out in front of you every now and then just to keep you on your toes, I guess. I just backtrack when I get lost and feel lucky to find civilization again. My daughter moved up there a few years ago, I still don't understand why, but , it's a decent place to ride if you don't mind getting lost in the woods for a while. Every time I go up there, it seems like I see the same bunch of worn looking guys riding around on Harleys, they look like they had a destination to get to.... I wonder, really, just how long they've been out there?

RAFster122s · « **Reply #685 on:** October 18, 2018, 06:54:35 PM »

You know what they say don't you RB?
90% of Harleys are still out on the road. The other 10% made it home to their garages...

Unless you want it to be a double entendre...then it is 99% and 1% made it home...

rb550four · « **Reply #686 on:** October 28, 2018, 01:18:36 PM »

I think that I found this group of riders.....just as I suspected.

RAFster122s · « **Reply #687 on:** October 28, 2018, 01:30:48 PM »

You ran across them or you became a member?

The urban dictionary top definition for fugawi is:
Fugawi
Nomadic tribe that gets lost a lot.
"Are we lost? Where the fugawi."

David

rb550four · « **Reply #688 on:** October 28, 2018, 01:59:19 PM »

Ran across a group of riders in those woods north of Lake George, in the woods of Warrensburgh /Stoney Creek area.. I thought I'd do some snooping on the interweb and see who they are. Still don't know for sure but these guys fit the bill. I usually stay clear of "club "guys. I'll have to wait until I can catch up with them next year to find out for sure. They seem like a friendly bunch.
Join a Harley bike club with a Honda? Never. I value my Honda too much.
Fagawi... I have heard of this before, my Dad told me once that the 1960's TV show host Art Linkletter was removed from television for telling a joke about a roaming tribe who introduced themselves to strangers saying "we're the fug ar we.", different spelling perhaps but same joke I presume.

rb550four · « **Reply #689 on:** October 28, 2018, 02:35:44 PM »

I've been working on all the bikes on and off for weeks, a couple hours hear and hour there...annual clean up and polish and parts change. The parts change is always fun because they were all built at different times with different parts that were acquired at that time, some parts look okay on a certain bike but ,would look better on another, that changes the look of the donor bike so to make that look right I go to a different bike with the part that has what would look better on the other bike, but then the new donor needs something from another bike that would look better on that one...it goes on and on until all of them has the parts that look good on each machine. While this is going on ,cleaning ,polishing and waxing is taking place at the same time until one bike at a time is finished to the point that I am pleased with each machine's overall appearance at this time. Next year this ritual will most likely take place again as different parts are acquired. But for now all the machines are bright, shinny and closer to perfect (to me) and ready for the long winter's nap....unless new parts come in, then....

rb550four · « **Reply #690 on:** August 01, 2019, 02:17:28 PM »

Okay , it's August now. I was able to get a ride in this winter on a sunny day and it felt soooo good that I promised myself that every day that I can get a ride in from now on , I would take full advantage of and ride...even if it's a short ride . Twenty years of no riding because I was a new Dad.....and some of you know from past posts, that as soon as my youngest graduated college , the 500 project in the barn for years roared to life and it 's been "game on ever since". Rebuilt 5 Hondas, got flooded. Rebuilt them again and and several more purchased donors that were just too good for parts....the garage was turning into a rebuild assembly line. I have more than enough 500/55/650 to last the rest of my life, but the assembly line, I just love the assembly line. I love the hunting for an old Honda, the deal of purchasing a the find, the disassembling, the clean up of every part, the painting ,the buffing the re assembly, the smell of it all....so much so, that very little time was spent riding. So this was the year to ride. The running joke about a 12 step program , I decided to make it as real as possible for myself, severely limiting new purchases, hunting was limited to craigslist and facebook only -no contact with a seller, just needed to know what's out there just to stay in the loop from a safe distance.
Last month I had a surprise surgery that left me unable to work , so I'm stuck wearing pajamas every day with a tube mounted below the bellybutton to a urine bag on the leg....and doc says I can't ride. "Drop that machine tear the hose out and you're fukked"is the warning I got . so no rides. The past 3 weeks I've been back in the shop, finally finishing up some old projects a few hours at a time while I wait for reconstructive surgery later on this month.
In April of 2015 ,post 260 of this thread , I thought it would be a good idea to clean up the shop by building 3 500s at once, I finished one, 2 and 3 where rollers with rebuilt engines when attention was turned to fleet maintainace and part switching for vanity sake. Long story short (like now I think I can shorten the story?) I pulled #2 out and started to finish it. New wiring harness ,fresh set of carbs, new tires, chain and sprockets , fresh points new battery, stock air cleaner box and filter, seat cover, brakes, and just and just about everything I had laying around waiting for it. What ever was painted still looks good and whatever was shinny got polished again. I'm down to searching out an older exhaust system and saving up for another set of sidecovers from Frankenstuff because I like them better...they don't break. Just thought I'd continue this thread because it never really seems to stop and pop in a pic of some progress. https://photos.app.goo.gl/T3KvMzSEdsmsN5XD7

RAFster122s · « **Reply #691 on:** August 01, 2019, 02:39:05 PM »

Rich, Good to hear from you! Sorry to hear about the unplanned medical sidelining but, glad you are still with us! Pretty red metallic paint work!

Hang in there! I would love to see more and hear more as you have time...
David

Gurp · « **Reply #692 on:** August 01, 2019, 08:19:44 PM »

Glad to see you back at it. I atarted following yoy way back in 2012!

rb550four · « **Reply #693 on:** August 01, 2019, 08:55:20 PM »

I' ve been told that almost every man will go through something like this, but it doesn't have to be this bad if you know what to do about it before it gets this bad. Here 's what it is all about for anyone that is clueless about bladders prostate glands, and urethra issue as you get a little older...like 50 on up. As we get older our urethra's diameter can grow smaller, little by little we loose the force that we might have had when we were younger, you might get used to it over time but it doesn't get better. As it gets more constricted , the bladder can expand because we are releasing less urine even though we may be going more often. Prostate gland also tends to get larger with age too. These expanded organs can pinch the urethra closed causing a slow pee to no pee situation. The slow pee situation (or before) is when you need to get this rectified and repaired before it turns into a sudden no pee situation which will damage other organs and a trip to the emergency room. If you get to the emergency room do not let the freckle faced kid attending try to catherise you , demand a Urologist , new doctors know allot of stuff but maybe not when it comes to this .A good urologist will know that if the path is closed he may only have one shot to get it open and with the proper tools where as the the emergency room attending may try to force the urethra open 4 or five times causing immediate swelling ,intense pain and new false openings when the tool is forced through the urethra wall.... then requiring reconstruction...nobody wants that, so get it checked and get it fixed if there is a little problem before it turns into a giant problem. Hey I didn't know anything about this stuff before , nobody told me anything about it, I thought maybe it was kidney stones , and I only heard about those a couple of times, how the hell are we supposed to know anyways? So I feel it is my duty to tell any man that may be coming of age, that this can happen to you, and if your stream has gotten slow see a urologist not just the next PA at your health providing office, they may not have the answer you need. Do it soon. Now you know. don't forget. This has been a public service announcement from rb550four.

Mark1976 · « **Reply #694 on:** August 01, 2019, 09:38:27 PM »

Real sorry to hear of your misfortunes, I hear ya, not as severe but have had the same issues. I've used the urology group at Albany med with great success.

rb550four · « **Reply #695 on:** August 02, 2019, 02:35:23 PM »

That's good that someone picked up on it Mark, I suspect most guys don't know anything about it, think it'll heal itself, or think it only happens to other people. I'm trying out Cooperstown hospital for the next surgery next week as I had no luck getting recommendations for a surgeon from Albany Med even though I would rather go there. Just seems to me the chances of walking out of Albany Med alive would be much better some small hospital in the baseball capital ,don't know for sure but hope I'm wrong.

rb550four · « **Reply #696 on:** August 02, 2019, 03:45:09 PM »

Hi David I'm trying to get more recent pictures up so we're not always looking at the build pics....went to google pic after I left photobucket and I'm still trying to figure it out. I'm taking fresh pictures of the herd since I've been changing stuff on them this winter. I have fresh photos of half of them now more will follow... but I'm seeing too many red machines, must be time to choose some new colors and get painting while the weather is nice.
Gurp, I've been keeping up with the poor boy chop. it's different, in a good way, and it's coming along.

Mark1976 · « **Reply #697 on:** August 02, 2019, 07:33:00 PM »

They do have an excellent urology dept.

RAFster122s · « **Reply #698 on:** August 02, 2019, 11:00:38 PM »

The google photo links last posted give me 404 errors.
Good luck with the surgery...

David

RAFster122s · « **Reply #699 on:** August 03, 2019, 01:03:54 PM »

Rich, using the Google Photo App select the pics you want to share a link to...
Select the Share button in top right of screen, "+" symbol, select Create Link

The link is now copied to your clipboard.

Or,if you are using Google Photos on the web

Login, select the pic or pics, select Share icon, Then select Get Link
It should then provide you with a link to the image(s)

Hope that is helpful.
David

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Author Topic: 500/550/650's that followed me home (Read 110689 times)