Topic: Black Friday - a red 1965 CB160 build.

[Alan F.]

I brought the frame & forks home this afternoon. Frame needs cleaning & it's gonna rain tomorrow. Since I can't fit the frame in the kitchen sink I'll do the next best thing and give it a good scrubbing out in the rain.

[grcamna2]

I brought the frame & forks home this afternoon. Frame needs cleaning & it's gonna rain tomorrow. Since I can't fit the frame in the kitchen sink I'll do the next best thing and give it a good scrubbing out in the rain.

Alan,will you be cleaning it in preparation for painting the frame? or cleaning it up as-is prior to reassembling the bike ?

[Alan F.]

I'll clean it up as-is, this dirt is mostly at the bottom of the frame, probably all double track dust stuck to old chain lube put there in the bike's first few years. Lots of it has already flaked off revealing shiny paint underneath.

I'm not looking forward to any paint work on this one. If I paint one part, I'll have to paint them all, and it's only original once. I've got 2 rattle cans of (Honda Marine) Cloud Silver, but I'm planning to reassemble without any new paint before making any other plans.
The CorrosionX will protect everything very well in the mean time, and it'll clean off with just acetone if I need to paint something in the end.

[Just John]

Clean, rubbing compound used sparingly on the faded spots and a good coat of wax.  Makes for a nice looking survivor without a lot of expense.  That's what I did to my 79 Harley Sportster.

I do have a question?   Does your frame number start with B160 or CB160? 

Regards,
John

[Alan F.]

It starts with B160.

I was thinking the exact same thing, rubbing compound followed by polishing compound for a few areas that are most visually important.
Clean & de-rust the rest then a coat of thin-film corrosion inhibitor.

[Just John]

Thank you on the serial number.  A friend bought a titled basket case and some internet expert told him his frame numbers were fake because it didn't start with CB160!  He has worn himself out on the internet trying to find the correct answer.
Regards,
John 

[Alan F.]

Yeah, i'd never believe one guy's uninformed opinion.
My first stop would be eBay to see some frame numbers there.

Internet experts are like internet tough guys.....

[Alan F.]

Just parking this info here so I don't lose it:

I just did it a few weeks ago. Pulled old ones out. Drilled and tapped for thread on new fitting. I used 1/4" grease fitting, 1/4-28 tap, 7/32 drill bit. drill/tap deep enough to capture full length of threads on fitting. Clean shavings out REALLY well afterward. Very easy.

I'll be drilling & tapping both ends of the swingarm pivot bolt for new grease zerks, the hole in the CB160 pivot bolt is about .175"
Zerk size 1/4-28 with 7/32 will be the way to go. I'll stop in at my local non-chain hardware store & see what they've got.

[Alan F.]

I've had the 160 frame out on the back porch for a few weeks, I guess hoping that eventually a good day of rain would wash 57 years of crud out of its nooks and crannies, but it wasn't working out that way. The red paint was showing lots of dark crud in all of the usual areas, so armed with a small stack of business card sized scrapers fashioned from a plastic milk jug I set about scraping off the heavy accumulation at the bottom engine mounts & swingarm pivot. After that I sprinkled the frame with water and set to scrubbing the whole thing down with a coarse but soft plastic brush and some cheap dish washing liquid then gave it a rinse. Then I made my way around the whole frame twice more with the same soap and a toothbrush before rinsing again, then unsatisfied I made my way around the frame two more times with another toothbrush, which after all that scrubbing rinsed fairly clean...which I took as a good indicator that the frame was as clean as it was going to get, so I gave it another good rinse and set it in a breezy spot to dry.

[RAFster122s]

Frame looks good Alan... We are seeing weather in the 90-91 range but tonight we have a front blowing through with high winds. Lots of banging around as neighbor has tons of loose metal that squeaks and bangs in windy weather...it is kinda annoying.

I think the neighbor might have been cooking meth as the area smelled of acetone for about two days and there was no sounds of a compressor...
I think I am far enough away to not worry about it unless it blows sky high when I am outside. My bedroom is opposite side of the place so it would get collected by the walls between me and their place after it flew several hundred feet...

[Alan F.]

Thanks David! My neighborhood here is actually pretty quiet once everyone settles down for the night. The only wind driven sound resembles a canvas tarp flapping in the wind, I finally noticed it's a coarse of vinyl siding on a place across the street that's only held at the top, they're not fixing it because it's 40 feet off the ground.
Good luck with that noisy neighbor, maybe sneak out when they're not around and add some screws to hold stuff down better?

[MauiK3]

Keep going!! Cool bike.

[Alan F.]

Thanks! I'm stuck in a Zoom meeting (so I can feel like I'm included and they can feel like they're including me) after this I'm gonna break out the CorrosionX & apply it to the frame & another small pile of parts.

That leaves cleaning the tank inside & out, rebuilding the forks, cleaning up the shocks, & recovering the seat. Then I'll start detailing the engine.

How's that front yard remodel treating you?

[Alan F.]

I knocked the steering races out of the frame neck, they came out very easily and will go in the spare parts box, maybe someone will use them someday.
Then I applied CorrosionX to a big pile of de-rusted and washed parts that I've been neglecting.
After that I scrubbed the tank knee pads in hot water with a soft brush until the water stayed clean, then I set them out to dry.

It's still early, maybe I'll CorrosionX the frame today after beverage and some down time.

***Oh and good news, I spotted the two exhaust baffles I thought were missing, that's $120 off my mind!

[Alan F.]

Around 5pm I gave the frame a liberal coat of CorrosionX, I sprayed it down and rubbed it in everywhere and added some in between all of the brackets and seams where tubes and brackets meet tubes and left it to soak in overnight. I placed the frame in my work van to keep it out of the rain tonight, with a little luck it'll spend the weekend there.

[RAFster122s]

Thanks David! My neighborhood here is actually pretty quiet once everyone settles down for the night. The only wind driven sound resembles a canvas tarp flapping in the wind, I finally noticed it's a coarse of vinyl siding on a place across the street that's only held at the top, they're not fixing it because it's 40 feet off the ground.
Good luck with that noisy neighbor, maybe sneak out when they're not around and add some screws to hold stuff down better?

The son died several months ago so Mike inherited his two big German Shepard... One is a female. He said she was in heat recently and the male stray that has been hanging out intermittently  since the end of January on my property I cannot coax him closer.. he finally  ate some stuff I gave him but he is super skittish. He is a lab mix and pretty dog.
is finding food somewhere and water is plentiful from horses nearby...two on property that butts up against mine to the West. My problematic neighbor, PM me and I will give you my street address and Google Maps satellite view will amaze you and astound you. The acetone stopped after three days weekend, so the cook is over...there were lights on in a building behind the house/double wide trailer. The place is about 3 acres as the lot is at least as big as the one I am on...which is 2 acres with a double wide trailer.
Left my bike outside tonight. Steering lock engaged and 3/8“ braided steel plastic coated 30 ft cable has been threaded through frame and wheels and it has been anchored to a 6 ft stainless steel work table as I didn't figure that if anyone wants it it will be gone it is in the back yard off the screen porch...just behind it. They will have to cut the cable so there's no way they can without waking the German Shepherds by the noise and they will wake me.

[MauiK3]

Be careful

[Alan F.]

I think I'd grow a thick wall of bamboo on that side of the property. There are varieties that'll grow anywhere like weeds, one stalk tight to the next so that a mouse can't even get through, and 15 feet tall is easily possible. I've seen it here in MA a few times and will certainly use it on my future forever property.

[RAFster122s]

I am thinking they are doing meth...
Their dogs woke me raising a ruckus before 3am. They were still barking a lot at 3:35-3:40 and I called the non emergency number as they were raising heck because someone was walking down the road and they went ballistic over it. They coyotes stur up everyone's dogs and it was isolated... Javelina don't get barked at like people do...
Of course after I called and requested a officer cruise through the area 5 min later they were either quiet from being brought inside or the threat was gone. Then woken around 6 by them barking at school kids walking to catch the bus at the end of the street...I am on a corner lot with the paved road.
Mike knows I am armed anytime I go out, the guy that lives next door. He had walked down the other night, 31st, when I had forgotten my wallet and he came down to tease about "My dog" barking a lot. I didn't get the joke at first. But he scared the crap out of me as I headed to the gate where I had parked outside of...
I always close the gate and it s typically locked... It is keep the barriers up. But I told him I don't go out at night without a good flashlight and a handgun. Especially after two Javelina we're hanging out on the property and it was 6:45pm and I had been making noise and I got caught by surprise and froze. It was 9:30pm on moonless night and I thought the noise I heard was the stray dog but what was charging at me beating feet towards the gate and I was between them and freedom. First Javelina was 6-7 feet away from me while the 2nd was taking a path that was going to be very very close if not directly at me and what ran through my head was it would take a tusk to my lower leg as it pasted by. They are very dangerous. I yelled at it before it was 10 feet from me and it zagged away from me...

David

[Alan F.]

Cleaned up the chaingaurd and and rear shocks this evening, scraped off the heavy accumulation then back to scrubbing with a series of brushes and cheap dish washing liquid. They're as clean as I'm willing to get them. I'm not planning any other work on these shocks, but they're presentable. I'll apply CorrosionX tomorrow.

[Terry in Australia]

Good job Alan, I haven't been reading your build thread for the last couple of weeks so it was good to catch up, I'm now "Full bottle" on CB160's, meth production, and Javelinas.........

[Alan F.]

Thanks Terry. Are you feeling better these days?

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Alan, I’m feeling fine, but don’t seem to have much energy at the moment. We’ve got a long weekend coming up (Friday to Monday inclusive for Easter) and I need to drive my old Subaru to my Mums place 200 miles away on Saturday to pick up a new Kitchenaid mixer that she bought me for my birthday a month ago (yes, I admit it, I like cooking as well as eating and drinking….) and drive back on Sunday so I’m trying to decide what I’ll do tomorrow and Monday.

I think a ride is in order so I need to further decide whether I’ll be riding my new (to me) Ducati S4 Monster or one of the other bikes. The insurance company is dragging it’s feet collecting the BMW, they were quite happy to send me to the other side of the city to get it quoted (so much for “My choice of repairer”…..) until I told them that I want it towed due to the front end being out of whack and the tyre being savagely scalloped on the right side, so I stayed home (well I’d planned to work from home anyway) for two days waiting to get a call from their “Tow Team” that never happened and I’m back in barracks today, so it looks like the old silver bullet’s going nowhere until next week at the earliest.

The guy that I bought the Ducati from sent me pics of another Ducati that he wants to part trade for my Suzuki T500, and while I still can’t fathom that a 20 year old Ducati in mint condition can only be worth half the price of a 1970’s 2 stroke road bike, I’ve told him thanks, but what I really want right now is a ute (small pickup “Utility vehicle”) so I can grab some bike bargains or pickup parts, etc.

Anyway I digress. So a ride tomorrow, a drive to Bairnsdale to collect the mixer on Saturday/Sunday, then I think I’ll do some work on the Kawasaki Z1-B. I need to redo the valve shims since swapping in the milder cams, and finish installing an oil cooler, with all that compression I noticed that it runs a bit hotter than I’m comfortable with. Hopefully the weather will be decent for at least the ride tomorrow.

[Alan F.]

I agree with the energy/motivation issue, I suffer from that more often than not too. Best of luck with the insurance hassle, never fun that.

[Terry in Australia]

Thanks Alan, I don’t know why but I always feel guilty when I submit a claim? It must be a catholic thing…….