Topic: I've been K0'd!

[Don R]

I did a bench synch (on bike) and added the top gaskets, I got it all back together but haven't test ridden it yet. I had to rob a metering rod spring plate out of a spare set since one vanished so I'll order a kit with them included.
 I plan to do some welding on the O2 sensor probe to be sure it's sealed, put the baffles back in and do another round of testing. 
 A test ride revealed it runs no better, #1 carb is sweating fuel after multiple new needle and seats, and a new float, as is the multi time rebuilt petcock.  This thing has leaked enough gas to drive my wife's Accord on vacation. Exorcist, witch doctor and a medicine man are needed. In any order available.

 I officially give up on getting it to the drag strip this year, I'm not a bike racer but am a racer and will not go unprepared.

 Edit, I put the needles back to stock and it runs way better. I need to have a serious conversation with my O2 gauge.

 Edit #2, I rejetted the mains from the 110's and think it wants the 120's. A 130 fell out of the holder into the float bowl and ruined the test run. Wide open throttle it's a little puny I can feel the transition to full jet.

[Don R]

 I needed to feel extra manly today so I kick started the diecast. That's right, we bad. 

[Terry in Australia]

Well done Don, I fired up the F2 tonight for the first time in maybe a year? It pissed me off last year when I rebuilt two sets of carbs and they both pissed fuel, I'm gonna yank them again this week and set the float levels wrong, just so they stop leaking. I installed a new Dyna ignition (because I couldn't find the points ignition, then later I found it in the glovebox under the seat, D-oh!) and jumped the flat-ish battery off a fully charged battery and it fired right up, but as I was manoeuvring it around my other bikes so I could ride it up the driveway and wash it I stalled it.

No problem, thinks I, I'll be a manly man like Don, and kick start it, but then I heard the voice of Charlie Bronson in my ear, saying, "No dice loser, 7 volts won't be enough for a dyna to chuck a spark", and that old baastard was right, so I pushed the fcuker instead, which wasn't anywhere near as much fun...... The battery's on the charger, so tomorrow, we ride! (and leave a trail of gas behind me......)

[Don R]

 I can't believe you would ride something as ugly as an F. Just kidding but I remember someone saying that a long time ago.  If I wasn't bike poor and about to get more, I'd restomod the F1 I have in storage.  It's nice but had a dipstick for a PO that didn't have money for parts but liked to take things apart.  My brother bought it a few years ago and now it's mine to re-assemble. 

[Terry in Australia]

Yes, the embarrassing truth is that While the ‘75/76 F is about as attractive to me as a stillborn Aardvark, I have a soft spot for F2’s, as fragile as their engines are. Apart from the carb issues the engine is a gem, I don’t know anything of it’s history and when I first bought it I thought that it might have been my old bike but upon checking it’s registration history discovered that it wasn’t.

The F2 was just gonna be a daily rider with an excess of “patina” but once I rebuilt my K2 engine it’s “surplus to requirements” and recently I’ve decided to move it on and it looks like I can sell it for a tad more than it’s cost me, so I’m in the process of cleaning it up to sell it, maybe as early as this weekend. It’ll be nice to put some cash back into my bank account after spending so much on bikes this year.

[Don R]

  I have some hard choices to make, next winter there won't be a rental unit so by then I need to pare the collection a bit. 4 plated bikes and a toy or two will fit in the bike area of the shop.
  I noticed tonight while stocking the new score in my totes I'm up to 6 spare brake panels and two F rear disc brake choices. I find myself wondering why. 

[Don R]

 The diecast is sitting ready for a ride tomorrow when it's 60* out. I'm getting a vaccine booster and joined the local gym. Should be an epic day.

[Terry in Australia]

Y.M.C.A! Make sure you post some pics of your workout Don!

[Don R]

 The ride went awesome, finally. The best the diecast has been running since I rebuilt the motor. I'm still unsure where I got so far off track jet wise. It was one of the most part swapped and beat on bike I ever had but just kept finding the right parts and upgrading.
 

[Don R]

 I found the recently discovered to be missing cam caps for the diecast head. They were in a box that I had moved while looking for them. The diecast head has a welded fin and it got sanded, filed and ground down and looks pretty good considering how it looked starting out. 
  The PO of this head thought he knew better about torque and several threads are tapped out to larger SAE bolts. The ones that I can helicoil I will, others will be inside the motor and invisible. I now have all of the components to build a sweet stock correct (no number on the plate or restamped)  motor for the diecast bike. The original frame for the 836 motor in the diecast bike right now is sitting naked on a shelf. Giant pullback bars and etc. It even had +6" forks. 
 

[Don R]

 I heard the guy that was sure he cheated me out of $650 for this original project bike passed away recently. That's a shame, I was hoping to ride by for a visit and to show off the bike.   
  The first guy that ever said to me "ran when parked" and it was clearly, a big fat lie. As he turned away, with money in hand I saw the smirk on his face. I got in the car and laughed that he was so sure he got the best of the deal, $650 for K0 with a wrinkle tank, 19/18 Lester mags, 4 cable carbs, 4-1 header with a plugged up muffler and a load of K4 stuff bolted to it.  The 836 turned out to be a high compression 812 with the pistons in backwards. They had to notch the domes and still did not figure it out.

[Terry in Australia]

Well there you go Don, you got the last laugh. I just sold my spare K0 engine cases (1010XXX) and a few other pieces that I didn't pay more than 500 bucks for total, for $1600. I gave the money to the wife to buy Christmas presents, so it was a win/win.

I've got a young guy coming over today to buy my F2, I'd pretty much ignored it for the last 12 months so needed to put a new battery and new dyna ignition into it, plus a change of carbs, but I just went outside to start it and it fired right up and runs really nicely. I kinda wish I wasn't selling it now........

[Don R]

 Mine always act up for any buyer to try to stay.
  The side stand bracket on the diecast got welded on a little too upright when I did a rust repair. Today I was going to put the old shortened one back on but it wouldn't hit the rubber stopper on the 4-4's. I decided to pull off the one that's too tall and pop it in the hydraulic press for a little tweak. It bent nicely, still parks on the stopper and now the bike isn't as tippy on the side stand.   

[RAFster122s]

I make Mine always act up for any buyer to try to stay.

Fixed that for you...

[Don R]

 true story.

[Don R]

 I was watching the engine masters TV show test exhaust this morning and realized my ported and cammed 836, was re-jetted for the long muffler 4-1 header and then I put the stock type 4-4 on it. It's hardly a surprise it's back to near stock jetting now.

[Don R]

 I had an old K0 backyard find that I used for parts when I started this cb750 stuff. I hauled it and two others home nearly 20 years ago to build a "free" motorcycle. Today I welded the under-tank tubes and triangle back in and put the rear frame arch back in. I'll see how well it cleans up, it had the typical K0 lower frame bulge from freezing, I cut it open, cleaned the edges and welded it back up. I'll drill the drain holes too.
 It's one of Honda's trick 1971 titled late K0 models. I'm hoping someone here will give it a good home and finish it.
  I'm finishing up with the drag bikes and that's all of the keepers unless I sell some of them.

[Terry in Australia]

I'm hating life today Don, I've decided that rather than buy more and more "project" bikes, I'm gonna just finish the ones I have here. I have my 2000 Honda RC51 SP1 (needs fuel pump, battery and tank clean) 2001 Honda RC51 SP1 (in bits, still missing some parts ) (1989 BMW K100RS that needs a fuel pump, tank clean, and maybe a clutch plate, (I have it, just haven't installed it) 1977 Kawasaki Z1000/1428 "Mad Max" bike, (just needs assembling) 1975 Kawasaki Z1-B 1100cc Moriwaki (just needs assembling) 1973 Harley Iron Head Sportster that needs a new crank assembly (I have it, just haven't installed it) 1973 CB750 K2 (in bits) 1971 CB750K1 (in bits) 1970 CB750K1 (in bits) 1969 Suzuki T350 (just needs final wiring and new oil line sealing washers) 1969 Yamaha SD6 250, 1967 Honda CL90 (needs a refurb after spending it's whole life on a farm) 1950 BSA C11G (in bits, still missing a few things)

On top of that I'm gonna sell my 2006 Honda VTR1000F, 1978 CB750A, 1973 Yamaha RT3, and maybe a few of the above if I can't be bothered restoring them. If each one takes me a year, I'll be pushing 80 by the time I'm finished........

[MauiK3]

I've always been weird about this issue. I get uncomfortable if I have too many larger projects calling me and too much non-working hardware around. I think it's a little like an affliction. I like to start and mostly finish a project or two then move on to the next one. Sometimes I start two and bounce back and forth as the  delays that happen slow things down on one. I think it comes from when I used to build and overhaul submarines, you had to think in terms of finishing things as you built your way out of, say, an engine room. You could't paint and insulate the hull if you've put all the machinery back.
Plus, I imagine the projects have feelings and are begging me to get them fixed up!!

[Alan F.]

13 bikes in 5 weeks Terry? I'd bet you could if parts don't hold you up.

[Terry in Australia]

Ha ha, no, I'll be happy if I have the T500 up and running and the Z1-B almost together before I go back to work Alan, I've gotta get the Z1-B done so I can take part  in some "50th Anniversary of the Z1" activities in 2022. I would like to get my iron head Harley Sportster done too in 2022, I've owned it for over 2 years and I really want to ride it. The others aren't such a rush, and I'll probably sell off a couple of unfinished projects to fund my future builds.

[Don R]

 I agree that having more than I can/want to finish makes me a little uneasy. I actually have several of my brother's bikes that I didn't intend to own. His k4 is one I won't sell, he bought it new, and I have a long history with it.
 I had planned to sell a K0 for money to buy a large Pontiac rotating assembly and a Torquestorm blower.
  Now that I have the turbo drag bike and the RC 836 custom bike I have a problem.
 
   My wife shoved a cb750 for sale ad in my face to see if I wanted it. I do not. It was a test.
   I even saw a rear swingarm/wheel and fork/wheel assembly for an 80 gs1100 cheap on facebook marketplace and I don't feel the need to buy it.
 
   I think the kz1000, F'nK, 76 750F, 72 big bore cb750 (I rode with this bike in the mid 70's) maybe the gl1000, the bitsa 71 K0, a titled K3 frame that provided the current engine in my diecast all need to move along. The total of keepers, bitsa bikes and goers = 14 bikes.

[Terry in Australia]

Yep I'm up to 25 all up Don, which is just silly. I'll be happy if I have only 3 or 4 bikes by the time I retire, but which ones? Some of the ones that I'll sell are great bikes and I'll miss them, ever since I sold my VFR750 I've been looking at other VFR's, but there aren't any around that are as good as mine was, I wish I'd kept it........

[BenelliSEI]

I've always been weird about this issue. I get uncomfortable if I have too many larger projects calling me and too much non-working hardware around. I think it's a little like an affliction. I like to start and mostly finish a project or two then move on to the next one. Sometimes I start two and bounce back and forth as the  delays that happen slow things down on one. I think it comes from when I used to build and overhaul submarines, you had to think in terms of finishing things as you built your way out of, say, an engine room. You could't paint and insulate the hull if you've put all the machinery back.
Plus, I imagine the projects have feelings and are begging me to get them fixed up!!

I agree! I have the Rickman back in pieces (final welding on the frame for brackets then nickel plating), just starting work on the S/C, a K6 that needs an engine, my g’son’s Z50, and my KLR650 needs some attention….. That’s my limit. No “new” bikes until something gets completed!

P.S. I did sell (2021) the Carlini Chopper and the K6, so there is room, in an emergency……

[Don R]

 I thought I was done then the turbo dragbike and K1 RC836 came along. I could not say no to the price.