Topic: 1976 CB550 K2 First timer - Sold

[mscuiletti]

**EDIT** As photobucket changed their policy, I will attach a few photos summarizing progress on this post until I am able and willing to upload the many photos I have again.

Hi everyone,

Firstly, mods,  I created an introduction thread but realized I should be posting this here, so I will edit the intro to remove most of this. Thanks!

I have lurked here for a while, afraid of posting as this is my first build and I also know many of you may hate me for the angle grinder to the frame. Anyways, I grew up riding circles around my house on an old Yamaha Razz, until the blow-by caused a white circle and killed the grass. Mom put a stop to that quickly. I have ridden a few dirtbikes, the biggest being a 250. I have always been fascinated by anything on two wheels. I finally moved into a place with a garage, and got a local job after commuting out of state for many years. I decided I was ready for a project. I grew up frequenting garages, as my father was a mechanic, eventually teaching automotive at a couple colleges. I have plenty of experience because of this, but only on automobiles.

Knowing that I wanted a complete build, and that I planned on hacking the bike to pieces, I wanted to avoid a clean bike. I found a bike that had been sitting for many years in a run down house in Detroit. I paid $150 for it, and had to drag it into the trailer, as everything seemed seized. I also found the largest spider I have ever seen (not at a zoo) that was hiding in the airbox. The thing scared me half to death when it ran out of the bike, past my feet, and into the corner of the garage. I relocated it, as the thing was just too long-lived to squish.

I will attach photos of the progress made thus far, but there is still a long long way to go. Hopefully the frame cutting does not offend anyone here, but again, this bike was headed to the salvage yard for scrap, so I believe I am giving it another shot at life.

I welcome any recommendations or suggestions, but an original restoration is out of the question at this point.

**EDIT** As photobucket changed their policy, I will attach a few photos summarizing progress on this post until I am able and willing to upload the many photos I have again.

When I picked it up:
FB_IMG_1511236187990 by marc_scuiletti, on Flickr

FB_IMG_1511236171908 by marc_scuiletti, on Flickr

Cheap welder:
FB_IMG_1511236131263 by marc_scuiletti, on Flickr

FB_IMG_1511236124839 by marc_scuiletti, on Flickr

New to fabricating, be nice:
FB_IMG_1511236111135 by marc_scuiletti, on Flickr

FB_IMG_1511236114464 by marc_scuiletti, on Flickr

FB_IMG_1511236118210 by marc_scuiletti, on Flickr

FB_IMG_1511236141391 by marc_scuiletti, on Flickr

Current state:


I will continue with updates, and cannot wait to get this thing running. Maybe in a season or two.

Cheers,
Marc

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Mark,

You removed the rear cross-member that doubles as a fender mount.  It provides support to prevent lateral twist to the frame.  You should replace it with a new flatter cross member OR weld a hoop to the rear.

Also, you might want to remove the rear passenger peg mounts since it looks like you are cutting down the seat length and eliminating the need for a passenger seat.

[flatlander]

are you sure spiderman is not going to come after you for stealing his bike and home?

this thread may provide some help:
http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=86697.0
i know you don't want to keep it original as is done there but you can find many helpful detail descriptions.

[mscuiletti]

Mark,

You removed the rear cross-member that doubles as a fender mount.  It provides support to prevent lateral twist to the frame.  You should replace it with a new flatter cross member OR weld a hoop to the rear.

Also, you might want to remove the rear passenger peg mounts since it looks like you are cutting down the seat length and eliminating the need for a passenger seat.

I am aware of that crossmember. I am welding in a rear hoop to tie the frame together and bracing from beneath. The rear pegs will stay as the seat will be long enough for two.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

Cool.  Not to insult your intelligence, but some folks have taken an alternative path. . . .

[riverfever]

I love that sissy bar! Seriously.

[mscuiletti]

Cool.  Not to insult your intelligence, but some folks have taken an alternative path. . . .

No worries, and now you have me curious about these alternative paths. I wish now that I simply cut off the fender mount but left the frame that extended rearwards behind the shock mounts, but it's too late for that now. Now I know for future builds (I really want to restore an older dirtbike or dual sport to take on camping adventures next).

I love that sissy bar! Seriously.

I still have it. It's rusty, but you can have it. It reminds me so much of a screen door my family had at my childhood home. 

This weekend I treated myself and bought an inexpensive welder. It was on sale and although isn't very powerful, I figured I wouldn't be using it on anything TOO thick. I spot welded a slug in to test, and quickly realized I need to get some scrap to practice on as it's been a few years. I will try to get the tube bent this week and welded into place. Ignore the ugly welds for now, as I will clean them up with a flap disc and powdercoat.

[calj737]

Be careful welding to the stock frame. The metal is very thin, and if you're setup too hot, you'll actually blow away the frame tubing before you ever get the slug/loop welded to it. Also, its advisable to thoroughly clean the outside and inside of the tube to help your arc.

Practice on flat metal and get your technique squared away. Then, when you do weld to the tubing, spot tacks around it. Or, short length tacks. Don't try to run the entire circumference of the tube seam. Welding "uphill" and "downhill" is not for the novice welder. 

[mscuiletti]

Be careful welding to the stock frame. The metal is very thin, and if you're setup too hot, you'll actually blow away the frame tubing before you ever get the slug/loop welded to it. Also, its advisable to thoroughly clean the outside and inside of the tube to help your arc.

Practice on flat metal and get your technique squared away. Then, when you do weld to the tubing, spot tacks around it. Or, short length tacks. Don't try to run the entire circumference of the tube seam. Welding "uphill" and "downhill" is not for the novice welder. 

Thanks for the advice. I actually have the rear piece of the frame so I imagine it would behoove me to practice on that as well, so I can get the welder honed in.

[calj737]

Its actually best to practice with flat metal. Lay some beads. Use some flat pieces and weld seams together. Welding on tube is pretty difficult and not the best place to start... What type of welder did you buy?

[mscuiletti]

Its actually best to practice with flat metal. Lay some beads. Use some flat pieces and weld seams together. Welding on tube is pretty difficult and not the best place to start... What type of welder did you buy?

I have actually taken welding classes so I am not completely green, its just been awhile. I will get some practice in, don't you worry. The welder is just a cheapo Chicago Electric. I would love a nicer welder, but hopefully this will suffice. I don't plan on using it much more than making simple brackets and such. I do have a friend who works at an NHRA chassis shop locally, so he may end up doing the actual frame work on Thursday.

[mscuiletti]

I have not made any updates in awhile, so I'll take a moment to show my progress. Again, this is my first build, so it's ugly, but I cannot imagine a better way to learn.

Figuring out how big to make the hoop:


Once I was happy with the size, I made some gussets, and boxed it all in.


Fabbed up a seat pan. The upholsterer ordered foam and a saddle leather vinyl, to do a tuck and roll seat.




I built a table to work on and elevate the bike, and started working on an electronics tray.



I am no body man, but again, may as well learn...


I used an enamel paint on the frame. I originally wanted to powdercoat, but figure that I will inevitably drop the bike, or want to weld on some new bracket down the road that I realized I missed..


I tried my hand at polishing for the first time:



More polishing... (I have only used black rouge)




My single biggest regret in life was not cleaning the hubs before having the local shop lace and true. I initially planne d on painting them black and had not even thought of only painting the hub and rim, and THEN lacing. Guess I'll call this a learning experience. I may still attempt to clean these up via various brushed, dremel attachments, and maybe even trying the aluminum foil trick. I did spend a quick minute with the drill which explains why its not ALL crusty.



I have the stem and races in my freezer currently, so will hopefully install the tapered bearings soon.

Here is a question for you all. The motor is spinning freely now, thanks to some seafoam. Would you all just take the time and rebuild while it is out, or just clean it up and get it back into the frame?

[calj737]

Clean it up, pop it in the frame, and run it. Then you know whether a rebuild is warranted. (Drain the oil and replace the filter first  )

[mscuiletti]

Clean it up, pop it in the frame, and run it. Then you know whether a rebuild is warranted. (Drain the oil and replace the filter first  )

Sounds good to me. I have been putting it off. There are so many nooks and crannies to clean. I better buy a case of cold ones before I start. Thanks for the input!

[mscuiletti]

Did some work this weekend. I installed the new tapered bearings and races:


I tested some rust removal using Metal Rescue, for curiosity sake:


This is after soaking around 24 hours, following by blowing with compressed air:


This was the motor at the beginning of the weekend:




After spending many hours cleaning the motor and cooling fins, I sprayed primer:



Painted in Duplicolor's Cast Aluminum Engine Enamel. I still need to polish more, and also realize now that I should not have propped the motor with the oil filter housing for photos:


I realized I had forgot to cover the clutch cover so that needs to be cleaned and polished:


The motor mounts are soaking now, but i am still looking for an upper rear engine hanger bolt, as i cut mine off when I was unable to get it to budge during disassembly.

[calj737]

The motor mounts are soaking now, but i am still looking for an upper rear engine hanger bolt, as i cut mine off when I was unable to get it to budge during disassembly.

I may have one. Let me look and I'll let you know.

[mscuiletti]

The motor mounts are soaking now, but i am still looking for an upper rear engine hanger bolt, as i cut mine off when I was unable to get it to budge during disassembly.

I may have one. Let me look and I'll let you know.

Thanks! If so, I can google wallet/paypal/mail a money order.

[calj737]

The motor mounts are soaking now, but i am still looking for an upper rear engine hanger bolt, as i cut mine off when I was unable to get it to budge during disassembly.

I may have one. Let me look and I'll let you know.

Thanks! If so, I can google wallet/paypal/mail a money order.

Cash. Cold hard cash. Don't people use it anymore?

Kidding, I have one and its yours. PM me an address 

[mscuiletti]

I thought rather than spend the next week polishing bits and ends, I would mount the motor and just work toward getting the bike running. I would hate to spend all this time making it shiny and turn out that the motor has a bent valve or something. It keeps getting warmer and there is much to do.

I mounted the motor, minus a few bolts on the front mounts (longer bolts had been used to mount the crash bar) and minus the upper hanger bolt.



The frame is sitting low, so I will likely need to raise it with longer shocks. Is there a general rule of thumb as to how much space I need between the tire and pan while sitting, or should i just sit on it and bounce around a lot to ensure I am not close to making contact?

Again, I am still waiting for the upholsterer to get the vinyl so he can foam the pan and do a tuck and roll.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

That looks pretty low. 

[calj737]

Having installed a flat hoop for your seat, the stock shocks will be way too low. Your options are limited to: Reconfiguring the hoop, installing much longer rear shocks (which changes the steering geometry) or running a much smaller rear tire.

[mscuiletti]

Good thing I planned on replacing those old shocks anyways. I'll start measuring. Thanks!

[calj737]

So, something else you need to "measure" is the actual resulting steering geometry. By raising the rear, you are "reducing" the front. This is all about rake and trail measurements. These measurements are what dictate handling and stability characteristics for your bike. If you go too far, you can essentially create a bike that is too quick in the steering, "falls over" in turns, and in the worst case scenario, generates a tank slapper down the road.

Conversely, too little geometry makes your bike feel like a raked out chopper that won't turn in. You can do a little research with Google on rake/trail calculators to see what dimensions are used, how to take them, and plug your results into a calculator to see the effects.

You are not the first, nor will you be the last to encounter this hiccup 

[mscuiletti]

So, something else you need to "measure" is the actual resulting steering geometry. By raising the rear, you are "reducing" the front. This is all about rake and trail measurements. These measurements are what dictate handling and stability characteristics for your bike. If you go too far, you can essentially create a bike that is too quick in the steering, "falls over" in turns, and in the worst case scenario, generates a tank slapper down the road.

Conversely, too little geometry makes your bike feel like a raked out chopper that won't turn in. You can do a little research with Google on rake/trail calculators to see what dimensions are used, how to take them, and plug your results into a calculator to see the effects.

You are not the first, nor will you be the last to encounter this hiccup 

Can i be your protege? I will do some reading over the weekend and sort that out prior to ordering new shocks. Would it behoove me to get the starter, exhaust, and other heavier items installed prior to taking these measurements? I dont imagine they would add a ton of weight, but I would rather get the geometry correct as the bike is ready to ride, as opposed to it's current state.

Also, thank you so much for the advice. I realize I take time from your day with these questions. I am thoroughly impressed with the helpfulness of everyone on this site.

[calj737]

You don't need the other parts installed to measure. It's not that critical a tolerance.