CB550 78' "KUBATON" cafe/brat type

Nice, I got a '72 im building up. I'm on board for this build too!

So I got the chain on in five minutes after playing with the tensioner. The motor is completely finished now and closed up except for the breather cover. Allen bolts added a ton of ascetics and shine to the black paint. My buddy and I are putting her back in the frame tomorrow. Very excited and nervous about the whole thing actually lol.

Make sure to put anti-seize on those stainless fasteners!

Haha, have been putting it on everything I've screwed back in. But thank you for the heads up. Walking me through the sprocket/cam really helped. I really appreciate it

Ok been 2-3 weeks since ive been able to post. I've had a large move ahead of me, from Hawaii to Las Vegas and the deadline for finishing the bike before the shipping day came was looming over me. But I did it, I got the engine back in the 550/605. Was an ordeal, a lot easier to take it out. It looks awesome, hopefully it runs just as well. Pics are at the bottom. I buckled her back up and didn't have time to recharge battery and do the minor stuff. Currently she's in a shipping container somewhere in the pacific. Which is totally driving me crazy but it is what it is. So here I am in Las Vegas with no bike. Until today that is! After stalking craigslist for three days I finally found something worth purchasing. Everything I looked at in the city was hacked up/un cared for piles with owners that generally weren't "real" motorcycle riders. So today I drove out to a dessert town near the Utah border to look at a CL360. Pulled up and there three older gentlemen having beers on the back of a pick up. Wouldve been a good picture. One of the guys turns out to be the guy selling the bike. He took me into his garage to take a look and after removing a trap from it I found the most pristine unrestored 1975 CL360 I've ever seen. I had to contain my complete surprise and excitement. I lived in upstate New York and Hawaii for pretty much my whole riding career. Things just don't last in either of those places. Too much salt, too much moitsture, changes in temperature, etc. All the chrome on this thing is unblemished, the tank is fading on the top, there's some mud left on the frame from 2006, the last time it was driven. Its had one owner and came with the original receipt and manual. Started on the first kick. Batteries low and will have to replace that immediately. It's so nice I am a bit torn on which way to go with it. I'm going to keep it as original as I can but I have to make a few changes. The riding stance is unnatural for me. Too trackerish, too dirt bike and upright. I'm gonna list a couple things which i'll probably order tomorrow I'd like everybodies opion. And if anybody can point me towards finished builds they like with this platform I'd appreiciated it. Ill also be starting a seprate build thread when I figure out what to do with it. Also i'll be letting go of a few parts still tbd (NOT THE PIPES OR MUFFLERS!). Oh and tire recommendation would be appreciated, ill be buying new ones tomorrow. The originals are still on it.

bARS- low tracker style or culbmans
battery
front fender has crack, need to replace
seat?
tires
signals
mirriors

Nice score on the 360. I'm a big fan of scramblers, so I vote keep it one. This guys CL450 is pretty rad, and still practical. Maybe get yourself a set of superbike bars.
http://www.lossaengineering.com/2013/04/1970-honda-cl450/

Yeah, Ill think ill keep it trackerish. pre-drilled Supermoto bars are what I may be leaning towards if I can find them in black. If anyone can chime in about this sprocket ratio, changing over to a 17tooth? (faster?) and what its advantages/disadvantages are id appreciate it.

My 550 finally arrived from the shipping company. I started wrenching on it. The motor has just been put back in after the rebuild. I started first with a compression test to see where I'm at. Im getting 0 compression from all cylinders for some reason. I removed the exhaust and re set new crush gaskets. They are sealed completely. I did a valve adjustment. Still 0. I did a valve adjustment next (my first) following the manuals instruction. Still 0. While i was kicking it over for the compression test I'm hearing pressure thump out the exhaust. I did a wet test next to make sure the rings are sealing. No change still 0. I next tried blowing air though a tube in to the spark plug hole to search for seepage. I'm feeling air escape from the end of the exhuast pipe.

Engine is at TDC 1/4

carbs are off (feeling no air come out of intake)

I'm thinking exhaust valve is not sealing? What do you guys think?

Do I remember you lapping the valves on rebuild, and did you do a fluid test to make sure they were sealing?
You got the timing all sorted on re-assembly?
What sort of compression gauge have you got, screw in, or push in type? Got another bike you can check on to make sure the gauge is working?

I actually checked with two different testers just cause i thought it was so weird getting a zero reading. Valves where lapped and water tested and timing is on, (checked it visually 1 + 4 are topping when crank is aligned 1/4). Unless I totally screwed up the top gasket assembly I cant figure what else could be the problem. Getting a 0 reading from all cylinders strikes me as strange as well. If the gasket job was even a bad on I would think that I would at least get a 20+ reading. stumped

cam timing must be way off if you are getting air past the exhaust valves at tdc on the compression stroke you either have bent valves or the seats are horribly terrible bad condition , but even if the seats are leaking a bit you would still get SOME reading
........so cam timing is off and you bent the valves

work9to5 said:

I actually checked with two different testers just cause i thought it was so weird getting a zero reading. Valves where lapped and water tested and timing is on, (checked it visually 1 + 4 are topping when crank is aligned 1/4). Unless I totally screwed up the top gasket assembly I cant figure what else could be the problem. Getting a 0 reading from all cylinders strikes me as strange as well. If the gasket job was even a bad on I would think that I would at least get a 20+ reading. stumped

Click to expand...

k
what i made red does not make any sense ???, of course the pistons will be at the top YOU CANNOT CHANGE THAT
who set the cam timing ?

Yeah, like x33bsa said, the advancer can only go on one way on the crank, so the pistons will be at TDC if the advancer markings are lined up with the slots, I think I posted some pics earlier in the thread. The important thing when it is lined up at those markings, that the slot in the end of the camshaft, is parallel to the head.

Also, did you use the rubber band trick to hold to rocker arms up when reinstalling the rocker cover, as well as backing the adjustment right out? If not, sometimes this can lead to bending a valve.

What I meant by the "I checked it visually" was that when the crank (points plate) is set at 1/4 that I can see though the sparck plug holes that the pistons in cyl 1 and 4 are at top while 2 and 3 are low. When point plate is lined up to show 2/3 at the tdc mark 2 and 3 pistons are topped out. I set the cam timing. I lined up the notch as I was supposed to and the engine was at marking 1/4 tdc. It's totally possible that I could've done it wrong but I remember doing it as I had such a hard time with the cam sprocket and that was the next step. Im opening her now to see whats up.

good luck man i hope they aren't bent

ME TOO. I just hope there's an ansewer to the riddle under there. Will post pics

Cam is off timing. Its also evident that I adjusted the valve springs incorrectly. I cant tell if the valves are bent without taking it down another level. All look ok but are covered by their springs. All keepers are in place and secure. Chain moves smoothly. I'd like to not take it down to the next level unless I have to as I dont want to ruin the top gasket. Im going to adjust the cam and valves properly and see what effect that has. What do you guys think?

if you can blo in the sparkplug hole and hear air hissing past a valve the way it is now you got problemos
with the rocker cover off it should be sealed-up tighter than a nun's you know what

Just did. Seems good, tube popped out of the spark hole! No air current coming from exhaust now either. I'm wary tho, seems too simple.

Bootsey here's a pic of how the other bike ended up (the one that's not driving me nuts at the moment

sounds like you got lucky
that 450 looks the schizzle