Time for a MEGA-POST. I finally uploaded lots of pics to show you all what I've been up to. Still busy with the trailer (new plywood interior is nearly finished!) but I found some time to do work.
First off, my most recent purchases:
Airbox Rubbers
Clutch Plates
Aaaaaand the big one: Hand-made clip-ons from 707 Racing, LGC Rear-Sets and 2 Phenolic Pistons from Kevin400F. (I found the heim joints in a box of my brothers stuff)
Here's a couple pictures of My swingarm after it came back from HondaMan:
Here is my tank in the process of being covered in expanding foam (I used 3lb density), there'll be a pic of the end product near the end of this post:
Quick tutorial for those who wish to run a 650 cam and tach on a 500 and retain the stock gauge housings. My reasoning is simply that the older style gauges are much smaller and nicer looking than later models (Especially the 650s, ugly as sin!).
Here's the original CB500 gauge housing with the tach-drive unit:
I found a tachometer in working condition that was in pretty bad cosmetic shape off a 750. It shares the same drive ratio as a 650 and should work (in theory). I proceeded to cut out the depression for the tach-drive in the lower housing of this unit with a dremel, leaving about a quarter inch around the outside. This picture shows you essentially the pieces you need, from left to right a) CB500 lower tach housing b) 1:4 ratio tach drive from a cb750 c) cutout of the lower gauge housing from the cb750 tach:
I then cut out the shape of the 750 "bracket" in the CB500 housing, centered the tach drive and drilled\bolted the whole shebang together. There were a few spots where I cut away too much material, so I just filled the gap with silicon sealant.
The needle needs a way to attach to the thicker post, and new gauge faces need to be printed to accommodate the spacing of the scale on your adapted tach drive unit. I will have my new faces in October when my parents visit (being made by a friend of theirs).
And finally... I mounted the engine in the frame this evening. I'm still a ways off, but it feels pretty monumental to have the engine back in the frame. I can finally see the results of my work starting to come together into something that looks like a motorcycle. I replaced all the frame bolts with black hex-socket bolts, which I find both nicer looking and easier to work with. With all the extra weight, the frame wouldn't balance on my motorcycle jack because of the kickstand bracket, so I had to just set it on the floor. Anyways, here's the fruits of my labor:
I guess it doesn't really look like much, but I'm very pleased with this development. Note that the rear-set placement is temporary. I actually don't mind the feel of the riding position (I'm fairly short), but I would at least have to make some shims or bend the passenger footpeg brackets to straighten out the footpegs. This is something I'll be working out a bit further down the line, I'm not worrying about it too much right now though.
You can see the giant foam covered tank in this next picture. Now that I have my bars and my rearsets and can start playing with placement, I'll be able to get a feel for how I want to form the tank for my own personal ergonomics and comfort.
Stay tuned, more to come soon!
