CB450 Café Racer Build. IT'S A ROLLER

Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. slow going.........

WOO HOO!!!! Tank/Seat are in, and I am just about finished with polishing! Thank God! ;D I am going to shoot some photos and update you all here in the next couple of days if not tomorrow, so stay tuned. And thanks for the comments and chatting you guys are great help.


JR
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine Teardown LOTS OF PHOTOS

So yesterday afternoon was a train-wreck. :-\ It started when I got home super excited to get my tank and seat and take them to the shop and fit them, when I got there there was no mail even though we get our mail at 1:00 and it was 5:00. I waited around till about 5:30 still no tank, so I headed to the shop figuring that I could at least get the polishing finished up and shoot some photos for you all. Getting to the shop I set up my bench grinder only to find that the engine had burned out. After about 30-40 minutes of tinkering with (tearing it all the way apart and then back together) it I deemed it a lost cause. Not having anything els to do I decided to start the engine tear down. :p
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I dont have a cam chain breaker and since I ordered a new chain I just cut the old one in two and removed it.
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the head came off easy enough but what I found made me glad I decided to tear into the engine. It just goes to show you that even if some one tells you it is clean and sound, you should always check for yourself. :) haha.
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:eek: :eek: :eek:
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Left cylinder: mmmmm.... tastes like rust to me..... :p
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Right cylinder: good bit of carbon build up..... :-[
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As you can see the left piston was rested to the cylinder but after some WD40 and a little caressing with a rag and hammer the piston came free and I was able to slide the cylinders off. The walls are going to need to be cleaned, I am thinking of taking them to a local shop to have them acid washed, but if anyone has a good way to clean them without damaging the walls to badly I am all ears.
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I am going to need a whole new set of rings for sure but the pistons look to be in good shape. Just need a good cleaning :D .
Right:
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Left:
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Got as far as this for the night as I did not have the tool needed to remove the locknut that secures the oil filter rotor. I am going to borrow one from a friend today if possible.
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Okay so here is where I found another problem, I pulled the alternator rotor (which by the way was loose and did not need a tool to remove) and found this. I am assuming that this is just a guide pin for placement of the rotor as the taper is supposed to secure the rotor but I am not sure on this. Can anyone help me out here? The pin is really eaten up and doesn't look as if it would function properly if it is used to turn the rotor, but if it is just a guide and the PO left the rotor loose I can see it getting eaten up but not needing to be replaced if rotor is properly secured on the taper. What do you all think?
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I am going to try to find a bench grinder today to finish the polishing and I will pick up my seat/tank and shoot photos of all of them tonight if possible, so stay tuned. 8)


JR
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

Oh yes, and to end my epic failure of a day I got pulled over while driving to pickup my wife due to a out tail light.


Officer: "you know why I pulled you over?"
Me: "No sir"
Officer: "you're tail light is out"...(and in a cold sarcastic voice) "here in Idaho we need two tail lights"


No really :eek: I would have never guessed......and he proceeded to write me a ticket, thats Moscows "Finest" for ya. :p


JR
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

Haha sorry not laughing because you got a ticket... "here in Idaho we need two tail lights". Classic.

You ever in Boise?
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

yeah, all the time actually, the in-laws are down there so the wife and I are down there 4-5 times a year.


JR
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

jrknecht said:
yeah, all the time actually, the in-laws are down there so the wife and I are down there 4-5 times a year.


JR

Right on. Let us know next time you're here and we'll have a little DTT get together.
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

treitz said:
Right on. Let us know next time you're here and we'll have a little DTT get together.


That would be awesome! I will let you know. We could do a photo shoot.


JR
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

jrknecht said:
That would be awesome! I will let you know. We could do a photo shoot.


JR

Yes for sure. The group is getting pretty broad up here. With Louie, Rossicle, Stopbreakingdown, and myself plus all of our friends who aren't on the forum.
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

treitz said:
Yes for sure. The group is getting pretty broad up here. With Louie, Rossicle, Stopbreakingdown, and myself plus all of our friends who aren't on the forum.


Sounds like alot of guys. how often do you ride?


JR
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

Great build, you've make killer progress in a short time! I too love red frames, lookin forward to see whats next.
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine Teardown LOTS OF PHOTOS

jrknecht said:
5491815871_8447f06619.jpg



Left cylinder: mmmmm.... tastes like rust to me..... :p
5491816291_e9156aa6cf.jpg



Right cylinder: good bit of carbon build up..... :-[
5491815313_771a3cf922.jpg



As you can see the left piston was rested to the cylinder but after some WD40 and a little caressing with a rag and hammer the piston came free and I was able to slide the cylinders off. The walls are going to need to be cleaned, I am thinking of taking them to a local shop to have them acid washed, but if anyone has a good way to clean them without damaging the walls to badly I am all ears.
5491816711_645f537e7f.jpg




I am going to need a whole new set of rings for sure but the pistons look to be in good shape. Just need a good cleaning


That rust on the cylinder wall doesn't look good, hopefully it's just surface rust. My rotor was loose on the crank shaft and did the exact same thing. I cleaned the bits off the shaft and the new key fit fine. I had an extra one but I think It got pitched.
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

JB weld is the best for rebuilding engine cases, I make sure its very clean and very dry... before I apply
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

You're going to get some pitting from all that rust... Hate to say it, but you might be stock with an overbore there....
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

JoeTee said:
Great build, you've make killer progress in a short time! I too love red frames, lookin forward to see whats next.


Hey thanks, I am shooting for a 6 month build but who knows, haha ;) .


JR
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

@ spidergsgp & two-smoker
two-smoker said:
You're going to get some pitting from all that rust... Hate to say it, but you might be stock with an overbore there....


So what do you think, I do have another set of cylinders but I was thinking maybe (since it is looking like I am going to have to rebore anyways) just going ahead and doing a big bore kit? what do you all think is it that much of an improvement to the stock engine or not? It also looks like those are high compression pistons which is good.


@ spidergsgp
Too bad you dont have that key still haha, so I should be able to remove that and replace it without removing the whole crank?
Thanks all for the help.


JR
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

It's hard to say whether or not an overbore is needed by looking at pics over the 'net. Take it to a machinist and get a professional opinion.
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

I to the cylinders to the machine shop today and he said he would start with honing them and if a bore was needed he would give me a call.
$20 and they will be done today ;D Woo Hoo!


JR
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

Can't beat that. Unless he makes you pay for the hone a second time after the bore... :p
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

Sonreir said:
Can't beat that. Unless he makes you pay for the hone a second time after the bore... :p


I told him I thought it looked like a bore, and he said hone, so if it needs to be bored then I think he will treat me right. (fingers crossed) ;)

JR
 
Re: CB450 Café Racer Build. Engine teardown started: LOTS OF PHOTOS

That said, .25mm over should only be like $20 per cylinder anyway...
 
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