Topic: 2010 a bike odyssey

[COOKIESandBEER]

well ive been lurking in the shadows for more than a few months now gleaning all i could from your collective minds. But, enough is enough and there's only so much one can learn from listening to the talk, so i guess its time to start walking the walk(also its almost soul crushing to see all of your beautiful bikes and not have one of my own, kinda makes you feel like the kid who didnt get picked for baseball. so you know, i had to get one).

Shes my first bike and im about as green as they come, so i would expect the normal stupid newbie questions from me if i were you. my plan is to get her back into prime running shape and somewhere down the line give her the cafe touch(sorry purists). As i am a college student and an extremely busy one at that(arent we all) the goings gonna be a bit slow. Right now ill just be content, to get her cleaned up, looking pretty, and running smooth. the plan is to take her on a short tour up to oregon or a medium tour out to colorado at the end of the summer(Im in San Francisco). i would also like to do as much of the work as possible myself, ive always been interested in engines but never had anyone to teach me when i was younger. so im finally giving my self a reason to learn, so far its been:

Lesson 1) ...Old Bikes.......

So, through a series of fortunate events i stand here in front of you, allow me to introduce you to The New Danger....


shes a Cb550k with after-market 4-1 exhaust installed two POs back. She came with electric ignition installed, 1 extra engine sans carbs, a Cb500 triple tree, newish speedo, paperwork, two books, a bunch of indicators, extra fender, and i know its been re-jetted though I have to dig through the paperwork to find the specifics. if any of you have any ideas as to what pipes are on her id love to know.


Learning to fly, battery crapped out so we had to bump start her, also she doest like to idle at lights. let me know what to tell you so you can make an informed guess as to why this is happening.(not the battery though thats a fairly obvious fix)


some sun bleached gauges, but both they and the dummy lights work so...i meeeean.


PO dropped her and replaced the side cover but but decided that it would be best to leave it for the next owner to paint. also the interior of the headlight is a rats nest of wires, gonna have to sort that out too.

thats all for now, this weekend (apparently there is supposed to be SUN in SF, crazy i know) i need to pick her up a new battery and bust out the simple green, 0000 pads, and some toothbrushes.  better pics soon to follow.

[COOKIESandBEER]

ok so, ive been thinking about the idle issue. and i was wondering if its stemming from having a dead battery and it not being able to support its self at low RPMs such as when im stopped at red lights. could this be the cause?

[THE DUDE]

yeah the recharging components on these old bikes are not the BEE's Knee's .  Stop and go and red lights are your problem areas.

Could be bad cables (corrosion, melted wires)  Check them over well.  Check connections for shorts in the plugs any melting of plastic plugs or wires is bad.  Could be easy could be a little of a booger to figure out.  Get youself a volt meter test out your battery (with a full charge)  rev her up then see if you getting a higher output 13-14 volts. If not you have a problem somewhere. You can check Regulator, Rectifier, and Stator if all your wires are good one of those bad boys aint doing its job.

 I upgraded the Rectifier and Regulator now it charges like new!

[THE DUDE]

oh and Dont go out and buy you a new Battery just yet hoss.....  You have a charger?  You can pick em up pretty cheap slow trickle charge it 2amp then once charged do your meter test described above!  Batteries are not that cheap spend your money on something else you might really need   

[COOKIESandBEER]

Thanks Dude, i appreciate the reply. i got the battery taken care of and had her running again earlier tonight , im gonna save the voltmeter and wiring check for the weekend. Other than that, Are their any other things i should check up on to make sure shes tuned up and running her best?

thanks again
-D

[traveler]

Well, pulling the plugs, cleaning them up and re-installing is a good thing to do.  A little bit of carb cleaner in the fuel is good.  Air filter clean, oil and filter clean, air pressure good in the tires (tires are NOT dry rotted or worn out).

Might be best to ride her for the summer, before any ideas of major work come to mind.

Have fun....it's a nice bike!

~Joe

[greybeard50]

I like!
I wish you were a bit closer to Indiana: I'd ask to see it in person. I'm 6'3" & would like to see how those drag bars would work for me before buying. Ride the snot out of it...
Richard

[COOKIESandBEER]

I like!
I wish you were a bit closer to Indiana: I'd ask to see it in person. I'm 6'3" & would like to see how those drag bars would work for me before buying. Ride the snot out of it...
Richard

hey im 6'1" and they seem pretty comfy to me. although i am used to my road bike which i have set up pretty aggressive. im originally from illinois, sorry im out here otherwise id be happy to let you check her out.

Well, pulling the plugs, cleaning them up and re-installing is a good thing to do.  A little bit of carb cleaner in the fuel is good.  Air filter clean, oil and filter clean, air pressure good in the tires (tires are NOT dry rotted or worn out).

Might be best to ride her for the summer, before any ideas of major work come to mind.

Have fun....it's a nice bike!

~Joe

Hey traveler, thanks for the reply. first off just wanna say i loved your build thread and your bike is a beauty. The rubber on the bike is from last season and still has plenty of tread, so im all good there. my issue is finding a good replacement filter for the stock air box, do you have a preferred distributer? shes a 75 cb550 if that makes a difference.

thanks again for the tips, cant wait for saturday so i can get my wrench on.
~Drayson

[traveler]

"Uni" makes a drop in filter.  If not them, then go throught Western Hills Honda (do a google search) and get a stocker filter.


Again....cool bike, ride it "as is" for the summer, and then when the fog rolls in around Sept., pull her apart for the winter and do what you will.  When Sept. comes, if you are happy, then keep on ridin'!  There are no rules that say you must rebuild and restore.

NOW....is riding season...so ride her, fix what necessary, and get a firm grip on what you want different when the riding season ends.

That fk'r Mayor Newsom....now it's "no soda for sale in public buildings"...when are you guys going to toss that clown???

FWIW:  I'd leave the bike "as is" and ride the hell out of her! ( but that's me)

~Joe

[COOKIESandBEER]

ill be keeping her "as is" for the time being, i dont have the time or money to even consider a rebuild right now anyway. anything i would have wanted to add like a 4-1, tires, and electric ignition were installed by the POs so im all good there.  

clown is right, that fool newsom has turned this city into one big circus act. you think would he would have more important things to worry about than soda. the city is broke, public schools are getting hit hard, and our public transportation system is a joke i guess all we can do is wait till the next election. sometimes i wonder if this whole city is high......wait, yes, yes it most definitely is.

well its time for class, thanks for the input ill have to get one of those UNIs ordered up.
~Drayson

[COOKIESandBEER]

hokay, so. i was running the bike today and noticed that there was a knocking at idle, i forgot to check the RPMs but im pretty sure they were low. ive been scouring the forums and from what i have learned it sounds like i may have a bad head gasket, out of sync carbs, or my idle speed is too low??? if it turns out i need to sync the carbs does that mean i need to dig into the jets and timing as well?

stoked to learn, but bummed about the noise...old bikes right 

[traveler]

I suspect a loose cam chain....easy enough fix.....open both valve adjustement holes on the valvecover for #1 cylinder to the left as you sit on the bike, kick engine over with your hand until both rockers are "up", meaning you are on the compression stroke (what the engineers call TDC~Top Dead Center), then break the locknut loose and it will "spring" tight.  Then carefully turn it with a screwdriver to ensure it isn't bound....you will feel the tenshon, just give her a GENTLE 1/4 turn and release.....and tighten locknut and put valve cover caps back on.....knocking sound gone.

These engines were designed with the mechanic in mind....very simple and straightforward.  Carbs can be a pain at times, but the motor is a real gem!

~Joe

[COOKIESandBEER]

so here is a video of the noise.

"

 i did run into a minor issue though when going to remove the valve adjustment caps. one of the caps, the one facing toward the back on the left side of the bike was chewed up by the PO. i tried to be gentle but it felt like i would only make things worse if i kept going(pics soon), also the other one facing the front seems to be frozen on. both valve caps on the #4 cylinder(on the far right side while sitting on the bike, right?) came off like they should so no worries there. now can i use a penetrating oil to help loosen the valve adj. caps or is there a better method. the other thing i noticed which i try to show in the video is that im missing a screw on what i believe to be the starter cover . i couldn't find what screw size i needed to replace it in my clymber book, so im throwing my self on the mercy of the forums. if you know what size i need please let me know otherwise im just gonna go to the hardware store and try to find one that matches.

also do you know of a good repair manual for someone who knows nothing about these engines, because i feel like the clymber is written for someone who already knows what they are doing and just needs a little guidance to do it right....i am not that demographic.