"Unrecognizeable" CB450 in Chicago
- Thread starter nine16
- Start date
And then the good stuff. Where to begin with all the modifications...
I was a poor black chile... no, wait...wrong story...ahhh yes...
I started with a 1971 Honda CB450. I am a Ducati guy but wanted something a little different, So here are the specs:
Dissmantled every nut and bolt from the frame.
Beadblasted said frame, motor and components.
Ground unnecessary brackets and tabs from the frame and welded on rear seat loop, battery box, and mounts for rearsets.
Frame, swingarm, engine mounts, etc powdercoated silver-grey.
Steel tank and tail (BCR) painted tuxedo black with white number plates and tank scallops outlined with silver stripes.
Terry Naughtin (Team Hansen) rebuilt the motor (upgraded, but not full race spec. This is a street bike to be ridden.)
New 32mm Mikuni carbs with individual K&N filters. (Trying to find velocity stacks with screens. 57mm or 2 1/4inch , I believe)
POLISHED; hubs, cam other engine covers, front brake caliper, fork lowers, top triple (after grinding down the handlebar mounts), stock contol switches, and anything other aluminum I could find.
Forks rebuilt with fresh seals and installed preload spacers (unable to find stiffer springs).
A/N fitting welded to rear cam chain cover for breather vent
I laced up new 18 inch alloy rims and stainless spokes.
Crossdrilled the brake disc.
Braided stainless brake lines.
Longer Hagon shocks (14.5 inch if I recall).
New fork tubes (Forking by Frank).
Bronze swingarm bushings, tapered head bearings.
BCR custom pea shooter exhaust--very first set.
Smaller battery relocated to under the tail.
Custom throttle cable.
Aluminum Vortex clip-ons.
Tarrozi rearsets. (half inch aluminum plate waiting for use as mounting brackets).
Bar-end mirror.
Every possible nut and bolt replaced with stainless from McMaster Carr.
On here, it looks so simple, but this has been a long and involved project, though a labor of love.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of stuff, but I'll post a few photos.
I was a poor black chile... no, wait...wrong story...ahhh yes...
I started with a 1971 Honda CB450. I am a Ducati guy but wanted something a little different, So here are the specs:
Dissmantled every nut and bolt from the frame.
Beadblasted said frame, motor and components.
Ground unnecessary brackets and tabs from the frame and welded on rear seat loop, battery box, and mounts for rearsets.
Frame, swingarm, engine mounts, etc powdercoated silver-grey.
Steel tank and tail (BCR) painted tuxedo black with white number plates and tank scallops outlined with silver stripes.
Terry Naughtin (Team Hansen) rebuilt the motor (upgraded, but not full race spec. This is a street bike to be ridden.)
New 32mm Mikuni carbs with individual K&N filters. (Trying to find velocity stacks with screens. 57mm or 2 1/4inch , I believe)
POLISHED; hubs, cam other engine covers, front brake caliper, fork lowers, top triple (after grinding down the handlebar mounts), stock contol switches, and anything other aluminum I could find.
Forks rebuilt with fresh seals and installed preload spacers (unable to find stiffer springs).
A/N fitting welded to rear cam chain cover for breather vent
I laced up new 18 inch alloy rims and stainless spokes.
Crossdrilled the brake disc.
Braided stainless brake lines.
Longer Hagon shocks (14.5 inch if I recall).
New fork tubes (Forking by Frank).
Bronze swingarm bushings, tapered head bearings.
BCR custom pea shooter exhaust--very first set.
Smaller battery relocated to under the tail.
Custom throttle cable.
Aluminum Vortex clip-ons.
Tarrozi rearsets. (half inch aluminum plate waiting for use as mounting brackets).
Bar-end mirror.
Every possible nut and bolt replaced with stainless from McMaster Carr.
On here, it looks so simple, but this has been a long and involved project, though a labor of love.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton of stuff, but I'll post a few photos.
HerrDeacon
Over 1,000 Posts
I love that tank and seat that you have on the kitchen counter. Pretty slick how the tail light is integrated. Did you make that tail yourself? If so, you have to show us how in the Tanks and Seat section ;D
It is a BCR tank/tail--all steel. Looking at the photos again, I remember that I've got alloy fork caps to replace the pitted chrome ones. I trimmed the rear fender before powdercoating. I trimmed the front too and powdercoated the sides and had the rest painted black.
Spoke with Terry Naughtin today. In spite of the rebuild, there may be a valve issue on the left side so we're going to have to take a look at the heads. I might just decide to put in the hotter cams while we're at it.
Next winter I think the projects will be an electronic ignition and maybe do a 520 chain conversion instead of the current 530.
Spoke with Terry Naughtin today. In spite of the rebuild, there may be a valve issue on the left side so we're going to have to take a look at the heads. I might just decide to put in the hotter cams while we're at it.
Next winter I think the projects will be an electronic ignition and maybe do a 520 chain conversion instead of the current 530.
Electronic ignition is a nice thing. I put a Dyna on my CB550 and was very very happy with the improved starting and reliability. Was the easiest thing in the world to do.
Looks like you have a nice space to work in too - I have to wait a few more weeks for it to warm up a bit before I can get moving on putting my bike together again.
Looks like you have a nice space to work in too - I have to wait a few more weeks for it to warm up a bit before I can get moving on putting my bike together again.
Yeah, My father has a demolition firm and some extra space at the office out in Elmhurst. Comes in handy...when he's not charging me rent. Still, takes a good half hour to get there but I won't complain.
Once the weather warms up, you Chicago guys can come out to Frank's (2503 N Clark) or Mad River (2909 N Sheffield) where I bartend.
Once the weather warms up, you Chicago guys can come out to Frank's (2503 N Clark) or Mad River (2909 N Sheffield) where I bartend.
nine16 said:
Great looking bike you have there!
I see that you had a 1988 FZR1000. How did you like it?
I sold my last March while I was out of a job.
I love the top end rush it had and even geared down it was an honest to God G.P.S. verified 150 m.p.h. + machine(or so I've um... heard...
).What I didn't care for was the size,weight,18" rear wheel and soft(worn out factory junk)suspension.
The first year TL was the most mental-2nd-gear-power-wheelie-shit-your-pants-fun-motor, but that fizzer was locomotive fast (come to think of it, handled kinda like one too). I'm not a true speed freak. I don't often speed excessively, but there was this one time...
I was spending a summer in Wisconsin and heading down to Champaign, IL to visit my girlfriend. As I was going through Rockford, I got detoured by construction and wound up losing about an hour. By the time I got to Bloomington, I was really getting a little anxious, so I decided to see how quickly I could make the final 45 miles. Answer: about 17-18 minutes. I spent a lot of it on the jail-able side of 150 and I don't know that it ever dropped below 125. (And for our Canadian brothers, I'm not talking clicks)
Now, I don't remember the last time I've been over 100.
I was spending a summer in Wisconsin and heading down to Champaign, IL to visit my girlfriend. As I was going through Rockford, I got detoured by construction and wound up losing about an hour. By the time I got to Bloomington, I was really getting a little anxious, so I decided to see how quickly I could make the final 45 miles. Answer: about 17-18 minutes. I spent a lot of it on the jail-able side of 150 and I don't know that it ever dropped below 125. (And for our Canadian brothers, I'm not talking clicks)
Now, I don't remember the last time I've been over 100.
NINE16,
Great looking build ya got going.
I am currently living in Park Ridge (work in Franklin Park), and hangout in the bucktown/wicker park area in the city. We should def. get together for a drink, or especially this summer when the bikes come out. I am one of the founding members of HTTP://WWW.HALFFASTCHICAGO.COM and would love to have you (and your scoot) out at our weekly bike nights in the city.
Shoot me an email @ Saytin72@aol.com...
Great looking build ya got going.
I am currently living in Park Ridge (work in Franklin Park), and hangout in the bucktown/wicker park area in the city. We should def. get together for a drink, or especially this summer when the bikes come out. I am one of the founding members of HTTP://WWW.HALFFASTCHICAGO.COM and would love to have you (and your scoot) out at our weekly bike nights in the city.
Shoot me an email @ Saytin72@aol.com...
In my best efforts to NOT have this bike ready to ride by baseball season, I spent Friday afternoon with Terry Naughtin (Team Hansen) in his shop. After completely rebuilding the motor, installing almost everything, and firing up the bike, we found it was only running on one cylinder. It had no compression on the left side. We looked into the exhaust port and found it wasn't sealing. Seemed we had a bent exhaust valve. We get the motor out (btw, when I say we, I mean Terry), the head off, and find its not a bent valve, instead, one of all the new old stock torsion bars has completely lost its temper and all its "springiness". OK, new one in place, head back on, points back in, valves adjusted, reconnecting cam chain master link and.... one end falls down intot the bottom end. Now keep in mind, Terry has been meticulous and fanatical all afternoon--having each end of the chain securely fastened with wire, telling me how careful I need to be as I helped feed it through the head, and mentioning how he's never dropped one. The two of us just stood in silence for a good 30 seconds. I could see his face and I though he might go Vesuvius. I didn't dare make a joke, but I told him this might be the sign from God to soup up this lump a bit more. So we are. More to follow. Much more...
No oil pan? Surely there must be an oil pan. I'm not familiar with the 450, but I've never seen an engine without an oil pan
Wasn't sure how far along you were in your reassembly. Would have been more difficult to fish back out if the cylinder head was on - glad to hear you got it back out quickly.
Wasn't sure how far along you were in your reassembly. Would have been more difficult to fish back out if the cylinder head was on - glad to hear you got it back out quickly.
