Topic: 1981 CB650C aka "The Titanic's Anchor"

[F16Viper68]

Very nice!  That front end looks like new.

Your making me feel ashamed that my 650's are in the garage in pieces 

Cheers, Joe

Isn't it getting cold up there?  You should snowbound soon.  You should have time to put at least one of them together.   

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

Today's task is replacing the four carb insulators, bands, and throttle cables.  The insulators need to be replaced to address the vacuum leaks.  The engine side of the insulators are cracked pretty bad.  I was hoping I'd be able to tighten them enough to seal the leak but it didn't work.  I just spent the better part of an hour trying to get the #@$@#$^%@#$% carb rack off the insulators.  Note I've done this like ten times in the past three months so I'm familar with this process, HOLY MOTHER OF HELL they are putting up a fight today.

I've come in the house to calm down.  Sooner or later a flying tool is going to damage something I can't fix.   

When I got back out there I'm just going to cut the damn things off. 

Dave... 

[cb650]

Where did u get them?   I need a set whenever I get around to one of the projects.

[F16Viper68]

Where did u get them?   I need a set whenever I get around to one of the projects.

I got the insulators from David Silver in the UK ($$$$) and the bands from Cheap Cycle Parts.

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

Today's task is replacing the four carb insulators, bands, and throttle cables.  The insulators need to be replaced to address the vacuum leaks.  The engine side of the insulators are cracked pretty bad.  I was hoping I'd be able to tighten them enough to seal the leak but it didn't work.  I just spent the better part of an hour trying to get the #@$@#$^%@#$% carb rack off the insulators.  Note I've done this like ten times in the past three months so I'm familar with this process, HOLY MOTHER OF HELL they are putting up a fight today.

I've come in the house to calm down.  Sooner or later a flying tool is going to damage something I can't fix.   

When I got back out there I'm just going to cut the damn things off. 

Dave...

Well this day has been nothing but a #$%*.

http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=99817.0

Although I'm pretty sure I did this one to myself. 

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

The latest task was, as mentioned above, swap out carb insulators, bands and replace the push/pull throttle cables.  After I rebuilt the carbs I noticed the insulators were leaking.  The leaks were discovered by spraying starting fluid on the insulators and listening for a change in RPM.  #1 and #3 were leaking really bad and as  you can see in the photos below it's surprising they weren't all leaking. 





New parts!  I was surprised that the insulator bands did not come with new screws.  I know this shouldn't have caught me off guard but it did.  It worked out in the end because I was able to find some nice stainless steel hex bolts at ACE Hardware.





Slowly but surely I'm making progress with the carbs. 

Before:


After:


Last night I adjusted the cam chain tension (dead simple), lubed the advancer, set the pulser generator gaps, and set the timing statically and confirmed dynamically.  I also tackled the task of sync'ing the carbs.

I so wish I had done more research on Motion Pro's SyncPro.  What a PITA that thing is with this bike and maybe every bike.  The fuild gets trapped and segmented making it nearly impossible to use (IMHO).  I was able to finally get it so I could work with it but it shouldn't have been the hardest part of the sync.  I think the 650 pulls too much vacuum for the device.  I so wish I'd gone with the Morgan at http://www.carbtune.com.  It's just a bit more and gets MUCH better reviews from the folks here at SOHC and in cyberspace. 



Next up...new tires!  I decided to go old school.   





I'm also in the planning stages of figuring out how to paint the gas tank and side covers.

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

The last few days have been about prepping the tank for paint.  I picked up the tank below on eBay because the tank that came with the bike was too gone to restore.  This one was bad but I was able to clean it out with muratic acid and seal the tank with the POR-15 process.  The exterior of the tank was in decent shape.  It has a few small dents and someone hit it with a few coats of rattle can sometime in the past. 



I tried some paint stripper to see what would happen.  I discovered it would take the rattle can primer and paint off quickly but did nothing to the 18 layers of paint under it.   



After playing around with a few different things I discovered a 6" orbital sander with 80 grit worked pretty well at getting the paint off. 



You can see the biggest dent in the tank in the center of this photo.



After a lot of sanding and a few hours in front of the grinder with a wire wheel.





Tonight was my first foray into the wonderful world of Bondo Body Filler.  I was able to skim coat and sand out the dents.  Luckily I was able to get it all done with two coats.  I came within a hair of getting away with a single coat but I needed a bit more to fill in one of the dents.





Some time in the next few days I'm going to try my hand at applying DupliColor's Paint Shop Finish System (e.g. primer, base coat, and clear coat).   

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

Ever get into something and realize it would have been easier just to pay someone?  Well I guess if I just paid someone I wouldn't have been able to justify buying this.   





I thought about setting up a paint booth in the garage but I decided to take a different route.  Actually to be honest, I stuffed that sucker in the garage but I couldn't get it fully setup because it hit the ceiling.     So outside it went.  I tacked up tarps on two sides to ensure no overspray hit the house.  I also put up the screen enclosure to cut down on the wind, bugs, etc. 





After playing with the settings on the spray gun I was able to able three coats of DupiColor's gray primer (ten minutes in between coats per the directions).  I don't have alot (any) experience with this type of painting but IMHO it seem to go on pretty smooth. 





After about an hour I moved the pieces into the garage.  I decided against leaving them outside overnight.







Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to shoot the base coat and clear coat.  From what I read DupliColor's clearcoat will not resist gasoline so I ordered a 2K clearcoat (SprayMax Urethane Aerosol Clear Coat) from R&E Paint.

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

I decided to forego shooting DupliColor's clearcoat since I'm going to applying SprayMax's clearcoat...once it shows up.  There's some orange peel but honestly since I've never done this before I have no idea if it's too much for the clear to cover up.  I've heard some really good things about SprayMax's 2K clearcoat so I'm hoping for the best.  I like doing things right but I also have to realize this thing isn't going in a museum or a motorcycle show.   







Dave...

[Nickdawg18]

Have u rode it yet?? 

[F16Viper68]

Have u rode it yet??

No, because I don't have a serviceable gas tank yet.  Once I get the clear coat applied I'll be able to fill it and take it for a ride.  I should be done with the tank this weekend. 

Tomorrow I'm ripping the rear apart for cleaning and swapping out the tires. 

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

The last few days have been about getting the clearcoat on the tank, new petcock installed, restoring the tank badges, getting the new Bridgestone Spitfire S11's mounted/balanced, and disassembling the rear end (e.g. sissy bar, grab bar, chain guard, shocks, rear fender, tail light, etc) for clean up. 

The SprayMax 2k Clearcoat (Gloss) is simply an awesome product.  I was very surprised how well a rattle can clearcoat can look.





I had some issues getting the bead set on the rear tire but nothing some lube and 50PSI couldn't fix.    The front was kind of a PITA too because I couldn't get it inflated without strapping the tire and removing the valve stem core. 

They balanced up with no major issues.



Everything is finally coming together.  I was able to take it out for a ride around the neighborhood this afternoon.  First time this bike has taken to the road under its own power in ten years. 





It rode really nice but I need to do some work on the front brakes, I'm not sure the V-Strom master cylinder is cutting it.  Also the engine is missing while cruising in 2nd or 3rd gear (2.5k RPM to 3k RPM) but accelerates very smoothly. 

Still a lot to do (e.g. reassemble the tail light assembly, fix the horn, restore the side cover badges, etc) but it's rideable!!!!

Oh yeah, it used to look like this. 



Dave...

[F16Viper68]

Well I've been out riding it around the neighborhood and have noticed some performance issues while cruising.  I'm querying the folks at over in this thread. http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=100351.0

Also, noticed my front brakes don't seem to be peforming as well as they should.  http://forums.sohc4.net/index.php?topic=100350.0

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

I got my plate, registration, and insurance!  Can't wait till this weekend.    

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

Well I took it for a 40 mile ride last weekend and noticed a few things.  It rides very nice, the front brakes need some work, it won't pull more than 5k RPM under load, and it's going to be a nice bike once I'm done.   

I put brand new plugs in before the ride to try and determine if it was running rich or lean.  I think it's lean. 



Some of the symptoms I've been experiencing (all indications of a lean condition):

+ Poor power output (above 5k RPM)
+ Runs better (but not good as it warms up)
+ Spark plugs overly clean..with no deposits or slight glazed appearance
+ Rough, erratic idle that drifts toward higher rpms than expected based on the setting of the curb idle screw. Sometimes a lean condition will cause a "hanging" idle that is slow to settle down to set idle speed.
+ Sluggish...hesitates when the throttle is opened, then recovers (often accompanied by a slight backfire)
+ Surging at steady throttle cruise operation (big time)
+ Temporarily removing air filter element makes the engine run worse.
+ Slight back-firing on deceleration.

I never did get around to fine tuning the idle mixture, they are set to the post rebuild setting of 2.5 turns out.  So I'm surprised it's running this lean.  I've pulled the carb rack because I never got around to installing the infamous t-fittingg between 1/2 and 3/4.  I finally broke down and ordered the silly things ($$$$).  I've got the carb rack off awaiting the fittings.

While I have everything apart I decided to take care of a few small things (e.g. installed a new horn, installed the chrome starter cover, and cleaned up the left side cover).

Before:
   

After:


Before (day it was brought home three months ago):


After:


Anyone know what silver paint best matches the engine?

Dave...

[cb650]

Try running with the air filter cover off and see if the above 5k improves.

[Tokay]

Dave, thanks for this write up and the pictures. I'm working on an 82 Nighthawk 650 and am having similar issues with getting the performance fine tuned. I've had the carbs off numerous times and it's getting better, but not 100% yet. I'm looking forward to hearing more about how you get yours dialed in.
Thanks again for sharing!
Truxtun

[wanackg]

what did you use to plug the top of the tank during the painting process?

[lucky]

Does anyone know if this sissy bar is stock?  I was going to remove it but everyone who has seen this bike comments how much they love the sissy bar so it's probably going to stay.

Dave... 

The sissy bar is not stock.
If you ever fall down, it can drag you along.

It is better to have a clean exit off of the bike.

Go by what you think not what your friends want.
Take it off and just see how much better the bike looks.

BTW your mirrors are mounted incorrectly.
The left is on the right and the right is on the left. they need to be swapped around.

[F16Viper68]

what did you use to plug the top of the tank during the painting process?

I covered it in blue painters tape and then used an exacto knife to cut a circle so the lip wouldn't be painted.

Dave...

[F16Viper68]

Does anyone know if this sissy bar is stock?  I was going to remove it but everyone who has seen this bike comments how much they love the sissy bar so it's probably going to stay.

Dave... 

The sissy bar is not stock.
If you ever fall down, it can drag you along.

It is better to have a clean exit off of the bike.

Go by what you think not what your friends want.
Take it off and just see how much better the bike looks.

BTW your mirrors are mounted incorrectly.
The left is on the right and the right is on the left. they need to be swapped around.

Jesus, okay.  You'd think a guy with the handle Lucky would have a more positive outlook on life.   

Dave...

[scunny]

Does anyone know if this sissy bar is stock?  I was going to remove it but everyone who has seen this bike comments how much they love the sissy bar so it's probably going to stay.

Dave... 

The sissy bar is not stock.
If you ever fall down, it can drag you along.

It is better to have a clean exit off of the bike.

Go by what you think not what your friends want.
Take it off and just see how much better the bike looks.

BTW your mirrors are mounted incorrectly.
The left is on the right and the right is on the left. they need to be swapped around.

Jesus, okay.  You'd think a guy with the handle Lucky would have a more positive outlook on life.   

Dave...

now that is funny.

[cb650]

I thought it was funny he picked on your before pic and ignored all the progress.

[wardenerd]

What process did you go through to clean up the engine cover.  It looks great also did you paint the rims?

[fmctm1sw]

Man, that is an excellent job on the bike.  I haven't checked in for a while.  I'm still looking for a brake piston for mine but I got my choke cable yesterday.  I should be able to get on it and ride it to the end of the street this weekend.  Did you get the rideability issues resolved yet?  My bikes will never look that good unless I buy stuff that looks like that.