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

[rb550four]

  I was reading a thread a while back involving a supercharger on a 550 and got to thinking wouldn't that pressure be nice to have on a lower intake side port to blow the exhaust gases out of the top of the  cylinder through the exhaust valve instead of waiting for another revolution for the piston to push it out. Intake valves could be removed and another cam could be ground to open the exhaust just long enough for the gases to escape with the the help of pressurized air from that supercharger and close that exhaust valve on the piston's way back up making ready for another compression stroke with fresh air. Of course this probably means some sort of fuel injection system that delivers fuel directly through the intake port at a moment when the hot gasses have left the cylinder just as the exhaust valve has closed. Wouldn't want to be blowing in an air/fuel mix while flushing the cylinder. This way the head,cam ,and exhaust valve can be used cutting down on a mess of machine work, may not even have to change the exhaust system to an expansion type ,not sure but wouldn't it be great to use some stock parts.
 I went with the supercharger idea not for extra power but for it's pressure and fresh air. Most 2 strokes get and store the pressure created from the piston on the down stroke, momentarily storing pressure in the crankcase until the piston is in position just before bottom dead center when the intake port is no longer being blocked by the piston, then allowing the crankcase pressure to escape through the intake port. I don't think I need anymore pressure in the bottom end as these engines aren't built or sealed for this,and even if it could be compartmentalized there is a pan of oil to deal with and pressure could not be contained .
   The ignition would have to fire twice as often, I'm thinking about an electronic ignition with 2 extra magnets in the cap over the spark advance. Haven't worked it out yet but it seems doable in my head.
   The fuel injection parts and it's timing is something that I don't know much about now but I'm hoping to learn something about how Honda has been doing it in recent years and figure out a retrofit for the 500... it may have been done here before but I haven't searched it yet. This is sounding more possible to me all the time.

[rb550four]

  I've been looking for a solution to this fuel injection thing all afternoon. Although there are threads regarding possible  type of  kawasaki  efi, so far I haven't found a completed project . Not that it would work on my configuration because of a possible/probable pre ignition issue that would exist while introducing the fuel air mix as the burned air is escaping through the cylinder via the exhaust valve. I had a plan on abandoning the intake valve ,so I'm thinking that an injector could replace that valve in it's position in the head. spark plug stays in the spark plug hole and the exhaust valve stays where it is only timed twice as often by the reground lobe for the exhaust valve.The intake lobe could be cut back to make clearance for the injector who's size is unknown at this point. The intake tappet will be removed so there should be room ,I  think at this point. Thus solving the probable pre ignition issue.
   New sealing method will have to be used around the tappet covers that should have a hole drilled through it to accept  injector and fuel line.
   Also been looking at the AMR500  and the AMR300, guess I can wait and see how the Big Bang chopper handles the 500 before making the choice between the 500 or the 300.
   The next problem to tackle will be the electric fuel pump ,fuel rail , timing for an injector pump of some sort,this and proper air/fuel mix is an issue for me tonight but it'll give me something to think about tomorrow.
    At this point I could throw in some 16 to 1 pistons and make a 2 stroke diesel out of it all. But  this isn't about torque,it's about hp and if I find enough information on the subject ,with a few spare engines,  I guess it could end up being about both I suppose.Anyone know anything about an outboard injector pump that might do the trick?

[rb550four]

  So, no takers on the outboard fuel injector pump question...I'm going to research some of these systems used on smaller diesel excavators (mini hoes) , bobcats and larger lawn tractors to see if anything can be made to be useful for a fuel delivery system  then start looking at 4 cylinder cars to see if anything could be made to work from that angle. Let the games begin.
   Also, I have had a few 550s come into my possession over the years with oil coolers. I never have put one back on an engine so I still have them on the shelf. I wonder if anyone has had any reviews about them? And  wondered if they are even worth putting on this engine to cool it down a little bit. It always seemed to me , and I may be wrong , that adding more oil line with that small radiator would cause extra strain on the oil pump and cause premature wear in to the oil pump or starve other areas that take a little more effort to lubricate ,like up in the valve train and cam ? Like I said, I could be wrong. I haven't seen many builds with an oil cooler on it and wondered if there is some sort of problem with them that would cause failure or premature wear to internal parts. Has anyone had any experience  with them?

[RAFster122s]

I think you need to post the idea and two stroke questions outside your thread... Start a new thread and copy and past it into other bikes section or a tech help section and title it possibly

CB500/4-stroke conversion to two stroke...anyone know  2-strokes?

You would pique more interest rather than having it buried in your thread. I know nothing about 2 strokes other than limited use of them in weedeaters and chain saws and other portable outdoor equipment. Doesn't scale up well I don't think...

[RAFster122s]

Hey RB! Hope things are going well for your wife's treatments and the outlook is hopeful. David

[rb550four]

 We have been seeing specialists about everything that could be done , that should be done when, how it will effect that if this happens , reconstructive options are a whole nother world of .... she has been tested  for everything, by everyone and waiting for results. They are all talking about getting "the team " together but can't figure out when. 
 Like this wouldn't be enough fun and games, my new urologist gets me to surgery early due to a cancellation and I took it. 2 tubes,one bag, 2 weeks and things should be healing and the swelling should be going down. last riding seasons surgery failed so I had to go for it. I only had a couple rides last year. Can't ride a bike for 6 months so another riding season just shot in the a$$.
  The good part is that I'm on the mend, just in time for her to do whatever needs done and I'll be there for her when it happens. That's the plan anyways.

[RAFster122s]

Heal up RB and #$%* and moan and complain here and rail against God and the universe if you need to... He has big shoulders and understands it. Let us know if you need anything within our power to provide. I will pray God meets you and your wife's needs and healing might occur within His plans.

Care if I drop your questions about the bike motor conversion over in a new thread for you?
See if some of the brain trust might be able to provide an educated guess from their 2 stroke knowledge?

[rb550four]

  Thank you David. We are in good shape mentally, we know none of us get out of this life alive, but we are convinced that we can beat this thing .Stiff upper lip and all that sort of rot .We're pushing forward with hopeful expectations.
  I did transfer the engine idea onto other bikes board. I believe I've gotten some sound advice about it and probably won't go forward with the idea at this time.
   Spring seems to be making it's way and I had planned (a while back ) to repaint some of the earlier bikes that didn't get  basecoat /clearcoat finish. This would be something productive I could do this season since riding is out and I'll be close to home.

[RAFster122s]

Fall treating you OK?

[rb550four]

  Hi David, Fall is came in hard and fast here in upstate NY. We are past peak and had some big winds that threatened the colors  that are still on the trees, but all and all it is still beautiful, in the 50's today and sunny. A perfect day for a ride but I put them up for he winter.
   I was hoping to catch up with some long overdue paint on some of the machines this past spring ,but life got in the way of those plans for spring .  And I was very lucky for decent drying weather a couple weeks ago and I managed to get a couple of tanks , side covers, fenders and stuff base coat/clear coated and had to get them installed at once since I hadn't been in the shop for a while. Felt really good to be caring for the herd again. I haven't been far from home, but I just couldn't get across the driveway to the workshop for some reason.
  I hope that Fall  has been treating you well and you have found that "thing" that makes this year better than one could hope for. . It's been a strange year for everyone for sure and some can handle being cooped up better than others, but this is the first year I have  taken real time to sit on the patio every morning with coffee and really smell the air, talk to the birds, watch the deer', and try to remember a little of the beauty from each morning, it makes the over all feeling of life a little calmer, with a feeling of being closer with nature....very pro biotic and earth shoesy ...otherwise I'd be a Fkin wreck.

[rb550four]

  Been pecking on a third tank , cleaned it out, got it sealed, made a couple little dents disappear and have it under primer. I painted it red many years ago and I want to change it up. Supposed to be mid 70's on Wednesday hoping to shoot some color then. I haven't planned for a color, as this tank was just one of the ones that I just wanted to seal and got carried away.  Choosing a color seems to be such a labor for some reason, it seems so easy to see  what color I don't like, and usually quite a different story to find a color that I really do like. Might like it fine one day and think it's crap the next. Fickle, I guess.
 It's a 500 tank and I was thinking I really need a goldie or a green one in the line up, maybe even a purple. Maybe a flying tigers theme or try out some airbrushing and go hippy style without the big flakes that would bring me halfways thru November. Don't have that kind of time right now. Maybe some of the above ,maybe all the above maybe stock  or a variation of  stock paint scheme using different colors and use up what's on the paint shelf . What to do? Hoping to choose wisely.
  It almost seems easier to just shoot any color  randomly and say " I hate  that color" until I have to paint it over.

[RAFster122s]

Big flake job and purple would be interesting. House of Kolor can hook you up with all kinds of sizes of flake.  Saw a car painted in corvette yellow and painter too very fine flake silver flake and put it in his clear and it was blindingly bright in the bright sun, you had yo have polarized sunglasses to look at it. It glowed. Was beautiful...

[rb550four]

  This is interesting, I may  have it wrong , but could you set me straight on the corvette yellow paint job?
 #1 The painter shot the corvette yellow straight base coat and then added small silver flake in the clear coat , then clear coats over top of  that? Is that right?       Or did 
  #2 The painter used large flake over straight corvette yellow, clear coated and sanded , then layed on a coat of clear with small silver flake mixed in on top of that , then shot clear coats over that ?
  No candy coats right? Not a metallic yellow corvette color that I may not know of right?
Any of these could be beautiful. #2 would be  allot of work...Good thing motorcycle parts are small. I'd be willing to try the correct potion next spring on the tank ,covers and headlight, if there is a next spring.
   I shot one of the 550 s with the color " cast iron " that I like to use on my lower cases and sprayed over the top of that with Flex, it's a clear finish with small multi tinted metallic flakes in it. Like a rainbow of colors in the sun looks great, but I think I should have shot 2 coats of clear over that to make it "Pop" in an almost wet/ smooth hard shell  sort of clear finish. That would sound more like #1 and it's easy , #2 would take some effort.
   Maybe two extra clear coats with a dry time and wet sand between the last two clear coats so "smooth as glass" could be guaranteed. Sounds like fun but sounds like spring. I'll set that tank aside til then and ask Frankenstuff for more sidecovers to go with it. Sounds like a plan.  Good idea David.

[RAFster122s]

#1, yes micro silver flake added to the clear to add the effect.  Wasn't shooting it luke a flake paint job but the flake suspended in the clear. The silver reflected the yellow most of the time adding a brighter effect as well as catching the sun sometimes. It was like the yellow was glowing and dazzling bright hurting your eyes to look at unless you had good sunglasses. Guys were shielding their eyes standing beside it chatting.
He must have had close to a dozen coats of clear with 4-5 with flake and then another half dozen as the paint job had a deep deep gloss to it only achieved with good paint and plenty of clear.

[rb550four]

Excellent ! That is the first project for spring then. Almost sounds too easy to be amazing, but I can see it in my head and can hardly wait to see it for real.  Thank you. next spring I want to do one thing that is both beautiful and amazing to start the season right. Can hardly wait!

[rb550four]

  I just realized that I ve been Honda purchase free since September of 2018.
That's 2 years in human time! 14 years in dog time> Feeels allot like dog time to me.
That 10 step program we were on really worked! Nothing new around here....and boy I have been miserable too... Have to make  reasons to go out to the shop ...... The wheels on my trailer is probably all seized up......I can see my reflection on all my tools. This is supposed to be a good thing ,right?  Someone  please remind me just what the hell is the good part.

[rb550four]

  I've been reflecting on my last post, this 10 step program for guys with bikes that must have a problem because they may have a count of machines a little above the average, and it takes up all their time and spare change. I was thinking that something could be wrong too, so many machines with no end in sight of slowing down and what a waste that I couldn't find the time to ride but only 3 of them. Well, my confusion is over. I now see the path, and numbers don't mean a damn thing if it makes you feel whole. Life is real short and if we all could find that one thing that makes us happy every time we see one,hear one and smell one, then why should we deprive ourselves having only one. Why can't we have as many as we need to be as happy as we could be? Now that I have seen the light brothers and sisters, I will stake up the "Numbers don't matter" sign on my front lawn and display it proudly, hook up the trailer and search  Craig List for a new project....maybe a half dozen new projects and stand proud. Let no one tell you that you shouldn't , challenge what makes them complete and ask then why do you have so few? Be free from the number. A wise man once said " I never count my machines,one day it could be too many but the next day could be too few!" And find the strength and wisdom to be true to yourself.  That feels good! I'm going out to the garage and walk on some rice paper and see if I leave no tracks.

[RAFster122s]

Pretty funny RB... Hope you are feeling better and have left no tracks, walking on a cloud... Are you full of helium or hydrogen to be lighter than air? 
I seem to be gaseous sometimes but I don't know if methane is lighter than air... Haha

Maybe you should go to the theater and spend some time cleaning and waxing the stable of bikes... Might improve your mood.

[rb550four]

 No, not a gas kind of thing. The walking on rice paper was a thing in a  kung fu t.v. show thing that was on way back in the day. David Carridine was a 1/2 Chinese and 1/2 American student of kung fu in China in the mid to late 1800's , much like I am a student of motorcycle art of kung fu kinda thing. Sort of, but not to be confused with the Zen of motorcycling. There has been much to learn Grasshopper said the Master and I was feeling learned, thus the walking on rice paper to test my new enlightenment to see if I had learned enough to leave no trace sounded like the thing to do.. Didn't have rice paper, so newspaper had to do. No trace but how do you get ink out of socks? Who cares ,it matches the oil stains that I still haven't got out of my jeans.
  I took your advise David and went to the theater, but they were all polished during the Covid shutdown. Fortunately there is a GL1100 that has been in the corner since I got it years ago that was in need of not looking so ugly. I took today and cleaned that bad boy up to presentable condition. Felt good.  Now I'll have to change the belts and clean out the fuel system, carbs, Change all the fluids and waterpump then it should be something worth riding next summer.
  Oh , I'm a Grandfather this time ! My youngest daughter just had a boy. Everybody happy. Will be heading down to Pittsburgh sometime  to see the little guy and work on their house a little when I get antsy. But there is a Harley in the basement with the widest tire I ever saw on a bike, it's a newer custom machine with a nitrous oxide tube built into each side of the tank. It's a beauty but isn't running. An electrical issue I suppose. They knew a guy who said he knew Harleys , he tried to jump it but had the cables reversed. Genius right? Tried to start it til something got to smoking ,now nothing works. Maybe I should bring it home and fix it/ play with it/ change that rear tire/ ride it / and play with it some more. I was never a Harley guy but this one looks interesting to me.

[rb550four]

  I didn't have enough room in my last post.
 I had to get a picture of that tire. How freakin hard is this machine to drive? Thinking a different tire is in order here.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

+1
I don't get the dark-side (car) tires on motorcycles.  I suppose you get great straight line traction and mileage, but MUCH worse cornering than Firestones.

[rb550four]

  I don't know if it's possible to lean into a corner, that tire is so wide on that bike that it almost doesn't has no need for a kickstand. This whole thing baffles me, What do you think the point of building something like this is?

[Kelly E]

  I don't know if it's possible to lean into a corner, that tire is so wide on that bike that it almost doesn't has no need for a kickstand. This whole thing baffles me, What do you think the point of building something like this is?

It's because some knucklehead did it and then had to convince another knucklehead that it is cool to justify himself.

[rb550four]

 Sounds about right, there's a market for anything, but somebody's mind should have changed on a test ride I would think. This machine has a couple years on it and I think it has only something like 125 miles on it.
Perhaps a sidecar would give that machine enough stability to be safe to ride?

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

  I don't know if it's possible to lean into a corner, that tire is so wide on that bike that it almost doesn't has no need for a kickstand. This whole thing baffles me, What do you think the point of building something like this is?

It's because some knucklehead did it and then had to convince another knucklehead that it is cool to justify himself.

It's a whole "thing" in the Gold Wing culture.