Topic: More turd wrangling

[faux fiddy]

Brought a new one back to the corral. I thought is was an earlier model because of the front drum brake, but the 6/71 manufacture date indicates parts were changed.

Not sure what I will do with this, it is incomplete, needs seat pan, Tank, guages, pipes, and the motor is seized.

For now it is just in the corral.

[Terry in Australia]

I'm no expert mate, but to my knowledge, the CL450 "Street Scrambler" didn't have a disc brake, ever. They were very rare in Oz, and a nice bike to boot, so if I were you, I'd restore it, good pickup! Cheers, Terry. 

[faux fiddy]

I'm no expert mate, but to my knowledge, the CL450 "Street Scrambler" didn't have a disc brake, ever. They were very rare in Oz, and a nice bike to boot, so if I were you, I'd restore it, good pickup! Cheers, Terry. 

So is the bit of pipe remaining a replacement, or is street scrambler one with down pipes?

[MoMo]

It looks like the CB pipe, the CL were upswept and both wound up on the left side.  see   http://www.motorera.com/honda/h0450/scramble.htm   ....Larry

[Terry in Australia]

Yep, like Larry's suggested, someone's "CB'd" your CL mate, geez they were a cool looking bike, I wish I had one! Cheers, Terry.

[lucky]

It looks like the CB pipe, the CL were upswept and both wound up on the left side.  see   http://www.motorera.com/honda/h0450/scramble.htm   ....Larry

The CB pipes produced 3 extra HP more than the CL.
Honda had to make the exhausts with a inner and outer tube to make it look bigger and more macho. The CL 350 exhaust weighed 33 lbs! as a result.

[faux fiddy]

It looks like the CB pipe, the CL were upswept and both wound up on the left side.  see   http://www.motorera.com/honda/h0450/scramble.htm   ....Larry

The CB pipes produced 3 extra HP more than the CL.
Honda had to make the exhausts with a inner and outer tube to make it look bigger and more macho. The CL 350 exhaust weighed 33 lbs! as a result.

Maybe this is not an enigma that a CL was converted to a CB?  Thanks for the post.  The pipe looks consistently rotted as the rest of the bike, so whether 3lb. was a reason is certainly a possible answer.  The thing was ridden, can't off hand say how many miles was on the speedo when it was smasher'd up but I think near 30k.People probably had this knowledge and  did these things on a whim and felt they were better off for doing it in those days and were (duh?).


Pipes eventually are a hurdle, and as someone suggested earlier, the NOS [assuming they actually exist somewhere in a small box of other parts made of unobtainum]  would be prohibitivey expensive for a hobbyist.


I have some scrambler pipes that strangely were bolted to a 350f parts bike, and I look for other similiar shapes from other bikes, or look at mandrel bent tubing as a solution. Stuff off a ktm singles that runs a pipe off each valve, other twins, etc.

That being said, I wish there were technical drawings around of all  the honda originals, with tubes inside of tubes inside of heat shields, holes in certain places, etc.  I know there's more going on inside those 350f pipes besides rust!

[faux fiddy]

Well so[hc]rry to say I've been more devoted to the DOHC twin lately.

Just washed my hands after installing the tank.  Whaddya think?

[faux fiddy]

Ha ha.. just joking, you must have known. I pulled the key out and installed a new bike...

Maybe paid way too much , but it is tagged up and ready to run vintage '74 model.

[Terry in Australia]

That's excellent mate, I reckon those CL450 pipes are some of the nicest Honda ever put on a bike! Cheers, Terry.

[toytuff]

Looks fantastic! 

Another saved.

tt

[grcamna2]

I love the color scheme on the tank for that last year CL450 !

[faux fiddy]

Yeah, I like the color.    The photos don't show the rust in a couple spots, and the tank has been cremed, which I don't particularly care for. 

It has been jacknifed, the left stop for the forks has broken and it pit a krink in the front of the tank, but I think for now I just run it.

[grcamna2]

Fiddy,
           I just had to ask what you mean when you say "turd wrangling"?

[Stev-o]

HA!

[faux fiddy]

Fiddy,
           I just had to ask what you mean when you say "turd wrangling"?

Oh, turd wrangling is getting the actual POS in your possession. Like bringing a wayward calf back to the herd, except this bike is a real turd.

Sad to say this one has even gone down hill since it's acquisition. The forks have gone to some bike that actually ran but had been made into a chopper with ridiculous forks a foot too long and no suspension in them, but they were a clean set, so entropy has set in hard.

But a few months ago I started loosening bolts and oiling bolts and had all but the last skewer in the bottom of the motor left.

I beat on it regularly for the last few weeks , oiled, torched, banged, repeated. No move until devoting today to getting the motor free.

Oh yeah, there was also that broken shifter that they welded onto the shaft. Without cutting that loose I couldn't get the cover off to take the chain off, which would have held the motor.

A little help from a friend with an ankle grinder and the P.O.'s permanent fix is reversed.

[faux fiddy]

I was going to take the wheel out just to make the frame easier to untangle from the motor, but discovered another permanent fix. It seems that underneath all the bailing wire they had twisted up on the rear hub was no cotter pin, just a sheet metal screw that went from top to bottom and was rusted in, so the wheel stayed on through the operation.

That'll sure keep your wheel from coming loose until it comes loose with a drill.  I'm thinking I'll find a cotter pin for a more stock appearance if this thing ever gets back together.

[faux fiddy]

Finally after heating with a torch and smacking with a drift all afternoon the skewer started to move. Used a punch to tap it on through, then had to find a longer bolt to go through. Free at last.

It is great to have this thing out after all these years. I bought a gasket set and piston kit at Barber a couple years ago, and hope to have the head apart, a shopping list  and a little money at barber to replace what it needs up in there.

The clock says 30,000 and so I figure I will find something that needs replaced, or if I find extras I will be able to pick the best of the extras.  Hopefully it won't need much.


I think the pistons I got are second over.  If I don't need to split the cases I won't. I f I do , I want to find a 500 crank and find the guys who did the stroker conversion, to learn what they did. (Are the 500 con rods shorter?)

Anyway, I'm hoping I have most of what it takes to at least continue moving forward with building the motor.

This will likely be a café bike since I always wanted to do one and most anything that would be chopped has already rusted off.

[grcamna2]

I see now what you mean by 'turd wrangling'  ; Man what did they do to that nice old 450? I would think you'd be real 'PO'd' w/ that rear axle.
fiddy,I'd like to send a PM to you about your trip to Barber's, I need a few CB125 parts...  Do you have a good CB450 right side muffler HM319 ?

[faux fiddy]

The closest thing I have to a pair of cb450 mufflers is off a Ducati, and I think I have three. I was thinking they'd be used somehow.

I always spend a lot of time at the swap meet, but it's not as fun when I'm out of money.

[faux fiddy]

I see now what you mean by 'turd wrangling'  ; Man what did they do to that nice old 450? I would think you'd be real 'PO'd' w/ that rear axle.

Hey this is a picture I just downloaded from  e-mails, another turd, P.O.'d  to near  fubar condition.  This is the actual picture that got me out to view it, I don't think the Craigslist ad had any photo.  It's a scrambler, too.

I don't have the after picture, but will come up with one soon.

[Terry in Australia]

Every time I see a bike like that I want to punch Henry Winkler...........

[grcamna2]

Every time I see a bike like that I want to punch Henry Winkler...........

lol