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I'm finally in to building the forks. There are a lot of companies selling suspension for vintage motorcycles but most are junk. Then there is the problem of 1 size fits all. It takes a little more digging to find companies that offer the correct stuff. Fortunately Racetech is an excellent source for vintage suspension. I can do Ohlins type cartridges without having to think about it at this point but although the old stuff is simpler, I had to speak to tech support to get some answers on the cartridge emulators today. They were excellent and totally helpful.
I also watched 3 different websites showing how to assemble the forks that come on the CB 550 & 750. Specifically, I was looking for a trick to tighten the screw on the bottom that goes into the damping rod and holds the entire fork together. I'm sure a lot of people have seen videos of people doing wheelies and the lower tube and wheel falls off. 2 of the 3 how toos were young guys and they were tightening the screw into the rod with an impact gun without securing the damping rod. If you don't secure it, then it just spins the rod and you don't get it tightened enough to be sure the bolt won't come out. I also guessed that you should use some type of thread locker. The 3rd video I watched was from Common Motor Collective. The guy that does their videos addressed the issues that I was looking for. My forks will not fall apart because I listened to idiots. You have to be very careful who you listen to online. There are people out there that seem to be competent and professional that are giving advice and making how to videos that in reality have no clue.
Yesterday I spoke to Jeff from Godffrey's Garage. Glad I did. He gave me a lot of great info. I sent my 2 front brake calipers to him so he can modify them and installs banjo fittings so I can use braided stainless lines. Cool detail. Cool guy.
Today I dropped the top and bottom triple trees, the caliper brackets and a few other parts at the powder coat guy. I'll get them back next week and then I can assemble the entire front end, wrap it in plastic and stick it in the back of the garage while I move on to other parts of this build.
On to the forks. Every part is new except for the lower tubes and the damping rods. The brass thingies are Racetech cartridge emulators. They just sit on top of the damping rods and flow oil like modern cartridge forks. The only modification required is to drill a few additional holes in the damping rods. I'm also adding preload adjustable caps. They'll never perform as well as modern forks but they'll be a good as possible while keeping the stock look.
I'm not a big fan of putting modern upside down forks on these Hondas. I have an MT10 which is modern and I love it. , I want my 77 to retain the looks of a 77.
It took me 2 days to disassemble, clean and then sand and polish the lower tubes. It took me a little over an hour to put them together. The only reason I didn't finish is because I don't have the correct weight oil. Except for the caps, they look completely stock.
This is the picture of all of the components ready for assembly and a picture of the finished forks.
I tend to wonder how many of those swaps work. Geometry changes, different lengths and spring rates. I'm not a suspension expert but I can install cartridges and set up modern motorcycles. Unless somebody gave me detailed instructions and exact part numbers to use, I don't think I could figure out a working combination with adding forks from a different bike altogether. I suspect that most of these fork swaps don't handle for shit and ride worse but it looks cool to have a retro motorcycle with upside down forks. My opinion.
I tend to wonder how many of those swaps work. Geometry changes, different lengths and spring rates. I'm not a suspension expert but I can install cartridges and set up modern motorcycles. Unless somebody gave me detailed instructions and exact part numbers to use, I don't think I could figure out a working combination with adding forks from a different bike altogether. I suspect that most of these fork swaps don't handle for shit and ride worse but it looks cool to have a retro motorcycle with upside down forks. My opinion.
You are likely not wrong. It takes a lot of math and skill to do a good fork swap. Most don't know how and wing it. There are some who get it right but a lot don't.
I had some parts powder coated so I can assemble the front end. I also wanted to see if this powder coat guy does good work before I send him more stuff. Next I will install fork, swingarm and wheels so I can check the lines of the seat mount and check fit everything before I powder coat the frame.
The powder looks good, do you mind me asking you how much it ran you to have those few parts done? I'm at a similar stage as you where I'm debating having things powder coated.
The powder looks good, do you mind me asking you how much it ran you to have those few parts done? I'm at a similar stage as you where I'm debating having things powder coated.
I'm at the point of assembling stuff and now I'm finding all of the odds and ends that I need to complete things. I have the original parts but once you finish the big stuff, you can't put rusty nuts and bolts on it. I've tried to refinish a few but they just don't come out that good. Fortunately you can find most any Honda CBs fastener new even though it's a 45 year old motorcycle.
I took a day off this week and spent the entire day doing motorcycle stuff. I am doing dual calipers along with eliminating the stock speedo for a Motogadget electronic sensor one. I bought the JW designs speedometer blank out but it isn't designed to interface with the second disc. The guy on "Ride The Miles" details his 2 disc conversion and had a neat spacer machined. I grabbed some screen shots and measured everything up and found a local machine shop to make one for cheap money. I Got my tires mounted, brought the frame to a welding shop to find out how to prep to weld it back together. The owner of the performance shop saw my wheels when I brought them in to be mounted and and asked me if I did them myself and was very complimentary. It's cool when a professional recognizes your good work. Also went to a custom builders shop to see what he's working on. Motorcycle days are pretty cool.
Hard to believe it was almost 2 months of weekends to get these done. I can't believe how much heavier they are in comparison to the huge wheels and tires on my MT10.
I've been busy doing work around the house but still have found time to keep working on this Honda. I've been bouncing around waiting on parts from machinist and powder coater. Since I decided to change this to tracker style, I had to cut off the nasty rear hoop that the previous owner fabricated and restore it to stock. I was able to test fit the seat and it it fits like it is stock with the rear frame restored. Since I'm deleting the rear fender, I wanted put a plate within the frame rails to keep water and debris getting on the pods. Not a lot of people do this but I saw a few and thought it was a great idea and looks pretty cool. I need to get it to the welder now.
A stock 77 CB550F weighs 421 pounds. I think that between all the original stuff that I'm eliminating and cutting off and replacing modern parts, I'll be able to get it down to about 375. Hell, the original stock tires feel like they weigh 4 times as much as a modern tire. They were rock hard too. I think you could get away with no air in the tires they were so rigid.
I keep thinking I'm going to get things done way faster than I actually do. I made a home made tool to press out the the shock bushings on the swing arm. Very simple except the bolts I bought from Home Depot weren't strong enough and bent and stripped so I had to get higher quality bolts. They worked perfectly but it added almost a week for them to arrive.
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