CL350 Junker Wrenching

Are you planning to wait until she's up an running then new tubes and tires?
 
Absolutely. I just need something to sit it on while I finish the other work. I have a tire-mounting stand in my shop, but I haven’t even started looking at what might be ideal for it. Today I did nearly nothing on it. Everything Honda-relates requires something that produces fumes or dust, and I am...bad off, I suppose. They upped me to horse-pill level antibiotics, just a nightmare dose. I’m a pretty fit guy, so this has really stopped me in my tracks. I still went into work after lunch, mostly just picking up some odds and ends and doing very little. On a whim, I rolled this in and parked it beside the Honda. I knew the previous owner. Despite its looks, it was relatively well cared for until it was laid down in a very slow-speed accident. Other than the lower fairings, it’s all there. I’ve never toyed around much with a water-cooled small engine...mostly because they don’t make many. I thought doing I know my way around, enough to get by. I did a walk up and down. Has some trailing wiring from the indicators up front and the tank will need some “good times with filler”...but it’s in decent-enough condition (I Iike to be optimistic) and a few years ago I turned it over, briefly. It was wheezing and sputtering from the accumulation of gunk in the carb. Mechanically, I think it is sound enough. Needs...work. I figured I would double them up while I was doing some motorcycle stuff. Good winter project. I pulled off the carbs and put them in my ultrasonic cleaner completely whole. Normally I wouldn’t, but I used a very mild cleaner and shouldn’t affect the diaphragms or slides and will make it easier to disassemble and begin cleaning. The exterior. The brakes are good, the wiring is intact, as are throttle, clutch, choke, and suspension. I guess the only thing keeping me from a test start is new fuel lines...and I lost the keys. Oops. That’s ok. It was another trade, this one, for some four-wheeler repair. I’ll do something with it. I have two others outside, which is something that happens when you do this awhile. Amazing the difference on the exterior of that carb for 15 minutes in that bath. My new bearings for the Honda will be here tomorrow. Maybe I will feel like moving again by the time they get here.


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Not a great deal of progress over the last couple of days. I had to turn it up to get my backlog covered. I did go ahead and attempt to remount the original forks, but ran into problems getting the All Balls replacement bearings to seat properly. I don’t know how l have gotten along without a press this far, but I think it is time to pick one up. I could make one up with a bottle jack, I suppose..I think I will go Scrambler on this Ninja, just because it would be interesting. It’s much closer to running condition than the Honda so I am not spending quite as much time on it. I have some parts coming for it tomorrow, and I’ll probably get to work patching the tank as well...if time allows.


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Long time, no see. I guess that pneumonia was a little more serious of an issue than I first thought. It turns out that a load of lumber from a scrapped barn that I took in and put up on one of my larger shelves was covered in black mold. That’s some serious business. I was more or less poisoned by it and had to be treated for a month with a medicine so potent that I had to give blood periodically to make sure that the medicine wasn’t making me even more sick. I am just now starting to feel like I am coming out of a fog. Had to have my shop scrubbed and fumigated, all my tools removed and then put back..good times.

Anyway, I’m at it.

The CL350 is almost back to running condition. Turned it over yesterday and was excited to hear a brief sputter from the starter fluid. Going to try a temporary tank set-up this weekend and see if I can’t get some sustained running from it. I replaced about ten feet of burnt wiring. I see no obvious culprit for the short that caused it. I was able to put a jump pack directly on the starter and was in business. I set the new points and the thump-thump sounds healthy. I can see sparks on the points, so that’s all good at least. I’m going to start work on the frame this weekend after I get at least a minute of solid run-time on the engine.

The Kawasaki had slipped time altogether. I put two new cams and an entire set of rocker arms on it, scavenged from another wreck. Someone had slacked out the cam chain tensioner entirely, so no mystery what happened there. Ready to start working on that frame as well.

Been thinking about going with a field-used small ammo box as a battery and electronics box on the Honda. That might be pleasing to the eye. Pay no heed to the wiring mess. Had to be done to prove it out. I’ll go back through and tidy it up. I need to sort out what carb jetting I need for pods on that engine.


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welcome back to the land of the living bud. Sounds like you had a real mess.

Great to see youre back at it.
 
Glad to see you back! Hope the wife is better, too. Bikes can wait. Looks like a minor melt-down in the harness. But, it does encourage one to strip out past mods and do it right.
 
My wife feels really good today. She had the sixth of seven projected surgeries as I typed that last post. She will be off her feet until next Wednesday, but she looks and feels great. Breast cancer is a horrible thing. I think one of the reasons I was clocking so much time working—and adding more work on top of it—was just for mental health. Engines have finite space, and as such, finite problems that don’t really extend down to a cellular level. The best Dr. she has had was a man who had the air of a mechanic to me. He spoke my language. He could size up the problems at a glance and knew the methods by routine to address it quickly and thoroughly. He and I made friends.

So I found a new triple tree on eBay and snagged it up. The top plate was split so I got it for a song. I’m fine with that. I have another of those. I wanted the indicator cluster and the stem. As I mentioned before, this bike was backed into at one point. The force was enough to slightly bend the stem inward, enough so that threading on the top nut was dicey. I tried a little of every thing, taking a propane torch to it and heating it to open it back outwards, and then using an external re-threader to open up the flattened threads, but it was unfortunately hopelessly damaged. I have new bearings and will press them on the new stem tomorrow after a clean-up, and reinstall the front end of the bike. If it all goes according to plan, I’d like to have the wiring and controls installed as well. We’ll see.

I’m watching the Clemson game tonight and working on the gauges. I was able to get them open, gently remove the old paint and right now the old faces are primed and I’m getting ready to apply the overlay. It will need new rubber bushings for the lights but that’s an easy get. I’ll post the completed job on those later, or maybe in the morning if it needs more drying time. As you can tell from the pic, they have seen better days.

I did one coat of epoxy-based black on the frame today. I’ve used epoxy paint in a number of applications and I think it is great for a base cover. I took a wire brush to it after soaking any rust in dissolver, cleaned the metal and then went over it. My next step will be to knock off a bit of the shine with a pad and give it a light coat of high-temp paint. The epoxy, once it is cured, is extremely resistant to scratching. You have to be pretty deliberate with it to keep it from streaking. It’s a “apply with confidence” sort of job.

I also soaked both my carbs in the new cleaner. My old cleaner was small and underwhelming. The newer machine is a beast, and it didn’t seem like it would hurt.

I did all this while nursing another v-twin back to life after some pretty careless behavior by the part of the owner. It’s probably in my personal top five in level-of-filth and lack-of-maintenance. Managed to break the left side free and have some compression again. Good old Briggs. I picked up a small tarp which I will deliver with it. Maybe they will get the idea?




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Oh, and I will pull the motor off at some point and get some solid frame maintenance under it. Based on what I can see it is pretty good shape. It just didn’t seem like the right time to do it. I’d rather put all the pieces in place and then back-track to square off rough edges. I like progress.


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There has to be a special place for people that do such things to machinery, animals, or children.

Our local Ace hardware has an amazing assortment of things such as rubber grommets. You might check them for the bulb rubbers.

On the meters, I have found on old GoldWing tachs and speedos that the grease in the needle bearing hardens up. A drop or two of silicone spray lube disolves it and stays around for a long time. Peeling the ring from around one of them is not one of my favorite things, but I've had success so far.

Lost my mom to breast cancer, but she hung on for almost 18 years after first discovery, and we didn't have the treatment weapons back then. Wife's 1st cousin is a 4 year (so far) survivor. She rode the GL1800 with me once she got her strength back.
 
A productive day. I’d like to have done more, but being the time of year that it is, I have a steadily growing pile of chainsaws, leaf-blowers and generators demanding attention. I repaired the gauges and closed them up, applying the new faces. They were more than a little rusty, so I shot them with primer. I intend to coat them in the same white as the tank, which will be different if nothing else. Pleased with the result. I also got my solid start. Sorry the video is three seconds, but I was holding the camera, my jump pack and fire extinguisher. I’ve learned to be judicious with the use of 50:1 as a primer. Sometimes, if you have your header pipes off it can make a nice napalm thrower. Ask me how I know. I bumped the button, but I only got about fifteen seconds on that little tad of fuel anyway.

I pressed on the new steering bearings, remounted the freshly cleaned carbs and also got a start on the switches. Maybe tomorrow I can get that lined up. Lots of rust on all the bolts. I’m on the fence on whether or not to order new ones or soak. Fresh hardware has some visual appeal. https://youtu.be/V4DDMzlui20

Hopefully I got that URL right. Inserting a pasted item is a little funky in the app.


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And on the subject of breast cancer, more than a little of my income goes to the right foundation for scientific research into the causes. It’s a disease that mostly affects women, but it’s especially hard on the men in their orbit. Moms, daughters, wives, sisters. My wife is a boss, and she makes a wide receiver walking off a tough hit look like a wuss.


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Ok, so that’s starting to look like something. I need another ten feet of wiring and I should be good to go...I think. The wiring for the starter, and the main ground for the battery looks...aged. Not like wine or women, just aged. I got my boots for the front forks and should have the mounts for the clutch and brake levers tomorrow. I put some big time in yesterday and today, and it is starting to turn a corner from junk to something. I fab’d up a new bottom bracket for the handlebar posts and tomorrow I might try to go ahead assembling the forks. We’ll see how the work day goes. Still have so much to do on the cosmetic side.


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Looking good. Don't be in much of a hurry. Afraid it's going to be a long winter. Having a bike aching to be ridden just amplifies PMS symptoms.
 
Yeah, I just had the time this week for some reason. Well, maybe I made the time. I have a new regulator/rectifier combo on the way, so once that arrives I’m going to see if I can check wiring off the list. I picked the battery box out of the pile of junk that was originally zip-tied to the bike and put it right today. It was originally smashed when it was driven into and was ridiculously rusty, but I actually liked the fit. It was warped front to back, but some heat and a hammer goes a long way.

I went ahead and slid the front forks up to have a look and I’m pretty pleased. The upper part of the boot is pretty decrepit, but I went ahead and sealed it until I can decide on whether or not to keep it.

Big Bruno didn’t stray far today. He liked the heater, I think.


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My mom had to have the surgery and is a survivor, she is tough like your wife. My grandmother on moms side battled it also.
It is a mean and unforgiving disease. Glad to hear your wife is doing good!!
 
I am a two year survivor, still having treatment. Fuck cancer! Hate, hate, hate it. Blessing and good health to all those mentioned above.

Brian
 
Its really looking good bud. Did you paint the headers before wrapping. If not, they will rot out quicker than you think.

I blasted then used VHT fireproof paint on mine.
 
Good on you, Brian. After my wife’s fourth diagnosis her Doctor decided to do as much preventative surgery as possible. No point in waiting for it to come back again. It has been a long road, but she is doing very well. She’s decorating the Christmas tree and I’m working on the tank. I’ll go brushed and bare. Maybe.

I did use VHT. I poured some rust treatment down the header pipes and then blew them out as best as I could with a compressor, then coated them. The mufflers are pretty beat. I think I can trim them a bit, wire them off and then maybe make some baffles myself, but I need to see what the originals looked like. Someone got after these with a chisel or something. They were destroyed.


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