Topic: What did you do to your bike today ?

[BenelliSEI]

I love the bike crane! I have a 1.5 ton engine hoist but it’s a pain to assemble......
Got the K1 warmed up for a ride, distracted for an hour and the rains came.
Just looked at it!

[web]

Not the SOHC/4 but still a Honda... the PC26 CB500 twin.

Tried to fix the cam chain tensioner and failed miserably.
You CAN reach it with the airbox in, but I didn't have a short enough screwdriver to engage the plunger. So I had to take out the airbox. In order to take out the airbox, you need to take out the fuel tank and carbs as well. Oh well.

So first the fuel tank with the tap "OFF" sat on the garage floor for half an hour untouched and then suddenly decided to start pissing fuel fast, for no reason whatsoever. Luckily I was there to set it on its end quickly (thankfully the cap seals well), but still made quite a puddle of fuel on the (luckily epoxied) garage floor. I still don't get how/why that happened and probably will never trust a fuel tank tap again. Keeping a plugged stub of hose around now, to plug the outlet.

So after I made the whole house smell like fuel, I tried the "back off and let snap back" method of unsticking the tensioner.

Well, it may or may not have worked for about  5 minutes. It seemed to stay quiet a little longer than usual - that's pretty much the whole result. I'll have to either make a manual adjuster or put a new one in. I left the airbox out for now, so I can access it with the engine running, to see if it will quiet when I manually tighten it a little, to confirm the clatter is indeed the cam chain.

[Terry in Australia]

I love the bike crane! I have a 1.5 ton engine hoist but it’s a pain to assemble......
Got the K1 warmed up for a ride, distracted for an hour and the rains came.
Just looked at it!

That is a beautiful K1 mate, well done!

[PeWe]

I love the bike crane! I have a 1.5 ton engine hoist but it’s a pain to assemble......
Got the K1 warmed up for a ride, distracted for an hour and the rains came.
Just looked at it!

That is a beautiful K1 mate, well done!

Located in Australia since it is upside down?

[Ace Blackwell]

Web, is it possible the tank started leaking due to a change in the tank pressure? Maybe it had a vacuum and air was introduced? Or maybe the tank started warming up( sitting in sun) and built up pressure in tank.  Just thinking out loud.

[web]

Nah, that's not it. No sun, no temperature difference of any kind. Also there should be a vent, right?
The bike was sitting in a closed garage for half a day before I turned the fuel tap OFF, removed the tank, sat it down right next to the bike and that was it.
Half an hour later it started gushing out the tap outlet, with the tap set to OFF. Turning the tap back and forth didn't work, so I quickly turned it upright.

After cleaning up the mess (the house still smells like fuel today) I put the tank back on the next morning, and sure enough dry as a bone. I don't get it. The tap just spontaneously stopped working, somehow.

... and I will stop trusting fuel tank taps from now on, & always plug the outlet.

[Kelly E]

Did you set your tank on blocks or was the weight of the tank resting on the petcock handle? Enough weight can squish the o-ring to one side and make the valve leak but it is fine once the weight is removed.

[web]

That might have been a factor. The tank was indeed resting on the petcock. Not on its handle but still.

[vik351]

I reckon Kelly nailed it...!!! 

I never let my cock touch the ground with the tank off... 

vik...

[BenelliSEI]

PeWe......weird! If you click on the picture, it enlarges right side up......Canadian Winter?

[web]

Talk about posts that need to be read in context, vik...

[Terry in Australia]

Got it off the bench and on the driveway for the first time as a motorcycle. Feeling pretty happy.

Swamp Rat Sunday 3 Nov 2019 4 by Terry Prendergast, on Flickr

[PeWe]

Tire bending for next season!
My blue K6 will get this wheel back on later on this winter. (Its old tire visible in the background still on bike).
Pumped new tube/tire twice with 5 BAR, now 3 BAR.

I used same baby powder inside tire my mother used on us kids when really small. Found when cleaning out their house before selling it.
Easier to wrap the tire on rim after rich lubrication with real tire lube on both sides of tire as well as rim.
I forgot to remove the tube valve before inserting it, had to waste some time taking it out so I could guide valve out thru the rim hole with allen tool from outside when tire was bent and pressing out the valve.

Convenient with an extra rear wheel. I have a new rear tire for the wheel on bike too. New front tire will go on when tank is off.
Dual front brakes take some extra sweat, tears and bad words.

Hopefully no pinched tube this time. I have tubes for mistakes but I prefer to use them with future tires.

Still 3 BAR after 24 hours Reduced to 2.5 BAR. Running presure is 2.1-2.4

[spotty]

yep, new tyres are good things, in the 10 years i had my old hondas i only ever put one new tyre on though, i just kept buying new wheels and bikes to solve the problem

[wolf550]

Got some time to put on these super awesome covers for the 550
thank you Ted! (RR)

[Ricky_Racer]

They look awesome, bro! Super rare early parts! Ride well!

RR