Author Topic: A Noob's 75 CB550 Cafe Project Thread ------- Stick a fork in it... ;-) (Read 210403 times)

doug_id · « **Reply #525 on:** March 26, 2007, 03:58:32 PM »

Quote from: tintin on March 26, 2007, 03:49:34 PM

Very nice fender treatment. Great addition. Don't know if you covered it, but how did you machine the slots in the left sprocket cover? Very nicely done. Oh, and the rearset shift linkage looks WAAAAY better than it did before.

Thx TinTin,

Actually was fun making it. In past winters I have been making stained glass lamps as my hobby. Shaping the fender on the bench grinder is just like shaping the glass pieces with the glass grinder.....except that the glass doesn't get red hot when grinding it (OUCH

).

I wish I could take credit for the side cover but I got it from a guy on e-bay. Sell ID = clazkawz sounded like he was planning on making more so keep an eye out.

Funny on the linkage....I got it more perpendicular but it doesn't downshift as easily as it did....maybe I tightened the ball joints to much or something is binding..

....have to play with it.

Doug

dagersh · « **Reply #526 on:** March 26, 2007, 04:51:30 PM »

Doug,

That fender looks Aces! Does not detract from the look of the bike at all, and it will definitely add to your stability/handling. I have been avidly following your thread since the start, and it really inspired me to start working on my own stuff. The cafe boys would be proud!

Gersh

doug_id · « **Reply #527 on:** March 26, 2007, 06:26:41 PM »

Quote from: dagersh on March 26, 2007, 04:51:30 PM

Doug,

That fender looks Aces! Does not detract from the look of the bike at all, and it will definitely add to your stability/handling. I have been avidly following your thread since the start, and it really inspired me to start working on my own stuff. The cafe boys would be proud!

Gersh

Thx Gersh, Yeah. hopefully it will help fork stability some and if keeps a little water off me in thunderstorm that's a bonus

doug_id · « **Reply #528 on:** March 26, 2007, 06:31:45 PM »

Quote from: Wykydtron on March 26, 2007, 05:04:55 PM

Nice work as usual Doug, looks good. Did you take it for a spin? Any noticable difference in stability up front?

Hey you ever try sticking some of that black door trim along the bottom edge of the tank? I still think that would look good. While Im at it: Seeing those red plug wires and the bit of red on the spiders makes me think you should continue that theme with mabey a couple more detail items done in the same red. Always a great combo, silver black and red. Mabey if you do a chain guard you could go black with some kind of red pinstriping, something subtle. Mabey have the springs on the shocks powder coated dark red? Yeah I know, Get your own damn project bike . As always, take it or leave it. Later!

Thx,

Yeah, I might try some black pinstriping along the botton of the tank. I agree on the red....it adds a little pizazz.....don't want to over do it but a little here and there would look good. That's a good idea shocks.....maybe instead of the springs though do the upper and lower shock bodies in red.....as thinking the flexing of the spring would cause the paint to crack over time ??

I haven't had a chance to ride it yet with the fender....raining here today. I doubt I will notice much difference as up to now really been taking riding mellow...getting the feel for everything and listening for mechanical issues.

Always happy to hear suggestions and opinions....

Doug

Dougy Dougy Dune Buggy · « **Reply #529 on:** March 26, 2007, 07:38:54 PM »

Doug..i APPRECIATE you thinking on cutting down your fender, although i would, myself left the front a bit longer, ala Ducati..but it looks very nice..i cannot wait til i move next weekend into the NEW pad with an attached 2 car garage..well it is 1.5 car lenths deep though..and the wife offered a new saw and wood to make my work bench!! life IS good
Keep 'em coming, you're a source of inspiration
The other Doug in Cali

doug_id · « **Reply #530 on:** March 27, 2007, 06:24:00 AM »

Quote from: DWYJ on March 26, 2007, 07:38:54 PM

Doug..i APPRECIATE you thinking on cutting down your fender, although i would, myself left the front a bit longer, ala Ducati..but it looks very nice..i cannot wait til i move next weekend into the NEW pad with an attached 2 car garage..well it is 1.5 car lenths deep though..and the wife offered a new saw and wood to make my work bench!! life IS good
Keep 'em coming, you're a source of inspiration
The other Doug in Cali

Hi Doug,

Cool deal on the garage.

Does make life a lot easier

I see you live down in the bay area. I lived in the pleasant hill / walnut creek area from 90-97. Man I miss the good food down there.

Have you ever done the mines road ride from livermore up to the telescopes above San Jose? Great ride!

Check it out if you haven't done it.

Doug

doug_id · « **Reply #531 on:** March 27, 2007, 06:34:06 AM »

Well crap, looks like I have another issue to deal with!

Ways back I decided I didn't want to mess with the wheel bearings (front and back) so I ordered some genuine honda bearings and took them and my wheels down to the local honda shop to have them put on my new tires and install the bearings. When I picked them up I tried to spin the front tire and it felt real tight to me. So, I ask the service manager about it and he says that is normal til you get a few miles on it. I said ok and took them home and put the wheels back on the bike.

Now with about 80 miles on the bike I am hearing a pretty loud squeaking/squealing noise from the front wheel. At first I thought it was the brake caliper not adjusted correctly. So, I put the bike back on the stand and turn the wheel by hand while applying different pressure to the brake handle. It is still squealing. I removed the front wheel and tried to turn the axle by hand. It is still very tight and then the pressure required to turn it varies as it rotates. I think they did something wrong on the install and now wonder if the new bearings are shot

Gonna try to take the wheel in today and have them look at it. Hopefully if there is a problem they will do the right thing and fix for free.

good news is it is still raining

Doug

UPDATE: Just to be sure I pulled the brake caliper off and put the wheel back on......spins fine with no sqeaking....guess it was the caliper adjustment. Glad I didn't take it in there and start complaining........

Bad news now it's still raining....doh!

Dougy Dougy Dune Buggy · « **Reply #532 on:** March 27, 2007, 12:31:51 PM »

Doug,
Naw..never did that one, but one afternoon my Buds and i went from Walnut Creek all the way to Placerville via the Delta way..man talk about swithbacks..i called my girfriend at the time who was expecting me for dinner @ 6:00 p.m. and it was 5:30 p.m. when i called..heh heh, anyhow that was on my 400 Four Cafe back in 1988.
That bike would pull the front end up 1 foot in 3rd gear, i had a Nationally ranked superbike racer rebuild it for me..that bike went 120 mph, CHP caught me..he seemed impressed and was going to "Impound" my bike and haul me off to jail and BAM, he got a more urgent call, wrote me up for 69 mph and gave me my ticket..that 400
ran like no other..i even raced my brother on his KZ650 and from rolling start i beat him by 1 bike length..we went to 80 before shutting down..he WAS PISSED
ha ha..i still use that one.."Remember" when..he hates it..remember fubars & the refectory??
Thanks for listening
Doug

Spikeybike · « **Reply #533 on:** March 27, 2007, 05:57:59 PM »

love the fender doug , you grind and polish like an old pro

it does accent the headlight very nicely

doug_id · « **Reply #534 on:** March 27, 2007, 06:23:30 PM »

Well, seems my front wheel bearings are fine but something is up with my front brake. It was fine on the first few rides but now it squeals and is grabbing the wheel. I have the bike up on the stand and when I rotate the front wheel by hand I can definitely feel the brake drag and it is not a consistent drag. At one point in every rotation it gets pretty tight. I have moved the adjusting screw in and out several times but this is the best I can do with it. I only have 80 mellow miles on it so not understand how I could have warped the rotor if it was not already warped when I started this project.

Could it possibly be an issue with the pads or ?

Confused again....

Thx,
Doug

mkramer1121 · « **Reply #535 on:** March 27, 2007, 06:58:54 PM »

Doug, try this:

First thing, was your wheel trued up? You could have some wobble.

Also, how even is the wear on the rotor? You could have a high spot.

Loosen the Brake Spring as much as you can w/o removing the screw.

Press in on the caliper towards the rotor from the left side of your bike to fully push the piston all the way in (well, as far as you can get it).

Readjust the the caliper spring (I remember that you tighten it until the inside pad touches the rotor, then you back it off a 1/4 turn).

Spin the wheel, no squeak?

If no squeak, spin the wheel and stop it with the brake. Spin it again, Squeak?

If so, the your piston is not retracting. Could be a couple things.

First easy thing, poke a guitar string through the second small hole in the master cylinder, could be a blockage (with the pressure, gunk could have moved up and down and become lodged in the small hole).

Did you replace/check the caliper upon your rebuild? (remove the piston, check for pitting, replace the rubber seal, clean the groove the seal sits in, etc.)?

If not, it could be the rubber seal. Remove the caliper, and remove the piston from the caliper. Also, remove the seal. Fit the piston back into the caliper, should slide in easilly when it is straight. If it does, thoroughly clean the seal groove and replace the seal.

I did the brake dance on my 550 when I originally got it. I did all of this to some degree, hope it helps.

TwoTired · « **Reply #536 on:** March 27, 2007, 07:05:42 PM »

Suggestion:
Check the brake arm pivot on the fork mount for free travel with no binding.
Loosen the stationary pad adjuster so the moveable pad is resting on the disc.
Push on the caliper toward the wheel to make the hydraulic side puck recede into the caliper a little.
Don't move it too much or you will have to remove some brake fluid from the master.
You should now be able adjust the stationary pad so there is a visible gap between both stationary and hydraulic side pad.
The front wheel should rotate with no drag from the brake at all.
While the front wheel is spinning, you can use the adjuster to find the drag points on each side of the disc by making either pad JUST contact the disc. If there is disc runout, you can find where it is in this way and make a temporary mark on the disk or wheel.
Adjust the stationary pad with a feeler gauge at .006 away from the disc at the peak of the drag point for the stationary disc.
The front wheel should spin freely now.

Apply the front brake with the lever.

Does the wheel now turn freely after brake release?

If not, see if your problem is in the caliper hydraulic side.
Does your brake pad move freely in the caliper bore? Any binding will prevent or delay retraction and cause drag.
Does your caliper piston move freely in the caliper bore? Any binding will prevent or delay retraction and cause drag.
Is your caliper Oring new? This is a square cross section ring, and provides the retraction movement of the piston when the hydraulic pressure is released.
Is your caliper piston badly pitted where it mates with the square cross section rubber ring. If the rubber ring is filling a lot of deep voids where rust pits have formed, the resilience of the ring is compromised and it can't retract the piston as it was designed to do, and the pad on the hydraulic side will drag on the disc.

The hydraulic master must be able to release all pressure in the caliper for the hydraulic piston to retract.
If the brake is dragging and you crack a hydraulic fitting, and that cures the brake drag, then the master has a problem release all pressure in the hydraulic lines when the lever is released. Check for full lever/hydraulic master piston travel or debris in the system the blocks the tiny holes in the master.

Finally,
The stock Honda hard line at the caliper arrangement prevents any side loads from the brake hose from applying side pressure bias onto the caliper assembly.
You can try moving your brake hose to see if that is having an effect on brake drag.

Cheers,

mkramer1121 · « **Reply #537 on:** March 27, 2007, 07:07:13 PM »

Hey TT, nice post! Great minds think alike I guess...

doug_id · « **Reply #538 on:** March 27, 2007, 07:13:21 PM »

Thx Guys,

I completely released the adjuster spring tension and pushed the outside portion of the caliper towards the disk and spun the wheel and it spun freely. Then spun again and applied brakes....then spun again....squeal and drag....ah ha! now we are getting somewhere

I will check all your suggestions for the cause.

Glad my rotor is ok anyway.

doug_id · « **Reply #539 on:** March 27, 2007, 08:14:14 PM »

Once the caliper was tight I cracked the bleeder valve and sure enough the piston released. Looks like I have some gunk in the master cylinder I got off e-bay. I ran a few cycles of fresh brake fluid thru the master cylinder via the speed bleeder valve and that helped a little bit. I will work on it more tomorrow.

Thx for the help,

Doug

doug_id · « **Reply #540 on:** April 02, 2007, 06:43:55 AM »

Got the master cylinder pretty well cleaned out by running a few reservoirs full of brake fluid thru it while poking a thin copper wire into the holes.

I finally did the air leak test with the wd40 on the intake runners and couldn't detect any changes in the idle so I think I am ok there.

Turned the mixture screw out 1/2 turn on 1,2, & 3 carbs.....now the backfiring is almost gone and it still accelerates fine. This also seems to have improved my plug color on those cylinders. Still on the carbony side of things but with more tan mixed in now.

Going to do a compression test done tonight.

Went for a long ride yesterday and it seems to be running real good. Starting to ride it a little harder in the twisties and so far I like the way it handles. The aggressive riding position sure helps.

Also installed a new headlight and taillight from Carpy.......nice pieces.

A few pics.........

doug_id · « **Reply #541 on:** April 02, 2007, 06:44:10 AM »

Got the master cylinder pretty well cleaned out by running a few reservoirs full of brake fluid thru it while poking a thin copper wire into the holes.

I finally did the air leak test with the wd40 on the intake runners and couldn't detect any changes in the idle so I think I am ok there.

Turned the mixture screw out 1/2 turn on 1,2, & 3 carbs.....now the backfiring is almost gone and it still accelerates fine. This also seems to have improved my plug color on those cylinders. Still on the carbony side of things but with more tan mixed in now.

Going to do a compression test done tonight.

Went for a long ride yesterday and it seems to be running real good. Starting to ride it a little harder in the twisties and so far I like the way it handles. The aggressive riding position sure helps.

Also installed a new headlight and taillight from Carpy.......nice pieces.

A few pics.........

greenjeans · « **Reply #542 on:** April 02, 2007, 07:59:35 AM »

still jealous. Looks great, good to hear you're almost there....

on another note, where did you get the mini-fork boots?

doug_id · « **Reply #543 on:** April 02, 2007, 08:14:50 AM »

Quote from: greenjeans on April 02, 2007, 07:59:35 AM

still jealous. Looks great, good to hear you're almost there....

on another note, where did you get the mini-fork boots?

Thx Greenjeans,

Not sure on the fork toppers...got the forks off e-bay and they were on already. I bet you could find some on e-bay though.....think I have seen them there before.

GL,
Doug

cafe75-550 · « **Reply #544 on:** April 02, 2007, 09:05:39 AM »

Quote from: greenjeans on April 02, 2007, 07:59:35 AM

still jealous. Looks great, good to hear you're almost there....

on another note, where did you get the mini-fork boots?

Cycle Exchange sells them, if you scroll down you can see them here http://www.cyclexchange.net/Front%20Ends%20Page.htm.

They're just the boots that came on the later "F" models (both 550 and 750), so you could look them up at your Honda dealer too...

bill440cars · « **Reply #545 on:** April 02, 2007, 09:12:51 AM »

Hey Doug, As usual the bike just looks better and better all the time. Glad to hear that your getting some riding time too. Haven't done much on mine lately, I've been coming across some needed parts for my 63' CB77 Super Hawk and, considering usual parts costs, thought I'd better snatch up what I could while I could. Know what I mean? I'm really liking the Honda Fours but, the Super Hawk represents the bike that got me started on Hondas in the first place. Keep me posted on how those tires are holding up. Take care.

Later on, Bill

doug_id · « **Reply #546 on:** April 02, 2007, 04:51:54 PM »

Quote from: bill440cars on April 02, 2007, 09:12:51 AM

Hey Doug, As usual the bike just looks better and better all the time. Glad to hear that your getting some riding time too. Haven't done much on mine lately, I've been coming across some needed parts for my 63' CB77 Super Hawk and, considering usual parts costs, thought I'd better snatch up what I could while I could. Know what I mean? I'm really liking the Honda Fours but, the Super Hawk represents the bike that got me started on Hondas in the first place. Keep me posted on how those tires are holding up. Take care.

Later on, Bill

Hi Bill,

Sounds like you have a few projects going....

I don't know how you can keep track of more than 1 at a time

So far I am liking the tires. It looks odd seeing such a skinny rear tire (by modern standards) but it seems to work just fine.

Broke 200 miles today and she seems to be running great (knock on wood). I remembered to take my camera on this ride and stopped at a scenic overlook and snapped some pics. These are overlooking the snake river and clarkston washington.

ken736cc · « **Reply #547 on:** April 02, 2007, 04:58:50 PM »

This thread is amazing. I have read it completely as I am new here. Your bike shows tremendous attention to detail .I think it was worth all the hard work. I say good for you, it is a bike to be proud of. You can truly say :
This is mine!

chrisf · « **Reply #548 on:** April 02, 2007, 05:00:50 PM »

I love what you did with the front fender. Do you mind if I copy it?

--Chris

kine8282 · « **Reply #549 on:** April 02, 2007, 05:27:31 PM »

Doug,

Great to see that you got your scoot on the road! I've been busy with my own 550 (not even close to looking at nice as yours) and noticed that you added a chrome housing trim to your BCR tail light...where did you get that? Did that mine looks unfinished and I really liked how yours turned out. Also...what lengths do you have on your thottle and clutch cables? I have drag bars on mine too and would like to cut my research time if you don't mine.

Bike looks awesome man

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Author Topic: A Noob's 75 CB550 Cafe Project Thread ------- Stick a fork in it... ;-) (Read 210403 times)

chrisf