deepwaterimports
Over 1,000 Posts
Mate that's awesome vid is great.
Hi From Australia CB350
- Thread starter ducatiboy
- Start date
neevo
Over 1,000 Posts
ducatiboy said:One of the problems with going with my manufactured front guard is that it offers no protection to the fork stanchions leaving them exposed to stone chips etc
Good point. Might re look at the standard GSXR fender again then. Good idea re the spacers to lift it a touch.
axeugene27
Over 1,000 Posts
just pick up a clutch cable from dcc right for the bike it's like 15 bux. customizing cables to length is a bitch.
Thanks for the suggestions guys but I ultimately went in a different direction.
After hours and hours of intensive internet searching I found a way of shortening the cable. Read on for the exciting details below:
First I disconnected the cable from the clutch lever end and routed the cable where I wanted it to sit including this bracket on the right coil mount.
Then I held the cable up to the clutch lever length adjuster at the right length that I needed. Need to be careful to check the steering at extremes of it's range that the cable will be long enough and won't bind or kink when turning the handlebars. Marked the cutting point with a piece of tape
Next remove the cable from the bike and pull the cable inner as far out as it will go (out towards the lever end). Measure the free unsheathed cable length. This is important so don't forget it!
Cut the nobbly bit off the end of the cable
Cut the cable outer. Approx 7-8 inches removed
I heated up the plastic outer to soften it so I could pull this bit off the end that was going to be discarded to re-use it on new end of the remaining cable
Bit of pushing and shoving required to fit it (gently heating the plastic helps) and then nail punched to make sure it stays put
So next was to re-attach the nobbly bit onto the new end of the shortened cable. I have read that it is possible to heat the nobbly bit in order to melt the solder and pull the old piece of cable out. I decided to just make my own nobbly bit because I happened to have a piece of steel rod just the right diameter lying around
So I cut a piece of rod to the right length and started to drill a hole in it with a very blunt drill bit.
Of course the drill bit broke. For anyone following these instructions I would suggest a sharp drill bit
Start again. Flatten off one side of the nobbly bit, drill hole, countersink hole
Slide you newly made nobbly bit over the end of your cable and measure out your unsheathed length
Cut your cable a couple of mm on the other side of the nobbly bit and then splay out the individual fibres of the cable so they are spread out over the countersunk hole
Short blast with the mig
And check that it fits in your lever. If the blob of weld is too big file it too size
And the end result is a beautifully fitting clutch cable nicely hidden under the tank where nobody can see it. Ain't life grand?
After hours and hours of intensive internet searching I found a way of shortening the cable. Read on for the exciting details below:
First I disconnected the cable from the clutch lever end and routed the cable where I wanted it to sit including this bracket on the right coil mount.
Then I held the cable up to the clutch lever length adjuster at the right length that I needed. Need to be careful to check the steering at extremes of it's range that the cable will be long enough and won't bind or kink when turning the handlebars. Marked the cutting point with a piece of tape
Next remove the cable from the bike and pull the cable inner as far out as it will go (out towards the lever end). Measure the free unsheathed cable length. This is important so don't forget it!
Cut the nobbly bit off the end of the cable
Cut the cable outer. Approx 7-8 inches removed
I heated up the plastic outer to soften it so I could pull this bit off the end that was going to be discarded to re-use it on new end of the remaining cable
Bit of pushing and shoving required to fit it (gently heating the plastic helps) and then nail punched to make sure it stays put
So next was to re-attach the nobbly bit onto the new end of the shortened cable. I have read that it is possible to heat the nobbly bit in order to melt the solder and pull the old piece of cable out. I decided to just make my own nobbly bit because I happened to have a piece of steel rod just the right diameter lying around
So I cut a piece of rod to the right length and started to drill a hole in it with a very blunt drill bit.
Of course the drill bit broke. For anyone following these instructions I would suggest a sharp drill bit
Start again. Flatten off one side of the nobbly bit, drill hole, countersink hole
Slide you newly made nobbly bit over the end of your cable and measure out your unsheathed length
Cut your cable a couple of mm on the other side of the nobbly bit and then splay out the individual fibres of the cable so they are spread out over the countersunk hole
Short blast with the mig
And check that it fits in your lever. If the blob of weld is too big file it too size
And the end result is a beautifully fitting clutch cable nicely hidden under the tank where nobody can see it. Ain't life grand?
Other bits and pieces that I have been getting on with...
When the tacho cable exits the back of the tacho it immediately runs into the headlight bucket (ditto the speedo cable) with no room to bend enough to run freely. I have the tacho/speedo and headlight bucket mounted where I want them so moving them is not an option. I decided to drill a hole in the back of the headlight bucket and run the cable through the hole into the bucket and exit where all the electrical wiring exits. A left over rubber grommet from some other part of the bike fits nicely in the hole
Filed a lot of the body filler off the mudguard to smooth it out
Painted with spray filler/undercoat
Started sanding down the hills and filling the valleys
Another coat of primer and I'm calling it done. Just need to mount it somehow.
So here's a question for you knowledgeable types. My front wheel hub is from a Harley NarrowGlide. It uses the Harley speedo drive. Does anyone know how the ratio of the Harley speedo drive compares to the CB350? Assuming I can get a cable that will fit from Harley drive to Honda speedo, how accurate are my speeds going to be?
OK that's all for now thanks for reading!
When the tacho cable exits the back of the tacho it immediately runs into the headlight bucket (ditto the speedo cable) with no room to bend enough to run freely. I have the tacho/speedo and headlight bucket mounted where I want them so moving them is not an option. I decided to drill a hole in the back of the headlight bucket and run the cable through the hole into the bucket and exit where all the electrical wiring exits. A left over rubber grommet from some other part of the bike fits nicely in the hole
Filed a lot of the body filler off the mudguard to smooth it out
Painted with spray filler/undercoat
Started sanding down the hills and filling the valleys
Another coat of primer and I'm calling it done. Just need to mount it somehow.
So here's a question for you knowledgeable types. My front wheel hub is from a Harley NarrowGlide. It uses the Harley speedo drive. Does anyone know how the ratio of the Harley speedo drive compares to the CB350? Assuming I can get a cable that will fit from Harley drive to Honda speedo, how accurate are my speeds going to be?
OK that's all for now thanks for reading!
Rgrpfdr1
Geronimoooooooooooooooo!!!!
Thx RG I'll have to check it out when I can get onto a wifi. Didn't mean to soumd like I was dismissing your idea. I'm sure it would work. But it sure does sound funny. Maybe that's the juvenile in me! The reason I use alfoil is that it also protects the underlying plug from getting covered in resin. It's a bugger to peel off though...
So bits and pieces of progress continues...
My banjo bolts for the brakes arrived from Italia...
Calipers
Ridiculous braking power for such a teeny weeny bike...
The advantage of using the front end all from the same bike as the brakes means little things like the bracket holding the brake line to the lower triple clamp fits perfectly. Things that fit perfectly make me happy
Sourced a rod and some rod ends. They are both "normal" threads i.e. right hand threads because I don't have a left hand tap. That means adjusting the length of the linkage will be very slightly more time consuming but of no significance really.
Drilled a couple of holes and tapped a couple of threads...
I needed a bolt with a short unthreaded segment below the head but I didn't have one so I found one with a long unthreaded segment, cut it to size and cut a thread onto it. First attempt, FAIL!!
Second attempt did the job. Next up was to assemble the whole gear linkage thing and it fits like a glove (after a bit of minor adjustment)
Not sure if the James Boag's Brewery sticker is going to make the final cut...
Now that the gear linkage is fully assembled and fitted I have struck a major stumbling block that so far I have been unable to stumble over. I can't change gears ??? ??? The linkage does it's job and is not binding anywhere. The gear change shaft rotates properly both forward and back but the gearbox stays in neutral. Won't click down into first or up into second. Time for a lunch break and try and sort it out later.
My banjo bolts for the brakes arrived from Italia...
Calipers
Ridiculous braking power for such a teeny weeny bike...
The advantage of using the front end all from the same bike as the brakes means little things like the bracket holding the brake line to the lower triple clamp fits perfectly. Things that fit perfectly make me happy
Sourced a rod and some rod ends. They are both "normal" threads i.e. right hand threads because I don't have a left hand tap. That means adjusting the length of the linkage will be very slightly more time consuming but of no significance really.
Drilled a couple of holes and tapped a couple of threads...
I needed a bolt with a short unthreaded segment below the head but I didn't have one so I found one with a long unthreaded segment, cut it to size and cut a thread onto it. First attempt, FAIL!!
Second attempt did the job. Next up was to assemble the whole gear linkage thing and it fits like a glove (after a bit of minor adjustment)
Not sure if the James Boag's Brewery sticker is going to make the final cut...
Now that the gear linkage is fully assembled and fitted I have struck a major stumbling block that so far I have been unable to stumble over. I can't change gears ??? ??? The linkage does it's job and is not binding anywhere. The gear change shaft rotates properly both forward and back but the gearbox stays in neutral. Won't click down into first or up into second. Time for a lunch break and try and sort it out later.
Tried that Hillsy with no luck. The gear change issue is still not resolved and in lieu of knowing what to do about it, I have decided to move on to other things in the hope that when I come back to the gear change mechanism it will have fixed itself. In addition to the gear change, I also have a new thing to fix...my home made shortened clutch cable
Didn't even make it to the end of the build let alone out of the garage!! If any one is thinking of following my advice on how to shorten a clutch cable you might want to think twice. Looks like welding the nipple onto the cabe with the MIG weakens the cable enough that it snaps with minimal use. No wonder these things are usually soldered instead of welded!! Oh well, one more little job…
On to more exciting things. Shorty mufflers arrived in the post…
They look great on the bike but there are 2 problems. The first is they don't clear the left side shock
The second is the foul on each other because of the flare out from the header pipe
So I marked out where I needed to place a dent and placed the muffler in the vice with a socket wedged into the right spot
Applied heat and cranked on the vice (gently!!)
The end result t make a small divet for the two mufflers to clear each other
Applied more heat and a gentle bashing with a hammer to get the side dent to clear the shock. Repeat for both mufflers
Looks terrible but it now fits and the terrible looking bits are hidden
The mufflers will be held on with hose clamps so I had to cut a slot where the muffler joins the header so the hose clamp can compress down tightly onto the header pipe. The slot goes all the way to the weld. It's only halfway in the picture. Also one on the other side of the pipe. I might also put some spring retainers to hold the mufflers on as an added security so there not just held on with hose clamps
Other bits that I finally got are the banjo bolts and bleed screws for the callipers
All nicely mounted
Next up was to fabricate some sort of bracket to hold my homemade front guard on. Thin piece of sheet steel
marked out and cut to shape
Sort of fits. I'll probably pop rivet the mudguard to the bracket
I'll get some 51mm hose clamps to hold the bracket to the fork leg. All the edges and the holes in the bracket need to be tidied up to make it presentable. Not sure yet but I may paint the bracket just to make it look a little nicer.
Thanks for reading folks. As usual, progress is at a glacial pace…but slow progress is better than no progress!!
Korsch_RS
Active Member
I used the same MIG trick on my throttle cable, and that broke too
I think DCC has shortened clutch cables that might work for you?
I used MTB parts to make my new custom throttle cables, but I'm not sure if those cables are up to the task of pulling the clutch. Although they are both hand/lever operated so they might be strong enough. Anyway, that's another place to look for custom cable parts. I also have found that bike shops are quite common, so MTB parts are a lot easier to get a hold of than custom motorcycle parts.
Bike's looking great! Can't wait to see the finished product!
I think DCC has shortened clutch cables that might work for you?
I used MTB parts to make my new custom throttle cables, but I'm not sure if those cables are up to the task of pulling the clutch. Although they are both hand/lever operated so they might be strong enough. Anyway, that's another place to look for custom cable parts. I also have found that bike shops are quite common, so MTB parts are a lot easier to get a hold of than custom motorcycle parts.
Bike's looking great! Can't wait to see the finished product!
freedomgli
Been Around the Block
Soldered cable ends are ideal (assuming you do them right) but if you have a TIG welder you can peen the cable end and then zap it with the torch so it makes a balled end. Be sure to slide the fitting away from the cable end before you hit it with the torch. Don't MIG weld cable ends. As you've learned, that technique doesn't work.
