Topic: Middle Of The Road 550 FASTBACK

[Sano]

Flat lander,  Thanks for the input, I will pull and drain the tank, inspect the petcock and report what I find.  I think you are right to start there.  All float valves/seats are new but I guess they are not up to holding back the pressure head of a full tank of petrol.

Steve-O,  Really nice looking Kawasaki.  One of the few vintage bikes I would like to build one day.  They look so good in stock trim.   I’m sort of stuck on Honda’s for now.  I’m glad to hear I chose a decent tire, so much questionable tire info out there.  Waiting for some motion pro levers and rim protectors so I don’t mess up my powder coated rims.  The ancient tires that came with my basket case project have full tread but are hardened and far away from the sticky end of the spectrum as I discovered when the rear end decided to skate on a pretty mild corner.

[Sano]

  So, I found out the cause of my carb float valve leakage after removing and disassembling the peacock.  I figured it was something simple and it was.  The spring steel retainer that holds on the peacock lever and pushes it against the rubber gasket with the 4 holes was a little bit too loose.  After I tightened it up a bit the gas leakage problem went away.
  Next problem is a new Avon tire causing a front end vibration.  The bike was totally smooth with the old tire and 1 1/2 oz balance beads.  After trying many many time to re-seat the tire on the rim I now think it might be caused by slightly too large or folded tube so off with the tire(ugg) and re mount with a new tube from DSS.  The other nagging issue is a front end clunk when going over hard edged speed bumps.  It’s not the head bearing which was ridden-in and re tightened so I am going to pull the forks apart (ugg #2) and replace the split bushings with replacements also from DSS.  I can’t think of anything else that would cause the clunk short of totally worn out sliders.  The fork tubes are new.  Any ideas guys?
  My almost new Scorpion AGM battery stopped being able to crank the motor even when fully charged.  It drops to 7V when a load is put on it.  It has been maintained on a battery minder since new so not sure why it failed so quick.  I thought I would try a MOTO Batt next time.  Any recommendations.
  Just when I think it is sorted a new gremlin pops up but I think I am pretty damn close to a trouble free toy.

[Little_Phil]

Not a fan of leaving batteries on tender/minder for long periods. Just connect for 8hrs once every 3-4 weeks if not being used.

[flatlander]

  So, I found out the cause of my carb float valve leakage after removing and disassembling the peacock.  I figured it was something simple and it was.  The spring steel retainer that holds on the peacock lever and pushes it against the rubber gasket with the 4 holes was a little bit too loose.  After I tightened it up a bit the gas leakage problem went away.

that fixes your petcock, not your carbs.
the float valve in the carbs should shut off fuel inflow so that even if you keep constantly feeding them, the level never goes above the set float level and does not piss out of the overflow tubes.

[Sano]

I did remove the one #3 float bowl of the carb that was leaking out the overflow.  The carbs were on the bike and thankfully the bowl screws were Allen head but getting the float valve in place to re-install the float required a funky plastic home made tool.  What I found was a tiny flake of metal in the bottom of the float valve body.  Even with the pet clock left on overnight no more puddles so I think I can put it to rest.

[flatlander]

indeed, sounds like you can rest at ease 

[Sano]

I think I have all gremlins vanquished!
  My front end vibration was a tube inside my new Avon tire that was too big a size for the slightly smaller metric sized tire.  It was bunching up and causing a heavy spot.  Those damn balance beads are a big PITA to get into the tube and make it impossible to static balance so lead weights this time around.
  I put new bushings on the fork sliders in my search to stop front end clunk on speed bumps.  I would have done it when the forks were getting their emulators, air valves, etc. but did not know they were available from D.S.S.  The new bushings installed were 1mm larger O.D. So did tighten things up.
  The clunk turned out to be topping out.  I used 170cc of fork oil when I put them back together but then learned if forks are “dry” after rebuild to put in 220cc.  The extra 50cc helped minimize the clunk.  When I reassembled the forks this time I followed this tighten down sequence and got smoother travel.
1. Slide in fork tubes to exact same height
2. Tighten lower triple pinch bolts
3. Install wheel and brake caliper - axle cap bolts lightly snugged
4. Take bike off stand/lift and bounce fork w/ front brake on to align
5. Tighten axle bolts first
6. In my case tighten fork brace second (see photo of brace crossover piece mounted to fender
7. Tighten alloy top triple brace pinch bolts.  Don’t overtighten these bolts or you can cause stress fracture.

I am running 10 pounds air pre load and progressive springs cut down to be flush with top of fork leg so only pre-load is the distance the fork plug extends into fork leg.  I are 3/4 of travel on an average ride and have never bottomed out.  The front end feels planted and predictable in fast turns and NO VIBRATION, much nicer.

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

How did you affix your Tarozzi fork brace to your front fender -- or are those just relief cuts so that the two can independently affix to the forks?

[Sano]

SOHc4Fan,
  The fender mount was a bit of a head scratcher.  This might sound confusing but I will do my best to explain. I didn’t want any exposed fasteners going through the fender and if I cut away the sides of the bobbed original fender I could get the fender down nice and tight to the tire but how to attach??
  I basically made a 3 sided “box” of aluminum plate.  The two ends of the “box” have a radius profile to match the underside of the fender.  The bottom of the “box” is where it bolts up to the crossover plate on the Tarozzi fork brace. There are two holes on the bottom of the “box” that have captured nuts on the backside which puts the nurs inside the “box” between the mounting plate/bottom of box and the underside of the fender.  The whole mess is held together with high strength and super sticky epoxy paste glued up to abraded metal on underside of fender.  It is very solid.  The hardest part was locating the holes in the fork brace precisely.  They are countersunk for s.s. Flat head machine screws so no alignment adjustability.  I can remove the fender quickly by just pulling the 4 fork brace crossover plate attaching screws, it comes of with the fender attached. Does that make any sense?

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

SOHc4Fan,
  The fender mount was a bit of a head scratcher.  This might sound confusing but I will do my best to explain. I didn’t want any exposed fasteners going through the fender and if I cut away the sides of the bobbed original fender I could get the fender down nice and tight to the tire but how to attach??
  I basically made a 3 sided “box” of aluminum plate.  The two ends of the “box” have a radius profile to match the underside of the fender.  The bottom of the “box” is where it bolts up to the crossover plate on the Tarozzi fork brace. There are two holes on the bottom of the “box” that have captured nuts on the backside which puts the nurs inside the “box” between the mounting plate/bottom of box and the underside of the fender.  The whole mess is held together with high strength and super sticky epoxy paste glued up to abraded metal on underside of fender.  It is very solid.  The hardest part was locating the holes in the fork brace precisely.  They are countersunk for s.s. Flat head machine screws so no alignment adjustability.  I can remove the fender quickly by just pulling the 4 fork brace crossover plate attaching screws, it comes of with the fender attached. Does that make any sense?

I struggled with the combination of the fork brace and fender on my 1975 CB550. I ended up rebuilding my forks using 1977-78 lower stanchions which allow you to mount the fender and brace independently but closely together. So yes I can appreciate the problem you had to solve. You had to engineer a solution with the existing parts where I kind of cheated by using different parts.   

[Sano]

SOHC4Fan,  I do like trying to solve some of the figment problems that pop up.  Right now I am fabricating a small custom rear rack/bag for carrying things like a small tool kit, phone, etc. I have a clear idea of how it SHOULD work but have not worked out a few troublesome details.  I was deep into trying to get the fender mounted and thought I might have to toss the whole mess into the bin.  Perseverance usually pays off but the memories of the big FAILS can give me pause.  Your solution sounds less nerve wracking.
  Let me ask you a question about your forks since you have the same bike.  My forks top out with a clunk over sharp edged speed bumps, an ugly sound. Do you know of anyone addressing this annoyance?

[SOHC4 Cafe Racer Fan]

SOHC4Fan,  I do like trying to solve some of the figment problems that pop up.  Right now I am fabricating a small custom rear rack/bag for carrying things like a small tool kit, phone, etc. I have a clear idea of how it SHOULD work but have not worked out a few troublesome details.  I was deep into trying to get the fender mounted and thought I might have to toss the whole mess into the bin.  Perseverance usually pays off but the memories of the big FAILS can give me pause.  Your solution sounds less nerve wracking.
  Let me ask you a question about your forks since you have the same bike.  My forks top out with a clunk over sharp edged speed bumps, an ugly sound. Do you know of anyone addressing this annoyance?

I would double-check your fork oil level.  When my forks were rebuilt with RaceTech valve emulators, the fork oil needed time to settle/move past the valves to fill; in other words, there was a "false" full.  Initially, there was not enough oil in the forks and the forks did bottom out.  Once additional fork oil was added, the problem was resolved.

[Sano]

 I’m replacing my front LED turn signals with wires the thickness of a human hair.  The attachment to a bullet connector was not reliable/strong enough to survive inside the headlight shell. My cheap Generic handlebar switch for headlight/starter broke a second time so trying another one.  Aftermarket controls are either expensive OEM clunky, expensive CNC’d jewelry or Chinese crap.  Anyone have any recommendations for good switchgear?
  I can now appreciate the new Avon roadmaster tires without the out of balance front wheel.  Much quicker turn in and no weird transition zone when cornering as well as sticky rubber.  A huge improvement.
  Bike feels “finished” for now, I finally got the perfect tension throttle spring, not wrist numbing and positive return. The throttle response is great in the magic 7000 to 9000rpm zone and very smooth.  The Delkevic silencer is a bit loud for my taste but don’t know of a good alternative muffler that would fit the 2 1/2” diameter collector.
  I am starting fabrication of a custom rack for a small bag to carry a few tools, phone, rain gear and some water.  Cutting out all the parts with the required accuracy will be a slow painful process but I don’t want a tank bag so I will see what I come up with.