Topic: What have you added to improve performance or servicing?

[Steelo]

I have a Hondaman "Ignition System", Dyna 3.0 ohm coils with a Hondaman Rectifier resistor, Terry from Australia Oil filter Adaptor and Oil Cooler, Oregon Motorcycle Parts Rectifier and Voltage Regulator,
4 Blade Fuse holder and a Loobman Chain Oiler.

Bike runs sweet - might be mind over matter but I'm happy with all my purchases!!!!

Tell us what you have got that seems to improve your ride!

[joeb]

My problem is more money added more smiles . 

[OldSchool_IsCool]

Parts:
- HondaMan Ignition Module (a Must Have if you run stock points & coils!)
- fresh points
- fresh plugs
- new in-tank fuel filter
- got rid of the in-line fuel filter
- fresh fuel lines
- braided brake lines
- one-way brake bleeder valve
- electronic flasher
- hex stainless engine bolt set
- new hex screws under the points cover

tools:
- timing light
- .004 feeler gauge for better go/no go tappet adjustment
- home made manometer
- expanded on-board tool kit
- cable lubber

Practice:
- tune more often
- change oil more often
- check tire pressure more often
- less engine braking
- no more ArmorAll on the seat 
- Seafoam in the tank, every tank

ToDo:
- rebuild front caliper
- repack wheel barings
- fresh chain & sprockets
- rebuild top end (oil leak)
- neoprene points cover gasket

[754]

!st thing, put on 4-1

then K&N aircleaners, similar to pods.

then rejet, and add Barnett clutch.

welded socket to my oilfilter bolt, and got a good chain Tsubaki 530 QR

Drilled the discs and added a second one with braided lines.

Made a sissy bar (or add a rack) to help carry stuff, then added removable saddlebags and bag for chain oil.

That was the basic stuff, lot more done later.

[HondaMan]

I have a Hondaman "Ignition System", Dyna 3.0 ohm coils with a Hondaman Rectifier,

Steelo:
Did you mean "Hondaman Resistor Pack"? Or, do you have insider information on one of my upcoming SOHC4 projects? 

[754]

welding a 1/4 inch drive socket into stock plug wrench and using 1/4 drive is a big help.

[kslrr]

'72 CB350F
P.O.:
Custom built 4-1 pipes
Clubman bars
Home built fiberglass tail piece and cafe' faring

Me:
Openned up 4-1 pipes
Bored out 2 sizes over
Installed Accel high output coils and "Fat Stuff" ign. wires
Installed Barnet clutch plates
Had cam reground to a hot street profile
Adjusted carb jetting (needles so far)
Rectifier of my own design
Complete electrical system of my own design (rev 2.0).  It is modular and since it is my design, I
     can trouble shoot very fast and do on the road modifications.

And then eventually rebuilt engine replacing warn parts as needed.  Mose of the above work was done in the mid '80's.  I have less than 1000 miles on the bike since then.

Currently work on:
Custom LED tail/brake light
Multi Head Light system
Fresh air intake system
Aluminum faring

Future:
Double springing the points and using GM HEI modules (though the points must then be 180 deg
     different from stock)
Designing a voltage regulator that works a little differently, and better, than what is now available
Drilling the front disk

and......... what ever else I can think of.

[fmctm1sw]

I have a Hondaman "Ignition System", Dyna 3.0 ohm coils with a Hondaman Rectifier,

Steelo:
Did you mean "Hondaman Resistor Pack"? Or, do you have insider information on one of my upcoming SOHC4 projects? 

Uh oh.  There's a bootleg copy out already...

[Steelo]

OOOPS sorry Hondaman - rectifier? should read resistor.

Now if you had made a rectifier you would have had my money in your hot greasy hands!!!!

Could you now work on a water fuel system, magnets to improve fuel economy, alien technology - these things always appear on TV when fuel prices climb - you could make a killing. Package something in a gold box with a catchy name and a retired motorcycle racer to convincingly come across on your TV advertising saying this is the fuel saver the big fuel companies and men in black didn't get (conspiracy theories are good marketing ploys!)

[.RJ]

Both, with pod filters 

[HondaMan]

OOOPS sorry Hondaman - rectifier? should read resistor.

Now if you had made a rectifier you would have had my money in your hot greasy hands!!!!

Could you now work on a water fuel system, magnets to improve fuel economy, alien technology - these things always appear on TV when fuel prices climb - you could make a killing. Package something in a gold box with a catchy name and a retired motorcycle racer to convincingly come across on your TV advertising saying this is the fuel saver the big fuel companies and men in black didn't get (conspiracy theories are good marketing ploys!)

Yeah, I'm on it!   

[TwoTired]

These are the things I did to improve a 75 CB550 I rescued.

Found and reinstalled the inner rear fender, so water, mud, sand and road oils wouldn't spray directly on to the Uni pod foam filters, carbs and build up and the rear of the engine.
Purchased and reinstalled the stock air box, oil breather filter, and tool tray.
Cleaned, etched, and Kreemed the fuel tank.
Cleaned carbs and tuned them for the stock air box and Mac 4 into one.
Replaced the cam cover with an unworn one.
Replaced low profile King/queen seat and concrete foam, with a smooth recovered stock shaped one.
Removed vintage Koni shocks with nice paint but with pistons that took 400 lbs to move from a fixed position.  It was the first "rigid" cb550 I ever drove.  Found a pair of worn stock shocks that improved the ride to useful levels.
Rerouted and lubed the clutch cable on the short low bars so that turning the bars to the right didn't disengage the clutch.  This made driving around in parking lots possible.
Rebuilt/cleaned front brake master and front caliper. 
Replaced cracking front brake line with the rubber flaking off and exposed fabric braid, with steel braided brake lines.
Cleaned/ polished the fuse clips to prevent their melting.
Installed a luggage rack to carry things to/from work during commuting.
New fork seals.
New shift shaft seal.
New Metzler tires front and rear.
New chain and sprockets.

All this on just one bike!

Cheers,

[754]

TT, take the shocktops & bumpers off the Konis & wind out the damper rods a few notches, they will be much softer..

 I liked them.. ran them on a CB 350, then changed damping and ran them on my CB 750..

[TwoTired]

TT, take the shocktops & bumpers off the Konis & wind out the damper rods a few notches, they will be much softer..

 I liked them.. ran them on a CB 350, then changed damping and ran them on my CB 750..

These Koni's need 70lbs to move the pistons with the springs removed, and they feel like parts sliding on gravel.  They need to be rebuilt with new parts inside.  They may have been drained of fluid in 1980 and then never replaced....to this day.
They are Koni 76F-1296 series made 8-74, and I have been unable to get parts for a rebuild.  So, they are being used to keep my parts shelf from floating toward the ceiling.  If I could find rebuild parts, I'd make a pin spanner to take them apart.

Cheers,

[754]

You dont have to take some Konis apart..
 You remove top, then rubber bumper, then re-assemble top.
 Then push the rod to the bottom, and turn (with bumper gone it allows it to turn the valving)

 It will turn in either clicks or 1/2 turns to about 7 positions., then re-assemble.

 I am a bit rusty on these, think I last touched a set in the early 80,s..

[paulages]

'76 cb550F

frame/suspension
-rebuilt both hubs with new bearings and SS spokes while at it
-installed tapered steering head bearings
-installed a second disk on the front wheel and drilled both
-installed SS brake lines
-new honda brake pads up front and shoes in the rear
-installed Boge rear progressive shocks
-new swingarm bushes
-front forks soon to have race tech cartridge emulators
-new fork seals

electrical/ignition
-cleaned and polished every connection in the wire harness to reduce voltage drops
-Dyna s ignition in current engine, with dyna 3 ohm coils and wires
-Dyna 2000 and 2 ohm coils going in the new engine
-installed electronic flasher relay... no more voltage-sensitive blinkers

the current engine is more or less stock, but the one going in soon is:
-550 cases bored out to accept oversized sleeves
-650 barrels bored out to accepts cb750 liners, shortened and tapered to fit the shorter stroke
-750 barrels bored out to accept 63mm pistons, machined to a 10.6/1 compression ratio with a .050" squish band (718cc)
-rods, pistons, rotor and crank balanced
cb550 alternator rotor machined to fit on the 650 crank
-new cam chain tensioner
-mike reick porting on a cb650 head, with serdi cut valve seats and kibblewhite valve springs
-megacycle 126-21 cam profile
-cb750K carbs with K&N pod filters
-oil feed to chains added off the main oil galley, as per cb650 design
-trans gear teeth lapped and polished to reduce friction and lost HP
-all new crank and rod bearings at minimum tolerances
-all new trans bearings
-520 chain conversion
-new cam and primary chains
-mac 4-1 with homemade glasspack baffle
-cb650 oil pump
-all new engine seals and gaskets throughout


anyway, i'm pretty happy what i've done so far... i can't imagine how happy i'm gonna be with the new powerplant. 

[eurban]

You dont have to take some Konis apart..
 You remove top, then rubber bumper, then re-assemble top.
 Then push the rod to the bottom, and turn (with bumper gone it allows it to turn the valving)

 It will turn in either clicks or 1/2 turns to about 7 positions., then re-assemble.

 I am a bit rusty on these, think I last touched a set in the early 80,s..

I would guess that TT's shocks are suffering from a dissolving / meltdown of internal plastic bits that are now clogging up the oil passages in the shock.  This is very common in older Koni shocks.  I bought a NOS pair with this issue and eventually gave up on cleaning and rebuilding.  Foot valve needed to be disassembled to be cleaned and then some how retensioned to factory specs.  TT, I made a spanner that you could use if you like . . . . 

[bozo4onion]

More like REMOVED. Like crappy pods. Switched back to air box + filter w/reset needle jets. Runs much better even w/the MAC.