Topic: 72 CB500 Restomod - *Update* Sold!

[Scramps]

I broke the primary wire harness down to its component parts and made a little pile of coiled up wires, and I was kind of surprised by how little there really is to it.

I’ve gotten to a point now where I can draw a complete rough diagram of the entire electrical system from memory, just because I’ve spent so much time looking at the wiring diagram, trying to find ways to make it more efficient.

I’m going to try to run most of the front wiring back to the cavity under the tank, to avoid creating a rat nest in the headlight bucket. Each circuit will have braided sleeving and enough slack to accommodate movement, and the rubberized p-clamps should keep everything from becoming snagged or entangled.

I’ve seen pictures of builds that featured two wire looms running parallel on either side of the frame, but I can’t figure out the objective of that.

Anyway that’s what’s on tap today.

[Marissa]

Awesome progress! and +1 for grommets, they really add so much more of a polished fit and finish.

[Scramps]

The two looms are often for builds that use a MotoGadget M-Unit. One look brings control wires from switches back to the M-Unit, the other loom provides power up front to the components.

That makes much more sense than the convoluted explanations that I was coming up with

[Scramps]

Well, #$%*.

I can’t say I wasn’t warned. I didn’t think it would get to this point so quickly, though

For clarity - that’s my cheap clutch pushrod. I never heard back from the dude that was supposed to harden the one I made from the high-carbon steel.

[Scramps]

Pulled the valve cover this morning, no sign of metal shavings up top, nor does there appear to be any scoring on the camshaft.

I’ve been second guessing myself on whether or not I got the camshaft and chain timed correctly the first time anyway, so it’s not the end of the world to pull all this back apart. I know it probably wouldn’t have run at all if it was wrong, but I feel like it might have been just one tooth off, so now I get to try again.

I’ll be checking the cylinders for scoring, and basically pulling everything off of the engine that I can with it still in the frame to make sure everything’s still okay.

[Scramps]

Cool cool.

What do you think the likelihood of irreparable damage is, with those metal shavings in there?

[Scramps]

Dropped my tank, side covers, and headlight bucket off at the body shop today. They’re pretty busy with insurance work, so I don’t expect they’ll be able to get to them for a while, but that’s okay. I’ve got all winter.

I also finished getting my junction plate all set up



It’s as neat and orderly as I can make it. Mostly new wire, triple-checked crimps, minimal splicing, clean stuff. I’m pleased with it.

I’ve got some stuff on order:
- shift shaft seal
- better headlight brackets
- OEM clutch push rod
- some stainless hardware for the valve cover
- a cheap starter flux welder and an auto darkening helmet

The parts of the engine that I’ve looked at seem fine, so I’ll be reassembling it.

Edit: I’ve found a used 4 into 2 exhaust on eBay for a reasonable sum of money. Thinking about taking a chance on it, it looks much better than what I’m working with presently.

[Scramps]

I pulled the trigger on that exhaust



$200 shipped, looks nice enough from the pictures. Need a little cleaning, but that’s no big.

[Scramps]

The exhaust came in already. I got part of it out, and it does not look as decent in real life as it does in the pictures.

Many dents and scratches. Most of the stuff that looked like road grime is actually just rust. It may still clean up and look passable. You get what you pay for, I reckon.

It’s 4 into 2, and the exhaust outlets are very small, so it should be much much quieter, so I’m happy.

I’ve got most of the stuff I ordered now, and the biggest hurdle for reassembly is the wiring harness. I’m optimistic that I’m going to end up with a very different looking and feeling motorbike. In a good way, of course

[Scramps]

Had a full evening in the garage tonight, which was productive. Made quite a bit of headway on the new harness. The pushrod came in, so the engine is all back together now. Carbs are back on, fresh oil in the crankcase, found a broken signal wire going to the 2-3 coil, things of that nature.

I'm trying to be more mindful of future disassembly in regards to the wiring. One of the advantages of the connectors I'm using is that the pins can be easily removed and reattached later if needed.

[Scramps]

My tank is away for painting, so I don't have it to place on the frame and test fit over my wire looms.

I sat my 550 tank on there, but I'm not sure if the tunnel under it has the same dimensions as the 500's. In any event, it looks like the best pathway for wires is along the top of the frame along either side of the seam.

Previously, my wires were running along the underside of the backbone, which was fine I guess, but I worry about the heat exposure in that area.

[Scramps]

I got the exhaust mounted up, it doesn't look terrible:







I also made some progress on my wiring, it's mostly all loomed up and ready for routing to the central destination which will be near the coils.



My favorite bit was the new ring terminals and wires for the coils themselves. I like the way that they look, this isn't a great picture, though.



Also lastly, I got the new headlight brackets on there. These ones are more inconspicuous, which is nice.



the switch and gauge bracket is also visible in that picture, which is still a work in progress.

[Scramps]

RE: the exhaust, it was probably a pretty valuable item when it was new. It seems to be hard-chromed, and it’s double-walled. It has a good amount of heft to it compared to the junk I had before, also. If I can get it done for a reasonable amount of money, I might have it blasted and coated in a nice silvery gray color.

[Scramps]

Getting closer to having the wiring done. It’s becoming more difficult to plan for future disassembly. Largely because it’s so cold that I can’t concentrate.

It will be functional, and it will be more aesthetically pleasing than my old setup, but it will probably require some cutting to remove if the need arises.

Also, my tiny gauge LED bulbs came in today



They’re much brighter than the incandescents, which will be beneficial for the speedometer especially. It was kind of dim and not super visible at night.

[Scramps]

Personally, I’d ditch it and save your money for a Hindle from Ripple stock racers.

I looked it up, and it's a nice looking system, but I don't think it would do much for me in my quest for quietness.

In other news, my wiring has reached critical botch status. I made some connections that seemed like they would work, but they become very taught when the handlebars are turned. I'm going to have to back up and re-evaluate some stuff. I know this must be thrilling reading, lol.

My welder arrived the other day. I took it to work and started using it on some scrap stock that we had laying around. I can make a decent looking bead with it, but I'm still trying to get a handle on actually welding pieces together which is of course the entire purpose of welding.

[RAFster122s]

scramps,

what chipset does your tiny lightbulbs use and are they identical size-wise? Where did you buy them? Ebay?

Are they white or other color? Imagine white or amber from the looks...but they could be blue or red for that matter...or even green.

David

[Scramps]

As for the chipset, I’m not sure. They’re a direct replacement for the #74 bulbs that were in the gauges. I got them from the illustrious superbrightleds.com, and they were the “cool white” variety if I remember correctly. You can see in the picture that they’re almost identical in terms of size, and they seem to work pretty well

[Scramps]

got the bike to start and run for a few moments tonight, the exhaust sounds pretty good. Much quieter.

[Scramps]

Last post about the wiring, it’s done.



It’s not pretty but it works and it doesn’t get caught on anything.



Crucially, the only items that will be in the headlight bucket will be the headlamp itself, and the turn signals.

[Scramps]

Wiring looks very nice. It looks like your throttle cables are unkind down the right side of the steering neck? Should run down the left side and under the backbone. 

Thank you, Cal. I appreciate the compliment.

And yes, my unkind throttle cables aren’t routed correctly at the moment, I had them hooked up that way temporarily to get some throttle control while I was trying to crank up the engine a few days ago.

[Scramps]

I went by the body shop yesterday for an unrelated matter, and the gentleman who’s going to be doing the painting said he expects to be able to get my tank and everything in next week.

I’m getting through my winter projects much too quickly, it’s gonna be a long wait for springtime

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

I’m getting through my winter projects much too quickly, it’s gonna be a long wait for springtime

Good problems.

[Scramps]

You’re right, I shouldn’t complain. That would be an open invitation for actual problems

[Scramps]

Got my grommets in the tabs with the gauges and they’re as safe from vibration as I can make them with what I have at my disposal.

Whee!

[RAFster122s]

Just don't overly compress them and a spot of thread lock on the nuts works...

David