Author Topic: CB550 or CB500 Aluminum Side Cover Castings (build?) (Read 13459 times)

wolf550 · « **Reply #100 on:** March 15, 2022, 05:43:00 PM »

more pics

wolf550 · « **Reply #101 on:** March 15, 2022, 05:43:48 PM »

and i couldnt post this in the other post so this pic

RAFster122s · « **Reply #102 on:** March 15, 2022, 05:59:10 PM »

Those do look nice...recycled no less...

CycleRanger · « **Reply #103 on:** March 15, 2022, 06:35:16 PM »

Those are nice. You should try molding the 550 Four emblem into the side cover. That would look sweet.

Shtonecb500 · « **Reply #104 on:** March 15, 2022, 06:52:00 PM »

looks nice, did you make the starter cover on the bike with the brown tank?

wolf550 · « **Reply #105 on:** March 16, 2022, 04:02:18 AM »

I made the ignition key bracket and the starter cover for the raw bike

Gurp · « **Reply #106 on:** March 25, 2022, 05:57:32 PM »

Killer project and seems like a great market for them if you make some extra sets.

wolf550 · « **Reply #107 on:** March 26, 2022, 06:34:35 AM »

I know people like the clean look of just the aluminum to polish to a mirror shine and if they did want to add the side cover badges the holes drilled would be an option.
Ill have to try a set with the elblems still on and see how that comes out.

RAFster122s · « **Reply #108 on:** March 26, 2022, 10:42:35 AM »

If I were to go to them I would do a sulfur yellow paint and polish the motor side covers to mirror or very high gloss, fork lowers if stock or silver if forks were not polish friendly and polished aluminum on many things. Polished aluminum can be as reflective and sometimes better than chrome. You can always refinish aluminum by hand and machine polish while chrome gets scratched it is going to be an expensive replating...
Would look killer.
I would highly polish the side covers and it would have full badging.
Exhaust would be Delkevic or Hindle SS system with either a light polish or polished to 1000 grit with scotch-brite pads in a single direction for final finish...would be 100+ hours of polishing easily in the bike's parts. Polished aluminum and yellow go together really really well.
Now someone is gonna steal my ideas...
Build it!

wolf550 · « **Reply #109 on:** April 07, 2022, 01:50:17 PM »

well I made another set to see if the tabs could be formed to original size. after casting the tabs came out good. I got them cut down to where they needed to sit in the rubber grommets. after that I decided to smooth them. this caused the tabs to be smaller now. also noticed a small hole that didnt get filled. it will have to be brazed. I think for the next set I am going to try a different method with the tabs and angle the top tabs upwards so when they are pushed in from the bottom the angled tabs will keep it in snug.

wolf550 · « **Reply #110 on:** April 07, 2022, 01:51:40 PM »

a pic of the small hole

wolf550 · « **Reply #111 on:** April 07, 2022, 01:54:24 PM »

you can see how the tabs are leveled here so next they will angle up.

Alan F. · « **Reply #112 on:** April 07, 2022, 02:22:57 PM »

Those look great!

wolf550 · « **Reply #113 on:** April 09, 2022, 06:19:09 PM »

Thanks Alan. Ive been working on this set some more grinding away all the excess on the inside. went to the store and got some steel letters to punch onto these. I regret not getting them earlier so I could stamp Shtones as #00 but I'll know whos got them.

wolf550 · « **Reply #114 on:** April 09, 2022, 06:21:10 PM »

also found some plasti dip to give that a go. it says I can keep dipping to build up thickness so we shall see if it works.

wolf550 · « **Reply #115 on:** April 09, 2022, 06:23:07 PM »

oh yeah couldn't resist to give it a buff and it came out just like the tank so woo hoo! still I am going to make another set and see who I can send it to for professional polish. Capry said he had to have the set to let me know how much they would cost and cyclex has not responded yet.

Shtonecb500 · « **Reply #116 on:** April 09, 2022, 06:40:53 PM »

I can stamp the set you mailed me, I have a kit at the shop. The plastidip is looking good, my buddy is about to try doing his body work on his bmw gs and ill do my tips when i get them. I'm not bad at polishing, you can look at some of my stuff on my other bikes. I'll polish them for free if u wanna ship them to me, we have a polishing wheel at the shop too. Just lmk.

I'll polish one of mine in a couple weeks so u can see what it would actually look like off a polishing wheel.

wolf550 · « **Reply #117 on:** April 10, 2022, 09:27:04 AM »

thanks shtone that sounds great Ill have to get a set of the 750 made and send your way to see how they would look.

wolf550 · « **Reply #118 on:** April 10, 2022, 04:28:44 PM »

went out to try the side covers on the bike and the plasti dip works well. too well. the tabs caught the rubber grommets and the plasti dip started to come off the tabs some. I only dipped once but the result of it is great. going to re-dip and see how two dips feel.

wolf550 · « **Reply #119 on:** April 30, 2022, 07:53:30 AM »

so with the build up of plasti dip on the tabs it was still not catching or holding to where these covers would not come off. I went ahead and made another set to try the idea of the angled tabs with the bottom tab having a buldge similar to the original tab letting it catch. the first attemt of creating the angle was great! it was a rounded 90 degree angle that would have curved the tab in great. but when I went to put the tab in the seat was in the way. i went back home and checked to see if I could make enough of a straight angle where the bend was. I didn't have time to see if this angle was enough or if I would have to completely grind flat yet so we will see.

wolf550 · « **Reply #120 on:** May 11, 2022, 06:34:09 PM »

Thank you Gurp for the wonderful present today!
got my tab frames and gave the side covers a go.
so far the angled tab idea is the best so far.
where the top tabs on the previous covers would have the tendency to come out without some holder to keep them on, these angled tab side covers will stay put.
the bottom tabs have just the right roundness that it wont come out.

wolf550 · « **Reply #121 on:** May 11, 2022, 06:35:30 PM »

better pic of the tabs.

Gurp · « **Reply #122 on:** May 11, 2022, 08:27:58 PM »

Glad it's being put to good use.

wolf550 · « **Reply #123 on:** February 05, 2023, 04:16:13 PM »

got some inspiration in me after seeing that 750 points cover being made over japan now figured I would go ahead and make a reply

wolf550 · « **Reply #124 on:** February 05, 2023, 04:21:24 PM »

I was happy to see how this one came out but I kept on thinking about the gap up top where the fin was missing.
it was just eating at me so I went ahead and started on a new one.
I cast a regular finned cover to cut out the fins again.
I had 3 of the finned points cover made with the fin missing so I cut those up and cut out the Emblems.

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Author Topic: CB550 or CB500 Aluminum Side Cover Castings (build?) (Read 13459 times)