Topic: Where to start - the orders of operation on a newbie's first bike

[gar]

Hi Formasfunction, congrats on your new old bike!  This site is great for information and entertainment. 
Regarding helmets, I did extensive research when I bought my CB last year and had to replace a 15 year-old Shoe whose innards were crumbling from age.  Read this article: http://www.webbikeworld.com/motorcycle-helmets/motorcycle-helmet-faq.htm and it will give you plenty to consider.  Safety was crucial in my decision, with cost a close second.  I bought an HJC CL-15 for $120 from DennisKirk and it is the most comfortable helmet I have owned.  Far better than the SHOE that cost me $400 back in the '80s.  It is SNELL 2005 and DOT certified. "New lightweight injection-molded polycarbonate composite helmet combines protection, comfort and innovative features with exceptional value."

Follow this link for the factory manual of your bike (I know it says "1974" owner's manual, but it is a 74-75 manual :-) http://www.cryscom.nb.ca/Documents.htm.

Also download the Honda common service manual. it's a huge file but an exhaustive repair primer.  I found it to be very relevant when I was changing tires last year: http://www.nighthawk750.com/maint/commonservicemanual.html

[formasfunction]

TT - worked like a charm, thanks!  BTW, when I replaced my air filter with a unifilter I forgot that I'd need to adjust my carbs.  Until that happens is it bad to run with the choke just barely open?  It seems to help my idle.

Gar - you and I are kindred spirits!  I see your bike is the same color and in fact I just bought the HJC CL-15 from New Enough for $98 and it is certainly the best helmet for the price that I could find.  Csender was kind enough to send me the manuals a couple of weeks ago and they've been invaluable.  I'm just now learning to find what I need after flipping through a few times.  So what exactly have you done to your 550?

[TwoTired]

TT - worked like a charm, thanks!  BTW, when I replaced my air filter with a unifilter I forgot that I'd need to adjust my carbs.  Until that happens is it bad to run with the choke just barely open?  It seems to help my idle.

When a choke is on, it is a closed butterfly.  When the choke is off, it is an open butterfly.  You just told me you have to run with the choke almost fully on, and yes, that is bad.

Needing choke on while cold is normal.  Needing choke on while at normal operating temp, is not.

Cheers,

[formasfunction]

Ha.  Well, it's clear I truly am a newbie.  So to clarify, I normally run the bike with the choke lever pointing down unless I'm starting it at which point it points parallel to the ground.  With my new uni air filter I've been getting a better idle if, once the bike is warmed up, I don't point the choke lever all the way down but rather about 15 degrees toward the starting / parallel position.  Is that super bad?

[TwoTired]

It's not TOO bad needing some choke to make it idle smoothly.  But, the choke butterfly blocks off the air inlet to the carburetor.
You don't need all the air at the inlet at idle.  You need it in the upper RPM range.  These two throttle positions have different fuel metering paths.  So, while partial choke may be acceptable at idle, it may cause sooty plugs, and/or reduced preformance while trying to quickly skirt around that semi on a narrow two lane road.  Is that super bad?

Looking back over this thread, I noticed only one posted picture of a spark plug (your window on the internal combustion process).  It was rather sooty.  A condition furthered by choke application.

The mere fact that applied choke improves your idle after warm up certainly suggests that further attention is needed.
SOOOO:
What is the tune-up status of the bike?
Have the carbs been vacuum synched recently?
What is your Idle Air Bleed setting at each carb?
Are your spark plugs still dark and sooty?
Do all the spark plugs show the same deposit condition?

Cheers,

[Chicago550]

Nice looking bike! It's impressive that you are doing all this work yourself. I purchased my bike last year and took it to a mechanic (for fear of safety issues). Since then I have tackled the carbs and now the electrical (big fun). This forum rocks and these guys really know these bikes. BTW, was wheel removal difficult? I need new tires and have toyed with the idea of doing it myself. Anyway, best of luck—sounds like you're on track.

[formasfunction]

Hey Chicago (wonderful city btw), getting the back tire off wasn't difficult at all.  In fact when you realize how easy it is it's a little bit scary to think thats all thats keeping you from flying off the bike at 70miles an hour.  Luckily there are a few safety measures that keep everything in check (like the bent pin in the axle nut) but still, if the entire bike was this easy I'd thank God and never buy another car.  I'm not sure about replacing the tire but consult your manuals and listen to TwoTired when he posts, it's always solid advice.

TT- I took the bike for a spin today and it idled nicely at 2k rpms with the choke off after she'd been running for about 15mins so part of the need for a little bit of choke earlier was due to the unreasonably cold weather we've had recently (dropped from the 70's down to the 30's) and in part to the fact that I haven't done anything to done anything to tune it up yet.  I'll go down your check list as soon as I get the electrical problem and the front brake sorted out.  They seem like the most pressing issues to having a rideable ride (correct me if I'm wrong of course.  I'm not the best at knowing priorities for this stuff).

I noticed today that the front brake hand grip is pretty loose - as in there's a noticeable lack of any tension for the first few centimeters of the pull - it just flops around.  I'm hoping that some of the front brake sticking can be attributed to poor tension on the brake lever.
Also, finally found the red rear brake indicator that Old School mentioned.  I'd read about it before but for some reason didn't notice it.  It looks like I'm good for now but I'll definitely replace the rear brakes this winter.

[TwoTired]

The Cb550 is supposed to have it's idle set for 950-1050 RPM.  I usually set mine to 1100, though.

There is a spring in the master cylinder that retracts the master's piston and pushes the lever back into resting position.  If the piston is sticking, not only will the lever not return, but the brake line fluid pressure doesn't get relieved.  This can keep the front brake pad dragging on the rotor and it can can worse as the brake fluid heats up.

It sounds like your front brake master needs rebuilding.  Check where the lever pushes on the master's piston rod.  If it is wet with brake fluid, fix this sooner rather than later.  If brake fluid seeps into the control pod electrics, it destroys the starter button switch plastic.  You can lose not only the electric start, but the headlight as well.

You may have to hone out the crystalized brake fluid lining the master cylinder bore.  This is difficult for the inexperienced to catch as the bore still looks shiny, but the buildup has narrowed the cylinder bore, causing sticking.

Cheers,

[gar]

Gar - you and I are kindred spirits!  I see your bike is the same color and in fact I just bought the HJC CL-15 from New Enough for $98 and it is certainly the best helmet for the price that I could find...  So what exactly have you done to your 550?

We sure are akin!  I put in a carb kit (new gaskets, needles), and replaced the tires.  If you or Chicago are interested I'll tell you exactly what items and sizes you need from DennisKirk (rim strips, tubes, tires, and tire irons) and how to do it!  It was not that hard.  I took the wheels off, brought them in the basement, turned on Comedy Network and finished in about an hour.  The key is the pair of $10 tire irons.

The tires that were on the bike when I bought it had great tread...but were so old and deteriorated that when I posted pictures of the dryrot cracks in the sidewall in the SOHC4 forum, our cohorts said change them NOW.  I am really glad I did, for safety and handling... then handling difference was tangible and dramatic. When I put the rear wheel on I noticed the chain had some links that were bound up...the chain would tighten and slack when the wheel was spun.   I used a kitchen scrub brush and a can of WD40 and thouroughly cleaned the chain (it is a universal chain so I did not remove the swingarm to soak it in kerosene).   This fixed the problem with the links.

I have a new gasket for the oil pan from the dealership plus the filter to put in (this weekend I hope). I intend to change the oil in the front forks this spring, too.

How about you?

[formasfunction]

This may be an obvious question but I'm about to drain my front brake fluid completely so I can disassemble them and replace a seal, check the pads, etc, and I can't find anywhere in the manuals as to where I would drain the fluid from.  Is it the metal tubing that comes down from my master cylinder?  I've found plenty of instructions on bleeding but none on just plain draining.

[csendker]

drain by opening your bleeder

[csendker]

and don't yank on the handle unless you want paint stripper brake fluid squirting all over and dripping off the ceiling.  you can make a shield from tin foil to deflect/catch/drain the fluid and/or protect the caliper paint, etc.

[OldSchool_IsCool]

Or slip a length of tubing over the bleeder to catch the fluid in a container

[formasfunction]

So after cursing and yelling and swearing my brakes are all back together and working wonderfully - they feel great actually.  The one thing that didn't change is that there's still a little give in the break lever before it catches at all.  I'm not saying that they feel squishy, because they don't, I mean that there's no tension at all for that first centimeter and it flops around a little bit.  Any thoughts?

[TwoTired]

Some (not all) Cb550s have a swing plate that covers a hole seen on the underside of the master cylinder.  In this hole is supposed to be a rubber cylinder that acts as a bump stop for the brake lever at rest.  This rubber stop is soft enough to not impede the master cylinder return spring operation and firm enough to hold the lever against the master's plunger, eliminating the lever play.

Is your's missing or damaged?
Brake fluid dissolves this rubber stop.
I replaced the ones found on my bikes with tire plug rubber found in a tubless tire repair kit.  Some of these repair kits have round rubber cylinder sections that you can cut to length and fit well into that M/C hole.  Others, I've had to trim to insert.
It's all hidden after installation.  You could make one from neoprene found at a hardware store, I suppose.

Cheers,

[formasfunction]

Well, it's been a while since I've been on the forum but in the mean time I've been happily riding my CB550 all around town.  That is until someone pull out in front of me on Monday, ignoring a stop sign, and took my baby away from me.  I t-boned the car and my front tire wedged into his front driver's side wheel well at about 30 miles an hour, sending me onto the hood.  I'm doing fine, just a few bruises here and there, but I can't say the same for my bike.  The frame is bent in such a way that the front wheel is jammed into the engine, the front rim or the forks (or both) are bent.  The headlight is broken and bent into the frame and there's a dent in the gas tank where my crotch was.  In terms of "fault" the police ruled it entirely his and an insurance adjuster should be coming by next week to take a look at it my bike.  Does anyone have experience with this sort of thing?  What kind of money can I expect to get for it?  Today I went ahead and bought a good condition 1962 CL72 that I'm going to start work on - does anyone know a place on the internet as nice as this one for a lowly ol' Honda two cylinder?

[OldSchool_IsCool]

Glad you're OK Forms, that's the MAIN thing!  WOW! doubt I could walk away from such a crash! 

Do you think the bike is destroyed?

[bill3749]

Hey, you are one lucky dude. Us 60+ guys would be hauled off by AAA. I'd search ebay and the net to see what a 550 A+ is bringing and print those out. I guarantee the adjuster is going for the low ball.

Glad you're walking.

BC

[formasfunction]

OldSchool - all told it's in pretty good condition, visually speaking.  I don't think it affected the engine but I'm pretty sure I'd be in for a new frame, fork, front rim, headlight and dent work on the gas tank.  It'd probably be easier to get another 550 with a good frame and use my current one as a parts bike.  Even though it's still standing, it would take an entire tear down to make it drive straight again.

Bill - I'm not going to lie, I've got blue balls from sliding down the seat and into the gas tank and those are something us 20 something guys still have use for .  Thanks for the advice about printing things out for the adjuster; if he low balls me is there a way to challenge that?  I'm guessing doing so would be like pushing a rock up a hill.