Tech Forums > SOHC/4 Bikes
CB550 Assembly Manual
SohRon:
THE FOLLOWING is a compilation of my build thread of the same name, and it covers assembly of my 1974 CB550 K0, although a lot of it will apply to other models as well. There won't be many specific "How-To" instructions (like rebuilding the carbs) other than how to put the bike back together, starting from the frame up, with each step sorted into sections, each section completing a specific task. If you follow the steps in order you'll end up with a finished bike, but in no way are you required to do so. Most of the information here was obtained through research of the SOHC archives, forum members, other websites, magazines, books, shop manuals, owner's manuals and interviews with "those who were there".
This is only meant as a guide. You should have some kind of shop manual at hand for torque data and/or specific repair procedures. Clicking on any of the following links will open that topic in a seperate window.
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ASSEMBLING MY '74 CB550
INDEX
Steering Bearings; Triple TreeEngine to Frame; Front ForksFront Wheel and Fender; Handlebars; Center StandSwingarm; Rear ShocksRear Wheel; Chain; Plastic GuardsCarbs; Air Box AssemblyFront BrakeRear Brake; Kick Starter, etc.Kick Stand; ExhaustElectrical Part 1; Rear Fender; Brake and Rear SignalsElectrical Part 2: Accessories - Coils, Battery Box, etc.Electrical Part 3: Wiring Harness; Clutch CableElectrical Part 4: Throttle; Gauges; Headlight; Front Signals_________________________________________________________________________________________
Steering Bearings; Triple Tree
So, we're assuming that one morning in a caffeine-induced frenzy you took it upon yourself to completely strip your bike down to the frame and now that you're starting to come down you have no idea what it was you just did. Even worse, you haven't a single clue as to how it all goes back together. I know just how you feel; been there and done that too many times to count... I mean, who hasn't?
The first thing to remember is rule Number One: DON'T PANIC! Lots of the world's problems could be solved if everyone followed this simple rule... but, I digress. No, the best thing you can do for yourself right now is to take some deep breaths, pour yourself a tall one, and (after grabbing your towel) follow along while we attempt to make sense of the mess.
What I'm going to do is reassemble my bike from the frame up and share the journey with you. We'll start out with the frame. I got this one from ebay after my original turned out to be tweaked. Here it is after powder coating
My first order of business will be reinstalling the headset, or steering bearings. These bikes (and most others of the era) were initially produced using ball bearings here; this was done in an effort to keep the price of the bike down ($1600 was the original price in 1974 - equivalant to $8000 - $9000 in today's money). These days, lots of folks are replacing them with tapered bearings. While there are both pros and cons to doing this, I want this particular bike to be closer to original, so ball bearings it is.
I bought a new ball bearing steering set from David Silver Spares (yes, they are still available), which actually turned out to be more expensive than the tapered bearing kit. The ball bearing "kit" consists of top and bottom inner and outer races, a new rubber dust seal and steel washer, and 37 steel balls; that is to say, thirty-seven individual 3X5 plastic baggies, each containing one small steel ball
I started out by inserting the top and bottom outer races into the steering head. I left the races in the freezer for a couple of days, so they were pretty frosty. I gently warmed the race seat with a torch, then used the old races to tap the new ones in place; just moving around and around the perimeter of the race was enough to drive the new part home
With both top and bottom outer races installed into the steering head, I supported the frame upside down so I could install the bottom bearing and steering stem
Here are the steering components: steering stem/lower fork yoke, top and bottom (already installed on steering stem) inner races, 37 steel balls (18 top, 19 bottom), the upper race cap (or thread), and the steering stem nut and washer
Coating the balls with grease, I installed all 19 in the bottom outer race...
...then inserted the stem down through the steering head and secured it in place with a couple of big rubber bands, giving it a couple of twists to lightly seat the balls (the rubber band trick works pretty well; not only does it keep the stem in place while adding the bearings to the top end, but it helps to keep the triple tree from flopping around after assembly)
Flipping the frame over, I added the balls for the top bearing; 18 all. While it might seem that there's enough space for another ball, the gap is necessary to keep the balls from rubbing against each other, which would cause scoring of the balls and failure of the bearing.
Inserting the top inner bearing race...
...then the upper bearing race cap (or thread)
Now, I did some research on this step because it seems that this is where many of the problems arise with this type of bearing. What can happen is that the thread gets overtightened and the balls are pressed into the races so that they form seats, or dimples in the metal (and the balls themselves can be deformed), creating notchy steering as the balls pass over the dimple ridges, and a location "memory" that tends to want to keep the steering in one place.
Wanting to do things right, I turned to all four of the repair manuals I've been using (Clymer's; Hayne's; Chilton's and the official Honda Shop Manual) to get their spin on bearing adjustment. Here's what they have to say: Hayne's: "Using a c-spanner, tighten the adjuster nut beneath the top fork yoke until the bearings are free from play." Clymer's tells me how to prepare for adjustment, then gets relatively vague regarding proper adjustment procedures. The Chilton's book surprised me as it seemed to be the most comprehensive, saying: "Tighten the flat steering stem nut in small increments (italics theirs) until there is no fore-and-aft movement in the stem and it can move freely and smoothly throughout its range. Do not over tighten the flat stem nut" (again, italics theirs). The "Official" Honda shop manual throws a monkey wrench into the mix by advising me to "tighten the top head nut fully, then back it off to the point where the handlebar can be turned with reasonable ease". So, rather than tightening to a point as the others advise, the Honda manual says tighten the thread "Fully", then back it off to a certain point. This is where the problems arise, and the races get dimpled.
I talked to my motorcycle "Guru" friend, and he sided with the Honda manual, but with qualifications. "What this book doesn't show," he said, "is that you've got to keep the steering stem moving while you tighten down the nut. Folks (not his word, BTW, but I'm keeping it clean) just get in there holding the steering stem motionless or even with the wheel still on the ground and moose down on that nut like there's no tomorrow, and they're surprised when they end up with notchy steering." He said that the way he'd always done it was to insert the stem and nut, then tighten down the nut as far as it could go by hand. "If you do it right," he said, "that'll almost get you there. Then you apply the spanner and the trick is to tighten the nut using the steering stem, not the wrench". And he pantomimed keeping the wrench stationary while turning the stem. "When you get to the end of the steering travel, just re position the wrench and stem and continue until you start to feel resistance, then back off the nut a touch and you're done. What you're doing here is seating the balls in the races, so the idea is to keep the bearings in motion while you're doing the tightening. That way you'll never get notchy steering".
I don't know if anyone else does it this way, but after he explained it to me like that, that's how I adjusted the headnut. The steering moves smoothly from stop to stop. Just like butta.
So, here the bike is complete with its new steering bearings. While the original ball bearing setup may not be for everybody, I expect with proper maintenance that it will last for another forty years, at least. Vive la difference, n'est-ce pas?
SohRon:
This session will cover mating the engine and frame and, if I'm lucky, installing the forks.
This is the engine, a major deviation from '74 in that it is a '77, but it will have to do until I can get a '74. Meanwhile, if you ignore the stator housing it looks just like the real thing... The paint is "Dupli-Color Cast Coat Aluminum", rated to 500 degrees and fortified with magical ceramic ingredients
First order of business was to remove the oil filter housing. Then the engine was balanced on its right side using a couple of boards. This is nice, soft yellow pine I'm using here, so I'm not concerned with marring the finish on the clutch cover, but if you use this method, you might want to cover the boards with some protective cloth, or whatever
With the engine ready, I turned my attention to the frame. I'm wrapping the engine cage with bubble wrap using two different sizes: 1/4 inch for the front frame rail because I wasn't sure that I could get the frame started with the 1 inch stuff; and, of course, 1 inch wrap for the remainder. It doesn't look very glamorous, but I'm more concerned with function here
Grasping the frame by the front and mid down tubes, I carefully lowered the frame over the engine. The trick is to keep the frame as level as possible while lowering it; then, when the bottom rail clears the oil pan, kind of "hook the pan with the lower frame rails and swing the upper part of the frame down onto the engine, resting it on the engine at the frame attachment points.
The bubble wrap is the way to go, IMHO, especially the one inch stuff. It works so well that, as I lowered the frame down, I had a hard time pushing it onto the engine. The wrap held the frame in such perfect suspension that, when it was half way down, I was able to walk away and set up the camera for the frame lowering shot. It was nearly impossible to touch the engine with the frame as the bubble wrap just didn't allow it. If I sound enthusiastic, I guess I am. I'll never use any other method. I was so pleased when it was done, that I nearly took it back off again just to experience the thrill one more time...
With the frame resting on the engine, I "pinned" them together using a couple of loose bolts on the lower front engine mounts. One on top
and one on the bottom. These pins help to hold the frame in position so that the real work can begin
Here is the engine mounting hardware: front mounting brackets, various spacers, and a whole lot of bolts, including the two big hanger bolts (BTW, I acquired these nearly pristine hanger bolts in one of those eBay "bucket o' bolts" auctions. I got easily $250 worth of usable materials from a $35 auction; well worth checking out). Not shown here is the rear engine mounting bracket, but it will be obvious when we come to it
With the pins holding the frame in place, I began the official assembly by inserting the lower rear engine hanger bolt. This will eventually support the driver's foot pegs as well as holding up the engine...
...it requires this little doughnut shaped spacer puck on the bottom (right) side
Next comes the upper hanger bolt and it, too, has a little spool-shaped spacer that it fits through on the left side of the engine. Something I need to mention here is that I've scraped away the powder coat on both sides of the mounting lug (inset) for frame to engine and general chassis grounding. I've smeared some dielectric grease on the exposed metal to cut down on rust here. More on this later
These two big bolts really pull the frame and engine together. I replaced the top "pin" with the lower front hanger bolt. The nut fits into a little alcove cast into the crankcase. I'm keeping all of these bolts and nuts loosely attached so that there is some "wiggle" room left to finesse the frame into position on the engine
Next I installed the front hanger bracket. It's pretty straight forward in function. I loosely attached the outer bracket on the inside of the frame with two bolts...
...while the inner portion rests on the engine and is attached with a large bolt whose corresponding nut and washers...
...fit into another little "alcove" cast into the crankcase
With everything together, the frame and engine was flipped over on its other side so that the remaining nuts, bolts and brackets could be added. BTW, the strip of carpeting I got from a local installer really helps to cut down on the wear and tear on both the bike and the knees...
And, once again, let's hope that this is the only situation where I see this side of the engine...
With all of the hanger bolts in place, and with the assistance of three women and a 3-year old child, I lifted the frame/engine assembly onto a small rolling platform I have that used to carry a Xerox machine (so weight's not a problem), then added the rear engine mounting bracket. This is another deviation from '74 in that this bracket was painted black, originally, but was left bare in later years.
A couple of things to notice about the above pic are A: the upper bracket bolt and the upper hanger bolt nut are only temporarily added at this stage as I'll be needing them for other applications later. For now, they're just helping to hold everything together; and B: the mounting "lugs" on the down tube have been scraped free of powder coat on each side, and the engine mounts have been cleared of paint as well (inset), so that a good engine to frame ground exists through the upper hanger bolt. All of these ground exposures have been daubed liberally with dielectric grease to try and keep corrosion at bay.
Another step I've taken in this direction is that all of the bare metal brackets, nuts, bolts, screws and washers have been treated with either a coating of Rust-Oleum "Rust Inhibitor" or Boeing "Boeshield T-9" in an attempt to keep corrosion down on these parts. I'm using the Boeshield in places like under the fenders and on the lower engine hangers as it's a bit heavier than the Rust Inhibitor and should help in these heavily exposed areas
Once the frame/engine assembly was complete it was time to turn to the forks. I want to install the front wheel and the center stand so that it will be a little easier to maneuver the bike around the garage. These are the forks: new seals, etc, filled with 5.6 oz of PJ1 20w fork oil and ready to go (NOTE: These fork tubes were badly rusted from mid-point up just where the headlight mounting "ears" fit, as you can see from the pic, but are otherwise in fine condition. They were sandblasted, then coated with Rust-Oleum Rust preventive paint. It doesn't really matter, after all; it will all be hidden behind the headlight mounting "ears" anyway
... which are mounted with the forks using rubber grommets, along with the fork "gaiters")...
The top fork yoke (or "Bridge", if you prefer) ties the forks to the head stem. Here it is with its chrome-plated nuts displayed (bolts, too!). Note the little "D"-shaped washer with the clamp bolt. This has special applications I'll cover when we get to it
I started mounting the forks by inserting the grommets into the headlight mounts (AKA "ears"). The bottom (largest) grommet is beveled on one side and flat on the other; I inserted the flat side against a little shelf on the inside of the "ear", with the beveled side pointing down. The top grommets fit down into a little "well" on the top of each mount and don't require any special orientation, so I just popped them in
Next, I attached the mounts by inserting the bottom steering yoke clamp into the opening provided in the bottom of each "ear", making sure that the grommet wasn't pinched and that it was aligned correctly with the clamp. These hang out together, making rude and suggestive remarks, just waiting for a good, stiff fork tube to be shoved up their...
With the headlight mounts in place, I placed the top bridge over the steering stem and secured it loosely with the big stem nut and washer, then grabbed the right fork, dropping the gaiter down over the tube (wide end down), and proceeded to insert the tube up through the bottom triple-tree clamp, headlight mount (make sure it doesn't pinch the grommets), and up into the top yoke clamp. Haynes' book tells me that "the bottom edge of the chamfer on each fork leg must coincide with the top face of the upper fork yoke". Whew! In this case, a picture really is worth a thousand words...
Both tubes inserted in the clamps; it's time for the clamp bolts.
When inserting the bolts, I made sure that I included this little "D"-shaped washer in the gap on the top tube clamps
It acts as a spacer for the clamp; leave it out and you'll likely crack the yoke. The flat spot fits up against the fork tube
Once all of the fork clamp bolts, nuts and washers were in place and tightened up, I torqued down the big headnut, then finished up by installing the rear yoke clamp bolt and nut. I'm leaving the bottom yoke clamps loose at this point for "wiggle" room, and I'll want to give the front end a couple of centering bounces once I get the bike on the ground before I torque them down
The next items to consider are the "Gaiters" (No, not "Gators". Frankly, I wouldn't want one of them climbing up my steering forks. Just a little quirk I have...). They bridge the fork bottoms and the headlight mounts. There are grooves inside each end that fit into corresponding slots in the headlight mount and the fork bottoms. One thing I feel deserves special mention is this: the gaiters have these little drain holes in them
Make sure these are oriented down and to the back of the fork before you attach the gaiters as the gaiters are a serious beeee-otch to move once they're in place. I speak from experience.
So, at last, here it is with an engine and forks. Next time I'll cover installing the center stand and front wheel
'til next time
SohRon:
I'd like to get the center stand and the front wheel on and get the bike onto its own... well, maybe the centerstand would be closer to crutches than feet, but you get my drift. First order of business is to mount the fender. Here it is with all of its mounting hardware
The hardware consists of all of these little parts; 19 (or possibly 25), altogether. First off is the fender mounted speedo cable grommet; then six each of the rubber fender grommets; the small metal standoffs, or chain case collars; and the bolts & split washers. The split washers aren't required by Honda, but I recommend their use
Before assembly, I gave the whole inner fender a good shot of Boeshield, especially the inside of the stays, which are "always" rusty
I slipped the rubber grommets into the holes in the fender brace and stays...
...along with the case collars. The brace only gets grommets and collars on the right side as the caliper hanger is attached with the fender on the left
The grommet for the speedo cable just pops into a hole on the fender
Assembling the fender to the forks is pretty straight forward, actually. It's easy to slide it into the gap between the forks and align the bolt holes, after which it's a simple matter to install the fasteners. The ends of the fender stays fit into wells formed into the fork bottoms, and the fender brace attaches on the right side only for now
On the left side, I finished off the fender installation by adding the brake components. Notice that the caliper hanger is sandwiched between the fork leg and fender brace, and everything is attached with two 10mm bolts. The caliper adjusting "bolt" (screw, lower right) slides through a hole in the hanger...
...then screws into a threaded lug in the fork bottom, capturing the hanger arm return spring between the fork and caliper hanger. The bolt threads completely through the lug, where it is locked into place with a nut and washer
Next, the splash shield has a little box-like attachment point that fits down over the lower part of the hanger pin; I secured both shield and pin with a 12mm bolt
Here's the shield in place
And here, at last, is the fender installed.
Next, I moved on to the wheel: this is it. It's actually a '77 model as you can tell by the disc retainers. New bearings and rotor
In this case, due to the way I have the bike sitting on the dolly, mounting the wheel was just a matter of tipping the frame forward and the forks just kind of fell into position on the wheel
The axle nut is cut to accept the fork bottom
These are the axle clamps. They have an interesting profile in that one "leg" of the "U" is shorter than the other (you can view this by setting the clamp on a flat surface); this provides the clamping force that keeps the wheel on the bike. New nuts, washers and (especially) lock washers are an absolute must whenever you replace the wheel, at least in my opinion
I assembled the clamps to the fork with the long "leg" toward the front and the gap to the rear. The trick here is that you fully tighten the front nut before going to the rear nut. I started with the disc side...
...then did the same with the other side; gap to the rear, tightening the front nut first. The speedometer drive just kind of dangles there until the clamp is tightened. I'll set its position later; for now I'm just leaving it oriented in a roughly horizontal position
Adding the clamps completed the front wheel and fender installation.
Handlebars next. I have installed stock grips in place of the earlier foamy ones, and the right-hand switch has been rebuilt ;) . The left switch is a good stock unit I found on ebay
I've restored the bar clamp/dashboard. Chrome bolts are used for a stock installation
The bar simply sits in the cradle provided on the top steering yoke and the clamp fits down over it. The clamp/dash is similar in nature to the wheel clamps in that the front portion is longer than the rear, so installation procedure is the same: tighten the front bolts completely before doing the back ones, leaving the gap to the rear. The bars are positioned by two little punch marks on either side of the clamp that orient them; the marks should line up with the top of the cradle
Tightening the clamp bolts
I want to get this down off the dolly, so the next order of business is the center stand. I picked up this CS from the local boneyard and refinished it in POR-15 Base Coat with a topping of BlackCote (now POR-15 TOPCOAT "Gloss Black"). Here it is with all of its mounting hardware (note the lock washers)
This is a pretty simple installation, made even easier due to the fact that I don't have the swingarm to deal with. The CS just slides into place between the brackets on the frame, then the well-greased CS pivot pipe is inserted...
...and secured with a cotter pin
I then added the clamp bolts. No need to get too aggressive tightening these down, just get them tight enough to be secure. Once the bolts are in place, it's time to install the spring plate and spring; and here's where the beauty of installing these now comes into play. By rotating the CS legs up past horizontal (thanks to the missing swingarm), installing the plate and spring becomes child's play and they easily slide into position; the plate is oriented with the curve pointing down, large hole slipping over the bale on the frame, while the spring connects to the smaller hole on the plate, then to the notched tab on the CS. No money involved... just slide it on. Do it now or you'll regret it as that spring is a serious beeee-otch to assemble at any other point. Believe me. I know.
And, with that, I was able to pull the dolly out and set the bike down on the CS, just one more major step towards completion
Well, I've gone on for too long (as usual), and if you've managed to stay awake through all of this, I'm impressed. Next time I'll be doing the front brake, then tackle the swingarm and the rear wheel, and all of that should be loads of fun.
SohRon:
This session will cover installing the swingarm. I had it coated at Precision Powder Coating just outside of town, same folks who did the frame. Here it is with its privates splayed out for all to see; pivot bolt & nut, collar with end caps and phenolic bearings, swingarm bushings with felt seals
First order of business is installing the swingarm bushings, These need to be recessed a specific distance into the pivot tube, so I made some careful measurements of the old bushing installations before I removed them. I got pretty consistent readings of right around .235" - .240" on both sides, so I determined to set the new bushes in at .240" (a reading consistent with recommendations on this site, BTW). Normally, I'd just use the old bushings to help install the new set, like I did before on the headset, but as I was down at the shop taking measurements of the bushing depth one of the machinists asked me what I was doing. I explained how the bushings had to be recessed, etc, etc, and I guess it was a slow day because he took a couple of measurements, then went away and came back in a few minutes with this nifty little tool (thanks, Doug!). It fits perfectly inside the bushing and installs it to a depth of .240" with just a few hammer taps. Cool! Almost makes me wish I had a few more swingarms to work on...
The reason the bushings are recessed is to accommodate this little stack-up of parts. At top we have the assembly as it fits into the swingarm pivot tube. From right to left we have the pivot nut and bolt, end cap (dust seal), and - it's kind of difficult to see this because, well, it's all together - the phenolic bearing, felt seal, inner bushing and, finally, the collar. I've kind of laid the parts out below. The swingarm butts up against the phenolic bearing and everything else fits into the pivot tube
I greased the collar down well both inside and out, then slid it into the pivot tube. It has two grease channel holes, one on either end, and I tried to keep these oriented to the top of the collar as I inserted it through the bushings and into the pivot tube
the collar's a smidge longer than the swingarm as it is meant to butt up against the end caps
Next, I installed the felt seal. It becomes impregnated (no dinner, no show, no calls afterwards) with grease and acts both as a dust shield and water seal and helps to keep the collar, bushings and pivot tube nice and rust-free. It has a profile like a thick rubber band, and inserts around the collar. It actually fits farther down into the tube than is shown here, but that will be taken care of by the end cap/phenolic bearing...
...the phenolic bearing is essentially a large washer with a raised "lip" encircling the perimeter of the center opening. The bearing slides onto the collar and down over the pivot tube kind of like a cap, with the "lip" protruding into the tube, trapping the felt seal between the swingarm bushing and the bearing (note that these parts have been left ungreased for demonstration purposes; in actual application these should be gooey with grease...)
The end cap then fits over all of this, the phenolic bearing seating in a "dish" formed into the cap
With the end caps installed, I fitted the swingarm into position between the mounting lugs on the frame. The collar and end caps are locked into position by the pivot bolt, which kind of squeezes the frame tubes together to clamp them in place (it's a tight fit to begin with). In operation, the collar, bolt and caps remain stationary while the swingarm pivots around the collar and rotates on the phenolic bearings.
Before installing the pivot bolt, I pre-charged it with grease on both sides, as the two grease channels are separate (inset), then smeared grease over the entire bolt and inserted it from the left side (orienting the grease channel holes towards the top)...
...locking it into place with the lock nut. This nut is still available, and replacing the old, fatigued nut on most of our bikes is certainly recommended. EDIT: Honda recommends this nut be torqued to somewhere between 40 - 60 ft lbs. Bwaller has an excellent procedural recommendation that I'd like to quote here:
Just a little quip I'll throw out there that I learned back in the day. Instead of torquing the swingarm bolt to Honda specs, just continue to tighten the nut until the arm just falls slowly through it's complete travel under it's own weight. I have found on reinstallation with new parts as you have that torquing to spec can be either too loose or too tight. It's a great place to start, but this other method "fine tunes" for each individual bike.
Thanks for the great tip, Bwaller!
Something to notice on the above pic is the grease zerk. This is some kind of Asian version that just doesn't quite fit our grease guns, and folks have a lot of fun bad-mouthing it and replacing it with a more familiar (modern) fitting. The trick with these, however, is that you have to use the right kind of nozzle on the grease gun; the hose type just won't work. What's needed, and what I use, is a rigid pipe nozzle that can be pressed tight against the zerk. This is really a painless operation with the right tool (ain't it always the truth) and, unless you really, really want to, there's just no real reason to replace the fittings, IMHO.
With all of that said, I proceeded to grease the swingarm until grease started coming out around the end cap and from between the cap and the mount on the frame. A little clean-up, and I did the same on the other side. Later models have a different set-up where the swingarm is serviced via a grease zerk located in the middle of the pivot tube
So, here's the swingarm on the bike
To finish up, I'll install the shocks. It's a pretty straight-forward operation consisting of a couple of bolts, washers and acorn nuts. These are the shocks; they're a couple of inches shorter than stock, but still retain the stock appearance
This strange little Diplodocus head actually depicts the swingarm shock mount bushings; I removed them from the swingarm prior to powder coating, then replaced them with new afterwards. These are seriously difficult to remove and re-install. There are several threads on the site that address removing them utilizing various nuts, bolts, 13mm sockets and what-not; I used the 60lb press at work, and when they gave way it sounded like a gunshot
The top "eye" on the shocks slides onto the shock mount stud extending from each side of the frame and is secured with an acorn nut and washer. The bottom clevis fits over the swingarm mount, and a bolt and washer hold it in place.
And with the installation of the shocks, the swingarm assembly is complete.
Well, that's as far as it goes this session. Next I'll cover installing the rear wheel, chain and chain guard, and get this baby up on her own two.. er... feet, as it were.
'til next time
SohRon:
Now that the swingarm is in place, time to turn some attention to the rear wheel. Here it is, in all of its glory
The spokes were installed at Woody's Wheel Works in Denver. I got their "Superlace Supersize" package that utilizes a heavier-gauge spoke set at a slightly different angle than stock so as to locate the spoke geometry closer to 90 degrees to the hub plane. Here are a couple of pics shamelessly purloined from their website that demonstrates this concept
Woody's says that this will make the wheel stronger and less prone to broken spokes (as on the wheel at left in this pic), and gives a one-year guarantee against loosening or breakage of the spokes
Woody's definitely knows their business. While I was there, Andy Parks from the Vintage Aero museum came by and dropped off a spare wheel set for re-spoking and truing for this sweet little machine
The above plane lives about twenty minutes away from me at a small rural airport. It's a 7/8 scale replica of a Royal Aircraft SE5a, a British fighter ca. 1918. It and this full scale Fokker (pronounced "Fah-ker", not "Foe-ker"; and, definitely not "Fuh-..." well, you get the idea) DR1 replica
plus a couple of others fly out of Fort Lupton for special events around the area. Besides the planes, they have an extensive collection of WW1 memorabilia and uniforms; and I've done volunteer duty there, so it was like old home week to see them at Woody's.
Unfortunately, due to the economic downturn the museum has lost some significant funding, so these birds have been mostly grounded and the museum has, for all intents and purposes, been closed. I can only hope things will get better soon; it would be a shame to see the collection broken up and these iconic warbirds sold off.
But, I digress.
Back to the wheel. I installed new brake shoes, rubber dampers and wheel bearings. When time came to remove the bearing retainer, I did some searching on this site and got several good ideas as to how this could be accomplished. I tried them all, and none of them worked for me. I even had the guys down in the machine shop come up with a tool to no avail (Thanks Guys!). The retainer stubbornly refused to budge (yes, I was turning it in the right direction) and all I ended up doing was boogering up the spanner holes in the retainer. I finally broke down and went to Honda, and the guy behind the service counter said, "Sure, we can get that retainer off for you. There could be some trouble, though..."
I said, "Trouble?"
He said; "Yeah, they weren't one of Honda's brightest inventions; these old things get stuck on there, and they can be a bear to get off. Depends on when it was last removed. I've seen 'em break the tool, or they can twist the hub, or I've heard of 'em shattering into a million pieces..."
By this time I was starting to get slightly alarmed; visions of the retainer exploding into shrapnel and taking out the entire shop almost brought me back to the War. But, of course, it had to be done, so I left the wheel and new bearings with him with his promise to call me if anything disastrous occurred. Fortunately, the procedure was accomplished without loss of life or limb, and I got the potential WMD back the next day replete with new bearings. However, you can see in this shot where they had to torch the retainer to get it to move
This is a shot of the rear axle and constituent parts; axle and nut, wheel spacer, wheel stoppers and chain adjusters, plus a bunch of bolts, nuts and washers
I pre-installed the spacer and chain adjuster, then inserted the axle from the brake side. There's not much reason to grease the axle before installing it as the bearings are sealed, and the axle, once in place, doesn't move. At most, a little grease will help make installation through the bearing seats a little easier, and might help cut down on corrosion. I sprayed the axle down with a liberal coating of Boeshield, before installing it into the hub
Something to be aware of here, are the little punch marks on the wide end of the chain adjusters. Make sure that these are correctly oriented to the top prior to assembling the axle stack because if you don't, you won't be able to adjust the chain and you'll have to take everything back apart again. Like I did.
On the chain side, I slipped on the chain adjuster and axle nut/washer
With everything in place, I picked up the wheel and slid it into the axle slots on the swingarm, spreading the chain adjusters slightly to fit over the slot "legs". On the brake side, the spacer fits between the wheel and fork...
One thing to note about the spacer. There are two types for the CB550: the longer spacer is used on the earlier "smooth" brake plates, like mine, while the shorter one was installed with the "reinforced" plate (inset) that became standard for the "K" models in '77, IIRC. This brake plate has a longer "nose" due to an extended internal axle bearing, so it requires a shorter spacer. These plates are not interchangeable, so the right plate with the correct hub (and spacer) is required
I slid the wheel all the way to the front of the axle slot to more easily install the chain
With the wheel on the bike, I next installed the wheel stops. These fit in between the legs on the axle slot and are affixed with a bolt and washer; the bolt hole in the bottom leg is threaded, so the bolt just torques right in. Of course, anyone who knows me knows my penchant for overkill; I went one better (at least in my own mind) on Honda and used longer bolts here. After torquing them down to specs, I installed washers, split washers and nuts on the bottom just to add a little more assurance that the axle doesn't move (inset). It's not required; that's just the way I am.
On to the chain. I purchased it from David Silver Spares, and it seems like a good, quality chain. I soaked it in lacquer thinner overnight, then used a soft brass brush on it and sprayed it down with a good degreaser to get rid of the packing goop. I'm using Chain Wax for lube
and it requires the chain be warmed up before use; they recommend riding the bike around for a few minutes to get the chain prepared but, obviously, I can't do that. I toyed momentarily with tossing it into the oven in the house, but that wouldn't fly with SWMBO and, frankly, I just don't need that kind of grief; so what I did was stretch it out in the driveway and let the sun have at it.
Anyone who has worked on any kind of vehicle in Colorado knows how quickly steel hand tools can heat up in the sun here at 5,000+ feet. Lay your spark plug wrench aside for a couple of seconds, and the damned thing will nearly fry your hand off the next time you go to grab for it.
Within twenty minutes of laying out on the pavement in high altitude sun on a clear summer's day that chain was so hot I could barely handle it. I carried it into the garage tossing it from hand to hand, then hung it from a bolt on the garage door track and commenced to liberally soak it down from top to bottom with chain wax, paying particular attention to the inside of the rollers. I let it sit for a couple of minutes, then flipped it 180 degrees and hit it again. I left it hanging there while I went about mounting the wheel (about an hour), then wiped it off with a shop cloth to remove the excess wax before installation.
Installing the chain couldn't be easier. It's as simple as
Note that I installed the above master link clip with the closed end pointing in the direction of chain travel (to the right in this case; remember that the chain moves in a counter-clockwise direction during normal operation).
With the chain on, I added a little grease to the bearing surface on the wheel stops for the chain adjuster screws...
...then swung the chain adjusters up, pulled back on the wheel to tauten the chain and ran the bolts in, aligning the adjusters evenly using the alignment marks on the swingarm and the punched marks on the adjusters. This may or may not correctly align the front and rear wheels; there are those who have noted that the swingarm marks are not always accurate, so I'll be using the method outlined in the Chilton's book to check alignment. When I do that, I'll post it here
I adjusted the bolts evenly until I attained the required 3/4 inch chain deflection measured at the middle of the bottom run, then tightened down the lock nuts. This is a preliminary setting, and only because the bike is on the CS; it must be re-checked after the bike is back on the ground, so I'll get back to it later.
Here's the procedure as stated in the '74 CB550 Owner's Manual:
"Adjust to provide approximately 3/4 inch (20mm) of [minimum] chain slack at a point midway between the drive sprocket and the rear wheel sprocket. Rotate the wheel and recheck slack at other sections of the chain. Slack must not be less than 3/4 inch (20mm) at a point midway between the sprockets, regardless of the chain section at which measurement is taken"
So, rotate the wheel and check at several spots on the chain for minimum slack before locking in the setting.
Chain, installed
And, what the heck, since I'm here I might as well add the inner fender. Here it is. No mounting hardware; just a big 'ol hunk of ABS plastic
It slides down into the frame and connects to it by means of three-fingered clips welded to each of the rear down tubes
Left side...
...and right
These should be sufficient to hold the inner fender in place until I install the rear fender
Next, the chain case (chain guard). Here is is with its mounting hardware: three bolts, a nut and various washers; two case collars and an oval-shaped standoff; and a stamped metal brace
Something I might mention here that both of these ABS pieces, and others on the bike, have been restored using Mother's "Back to Black". It's like Flitz for plastic
The brace slides into the case; it's been formed to match the molding of the case...
...and it's attached using one of the case collars and a bolt that are inserted from the inboard (wheel) side...
...with a nut and lock washer on the inside of the case that locks the brace into place
The case fits down over the chain, and is connected on the inboard side by these three clips welded to the swingarm, similar to those on the frame for the inner fender (insets). The case just slips down between the clips, where the middle "prong" has a dimple that grabs the "lip" formed into the perimeter of the case
On the outboard side, I installed the remaining two bolts, case collar, and fender washer. A small oval-shaped standoff fits into a similar shaped hole at the first (front) bolt location (inset); the bolt is then inserted using the fender washer for case support. The little standoff allows some wiggle room while installing the chain case, so I left the bolt loose until everything else was in place
The next (rear) bolt is attached utilizing the second case collar. This bolt runs through the chain case, then the chain case support bracket, and screws into the mounting lug on the swingarm, trapping the bracket between the case and mount (inset). With both of the bolts in place, I tightened everything down to final specs
To complete the chain install, I mounted the sprocket and starter motor covers. The starter motor cover has a little gasket that fits up inside it before assembly (inset)
One thing I'd like to point out in the above pic is that I'm replacing the engine bolts here and elsewhere with stainless allen screws. Stainless steel and aluminum don't really get along very well with each other, which can result in galling and/or galvanic corrosion of the bolt/case threads and of the bolt head itself, either of which will lock those bolts up tighter than a spinster's sphincter. In the case of the bolt heads galvanicaly welding themselves to the cases, a simple washer under the bolt head alleviates the problem. For stainless steel bolts into aluminum threads, it has been recommended... nay, it is required that anti-seize be used on these bolts so that they may be removed again, if necessary. It's that important
And, for our purposes, Loctite recommends a zinc based anti-seize for use on the cover bolts, especially important with stainless steel.
For the final step, now that everything else is in place, I torqued the axle bolt to spec and added the cotter pin
So, there it is: wheel, chain and guard. While I didn't get as far as I was hoping, I've gone on long enough. Next time I plan to install the rear fender and front brake, and from there, who knows?
'til next time
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