Topic: CB750K4 update - tapping noise coming from engine - Mike Rieck saves the day!!

[andy750]

I write this in case anyone else has this...eh problem....basically on Saturday while riding I developed a tapping sound coming from my newly rebuilt engine (CB750K4) after pulling in for some gas off the highway. For the rest of the day it seemed to get worse and worse and sounded like a typewriter or sewing machine...tap,tap, tap....I had just checked the valves as well and had only adjusted one, then adjusted the cam chain, followed by a carb sync so I was a bit miffed at this...what had I done! 

Anyway get back home and wait until bike is cooled down before checking the valves...adjust one or two even though they are only 0.001 out if at all. Go for a test drive...tap, tap, tap 

Get up early Sunday...re-check valves....test drive....tap, tap, tap!!! 

Repeat a few hours later.....tap, tap, tap!!! 

Bloody hell!! Im now checking and double checking and using 2 feeler gauges etc etc....test drive.....tap, tap, tap!!!!!!! WTF!!!

At this point Im thinking Ive busted a valve, ANOTHER engine job etc etc...I PM Mike...he says come over Thursday so I do riding at the speed limit on the highway not taxing the bike at all in case the engine seizes...its a painful 30 min journey.....tap, tap, tap!!!

Get to Mikes place....he takes one look at it...and says....your exhaust is leaking at the header from #1 and #2!!!! And sure enough the spigot screws on #2 have backed out!!!! Tighten them up and viola!! No more tapping sound!!!!      ....to say I was happy is an understatement!  It just goes to show what another pair of eyes will do...and years and years of engine building experience 

Then after seeing Arts engine in all its glory (in meticulous cleaned parts and specced better than NASA) I set off back to Boston at top speed just to make up for all that slowness before!! Wow!!!!  that bike flew even better than the Millenium falcon from Star Wars (see my K2 update post)!!!!

A big thanks to Mike for being well...Mike! Super-helpful and always a pleasure. Now for some weekend of serious riding!
cheers
Andy

[Sam Green Racing]

Bet you had a grin like the cheshire cat

Sam.

[MRieck]

 Old style spigots....they do it all the time. Andy is a great guy....he is always a pleasure to help out and I hope I can help others out too. I spotted some other things on the bike too but he can explain that. .

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Glad to hear that you have very well adjusted valves also!!   

[MRieck]

 Jerry
 You're day is coming. Hot tubs and beer in CO sounds a OK with me.

[scondon]

Old style spigots....they do it all the time. 

   Yes they do. Had to retighten mine after the first 100 miles......tap-tap-tap, loss of power. Those new copper exhaust gaskets get pretty soft when heated, I guess    

[andy750]

Thanks Scondon for that. Its good to know its not just me! When I heard the tapping for the first time I checked the exhaust collars for tightness as well and so thought I d covered everything....Kevin Smith(stocker2rocker)  just sent me a stock 4-4 exhaust so its a good chance to get everything snug again.

Sam - grinning like a cheshire cat and jabbering like a Scotsman when I got off the highway 

Jerry - count me in for beers and hot tub as well and I trust you`ll be providing the ladies as well 

As Mike mentioned he also noticed a few other things straight off....where the clutch cable goes into the clutch housing it wasnt fitting correctly as Motion Pro cables have a larger diameter spacer at the end. The cable worked ok but Mike helped me out with a OEM replacement. And another thing that had been bothering me for a while had been the stripped speedometer screw (at the speedo unit on the wheel) -I had tried drilling it, soaking in PB blaster and using an impact driver - no success. Mike made it look easy when he drilled, easy-out and backed that screw out. Ill be able to know my speed again and mileage!! Of course you can always guesstimate your speed from the RPMS but it was proving slightly harder to remember mileage since last fuel stop! Ah a good night indeed and made it home before the rain!

Cheers
Andy

[Jerry Rxman Griffin aka MuthaF'er]

Beers, Arctic Spa, and women (don't tell my wife!) sound perfect. I'm in!! When you guys coming out?!

Just got back from the machine shop to check the lack of progress on my pistons and upper case boring. Just so happened to take along that MRieck head and APE/Carrillo crank. All 4 guys stopped what they were doing to check out the toys and were quite impressed! I needed to make a point that I'm building a top notch engine and they are the hold up now.

[Steve F]

Old style spigots....they do it all the time. Andy is a great guy....he is always a pleasure to help out and I hope I can help others out too. I spotted some other things on the bike too but he can explain that. .

Ever think of moving to Chicago?   

[S-Dog]

NO WAY!!! All these helpful guys need to stay here so I can sponge knowledge off of them and get my 750 running decently after Hacky McHackerson rebuilt my carbs and made them nice and leaky. 

[medic09]

So Mike, you're taking the show on the road?

NM has real hot springs; no need for artificial hot tubs in CO.   

[MRieck]

So Mike, you're taking the show on the road?

NM has real hot springs; no need for artificial hot tubs in CO.   

Sometimes my wife wishes I would.

[ieism]

Can we not talk about MRieck's engines for a few days....I'm about to cry. Even if he wasn't a few thousand miles away from me , I still coundn't afford one of them.
Watching everybody collecting their brandnew highperformance motors makes me very unhappy.
And if you were out riding the milion dollar CB, I don't want to know either.