JustinLonghorn
No Purple Hearts, No Blue Ribbons
Purrdy.
1972 Honda CL450 Scrambler Refurb
- Thread starter Flugtechnik
- Start date
Flugtechnik
My bike is not transportation, it is a respite
I've got some updates to post.
I got all of the engine bits painted and cured.
Then came reassembly. The bottom end and the cylinders went smoothly. Somehow I remembered where everything went.
When I got to the top end, I hit my first problem. I had to press the new oil metering rod into the end of the exhaust cam. When I did that, it expanded the outside diameter of the end of the cam just enough so the new bearing sleeve wouldn't fit on it anymore. It had to be machined again.
Then, after I got the entire head reassembled, I found that the cams were very hard to spin. The intake cam wasn't too hard but it should have spun freely. I found that the cam covers were clamping up on the cam slightly, causing it to bind. I replaced the aftermarket paper cam cover gasket with a slightly thicker OEM gasket and it spun freely. The exhaust cam was another matter. I found that I could not get any clearance on the exhaust valves. The cam was always pushing the valves open slightly. No wonder it was so hard to turn. The exhaust valves were too long! This happened last time I rebuilt the engine. When the valve seats are recut, it moves the valve up into the head just a little bit, but that is enough to loose all of your clearance. I told the guy that did the head work for me about this, but I guess he measured wrong or something.
Anyway, the problem was easier to fix than I thought. I took the head over to my mechanic friend's shop and we figured out how much they needed to be shortened by (about 0.030 inches). Then we took them up to the local NAPA auto parts store. They had a machine shop in the back with a special grinder just for valves. After a couple minutes of grinding and measuring, both valves were the correct length and the clearance was perfect.
I was finally able to finish assembling the engine and get it back in the bike.
I got all of the engine bits painted and cured.
Then came reassembly. The bottom end and the cylinders went smoothly. Somehow I remembered where everything went.
When I got to the top end, I hit my first problem. I had to press the new oil metering rod into the end of the exhaust cam. When I did that, it expanded the outside diameter of the end of the cam just enough so the new bearing sleeve wouldn't fit on it anymore. It had to be machined again.
Then, after I got the entire head reassembled, I found that the cams were very hard to spin. The intake cam wasn't too hard but it should have spun freely. I found that the cam covers were clamping up on the cam slightly, causing it to bind. I replaced the aftermarket paper cam cover gasket with a slightly thicker OEM gasket and it spun freely. The exhaust cam was another matter. I found that I could not get any clearance on the exhaust valves. The cam was always pushing the valves open slightly. No wonder it was so hard to turn. The exhaust valves were too long! This happened last time I rebuilt the engine. When the valve seats are recut, it moves the valve up into the head just a little bit, but that is enough to loose all of your clearance. I told the guy that did the head work for me about this, but I guess he measured wrong or something.
Anyway, the problem was easier to fix than I thought. I took the head over to my mechanic friend's shop and we figured out how much they needed to be shortened by (about 0.030 inches). Then we took them up to the local NAPA auto parts store. They had a machine shop in the back with a special grinder just for valves. After a couple minutes of grinding and measuring, both valves were the correct length and the clearance was perfect.
I was finally able to finish assembling the engine and get it back in the bike.
Flugtechnik
My bike is not transportation, it is a respite
Thanks guys! The engine work is almost done. The suspension and body work still need to be redone, but that will have to wait until next winter. For now I'm just going to ride the shit out of it.
Eric, I have ridden on those tires quite a bit. They seem pretty good to me. I've had them on dirt/sand roads and they handled great. I also road them on that long gravel road out to the overlook at the Gorge.
Eric, I have ridden on those tires quite a bit. They seem pretty good to me. I've had them on dirt/sand roads and they handled great. I also road them on that long gravel road out to the overlook at the Gorge.
Flugtechnik
My bike is not transportation, it is a respite
Nixon is back! I ran into a few more roadblocks but I finally got her started this morning.
First, all of the electrical stuff was acting crazy. Turned out to be a fully charged but dead battery. Then I found that my blinker relay had died.
The first time I tried to start it, it sounded like I was firing a gun. Turned out I had the left and right coil wires mixed up.
Second time I tried to start it, it wouldn't do anything. Turned out I had the rotor for the new electronic ignition installed 180 deg out. I had installed it per the instructions, so I guess they were wrong.
Third time's a charm right?
It was.
https://youtu.be/hVvMcYlJcVQ
I still have some carb adjustments to make.
Some beauty shots.
First, all of the electrical stuff was acting crazy. Turned out to be a fully charged but dead battery. Then I found that my blinker relay had died.
The first time I tried to start it, it sounded like I was firing a gun. Turned out I had the left and right coil wires mixed up.
Second time I tried to start it, it wouldn't do anything. Turned out I had the rotor for the new electronic ignition installed 180 deg out. I had installed it per the instructions, so I guess they were wrong.
Third time's a charm right?
It was.
https://youtu.be/hVvMcYlJcVQ
I still have some carb adjustments to make.
Some beauty shots.
JustinLonghorn
No Purple Hearts, No Blue Ribbons
I can dig it.
