Tech Thread - Got a technical project or delimna?

cafetbird

Bound for the Playground....
This area for technical discussions on bike projects, planning wrenching sessions. etc. Got a technical issue? Fire away!
 
Ive got one to kick this thread off with.

This evening I was out in the garage to get the cb550 started up. Its been several weeks since I ran it last, and when I say ran, I mean let the bike idle for a while. I'm waiting on my title, so I cant go ripping around town yet. Today it took a good 15? minutes of kicking and electric starting to get the sucker to run. Then, I did my best to work the choke and the idle screw to hold it, but it wouldnt stay on for more than 10-15 seconds. Slowly, I think, the engine warmed, and it managed to stay running longer, but still stall out. During this time, I would kick, and it would start right up, sometimes jumping to 3500-4000 rpms, and then slowly come down and die. It also backfired (very loudly) a few times, making me nervous. Soon after this though, the idle began to smooth out and the engine stayed running. The throttle was responsive and it came down and held a steady idle just above 1000 rpms. It seemed to be running fine at this point. I couldnt take it around the neighborhood because its wet and dark out (no running tallight either), so I wasnt REALLY able to see how it ran. I just took it down the driveway and back. No problems.

Is all of that difficulty just because it has not run in weeks and because it was quite cold out and the engine needed to sufficiently warm? Its my first bike, and my first vintage bike, so I'm really not sure how 'easy' it should start up. I plan on trying to start the bike every evening this week to see if it responds better to being regularly run. Any thoughts? Thanks!

-Aaron
 
Sounds pretty typical of cold natured Mikunis, Aaron. Got to keep the battery well juiced too - keep it on a trickle charger!

It only takes a few weeks for these ethanol-blend fuels to start taking a crap. I recommend running some Star-Tron in your fuel to keep that in check. You can get it at Barnetts.
 
All this cooler weather would make for a good garage meet up... anyone got a project needing tech support?
 
Alright Ill keep this thread going with another post I suppose....Now that I am legal and plated(!!!) and riding my scoot every chance I get, I noticed that at least my rear wheel is not perfectly trued or balanced. Im not sure about the front, but theres a chance it could be out of wack too. Any of you guys good at fixing that sort of thing? Or know of a good place to get that done? (without paying an arm and a leg ideally.)
 
Aaron, We could pull the wheel out and take it to combustion cycles and have them check it. Balancing would be like $20, but if it needs truing then it could cost more. I know a friend (Mark) who knows how to true a wheel, he says it can take some time.

What are the symptoms the bike is giving you. a wobble at all speeds a shake at certain speed? see that the tensioner adjusters are even and that the rear axle is straight and tight.
 
Its got a wobble (up and down) feeling at all speeds. Its less noticeable under heavy throttle I think, unless thats just me distracted by that wonderful feeling of acceleration ;D

The rear wheel has a visible 'wobble' in it if you put the bike up on the stand and spin it in 1st. The front wheel im not sure about, but at times i definitely notice it in the handle bars (could be because of rear?)


It's a bit frustrating because I paid some good change to that yamaha/duc dealer way up on capital to true them and balance them a good while ago (this past summer). I dont know if i could take the bike to them to fix it though since its been a while and I doubt I have those receipts, although they may have record.


In any case, I need to get it fixed so I feel safe above 40 mph!!
 
I know a bit about it - have a home made truing stand, and have built a couple of wheels. As Eddie puts it, it can be time consuming... requiring much paitence, a 6 pack of beer, and 1/2 pack of cigarettes.

The way I do it, you will need a spoke wrench or small knuckle buster, a piece of rod for an axle, a couple of jack stands, some duct tape, and a coat hanger. Really, it is best to spoon off the tire for this, but it is not essential.

Pull the wheel, put it on the rod, lay it across the jack stands, unwind the hanger and tape one end to one of the jack stands. Bend the other end until it points at the wheel. Then you have to get the hang of adjusting what to get the wheel to go where.

Eastern Dirt has a good article on this online, with intriguing illustrations. The site seems to be down at the moment: www.easterndirt.com/?p=385
 
xulf13 said:
Sounds like we may need to have a meet just to true Aaron's wheels. :)

That is what I was hoping this thread might evolve into - local meet ups to wrench and share knowledge. Anyone up for a tech session?
 
I'm surely up for it, and especially if it means getting my wheels true! I also need to investigate my carburetors that seem to be leaking a little gas overnight...
 
I thinnk Johann has been wanting tohost one of those tech sessions for a while now. He's more central to me and it's located very close tothe Carolina Ale house where we first met at.

We should give him a buzz and see what he says. I'll try to call him on monday.
 
That would be a good start - he certainly has the space to acommodate one! After 5 months, my shop is just starting to resemble something I can actually work in!

Aaron, you are shutting off your fuel tap over night, and they are still leaking?
 
I spoke my own wheels and has the tools to do it. You guys can come over on a Saturday with a sixpack and we can sort this little problem out in a jiffy!
 
Thanks so much Johann.
Aaron, as far as I know Scot will be out riding this coming saturday and I have plans as well. But maybe we can shoot for the following saturday?
 
Works for me.... or maybe MLK! Dont suppose you were planning to hit FYBO with us next Saturday, Aaron?
 
Hey guys,

I have a few questions:

Anybody have advice (or loopholes) on the safety inspection for getting my bike titled?
I was looking to modify the frame and exhaust a bit but don't want to run into trouble making my bike 'legal.'
I now have a bike in pieces that I've heard I may need to get back into original shape for it to pass inspection (by DMV).

Also,

my upper fork tubes look TERRIBLE where the headlight ears used to be (old cl350)...a ton of pitting and discoloration that I can't seem to get away from.

Any advice on painting my upper forks and lower sliders?
I know the uppers have to travel into the sliders so I'm a little worried about painting that area...

Any advice would be great.

Cheers!
 
lhpegram said:
Hey guys,

I have a few questions:

Anybody have advice (or loopholes) on the safety inspection for getting my bike titled?
I was looking to modify the frame and exhaust a bit but don't want to run into trouble making my bike 'legal.'
I now have a bike in pieces that I've heard I may need to get back into original shape for it to pass inspection (by DMV).

Also,

my upper fork tubes look TERRIBLE where the headlight ears used to be (old cl350)...a ton of pitting and discoloration that I can't seem to get away from.

Any advice on painting my upper forks and lower sliders?
I know the uppers have to travel into the sliders so I'm a little worried about painting that area...

Any advice would be great.

Cheers!

Hi,
Is your bike 35 years or older? if so, then you don't or won't need safety inspection. However, you will need to get it inspected to have the vin # run to make sure that the vin matches the tittle .

To obtain a tittle for the bike I would go with this guy:
http://detroitcyclesales.webs.com/titleservice.htm

His name is Dan Foukes. For $50 and after following his instructions he can get you a tittle in about a month. It will be a MI state title. Once you have your bike together and or finished, then you can tranfer the tittle here in NC and do your registration.

Otherwise I think Eric knows of another way, but I hear it can be a pain in the but to try to obtain a tittle here in NC. But Eric has done it before, so maybe he can chime in or you can ask him at our next meet January 26th at Naper Tandy's in Down Town Raleigh.


Eddie
 
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