Topic: '80 CB650C Cruiser - Project Wraith - Another setback

[JimJamerino]

On my Standard CB650 it was a normal threaded axle.  I have no reason to believe the Custom would be any different. 

Unless it's not stock.

[The_Crippler]

Yep, totally stock...so, yeah...it's just really stuck, not that I'm unscrewing it the wrong way.  Good to know.  Thanks for confirming.

[The_Crippler]

Looks like I need to put Wraith on the back burner for a bit.  Gonna still try to get the rotor drilled, but outside of that, I just got hit with a few steep home-owning type bills that are gonna drain the wallet for a little while.

[manjisann]

Bills are a bummer, but it's the price we pay to have a roof over our head and a decent place to work on our bikes Try and look at it as a creativity break 

Brandon

[The_Crippler]

Still want to get the rotor done soon (if I can ever get the damn thing off - might need to bring it to the shop to have them remove it) but I need to scale back for a bit.  Got hit with a $1300 plumbing bill, I bought season tickets to a new team coming to town, and then I've got a bunch of stuff coming up as part of my friend's wedding party, then the holidays.  Since I'm not on any kind of deadline, I'm going to slow down a bit on this. 

BUT, I hope that doesn't mean that work is coming to a standstill.

But you're right - it gives me more time to plan things, which is really good.

[scunny]

polishing and cleaning are free 

[The_Crippler]

You been sneaking a peak at my playboy, scunny?

[Frankenkit]

You been sneaking a peak at my playboy, scunny?

Best. Play. On. Words. EVER.

[The_Crippler]

Wow.  I'm glad my typo's can be extremely Freudian.  It makes my day more interesting.

[The_Crippler]

^%$, this is getting annoying.  Used two vice grips and a crapload of spray lubricant, and I still can't get the goddamn thing lose.  Don't have a deepwell socket big enough to fit it.

Since I don't want to do anything with paint or putting painted parts back on until I have the front brake taken care of - so this is holding everything up.  I'm guessing I'm just going to have to take the front wheel to the shop and pay someone to do it for me.

[Hush]

Are you trying to remove the rotor or the front brake piston?
For the rotor try using a ratchet tie-down, wrap it around the rotor a few times then around the front foot peg, use the ratchet system to put pressure on it.
This should hold the rotor still while you remove the wee bolt which is normal thread so anti-clockwise.
Oh just reread your thread, the "axle" they are talking about is the rear axle, it turns clockwise and inwards, this pops the thread right off.
On my partner's bike it required the removal of the swingarm axle but that is a Suzuki.
If it is the front brake piston, there is something I've always wanted to try that was suggested on this site, attach a grease gun to the front bleed nipple and pump till the piston pops out!
Now clean up all that messy grease.

[The_Crippler]

Looks like we're talking about two different things here, Hush.  Part I'm trying to get off is the one in the bottom left picture here.

That spins independently of the rotor, so I don't think that I can wrap a tie down around anything easily to keep it from moving. (and I have the busted knuckles from trying.)

[Hush]

Ah I see, the axle nut, hmmm only a long box wrech will help you there.

[The_Crippler]

Ah I see, the axle nut, hmmm only a long box wrech will help you there.

*looks at thread title, looks at Hush, raises eyebrow*

Lol, yeah.  I think I'm going to bring the front wheel to work with me this week and take it to the bike shop down the road on my lunch break.  If they don't try to charge me out the ass, I might just have them do it.  If the price gouge is applied, I'll continue trying at home.

[Hush]

  yep sorry my bad, had the same model as yours but never needed to remove that part!

[The_Crippler]

...and to be perfectly honest, I don't need to either.  I'm just stupid and want a nice, snazzy, resurfaced and drilled rotor.


I have no one to blame but myself, really.

[The_Crippler]

Okay...It didn't seem important enough to make a post about before, but now I have more to add.

First and foremost:  The axle nut is now my b*tch.


*the sound of trumpets and angels*

I took the wheel to the shop, and they were able to pop it right off.  I sent it off to be resurfaced and drilled and am just waiting for it to come back (It's done, but it hasn't arrived yet.)

Now on to the next bit:  Like many on here have suggested, I've kept my eyes open for a spare engine.  (Will Brandon please pick up the white courtesy phone?)  As such, I found one on CL dirt cheap.  It is an '81, but the engine should swap if need be.  Needs a lot of TLC, but eff it - I don't need it right now...and it's one that I can tear apart without worry of stranding myself.

I'm also going to look into what I can do to swap the front end.  Hush and others have said that it should be possible...if so, then I can have a dual-disc setup.  Main concern:  I sure hope that the 6mm rotor from the '80 will work with the calipers meant for 4mm.  Why?  Because I just got the damn rotor drilled, and I don't want to have pay to have two more done.



Okay, now to other business:  I only need the motor/carb/airbox setup and everything below the handlebars on the frontend.  Everything else will eventually be up for sale - including a titled frame.

[The_Crippler]

Got my drilled rotor back today, and it is awesome!

Before and after shot:



I love it.  I only hope that I can make it work on the '81 frontend.  Speaking of which, I will be picking that one up in the morning.

[The_Crippler]

Parts bike is home and in the garage.  There were a few mishaps getting it home, such as wanging the gas tank while in the trailer - right were the previous work I knew about was.  Bondo cracked off and the paint scratched.



There were some choice phrases uttered, and I moved on with my life.  Something else that I missed when I first looked at the bike was this dent in the exhaust:



Like the tank, this doesn't effect me, as I just got it for the motor, so I can live.

My possible plans to swap the front end is up in the air.  The brakes need a lot of work, as they're dragging right now.  Doable if that's all that's wrong, but i need to decide if I want to go through that.

Some bonuses - he had a 750 sissy bar in pretty good condition and a 650 grab bar is spotless condition that he just threw in.

Some other shots:

The saddle has been recovered, but had some really, really nice work done on it:


Rear fender is also in really good condition:


Overall, it was in fair-enough condition for the great price I got on it:



Eventually, I'll put up a post a thread with everything I intend to sell off.

...and now, my garage is hitting critical mass:


(Side note:  As I type this, Wild Hogs is on TV.)

[The_Crippler]

Spent this afternoon beginning the tear-down of the other 650.  I gotta say, taking them apart is a lot faster than putting them together.

[Hush]

Swap your motor into it, that way you already got the forks/frame sussed.

[The_Crippler]

The thought had certainly occurred to me.  The drawback is that the front (brakes) need so much work to get up to snuff, that I think I'll just take it off and save it for later.

[The_Crippler]

Damnit, Hush...you've infiltrated my mind.  This thought has not left me.

More and more I'm thinking - yes, this is the best course of action.  I had debated getting the other frame stripped and powdercoated...but I didn't feel like pulling the engine and everything again.  Well, I'm pulling the engine from this second frame anyway...

Of course, there is also the ease of not swapping the frontends....


I think my project cost just went up.


Okay, so, assuming I go this route - I know that the engine mounts and everything are the same, but I need to figure out if the tail is.  I know the rear wheel/hub/brake/etc is fine on the original frame, so I probably just want to swap those over (which is worlds easier than the front end, I think.)  Anyone know for sure?

I gotta give this some more thought, though.  Not 100% sure yet.  It might sound silly, but in my head, the '80 is my project bike that I want to build up and restore...the '81 is my parts bike.  Again, I know if sounds silly, but it almost feels wrong to - technically - rebuild the '81 and get rid of the '80.

[The_Crippler]

Well...spring is nearly here.  Gonna be taking the Vulcan to the shop for the annual checkup and get the leathers out of the closet and get back into this riding thing.

Of course, I also realized that I got pretty much jack #$%* done over the winter on this project.  Everything fell into three categories:  Required me to spend money, required me to work in the unheated garage or required me to clean the basement for space.  None of these things happened.

On the plus side, I paid down some debt and should have the hospital bills from my name-sake leg paid off in the next few weeks.  As much as I want this project to be humming along, the psychological effects of paying off this particular bill far out-weighs it.

So now, I can start thinking about getting back into this.  My waffling has brought me back to attempting the front-end swap.  Before I do that, i need to see if the breaks are salvageable in their current state...so, after I do those things, hopefully I'll be back in business.

[Hush]

At the end of the day TC having a bike for the summer is the goal right? I'd go the easiest way possible (cos I'm so Goddamn lazy) the rear ends are a piece of pie compared to the fronts, you just need another pair of hands to help wrestle the swingarm out, nah scotch that I did mine on my own to replace the swingarm spacers so you can do it alone.
Engine swaps on the 650 are the easiest of any SOHC4 because Honda were kind enough to give us the breakaway frame, again two people make it easy but I've swung my 650 motor in on my own.
Take a leaf out of Nike's book and "JUST DO IT"!