Topic: I think my PO was killed by shotgun wielding rednecks...

[Shenanigans]

Anyone have a set of the bar pull back mounts or whatever they are called, they mount on the triple tree then you mount the bars to them and they are set back a little towards tank. I have a set of bars I want to use but I need them. (to put on backwards and make the bar mount farther from the tank so my bars will clear...)

Of course I used to have a set but they are no where to be found

Edit, gonna use another set of bars until I can make the ones I want.

[Shenanigans]

Alright got to ride it around for the first time. Pulls strong. Smoke, lots of it. Pretty sure its blue/oil. It barley smokes at idle, but when rev'd or during acceleration it smokes a lot. To much to live with.... I am hopefull because I have only ridden it a total of maybe one mile around in my neighborhood.

The bike sat for at least 12 years, How long should I give it until I start to worry and try something like seafoam? I have never used it but I seen a lot of people swear by it...

 

[Kframe]

Man, that's a lot of smoke it sounds like.

I just got my '74 550 running after sitting in a garage since 1985 (seriously).
Probably smoked for a minute and then running pretty clear.

I wonder if your rings are shot?
-K

[JohnG]

I woulda paid some money to have seen a video recording of that first ride!!!   Definite YouTube material...   

[Ogri]

I'm loving that pic with the shadow against the wall...very nice. And yes, the tank needs to be preserved and hopefully identified..in 20 years' time the artist might be as well known as the guy back in the 60s who did motorcycle art..what was his name?..Oh Yeah - Von Dutch!!

Does all that space above the valve cover allow you to remove the cylinder head without removing the engine ? It might be worth pulling the 'head; checking the valve guide oil seals and replacing the cylinder head gasket (in case oil is being sucked in via the cylinder stud oilways)?

[Shenanigans]

I'm loving that pic with the shadow against the wall...very nice. And yes, the tank needs to be preserved and hopefully identified..in 20 years' time the artist might be as well known as the guy back in the 60s who did motorcycle art..what was his name?..Oh Yeah - Von Dutch!!

Does all that space above the valve cover allow you to remove the cylinder head without removing the engine ? It might be worth pulling the 'head; checking the valve guide oil seals and replacing the cylinder head gasket (in case oil is being sucked in via the cylinder stud oilways)?

I think there is enough room for the head to come off. I dont need no stinkin' frame rail kit.... or frame rails...
Took it out again today and after a half mile it oil fouled number 1 plug.  Alright alright, I now fully accept the heads needs to be fixed 

From everyone with a bit more experience than me, what do you think is bad according to what I have said, little smoke at idle, most smoke when accelerating/rev'ing. I thought valve guides like to leak a little at start up and whenever there is vacuum in the chamber. I always thought bad rings causes a bit of blow by up on the breather, which I dont seem to have any of. When I got it there was old oil and dirt on the left side of the jugs and a lot of oil in between number one and number two exhaust ports.  Exhaust pipe is full of oil.

so probably the o-rings in the oil passages leaking into the chamber?

[BobbyR]

Did you soak the cylinders with Marvel or some other thin oil. Rings can stick and then free themselves up. Motors are like people they stiffen up after sitting a long time.

[Shenanigans]

Did you soak the cylinders with Marvel or some other thin oil. Rings can stick and then free themselves up. Motors are like people they stiffen up after sitting a long time.

Have not tried yet but I dont have anything to lose. Im gonna go pick up a bottle around the corner right now, should I soak over night?

Threats of harm work on people, so tell me BobbyR, why didnt it work on this motor?  

[Shenanigans]

You wanna talk about blasphemy? Yeah, those are clubmans 

[BobbyR]

Did you soak the cylinders with Marvel or some other thin oil. Rings can stick and then free themselves up. Motors are like people they stiffen up after sitting a long time.

Have not tried yet but I dont have anything to lose. Im gonna go pick up a bottle around the corner right now, should I soak over night?

Threats of harm work on people, so tell me BobbyR, why didnt it work on this motor?  

Soak it as long as you can, some people mix in Seafoam to get more solvent in there with it. 

These are old School Japanese bikes, they don't fear death. Every week in Japan, 5 to 8 people jump in front of trains. 

[The_Crippler]

You wanna talk about blasphemy? Yeah, those are clubmans 

I think I'm in love.

[Ogri]

I think the new 'bars work. You just need to lose the twin rectangular headlights and fit a single bates, ideally set well back between the forks.
Will there be a problem with air getting into the brake hose at the master cylinder due to its angle ?

[Shenanigans]

I think the new 'bars work. You just need to lose the twin rectangular headlights and fit a single bates, ideally set well back between the forks.
Will there be a problem with air getting into the brake hose at the master cylinder due to its angle ?

I thought a while about the headlights and after mocking up a old single headlight I want the dual headlights to stay. They would look a lot better set back against the fork like you said but if I ever put a springer or girder front end they would lose their clearance. Dont really want to cut up the nice original bracket either. I will make a new one when I get a chance.

The brake still works ok, I think I just need to put some extra fluid in there and never open it unless the bars are turned to the left. Gonna go put the marvel in the boom chamber' to see if it helps. I want to do a leak down test but I have to find a gauge to borrow.

Pardon my ignorance but what exactly is a stuck ring? I have an idea but I dont know exactly WHAT it is? In my mind stuck ring=seized engine but whats the other stuck ring?

[ColinMc]

Try this trick, take all the plugs out, put some marvel down each plug hole with some seafoam. Let it sit overnight, next day turn it over BY HAND with the plugs still out, put some more marvel and seafoam down there, next day turn it over again by hand. Then the day after that just dump some seafoam down each sparkplug hole, put the plugs back in and start er up. It'll smoke like hell and probably foul the first set of plugs, but should pop the rings loose if they are indeed stuck.

[mystic_1]

Piston ring stuck to cylinder wall = seized engine.

Piston ring stuck to piston groove = smokey engine.

mystic_1

[Shenanigans]

If this does not solve my smoking problem I would think that it would probably be leaky oil passages. Given the amount of oil on the outside in that area.
So is there any reason I cant get away with just taking off the head to replace the oil passage o-rings/head gasket but leave the jugs on?

[mgbgt89]

That's what i would do. I pulled the jugs on mine to replace a base gasket that came with the kit. Didn't leak then, now it does.

[Shenanigans]

Well I just got done reading seawebs sturgis trip and by the time sturgis rolls around again I will be 21, and it would be awfully nice to a bike reliable enough to go there on, that would blend in a bit better than the cafe would. If you get my drift... 

So a top end job it is. Assuming its stock bore I have a extra head gasket and valve seals, I just need a source for the o-rings. Already have one for the pucks.

Are there any such thing as just the o-ring kits?

[Ogri]

Me too, look at the 'head first then if no improvement go further South. Remember that these engines pump a large amount of oil into the rocker area  - it's swimming in it up there. If those valve guide oil seals are perished or were omitted in a previous rebuild that oil will be sucked down into the combustion chambers every time the pistons descend. In the case of the exhaust valves, a lot of that oil will run down into the headers.

In my opinion the Cylinder Head is the heart of the engine - it's the home of good engine performance.

Honda list the cylinder stud O Rings as a seperate part - # 91310-426-000   and of course you can buy the cylinder head gasket seperately as well - # 12191-300-306

[Shenanigans]

Valve gaps are not to far out of wack. Still trying diffrent concoctions to see if I can get the ring loose. No progress yet and I dont think its the problem anyways. I am debating if I should just buy another top end kit or to buy the o-rings separately. Cheapest Vesrah set is 65, I might be able to get one cheaper at Bobs but it might be a #$%*ty brand. It looks like the vesrah kit comes with valve seals, anyone know for sure?

Unless any one has an extra kit laying around they want to sell  

My goal for this bike is to be back on the road by next Monday.

Bright side of things: My oil pump must be working good.

[Shenanigans]

Bikes gone.    Back to Tucson where it came from, new owner picked it up today. I would have liked to keep it but I have a rule that if I can make a certain percentage profit from what I have in it, I HAVE to sell it.

So back to searching for another bike!

[onesickrace]

find something and get it dialed in all winter so we can meet up somewhere in middle america and go northwest.