Topic: New in the garage: CB 450 K5! Tell me something about it

[Oette]

Hi folks,

after arriving back home in Germany from my business trip in the US, I got my hands on a CB 450K5 for less than 700 $. It's mostly untouched and has 13000 original kilometres (approx. 8125 miles) on it. Was a quite lucky shot, because someone else, with no knowledge of the bike's worth sold it to me.

It stood the last 30 years in the owner's garage and everything had been covered by a saving and conserving layer of dust and oil debris.

Here it is as it arrived at my home after buying:





Here it is after a quick cleaning treatment:






So, can you tell my about essential things to have a closer look on? Any tricky topics or improvements to make?
I'll 'restore' (haha, it is nearly not necessary) to a original condition since I already have a cafe racer CB 550.

I'd be glad to hear some comments on my question!

Matt

[cheftuskey121]

Very very jealous of your find considering I've been restoring a '71 cb450 and was in much worse condition! You should check out my thread and fendersrule's thread. I don't know too much about them specifically but a lot of vintage bike knowledge transfers from bike to bike.

[Johnie]

Great find! Does it kick over so that you know the motor is not tight?

[Cqyqte]

Congrats, I had a '71CB450 that I Cafe'd and sold last year.  Very nice bike, some difficulties finding some parts but there are ways around it.  Join up on the http://www.hondatwins.net/forums/ they will be able to answer all you questions.

[fendersrule]

Order two gaskets when you replace your points cover. Even with one gasket, I've heard of stories of it shorting out somehow. I've never had this issue myself.

Timing chain adjustment and valve adjustment are crucial first steps with the torsion bar valve train (which was and is an engineering marvel). They seem to need more adjustment than your common valve trains, and CB450s are not the easiest valves to adjust so many owners just didn't do it. All of the CB450s I have were out of spec when I checked them. Have new valve cover gaskets ready for when you do that because it's likely the old ones will be destroyed when removing them. Setting your valves is crucial for reliability, not only performance with the CB450.

Check Chef's thread with some other info. Hondatwins is also a great place for info, though lots of CB450 experts are around here too.

Smell your oil before running it at all.

They are fun bikes and they rule the road when it comes to twisties. Rev them high.

[Oette]

Thanks guys!

The motor kicks but I wont start it before I have had  a closer look at the top end.
Condition is really great so far!
I'll sign up at hondatwins, that seems to be a good decision.

Regards

Matt

[grcamna2]

Very Nice CB450 Oette.
 I think it will be good for you initially to remove the spark plugs and put a small amount(1.5 oz.) of light weight rust preventative oil into each cylinder and also open up both camshaft covers front and rear and liberally squirt motor oil inside there.I would then kick the engine over Very slowly...to completely & evenly coat all the moving surfaces inside;do this w/o the spark plugs initially.I would then adjust the valves by the Book along with the cam chain adjustment.

  That will get you a little margin of safety for the internals

[Stev-o]

Congrats, it cleaned up nice, very impressive!

You will need to replace tires/tubes before it can safely be ridden. But the tank and carbs will have to be checked out first.

[MoMo]

That is a beauty, DO NOT CAFE IT.  The valves are not all that difficult to adjust, remove the front and rear covers as well as the top of the carbs, along with the point and alternator covers.  Buy a long .0015 feeler gauge, which gets inserted between the cam and rocker, adjust the slotted screw and lock nut with the cylinder at TDC till the gauge just slides out.  Also adjust the cam chain with left cylinder at TDC

[Bandit18]

You My friend are a thief.. I'm turning green over here.I've been hunting one for a while no luck..

[grcamna2]

I had a K5 exactly like it in 1981', even the color is the same.A very strong and Durable Motorcycle 

[Oette]

Haha... THIEF  . I had no time to do something around the bike yet but don't worry. I already have a CB 550 Cafe Racer so there is no way to do any harm to the originality of this bike here