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Offline Flatlander80

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1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« on: December 03, 2015, 08:16:32 PM »
First off, I'd like to thank the members of this forum even though they don't know me... But they have helped me diagnose more problems than I thought I'd ever have. This forum has been a valuable tool.

I bought a non-running 1980 CB 650 Custom in April, thinking I'd be riding by the end of May... Here she is in all her dusty glory.



And to make a long story really really short, here's how the project turned out.



Ended up putting over 5000k (I'm in Canada, after all) before parking it for the winter. I had my ups and downs with this project, with a lot of solutions coming out of the posts here...

I'll add more of what I did to the bike, the snags I ran into, and what the next steps are.



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Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #1 on: December 04, 2015, 09:03:56 AM »
Another flatlander!?

Nice rework of the 650 Custom.  I have one, too, but a 1982 model.  I gutted mine for the motor to swap into a 550 frame.



The one thing with the 80-82 650s I wish Honda had done differently is the low dipped seat.  A little too cruiser for me.  I've seen people even them out or re-do the frame rails.
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1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline Flatlander80

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1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #2 on: December 04, 2015, 01:05:03 PM »
Yup, another flatlander... Mine refers to the fact that I'm in the heart of the prairies...

I agree that the dipped seat wasn't my favorite thing about the bike at first, but I did rework the seat a bit (built up on the rider's position, shaved down on the passenger's, and removed the chrome trim piece that exaggerates that dip)... I might have reworked the frame, but the side covers were in great shape, so didn't want to have to build something to replace them...

Like the stance of your bike. Looks very similar, but it think your bars are flatter...


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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #3 on: December 05, 2015, 11:49:05 AM »
Adding to the story of the project.

I bought the bike in non-running condition. PO said it had been running 2 years ago, that tank and carbs would have to be cleaned, and should be good to go.

I knew I wanted to make some changes (flatter bars, lower fork, cosmetics/clean-up) so I immediately started tearing down the bike.





Knew a few things wouldn't be going back in the bike (the HUGE 10lb. tail light, signals, fork ears). Ordered LED turn signals, Lucas style tail light, valve cover gaskets, bars, and bar end mirrors, then started cleaning the carbs...



I didn't think they were too bad (I've heard of worse, but the fuel in the tank was rank)...


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Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #4 on: December 05, 2015, 02:20:30 PM »
Those carburetors are not bad at all.  I would suggest that, in addition to soaking them in Simple Green degreaser, you also get the cleaned ultrasonically.  There are little deposits that the soak alone may/will not dislodge.
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1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #5 on: March 05, 2016, 10:46:33 PM »
We've had a beautiful week here in good ol' SK, and with some snow melting, thoughts are turning towards getting the bike back out here (hopefully sooner than later)... Ordered a few new parts today, but never posted the completion of the bike last summer. Better do that before more I do more work.


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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #6 on: March 05, 2016, 10:49:41 PM »
With the carbs apart and getting them cleaned, I turned my attention to a few cosmetics. The exhaust was rough, but a lot of sanding and a bit of flat black high temp paint made them look a lot better.






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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #7 on: March 05, 2016, 10:57:37 PM »
The tank needed some love inside and out. Cleaned it with apple cider vinegar (it did an ok job, but not perfect). It had a few dents that I filled and worked on.





The work took a few weekends (in between doing other stuff on the bike), but finally got it ready to paint.



And then painted.




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Offline flatlander

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #8 on: March 05, 2016, 11:03:01 PM »
Quote from: Flatlander80 on December 04, 2015, 01:05:03 PM
Yup, another flatlander... Mine refers to the fact that I'm in the heart of the prairies...

ha! i never thought my forum name would become this popular. should have patented it and charge license fees ;)
anyway, welcome! mine is because i'm in the flattest country i ever lived in: the netherlands. i see you have a kayak as well. looks like paddling is one more thing we have in common.

i agree with don on the dipped seat, it just looks weird to me.
what's going on with the exhaust: your pic of the complete bike has black headers and chrome muffler - the work in progress is the other way around?
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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #9 on: March 05, 2016, 11:03:16 PM »
A few more cosmetics. Side covers were on the bike. One was cracked on the corner, one of the posts was broken off (but amazingly, the post was still in the rubber mount)... Some epoxy and sanding and voila...










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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #10 on: March 05, 2016, 11:12:17 PM »
Ordered a new set of handlebars, fork ears, and painted the headlight bucket. Figured it out that back together to see how it looked and felt.



Also cut the brackets that hold the covers off the air box, and flat blacked that as well.



Flattened out the bracket that holds the gauges so they don't sit up so high, and actually flipped it over to drop it down about another half inch.





I was pretty happy with that result. Made the front of the bike feel a lot lower.


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Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #11 on: March 06, 2016, 12:15:20 AM »
I like how you lowered the profile of the gauges.
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1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #12 on: March 06, 2016, 08:15:27 AM »

Quote from: flatlander on March 05, 2016, 11:03:01 PM
i agree with don on the dipped seat, it just looks weird to me.
what's going on with the exhaust: your pic of the complete bike has black headers and chrome muffler - the work in progress is the other way around?

The dipped seat never really stuck out to me at first. I wasn't looking specifically for a 650, but I came across it and jumped on it. Later in the project, I shaved the seat (those pics to come). Who knows, maybe I'll redo the back of the frame at some time...

You're right about the exhaust. I ended up changing it, but that was after another major mechanical issue (the engine ended up being pooched)


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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #13 on: March 06, 2016, 08:28:36 AM »
A few more this morning.

Painted the front forks, cleaned up the front wheel, got the front end put back together.







I think by this time I had also replaced the valve cover gaskets, and had the carbs reassembled and back on. Had trouble finding a battery, so focused on other things.


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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #14 on: March 06, 2016, 08:40:12 AM »
Time for the rear fender. Took off the HUGE and HEAVY tail light/signals. Turns out the rear fender was cracked and a bit rusted underneath anyhow, so off it went.





Purchased a Lucas style tail light and LED signals... Decided where I'd like them to be mounted.





Used the curve of the old fender to make a template. Marked and cut it.



Hmm, don't have a pic of the cut fender, but I do have ones of everything mounted. Here is where I knew the seat was waaaaay to high at the rear.








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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #15 on: March 06, 2016, 09:09:11 AM »
So here's what I did to the seat.

When I took off the vinyl (which was in good shape), turns out someone else had already done a bit of modification.



Bought a camping pad (good, firm foam), shaved the seat, and glued a few layers of the foam on top.



And with everything together, she ended up looking like this.




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Offline Flatlander80

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1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #16 on: March 29, 2016, 05:52:59 PM »
Pulled the bike out of storage today, and as I tinkered on a few things and made a list, figured I'd better (at least) post how the rest of the project went last year. When I left off, I had done the seat, and was getting the bike to run properly after fixing a few carb problems (cracked insulators, vacuum leak, missing idle adjust, etc). I must have taken the carbs off and put them on 10 times in that stretch... Finally got it making some power, and got it out at the beginning of June... That didn't last too long. A few hundred km, and she lost all power on the highway one day. Turns out the head was shot. Metal in the oil, ends of the cams were gouged, rocker surfaces scored... Not a good thing.

Here she is on the side of the road the day she packed it in.




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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #17 on: March 29, 2016, 05:58:58 PM »
It sat for about a month. School was busy (I'm a teacher and coach spring football, do a canoe trip w students, etc)... And honestly, I felt defeated. I poured a lot of time and effort into the bike to have this happen.





But, eventually I got over it, and the spring project turned into a summer project...


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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #18 on: March 29, 2016, 06:06:03 PM »
After doing some research and Ebay lurking, I decided against replacing the head and rebuilding the rest of the engine. Shipping for a head or engine was super high, and a rebuild would be a last resort. So I started looking for an entire engine. After a few weeks, I found a donor bike, and pulled the trigger on it (another $700)... In for a penny, in for a pound. The bike had no seat, and was chopped up a bit, but everything else was good. New tires (so now I have spares), a 4 into 1 exhaust that was a lot more solid than mine, clubman bars (not my thing), and a myriad of other parts if I ever needed...




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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #19 on: March 29, 2016, 06:16:06 PM »
I stripped down "Smokey" to a rolling chassis, pulled the engine out of the donor,  and started the swap. I have to thank my Dad for all his help here. Pulling an engine is a 2 person job, as well as solving a few of the problems we found along the way.



Both engines side by side.



Cleaned up the "new" engine



Painted it with high temp "Hibachi Black" paint (I didn't bother masking the valve covers... The ones on the other engine were in better condition, and I had replaced those gaskets.



And finally brightened up the fins by sanding back down to metal.






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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #20 on: March 29, 2016, 06:28:27 PM »
Got the engine back in the bike, and it was time to start reassembling.



It came together in a few days, and also shortened the forks by about an inch (had to change seals/oil anyhow, so cut the springs and added brass spacers).



Worked out a few more gremlins (set the fuel levels, and replaced the bowl gaskets to fix an air leak)...



We finished it up by the middle of July, and I road it for the rest of the summer and fall... Put about 3000km on it all together, and it was a blast.




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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #21 on: March 29, 2016, 06:37:46 PM »
That brings it up to date... It's now time to get it ready for this year. I'm not going to do any major mechanical modifications if I can help it, but I've ordered some parts, and have a few more things in mind.

1) redo the heads. It was burning quite a bit of oil, so new valve seals, gaskets, etc will be the first step.
2) new headlight, grips, and a few cosmetics.
3) +1 on the front sprocket and -1 on the rear to get the revs down a bit on the highway.
4) I want to use the existing helmet lock to make the seat removable w the key, and make helmet tabs on the frame to hang it. Also might relocate the bar end mirrors.
5) going to eliminate the ugly warning light pod that sits between the gauges and replace with LEDs.

That should keep me busy for a while.


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Offline SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #22 on: March 29, 2016, 07:44:39 PM »
That was a pretty painless engine swap.  Inspirational to those who want to drop a 650 into a 550!  What you did plus some additional electronic adjustments.
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1975 CB550K1 "Blue" Stockish Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=135005.0)
1975 CB550F1 frame/CB650 engine hybrid "The Hot Mess" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,150220.0.html)
2008 Triumph Thruxton (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,190956.0.html)
2014 MV Agusta Brutale Dragster 800
2015 Yamaha FZ-09 (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,186861.0.html)

"There are some things nobody needs in this world, and a bright-red, hunch-back, warp-speed 900cc cafe racer is one of them — but I want one anyway, and on some days I actually believe I need one.... Being shot out of a cannon will always be better than being squeezed out of a tube. That is why God made fast motorcycles, Bubba." Hunter S. Thompson, Song of the Sausage Creature, Cycle World, March 1995.  (http://www.latexnet.org/~csmith/sausage.html and https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1995/3/1/song-of-the-sausage-creature)

Sold/Emeritus
1973 CB750K2 "Bionic Mongrel" (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=132734.0) - Sold
1977 CB750K7 "Nine Lives" Restomod (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=50490.0) - Sold
2005 RVT1000RR RC51-SP2 "El Diablo" - Sold
2016+ Triumph Thruxton 1200 R (http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php/topic,170198.0.html) - Sold

Offline Flatlander80

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1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #23 on: July 20, 2016, 04:35:47 PM »
It's been a while since I posted anything about the 650, but just completed a few of the items above, so a good time for an update.

First off, did a few cosmetics. New headlight, grips, levers, and remounted the bar end mirrors to the stock mirror positions... Also changed the sprockets (+1 on the front, -1 on the rear) Had 'er on the road by the end of April, and the change in sprockets really calmed the bike down at highway speeds.








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« Last Edit: July 20, 2016, 04:37:35 PM by Flatlander80 »
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Offline Flatlander80

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Re: 1980 CB 650 (spring project)
« Reply #24 on: July 20, 2016, 04:49:11 PM »
After reading a few posts on Mac exhaust and the baffles, I pulled mine out and took a look. The front plate was already drilled with 8 holes, so I drilled 8 in the back plate and a few the flattened part where the two pipes meet. Now she sounds a bit meaner, and there was no real difference in performance. I didn't think it would lean it out too much, and that was confirmed when I pulled my plugs.


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