Topic: 1980 CB650c Rest-o by a crabby "old-timer"

[Buber]

Now, the "starter problem". You are very vague about it - is it the starter clutch? it's very common, and despite looking complicated, it's fairly easy to fix.
So, what is it?

[Frankenkit]

The mechanic referred to it as 'a flat spot on the starter' and told me to get it rebuilt, but I'm going to get one from Paulages, plug that one in, then get the orig. rebuilt and set it aside in my "just in case, cuz this stuff is hard to come by" box.

Edit:
Got starter- Thanks Paul!!!
Bike has a sense of humor: now that I have a starter, she started right on button push, every time.    Rode my bike for the first time.   

Admittedly, things need to settle, new gaskets need to get situated, oil and grease here and there need to be burned off, etc...  the pull throttle cable, being munched, was a little rough, but all things considered...

WOOOHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS is what I've been working two years for!!!  EVERY TIME I've CLEANED and REBUILT those STUPID, STUPID carbs is now worth it!!!  She fits so well- having never really ridden another bike, I must say, she's a lot like riding a bicycle.  ... a really, really big, clydesdale of a bicycle. 

Spent a couple hours today polishing my tank to a glass finish, too.  Pics to come when I manage to pick up my honda wings from the shop and have a warm day to put on my decals. 

Pics below:
my bike, just sitting there... and ...
me on my bike (familiar patches?)

[martino1972]

looking good,nice bike..
and.. was it worth it to labour on the bike for 2 years???
no greater feeling then riding a bike you laboured over for so long i bet...
Congratulations.....
it does have a down point for us,now we cant enjoy your diary anymore,snif....

[Buber]

if you didn't broke the biggybank yet, maybe it's time to look for better looking mirrors? I know, yours do the job, but doesn't look 1/3 as good as originals.

[Frankenkit]

they're on the list... eventually    I think mine look like that because the PO had drag bars on it... it feels like I'm looking way far 'over' to look 'behind' if that makes sense, so yeah, eventually...

managed to catch a nasty cold, but don't think I could use it as an excuse to stay home and play with my bike...     oh well.

[750goes]

You have done well...

a great result of your perserverance......

[MosquitoJones]

Hooray for finally getting her running and taking her out!  She looks like an identical (albeit much cleaner and shinier) twin to my bike.  If I were closer, I'd go riding with you but some 700 miles makes that a non-option. 

[Hush]

Well done Kitsune, sincere congratulations on your finished bike.
Two years seems a daunting long time, I'm hoping mine can be on the road before Christmas.
How ever you are not totally off the hook (even though you did supply requested photos) don't for a minute you can slip off and just ride without bringing your experience back to us.
Some days it's just gotta be too ugly to ride so you can log in to the forum and update us.
Now aren't you glad you decided to keep that old wreck and do the restore?
You not only end up with a nice ride but you know the old girl inside out, I don't see you as being the damsel in distress waiting for some macho biker to pull over and help you with a roadside fix.
By now you will be more used to kitting up and taking the Honda out as much as possible and those initial butterflies will be well and truely gone.......enjoy.....but don't forget us...Hush.

[Pinhead]

Good job on the rebuild and resurrection! I'm probably going down the same path this winter.

I noticed you said you have a "weak electrical system." The "flat spot" that you noticed and the requirement of the choke are probably two symptoms of a weak charging system or low system/coil voltage.

It would probably be to your benefit to verify the charging voltage, and to make sure that full voltage is available at the coils. You may want to consider installing a relay to give your coils direct battery voltage (fused, of course). It helped my '79 650 by a lot; I only have to choke it to start when it's cold, and I can open the choke completely as soon as the bike gets moving (once I shift into 2nd or so). It's also helped my gas mileage.

If you find that your alternator isn't charging completely and/or correctly, take a gander at the link in my sig for a replacement regulator/rectifier that works quite a bit better than the originals.

[Frankenkit]

Alright guys, went out and took some real pics with a real camera, hope you enjoy!
Here's a detail shot of the tank... Thanks go to Terry and my sis for painting pointers... I realize it's imperfect, but I really didn't even expect it to turn out as well as it did, considering the 'before'... I was flat out amazed, so huge thanks to those two.


Here is just gratuitous bike pr0n.   



Still working on the charging system, but I'm havin' fun.

[Hush]

Love the flamed tank girl, so glad you saved that ole lady from the scrap heap.
I'm totally impressed by the cruising foot pegs you have on the crash bars.
Very pleased to see your bike is the old style CB650 too, the spoked wheels and mechanical carbs are a dead giveaway.
Better yet the last photo you put up has reasured me about the pipes I just bought of Ebay, was a little worried that I might have some NightHawke ones that wouldn't fit ($500 worth) but the ones I am getting are the same as yours so all good.
One really really small critique of your lovely bike, the accelerator double cables, um shouldn't they be on the other side (in front) of the handle bar?
Probably work perfectly well for you there anyway but if you have cable drag problems at some stage just flick them to other side and that should deal to it.
Just love that almost chopper look of the older 650 custom, spokes and that low slung seat.....mmmmmm

[Frankenkit]

Oh! Haven't had any problems (so far...) with the throttle cables.  Yeah, I'll re-route them if i have any problems.  These handlebars seem a touch 'taller' than the stock ones (PO had drag bars on...)  so I had to get a little creative routing them. 

[Frankenkit]

Say, I'm rebuilding my carbs (again) but going with full on carb kits etc... but I need to know, I keep seeing these big o-rings that aren't the float bowl ring, but instead almost look like they fit on the metal slide or something... what do those do?  I figure I should know before I actually get the kit...    I hate to say this, but I cheaped out last time I rebuilt the carbs (all six times...) and just used the preexising parts, but I can't really avoid the leaks at the carbs, the fact my gaskets are munched to death, etc...  so I'm asking- the small o-rings that come with the kits (in this case, a keyster because that's what looks like comes from Z1, too, which looks like the OEM one) do they go on the little tubes interconnecting the carbs? 

Also, what do I use to replace the little felt o-rings at the choke linkage, if anything, b/c I have nothing there anymore. 

With work and school and study in 90% of my free time, most of my bike work/riding will depend on whatever I can budget with that little time and money between tuition and books... (and food and...) so I don't want to disappoint pple with my lack of progress... I've been riding my girl's bike around for a bit, but I really need to get mine on the road again.

[Hush]

Sorry can't help Kits as I did same as you, just rebuilt using the same old bits.
Someone like Soos or Martino will have a definite answer for you.
And you get a wee boost from me for free

[martino1972]

Sorry can't help Kits as I did same as you, just rebuilt using the same old bits.
Someone like Soos or Martino will have a definite answer for you.
And you get a wee boost from me for free

hush.....you know my only answer would be"weld it solid.."....
there's even IRONy in there....i work temporarly at my neighbore,the welder for some extra cash...

[kslrr]

Kit, I used the Kester kits.  The large o-rings that are not the float bowl o-rings are for another carb, probably the older cable pull type.  The Kester kit is meant to cover several models.  I also found that not all o-rings are present.  I had to reuse the small orifice o-rings in the air cut off valves.  Fortunately I had a second set up PD50A carbs that had better bits to rebuild the PD50B carbs on the bike.  Also, look at my post on the other "carb rebuild kits" thread concerning the Kester needles.

[Frankenkit]

Eww on the keyster needles, Ksirr. My needles etc all seem fine, I had all that stuff apart and cleaned it very thoroughly, really just need the float needles and float bowl gaskets... are the components from the keyster kits sufficient?  They advertise fluorinated rubber gasket material but I really don't know what that's supposed to mean, other than it's especially solvent resistant, but if they're using it as gasket material, it ought to be anyway, right? I'm wondering if I have slight little air leaks around the little t-connectors and tubes, so the o-rings would be useful there... the thing with the needle jets is, the keyster kit needles won't even fit a 1980 properly (or so it says on the 'sirius con inc' site) so I won't even try.  They do make me leery now of the brass components. Were your float needles okay?

[kslrr]

The Kester rubber parts (o-rings and float needle tips) seem to be of good material.  I can't remember if the kits came with the fuel line o-rings as I had also bought an o-ring kit from Auto Zone.  I have had my carbs apart at least 6 times always having to fix some sort of leak or because it wouldn't start.  I finally broke the cardinal rule and used RTV to hold the bowl o-rings in place, since they would always shift and get pinched, and also around all the fuel and acc pump lines.  Each time I took the bowls off, I had to clean them out because I used too much RTV.  Now I think they are perfect.  No leaks, bike starts right up, warms up in 5 minutes.  And that is with pod filters.  Working on my CB350F is so much nicer.

[Frankenkit]

Just what I needed to hear, my man  
Thank you!

[kslrr]

Just what I needed to hear, my man  
Thank you!

You are so welcome.

Not wanting to sound picky, but it is KSLRR as in Klundenberry Short Line Rail Road.

[Frankenkit]

oh! My apologies then KSLRR

[Hush]

Hey Kits you started this bike in February...don't you think it's about time you got it sorted?
Martino could always tack weld around the carb bowls, that would solve your problems.
Anyway you guys'n girls in the Northern hemisphere have had your best riding days this year, time to park up in front of the fire while we in the South enjoy some highway time.

[Frankenkit]

I don't think so, Hush.  Bein' an Oregonian, where it really doesn't do much but rain until late, late winter, I'm going to keep riding 'er around once I get it sorted...

[Soos]

Hey Kits you started this bike in February...don't you think it's about time you got it sorted?
Martino could always tack weld around the carb bowls, that would solve your problems.
Anyway you guys'n girls in the Northern hemisphere have had your best riding days this year, time to park up in front of the fire while we in the South enjoy some highway time.

(hijack)

You NZ people must be warm weather beasts!

WHAT??? The end of the riding season???
Not until the snow hits does riding season end for me!
And then only when it doesn't melt off the roads in 8 hours or so!

...But then again when I bicycled a lot, I rode year round unless I had to go 30 or more miles to get where i needed to go!(regardless of weather/snow/rain/hail/60+mph winds -30 temps etc))


I grew up in northern Wyoming... if it's above 0 (fahrenheit) it's still riding weather.
Anything less than 4 foot of snow is drivable. and boiling water turns to snow when thrown before it hits the ground when the temp outside is 60 BELOW zero!

Now what was that about the end of riding season??   

l8r

Hey Kitsune, get that thing going!!
The bike looks great!!
Just make sure the flames stay on the tank and in the engine, not under your carbs!!
J/K!

l8r

[Hush]

Yeah and then we want a ride-around video!
Come on I've promised everyone I'll do one when the great white finally hits the road, somewhere nice and green so you guys can see how beautiful NZ really is.
Get the mysterious miss X to film it, come on you know you wanna be a star!!!