Topic: Green Hornet CB 550/650 # Some pics of my trip to Scotland with SOHC4 Honda

[CB350 Four]

w w w.youtube.com/watch?v=6AJExr8oedM

Doesnt let me post a full link, but make a wrench like that?

[Oette]

I thought of setting up a wrench like that, but in the video it turns really easy. I'm afraid that these tiny bolts will be cut when trying to get this cap out.

[strynboen]

think it have LINKS threads...not reckst..but give it some heat..if it are lockteitet..it vill lose up

[Flying J]

cafe racer

i made a tool out of some flat stock and 2 bolts.  The other thing is that the ring is staked in. I had to drill them out and then use the tool to break it free. You can see where he drilled holes where it was staked around the out side.

[Oette]

I finally got the retainer out. It has, as predicted a left oriented thread.

Since all the other solutions would not work with my really hard stucked hub without leaving serious marks , I decided to go for another solution.

Here's the retainer and hub-friendly solution I suggest:

Take an old sprocket and weld some flat steel on it, get some 8mm hardened bolts out of your local screw store and bore 2 fitting holes into another flat steel with about 1m length. The product, fully mounted, looks like that:



The only thing is, that your bench vise should be mounted firmly. Mine nearly broke it's mounting bolts into half while pulling on the lever.

Here's just a view from above, and let me tell you, that I still had to pull reaaaally strong. (Man, who had fastened the retainer that firm??)



Regards

[bjbuchanan]

The retainer shouldn't have been that hard to get out. Somebody probably got in there b4 you or attempted to

[Oette]

The retainer shouldn't have been that hard to get out. Somebody probably got in there b4 you or attempted to

These were my thoughts, too

[dmonday]

Really cool build, guage set-up looks really nice!

[Oette]

Really cool build, guage set-up looks really nice!

Thank you!

The Easter weekend did not prevent me doing something.

I ordered very small indicators and a new lithium battery! The great advantages of this lithium battery are free mounting positions and a weight of just 400 grams (!!!!)
The battery-holder will be manufactured, when the battery arrives. Till then, I worked on the rear indicator mountings. Since I cut my frame I lost the two holes which were a possible mounting spot. Now I went another way and did the following:




Turned an alloy tube and threaded bushings which were glued into the tube to save some weight at this vibration-sensible spot.



Bend some alloy profiles to mount the tube with threads



The two screws represent the indicators in these pics. By the way, the profiles are shortened filed round into a good looking shape now.

The tube hides the indicators' cables and is bored right under a screw which fixes the plate holder under my seat. With this solution the cables are hidden and boundled when entering the seat's hump through the bored screw.

Next step was polishing the hubs to get them ready for respoking this week.
This is the result, which should not look like a mirror, since I don't want a "better than new"-rebuild.





Regards

[Oette]

Did anyone ever have some of these alloy exhaust mountings?

I found them today at the bottom of a spareparts-box during sorting all the parts for chrome and zinc plating, where they lay untouched till today.

Here is the comparison:

3 upper ones are out of aluminium, the lower one is stock. The right pair is a comparison in thickness.



I'm quite sure I'll use them. They look better, save some weight...

[Scott S]

 Those look like CB650 parts.

[Oette]

Small update here:


New LiFePo-4 battery. Man, this thing does not even weigth 500 grams.



Used coils from a CB 900


Coils after some clean up:



Erased all the 40 year old tape from my wirings



Relocated my ignition lock










Overhauled my handlebar switches, polished and reassembled them.







The brake lever and some other pieces are still waiting for a polishing treatment.


Used the primer


Painted black


The chocolate cake went into the oven



Be careful, it's still hot!

[iron_worker]

Don't forget to apply miracle whip when sealing the head gasket.

... lol jk 

IW

[Godffery]

 I prefer Mayo.  8 d

[Oette]

The last weeks the project really developed!
Check this out.

Got my rims laced, new stainless spokes.



Fixed this hanging guy here



I made a brass bushing to get rid of the old oval bore.



That's it.



I mounted it and as you can see it's a real improvement. Moreover I got new fork protectors.



To improve the braking power and response, I shot a Nissin radial master cylinder from eBay. It's from a GSXR 750 K6 and has a piston diametre of 19mm.







The levers are now a bit different, but for an improvement of the brake system I am willing to ignore my sense for symmetry.


Next, the indicators arrived and I mounted the rear ones.



Mounted the front brakes. They are without pistons and brake pads, but they'll arrive soon.



Fixed the fork protectors with new stainless clamps.



And finally, the wheels got their tires.  Bridgestone BT45 are mounted in the following dimensions: Front-3.25x19 Rear-4.00x18

Some impressions of the bike now. I took those parts and assembled it for a short overview of what the finished bike might look like.











So tell me, what do you think? Any experiences on using modern master cylinders?

Additionally, I thought about a name for the bike. My favorite candidate is "Eleanor"...

Kindest Regards,

Oette

[Oette]

Because the standard threads of the indicators are too short and thin to mount the lamp properly, I decided to go for another solution.









Now both indicator pairs are placed at the bike. Furthermore, I finished the brakes with new pads which are installed with some copper paste underneath.

[Lostboy Steve]

Will you be taking her out for the maiden voyage anytime soon? Maybe to the corner store to buy some double zout licorice? I know if I lived in Germany that's what I'd do!

[Oette]

Will you be taking her out for the maiden voyage anytime soon? Maybe to the corner store to buy some double zout licorice? I know if I lived in Germany that's what I'd do!

Haha, you're quite right. Soon.... Umm, Plan is to get her ready to rock before mid August since I HAVE to visit this special event here: http://www.glemseck101.de/category/the-glemseck-101/

[Oette]

Double disc -check!

[Retro Rocket]

Honestly, I want to push back against the "you're invisible" and "everyone's out to get you" memes that permeate so much of motorcycling lore.  If I believed either one, I wouldn't be able to get on a bike and ride in traffic.

I think you've totally missed the point of why this is often said and why a lot of us use it as a rule Syscrush, its to create a state of alertness that WILL save your life, it made me a better rider and driver, i expect EVERYONE to run me over or pull out in front of me, that doesn't mean that i ride around wound up tight and paranoid about everything around me, it means that i see everything that is going on around me. When driving in traffic i make sure that i am not in anyones blind spot, which is hard at times in heavy traffic but i watch the mirrors of the cars around me and even the movement of the driver, its amazing just how well you can predict what a driver is going to do at times but there's still the idiots that just don't do a thing, just never indicate and change lanes at will. I never had a car license until i was 40, bikes all my life {i did drive a lot though  }  when i finally went and did my drivers test, the guy taking me said twice while driving, you aren't checking your mirrors, the first time i said that i was, the second time i told him every vehicle that was anywhere around me for a couple of hundred meters , he said to me , "how the hell do you see all that without moving your head" i said, I have been riding bikes on the road all my life and i set my mirrors up so i don't have to turn my head to look, that way i can see whats going on all around me, he was impressed, even though that was not my intent, i just have good peripheral vision and thats partly attributed to the "expect everyone to run you over" theory...... Thats also why i like good suspension and tires, its a hell of a lot easier to predict whats going to happen or an escape plan when you can trust what the bike is going to do.

Sorry for the hijack guys

Nice bike Oette, i like what you've done to the rear section, retaining th rear brace and giving the rear a bit of attitude... I also like the CX tank but i would try and lower the front of it to get the lines right, thats just me though...

[EDU]

Bike is looking really good! Love the wheels... I might have to contact them and see if they'll ship me a pair down under at some stage. I'm in the middle of a project myself (CB500F) and the wheels I have are very far from pretty... I was gonna get them powder coated black but if they can get me a similar price to what you paid, I won't be able to say no! 

Also, if you plan on riding your bike in the rain, maybe have a look at cross drilling those discs... I have no idea what good brakes are on a classic bike (I race modern road bikes) but the solid discs on the CB500 are downright dangerous in the wet!!!

[Godffery]

maybe have a look at cross drilling those discs... I have no idea what good brakes are on a classic bike (I race modern road bikes) but the solid discs on the CB500 are downright dangerous in the wet!!!

I can help with that..
http://www.vinmoto.org/gallery/v/VinMoto-Garage/album03/Godfferys-Garage-123/album185/

[EDU]

You have some interesting stuff there... but wouldn't 4mm be a bit on the 'too thin' side of things?

[scottly]

To improve the braking power and response, I shot a Nissin radial master cylinder from eBay. It's from a GSXR 750 K6 and has a piston diametre of 19mm.


So tell me, what do you think? Any experiences on using modern master cylinders?



Oette

A 19 mm master cylinder is very large, when coupled to twin 38 mm caliper pistons. It will have a very stiff feel to the lever. The stock 14 mm MC works well with the 38 mm calipers, IMHO.

[Oette]

To improve the braking power and response, I shot a Nissin radial master cylinder from eBay. It's from a GSXR 750 K6 and has a piston diametre of 19mm.


So tell me, what do you think? Any experiences on using modern master cylinders?



Oette

A 19 mm master cylinder is very large, when coupled to twin 38 mm caliper pistons. It will have a very stiff feel to the lever. The stock 14 mm MC works well with the 38 mm calipers, IMHO.

Are you sure? We have a forum for Sohc4 in Germany, too. They hardly recommend using at least the master cylinder of the GL 1000. As far as I know it has a diametre of 17,5 mm, so 19 mm is not far. Plus, I wanted to have a hard feedback on the brake.

Cross drilling will come next winter.