$50 mod thread

johnson_steve said:
That scares me! There is no voltage regulation at all. maybe my bike is just weird. I have 3 yellow wires from the alternator. I ran these through a voltage rectifier (a 3 phase one I made with diodes.) and a capacitor rated for 50v. (to smooth out the voltage ripple.) My plan was to measure the results and then figure out what to do about the voltage regulation so I could bring it down to about 14v to charge the batt. I hooked it up started my cb400 and watched my DMM peak at over 100v and then the capacitor exploded. Maybe the cb350 isn't wired the same and doesn't need a regulator, or has a seperate one. My bike (and many others, I'd wager.) had an intergrated rectifier/regulator. This would replace the rectifier part but not the regulator. It might even work fine, but consistantly overcharge the battery. The voltage would drop to the battery voltage, but nothing would stop it from rising beyond the 13.5v or so of a full battery; cooking the bejesus out of your battery.

Represto:
If your bike was designed to work with just a rectifier and no regulator as the above diagram indicates; this would be much better then the oldschool selenium one. It should work better then brand new.

The CB 350 has a seperate voltage regulator. CC
 
JRK5892 said:
i used one just like the one above that i got on ebay on a buddies 350 WORKED GREAT!!!! I MEAN GREAT!!!! i have that same thing sitting in my parts bin for my CB350 build waiting to go on as well

although i do have to say Steve knows his Shit when it comes to wiring... Ill call up Amaya a bit later today to see if he has had any issues with the 350 i got going for him a few years back

My bike isn't wired the same as a 350 at all. This prob. works great for a 350; I couldn't tell you as I don't have one to look at. I'm just saying don't replace a rectifier/regulator with just a rectifier. It is also posible that I'm being over cautious. maybe 40 years ago in an automotive application a little cooking of the battery on long trips was acceptable.

Edit: Thank you CC for pointing out that the cb350 has a separate voltage regulator. that would make this a drop in upgrade for the cb350. If you bought one on ebay I hope you didn't overpay too much for a $2 bridge rectifier.

hondacharge.jpg

This circuit diagram clearly shows the rectifier directly connected to the battery with no voltage regulation at all. This was the initial cause for my concern. I would like to reasure you that this mod should work great exactly like it was posted despite this diagram being wrong for the cb350 and with some modification it could be made to work on any bike with a seperate voltage regulator.
 
Don't get me wrong RadioShack has it's place (My brother works there.) If you need something 'now' and they have it you have no other options. They just seem more interested in selling cell phones now then stocking this type of product; which is sad because I remember when I was a kid RS had 2 asiles full of this kind of stuff and you could get everything you needed for a project right there, now it's 2 small sections of drawers at the back of the store. I stock a much wider variety of electronics components at my home then the local RS. You get a much better deal when you get this kind of stuff mail order.
 
johnson_steve said:
Don't get me wrong RadioShack has it's place (My brother works there.) If you need something 'now' and they have it you have no other options. They just seem more interested in selling cell phones now then stocking this type of product; which is sad because I remember when I was a kid RS had 2 asiles full of this kind of stuff and you could get everything you needed for a project right there, now it's 2 small sections of drawers at the back of the store. I stock a much wider variety of electronics components at my home then the local RS. You get a much better deal when you get this kind of stuff mail order.

agreed.
 
this is a fantastic thread!!! I've already used the epoxy paint trick on my triple threes, lever perches, and headlight shell. As for the wheels I'm gonna use some Eastwood "warm silver" to get that 60's MGB painted wire wheel look on the hubs and spokes. My girlfriend swears I'm gonna get cancer from the all the fumes, if the ciggies don't get me!!! I've also used the polishing info on the fork sliders and the improvement is just incredible, must be a 500% improvement. And all this started from a simple wiring fix in the head light shell, then stering head bearings and now this. I've never had so much fun!!!! thanks so much for the info and the inspiration!!! The XS650 is really coming along to being the near-Triumph that I wanted all along.

Terry
J'ville, Fl
 
steve i have a ramp from my bike trailers so i just use that... getting 5 more milk crates to bring it up another level while i start all the final touches... also found my REAL wheel chuck so i will use that so no longer need the straps to hold it in place... post pics tomorrow
 
Ok so I did this about a month ago and I am kind of spurring off of the thread starters bike platform post.

I am a carpenter by trade, kinda, with the market the way it is I am now a suit for a while.... grrrr

I put this baby together for an eyelash under $50 with a contractor discount.

( 8 ) 8' 2X4
(2) 8' 4X4
(1) 4'X8' sheet of 1/2" plywood
(16) 1/2" X 7" long lag bolts
(32) 1/2" washers
(16) 1/2" nuts
A few solid nails and some Liquid nails (also known as flooring adhesive)

The total dimensions are 32" deep 36" tall 8' wide (Well thought out for the space in my garage, and my height)

CB002.jpg

CB001.jpg



I could jump up and down on this baby and it wouldn't move a 1/4 inch. SOLID

My previous work bench:

CB038.jpg
 
LOL I paid a 20 spot for mine (rectifier) oh well it had a nice new connector set I needed to. (Still not $20 bucks even with postage Oh well lack of knowledge) Glad I'm sticking with CB350 for my next two builds saving money already. Nice tables both. Ive been lucky Lowes let me have to kobalt work benches for 60 bucks, because they were missing a drawer each. ;D
 
I'm starting to think this may not be a really good thread as just about every mod we cheap bastards make to our bike is less than $50. It may have been relevant to those HD folks that pay $300 for a turn signal. I already have 3 more mods that I plan to post after I do them.
 
Flugtechnik said:
I'm starting to think this may not be a really good thread as just about every mod we cheap bastards make to our bike is less than $50. It may have been relevant to those HD folks that pay $300 for a turn signal. I already have 3 more mods that I plan to post after I do them.

I think this topic is a great idea and is yeilding some nice mods. However at 5 pages and growing it's going to get hard to sort through real quick. It already crashes safari on my iPod if I try to scroll before all the pictures load. Is there anyway it could be made into a sub-forum and split into 1 topic for each mod? We have sub forums on other parts of the site, and eveyone knows the search function here isn't the best so it helps to have things laid out clearly.
 
I was being a bit sarcastic. I love this thread, but it will get quite long. Joe promised to index the mods on the first post.
 
crazypj said:
If the bike your talking about is the late model CB400T the regulator is built into the rectifier unit.
1978 3 valve/cyl motors have a 6 or 7 wire rect/reg. 3 yellow, 1 black (battery voltage), 1 Red (permanent live), and one or two green wires (ground) Its designed to handle around 25 amps @14 volts for short periods, 4~5 amp constant
PJ

You sure know your shit pj. That's my bike exactly. However the only stock wiring on it now are the wires going to the alternator. my rectifier/regulator was bad when I got the bike. It and all the other wiring have been replaced with a much more modern system of my own design. I don't like trying to troubleshoot someone elses circuits, it requires geting into their head and thinking like them. It is much easier for me to start from scratch. Then when something goes wrong I know why and how to fix it.
 
OK, not really a mod, but a cheap fix and very useful for all your chrome bits.

I learned this from my BMX buddies, I collect vintage bmx and 80's freestyle bikes and there is a really good way to remove rust from chrome parts, without using abbrasive materials or the electrolysis set up. It's called an OA bath.

OA is short for oxalic acid, commonly found in wood bleach, like the stuff you would clean your deck with. You can pick it up in powder form or in liquid form already diluted. You can find the liquid forms at Home Depot or Lowes or your local hardware store. Just ask for wood bleach. The important thing is to read the ingredients on the jug, because you can also get wood bleach with sulfuric acid (I think that's the other ingredient), and you don't want that. Oxalic Acid is the stuff your looking for.

I use 1 large container of wood bleach, I think its about 64 oz, and fill up a large rubbermaid plastic container with warm water. I do this outside, but I do know people who use their tub (not recommending it though). Let it sit for a few hours and every so often just rub it with a towel or soft bristle brush. You'll be amazed at how the rust just disappears. After you have finished, make sure you dry the item really well, and I coat the non-plated side ( like the inside of headlight ears) with WD-40, to make sure the non-chromed areas don't rust up again.

Do not use on aluminum or with bare metal. It will turn both black.

But it does work wonders on chrome. If you have items with surface rust, give it a try. Try it on something you don't really care about first, just to make sure it's good................I know it is, but I am also always skeptical of using someone elses ideas first without seeing it first hand or having practiced on something I don't care about. If the rust has gone through the chrome, you will still have "peppering" but it won't be all scratched up from using abbrasive cleaners or materials.

I'll try to get some pics of some things I've soaked up real soon.
 
Ha! :D

Oxalic Acid is also available in powdered form at any grocery store. I buy "Barkeepers Friend" in a goldish can in the cleaners isle. I use it to clean my stainless brewing equipment and pots, as well as my sink!

I've never tried it on chrome. The BKF does have an abrasive in it, but as long as you don't rub it on the part, it shouldn't scratch it.

I think a can is like $1.50.
 
Flugtechnik said:
Ha! :D

Oxalic Acid is also available in powdered form at any grocery store.

Man, and I always run soooooo much farther from my house to get it, when there's a grocery store right around the corner from me. What is it in there, or is it just for sale as OA??
 
Back
Top Bottom