Topic: CB 550F Adventure Bike

[strynboen]

its normal that the clutch grov stock over vinter..and the first start, it goes bang....but no need to adjust anything.the plates is groving together..and loosen up,,all problems are gone..
...rest of the seson it vill just funktion.fine
.just need to vake up after the vinter sleep...vith a littel bang!

[MD]

Rain, Snow, and more rain.  The sun finally won and I got to work on the bike.  I finished two projects from last year.  I got the Aux power connected.  There is a on/off switch that turns off the USB power connection.  The standard 12v socket is not switched.  This will give me an easy connection for a trickle charger.




Finally go the plumbing correct so that I can run from either tank or both.  This involved changing the petcock to a single outlet style so that there would be room for the fittings and tubing.



-MD

[NobleHops]

Cool bike.I wonder if any exhaust/header builder has ever considered building a dual exh. 'CL' style scrambler exhaust for a 4 cyl. bike?

This was done before for the CB750 by member kghost. Some pics if you search for them. Didnt see the bike run though but he had it on mock up.

Just seeing this post. I own that bike and the mocked up pipes now.

[NobleHops]

Cool bike.I wonder if any exhaust/header builder has ever considered building a dual exh. 'CL' style scrambler exhaust for a 4 cyl. bike?

This was done before for the CB750 by member kghost. Some pics if you search for them. Didnt see the bike run though but he had it on mock up.

He recently sold all of his Texas bike stash to member Nobelhops. Wonder if it went with the sale?

It did 😀

[MD]

I took the bike out and filled both tanks.  Ran with just the rear tank until I ran out of gas.  The bike began stumbling and barking at low RPMs on the main tank.  With both tanks I was able to run 200+ miles.  Today I drained the carbs and added sea-foam to both tanks.  Did a 53 mile loop and the bike ran much better. 

The bike still has a surging issue.  This has happened with the original and re-built carbs.  I have decided to replace the 40yr old plug caps with NKG 5K caps.  While I am at it the bike will get new plugs.

-MD

[scunny]

to avoid clutch plates sticking if not using the bike for a while, tie the clutch lever in to the handle bars to keep the plates apart.

[MD]

Finally got the NKG 5K caps installed.  During the test run and holiday traffic the surging issue did not show up.    

Still evaluating the dual tank setup,  during today's run, after the bike started starving, I turned on the front tank.  When I got home I found that the bike had drained the rear tank pretty dry.

-MD

[MD]

I purposelessly ran out of gas.    I did not have to push the bike though.  Here is the rest of the story.  After emptying the rear tank, I filled it but did not open its valve.  I continued to run on the main tank.  I wanted to see when I would have to switch to the reserve.  At 295 miles I had to switch to the reserve.  The reserve ran dry at 308 miles.  The short of this is if I have to use reserve find gas quick.  The miles were a mixture of gravel back road, 2 lane highway, and 2 lane paved curvy.  The spark caps have improved mileage.  I will get the actual number when I fill the front tank.  That will  wait till I get the Carbs balanced.

[MD]

Made my first excursion in the world of carb syncing today.   While the bike was warming up.  I adjusted the plastic valves that came with synchronizer.  These did calm down the needles.  I adjusted them so there was just a little bounce.  I did not make any adjustments to #2.  I started by adjusting 1 and then proceeded to do 3 & 4.  After I did that 1 was not balanced so I adjusted 1 again.  I spent a good chunk of an hour trying to get them the same.  Before next time I will get my self the special tool to loosen/tighten the retaining nut while holding the screw.

-MD

[MD]

Got a chance to give the bike a good ride.  I am not sure if the sync made it better but it definitely did not make things worse.    I got it up to speed and climbed a hill in 5th that would have had cars dropping out of overdrive. 

-MD

[MD]

Looks like the rear is good, you don't have rounding of the edge of the teeth to the point of making them sharper and sometimes really worn ones will appear very sharply pointed and hooked.

A check of your front sprocket is also a good idea.  Just to be certain.  Odds are they are in good shape. The service manual gives some guidance if I recall correctly.
The chain measurement is best done off the bike and that is difficult unless you are linking a new chain to the old to feed it over and around the front sprocket without disassembling more things.  You replaced the chain so it is all good.
The chain is measured for wear by compressing it to its shortest length for a foot and then pulling it to see how much it expands...that shows the wear on the bearing surfaces of the chain links.

Here's a Youtube video a quick search showed for how to determine if you need new sprockets:

If the tops of the teeth are very pointed then you need to replace them as they should have a flat on the top like when new. The other wear pattern is a pronounced hooking on one side of the sprocket. That will wear your chain if left as well.  The chain will start to show signs of grooves cut into it as well.
The edges of the teeth will also wear instead of being square shouldered.

I am betting that your front sprocket is good if they cared for it as well as the rear.

Good idea to change the oil in the bike before tucking it away for winter given the acids and other junk in the oil that form from operation.  No need to give that stuff time to work on the internals.

David

David,

Finally got to looking at front sprocket today.  Of course I had to throw a chain first.



The saga began good enough.  I had run into town to some errands on Wednesday and took the scenic route home which included some narrow twisty gravel roads.  I decided it was time fill the tanks up before heading home.  As I was pulling into the gas station the chain slipped off.  Once on the center stand I was able to roll the chain back on the rear sprocket.  The chain was loose so I maxed out the adjuster.  I only had to go three miles to get home.  Filled the tanks and forgot to turn off both tanks.  When I came outside after paying I had has dripping under the bike.     Started home and notice the chain was making the noise of rubbing on the center stand.  I didn't make it too far before the chain came apart.  Got the bike to side of the road and saw the bad news.  As I was taking my jacket and helmet off,  an other local rider came along.  He ran back to his shop, got his truck and trailer, and gave me and the bike a ride home.

Lesson learned:  I should have inspected the chain after I spun it back on the rear sprocket.

Postmortem:  The master link on the chain was the style with the lock clip.  This is where the chain came apart.  The clip was installed in the correct direction.  Reading about the stories of chains coming off and taking a chunk out of the transmission, I was relieved to see no oil leaking out of the bike. 

I had purchased a chain tool last year but had not used it much.  I had a chain with only 15 miles on it that was too long.  I picked up a new rivet style master link Thursday.   It took me a good chunk of three hours today to shorten and install the chain.

-MD

[MD]

Replaced the front stay that got damaged when I dropped the bike last fall.  I was hoping that I could sneak connections inside the  fixture instead of pulling the wire out of the bucket and re-running.  Alas no room so I pulled the wires out of the bucket, replace the stay and ran the wires back into the bucket.

Under the technical forum I had started a discussion about how much power the ignition system consumes.  I spent a good part of an hour searching with google but could not find the thread.  I picked up a fuse tester from Harbor Freight that will also tell you the amperage draw on a circuit.   What I found for the main fuse was:

@1000 rpm  9.2 amps * 12v = 110.4 watts
@5000 rpm  9.6 amps * 14.5v = 139.2 watts

I used 12v for 1000 rpm given that until you have 2000 rpm the stator does not charge the system.

-MD

[754]

Just read thru part of your thread.
 Two things...
Easy check fir worn chain,  go to rear of back sprocket and pull chain away from sprocket . Try it now on your new one,m your old one would have pulled out a lot..dead giveaway.
 Lifting a downed Honda 4 by the end of the bars will often bend them, you have to grasp near the tree or other points. You may want to switch to a braced handlebar..may need a pad.

[MD]

..may need a pad.

754,

Are you referring to the seat or the bars?

-MD

[754]

Crossbar handlebars are often padded.

[MD]

Replaced the headlight and turn signals today.  Amperage draw prior to the  change.

 
@1000 rpm  9.2 amps * 12v = 110.4 watts
@5000 rpm  9.6 amps * 14.5v = 139.2 watts

After the Halogen 6024,  LED 1156, & LED 1157 bulbs

@1000 rpm 8.4 amps * 12v = 100.8 watts
@2000 rpm 8.5 amps
@3000 rpm 8.6 amps
@5000 rpm 8.8 amps * 14.5v = 127.6 watts

Each additional 1000 rpm adds .1 amps of draw so @9000 rpm draw should be 9.2 amps.

I had ordered an LED turn signal flasher.  It did not work.  I tried adjusting its potentiometer but failed to see flashing turn signals.  I also tried the original controller.  I have ordered an other controller that explicitly states it does not require load resistors.

-MD

[MD]

Still having issues with the LED turn signals.  I started a technical thread.  After listening to the words of wisdom I have LED dash lights on order. 

Did some more 40+ year maintenance and replaced the front wheel bearings.  The front end did not have any play just precautionary.  The original non sealed bearings still looked good.  The new bearings are sealed.  I looked for a video showing the replacement procedure.  I did not find one so I used the experiences from the back wheel as a first step.  After removing the wheel, I tapped the retaining ring both clockwise and counter to see if it was left hand threaded.  After moving it both directions it became apparent that it was normal threads.  Driving the bearings out went OK till I discovered you can't get them both out the retainer side.  Removed the rotor and drove the bearing out the other side.  I probably should have looked the written manuals I have. Got the wheel back on the bike but in the process discovered that one of 8m nuts was stripped out.  Got a 8m x 1.25 from the hardware store but before I could put it on I had the clean the stripped threads out of the fork bolt.  I had the correct die and was able to clean the threads.  Took the bike for a twenty mile run this afternoon.  Every thing ran normally.

-MD

[MD]

Got the driving lights wired into the low beams.  Acquired some bullet connectors from 4into1 of the vintage Honda size.



In the process a printing a box to add a on/off switch for the driving lights.

-MD

[MD]

Here is how the road looks with the driving lights + low beam vs high beam only.





After the ride, I decided to  move the power feed to the front marker lights so that I can run the driving lights on both low and high beam. 

Except for the headlight I am now running all LED lights.  Got the tach and speedo lights replaced.  One benefits of the LED neutral light is you can see the indirect flash when shifting between 1st and 2nd.  Helpful when you loose your count.

-MD


-MD

[MD]

If you don't want to wear a camel back, where are you going to reach for a drink while riding?  Took a look on Amazon and didn't find a cup holder that I wanted.  Ordered a 5 pack of circular cabinet magnets and printed out a cup holder.  A package of straws and a hole in a generic bottle top should complete the project.



-MD

[RAFster122s]

The harley guys have one I have seen it clamped to the handle bar and had a pivot mounting so it could swing fore and aft to presumeably prevent spills...had to mount the holder with cup deep enough to be at about 75% below the pivot to prevent any spills I would think.

Are the cabinet magnets a non-marring type?

[MD]

The harley guys have one I have seen it clamped to the handle bar and had a pivot mounting so it could swing fore and aft to presumeably prevent spills...had to mount the holder with cup deep enough to be at about 75% below the pivot to prevent any spills I would think.

Are the cabinet magnets a non-marring type?

Those gimbal mount devices are nice.  I am running out of real-estate on my handle bars. (The goldwing would be a good canidate for that type of holder.)  I have an old scratched up fuel fill lid.  I am not as worried about.  I did put packing tape over the magnet.

-MD

[RAFster122s]

Got any room beneath a windscreen mount bolt (through the screen holes up hig where you could put a mount strap to hold your bottle holder.  You would not have to move it when refueling.  If you take a couple small towels you can wrap them around your bottle or cup securing with a few rubber bands. The towels  will insulate your cold or warm drink and reduce or eliminate the bottle sweating and keep your cold drinks cooler in the summer and warm drinks warmer.  A can coozie can do the same...just a thought to throw out there.  You could get fancy and use one that velcroed on and used that foam sheeting they use in packaging/shipping in layers.  Even bubblewrap forms an "air" insulating area for your cover...
David

[MD]

Even bubblewrap forms an "air" insulating area for your cover...
David

David,

Though the holder looks solid it is not.  When printing you get to choose the density of the solid area.  For this build I used 80%.  The interior is honeycomb giving it some of the insulating properties you mentioned.

-MD

[jgger]

Bicycle shops have bottle holders that have nice solid mounting. Google Jenson U.S.A.