74 CB450 Watchamacallit

[clutch]

This build is moving into slow gear. Can't do a whole lot right now in the garage as my house is up for sale and there is a constant parade thru here on the weekends. I'm going to try and chip away at a few things now that the frame and hoops are powder coated. Hubs are mostly polished, just have to do the fine buffing. I was excited to get my spokes and nipples last week only to find out I ordered the wrong size. Note to self...NEVER use a plastic dial caliper to get an exact measurement, especially the difference between .250 and .281. So, the right set is on the way.
Also going in a different direction with the tires. I have a set of Firestone's but I'm going to ditch them and use something a little more "period" looking. My Triumph will probably look better with them anyway. Thinking of 100/90 19" front and 110/90 18" rear.
Somebody stop me if that is going to spell trouble!

 

[clutch]

OK, moving forward again. Got some much needed bits in the mail. Fork seals and wipers as well as headlight ears from DCC, new fork tubes from Franks Engineering, a new set of tires, and a set of steering stem bearings. I decided that I was done with polishing and am OK with it being clean and shiny as opposed to a mirror finish. So the triple tree went back together ok and I managed not to screw up the races. Same deal with the tubes, went back together nicely.

 

[clutch]

I suppose this is more of a renovation with a hint of customization so there won't be any groundbreaking changes or radical fabrication. I think once I am thru learning I will be able to go that route.
So far, I've done a couple things I never thought I'd do:
-Lace and true a wheel
-mount a tire (yeah, I wasted a tube on the first try)
This site is just full of reference material...I don't think I would have gotten this far without it!

 

[Tim]

Not to be picky, but is that tire mounted on the right way? Check the rotation arrow on the side. You might just need to flip the wheel in the forks as the hub is symmetrical anyhow.

 

[clutch]

Not to be picky, but is that tire mounted on the right way? Check the rotation arrow on the side. You might just need to flip the wheel in the forks as the hub is symmetrical anyhow.

I'm good. I checked before I mounted the tire 'cause I wasn't going to do this twice. I assure you both arrows are pointed in the forward direction of the bike.

 

[TwinTownTwins]

Looking Good!!!! The DCC tail loop is definetly the way to go. I tried to get one made locally and the guy wanted $275 just to set up the bender WTF Any issues with the tire sizes? I plan on doing the same on the front, but a 120/80-18 on the rear.

 

[clutch]

Looking Good!!!! The DCC tail loop is definetly the way to go. I tried to get one made locally and the guy wanted $275 just to set up the bender WTF Any issues with the tire sizes? I plan on doing the same on the front, but a 120/80-18 on the rear.

Thanks! When I mounted these tires they looked pretty skinny but I think they look fine on the bike. In retrospect, I could have bumped the rear up to 120/90 18 but I think these match up pretty good.

 

[hillsy]

Is that a rear tyre you have on the front?

 

[clutch]

Is that a rear tyre you have on the front?

Was listed as a position "front" tire. Size 100/90 19. Pretty common front size I thought...I'm running one on my Triumph.

 

[hillsy]

It looks big and the tread looks like a rear - that's why I asked.

 

[clutch]

It's a roller!
I put the original seat on there for now. I have another seat which is fit to destroy and make a more cafe style piece. Someday I hope to have a tank and seat combo but this will do for now. If I can make a seat I might just decide that it needs to match the tank...I'm kind of attached to the color scheme.
The bars are just so I can maneuver it around...clip ons to follow. I discovered that the bump on the lower tree is bent enough that a hard right turn puts the tank in danger. Wish I knew that before I painted it. I guess I have to heat it and try and push it back. It's all getting clearer though...bump stop bent, forks bent, bars bent...last ride was a doozy for the PO.

 

[jrknecht]

Bike is looking awesome! I also have a extra lower triple if needed.
Keep up the good work

JR

 

[clutch]

Bike is looking awesome! I also have a extra lower triple if needed.
Keep up the good work

JR

Hey, thanks for the offer, I was able to nudge the bump back in place. Don't even think I have to touch it up!

 

[clutch]

Struggling to keep this thing going. Closing on my house in 20 days so there's almost no time to really get into the technical stuff.
Ended up cutting the fender to end before the hoop, will go semi-black o match frame. Just need to figure out how to fab a bracket.
I was able to lift the engine in without any issues. Painted the mounts and starter black as well. I will have to clean/polish the engine covers at a later date.
Finally got my chain and sprockets which should go on this week along with some odds and ends. I feel rushed but I don't want to put anything "dirty" back on the bike. Clip ons, titty cushions, shortened throttle cable coming from DCC.

 

[clutch]

And here's where I ask opinions...
So down the road I will look into a proper tank/seat combo (need to set up in a new house and get my glassing skills honed). Until then I want to run it with either the stock seat or the stock seat pan I bought with a modified pad. I couldn't bear to tear this seat up...it's perfect. Anyway, bought a sportbike tail light for $5 at the swap meet last weekend and thought it fit nicely under the seat. I think it has the functionality of amber blinkers but I guess the controller from the original bike is the only way to make it work. The only thing I don't like is that it has a clear lens...should I run with it or find something more period?

 

[clutch]

Finally cleared enough room to roll it out and hose it down. Made the mistake of buffing in my garage...EVERYTHING has black emery cake dust on it.
In the middle of painting some more bits. Sprockets are on, need to shorten chain. I'm kinda wishing the fender wasn't dented in the front...I might have run it full length. Need to mark it and cut it down. Bike is moving to a friend's shop as I'm out moving myself in a week. Should be able to get the rest done soon. Decided to not bother with the stock seat at all and go straight to a cafe bump. And where the heck are my clip-ons DCC?

 

[clutch]

So I ran into a problem when it went back together which I sought help with in another thread. Noticed the engine became magically frozen. All things pointed to seized pistons, maybe from when I hosed it down after cleaning all the crud off. I was sure I had it sealed up tight and it was stored in a dry garage. Tried PB blaster, marvel oil, etc in the cylinders and rocked it in gear each day over a week. No luck. Couldn't believe it could be that frozen with rust. Fate came calling thru my craigslist app and I found a donor CB for cheap. It also had a few things I was looking for any way so the price I paid to get the engine yielded many bonus items.
First pic is the donor bike, next is after a few hours and some cheap beer. Last pic is the engine that will get me riding while I fix the original.

 

[clutch]

Was able to spray bomb the donor engine, couldn't bear to put in such grimey part on this bike. Came out better than I thought. Didn't do anything with the side covers though, screw it.
Got the seized engine out in record time and replaced it so I can ride this thing ASAP.
Since I still couldn't believe this thing froze on me mid build, I decided to open it up. No rust AT ALL. so I feel better that I didn't screw it up by degreaser and hosing it down. Vindication.
We found that the left piston was frozen. Gingerly tapped it out and found the cylinders to be smooth, no scoring. awesome. Piston rings were trashed though. Can barely see in the pic but 2 look kind of crushed. Don't know how these things happen but new rings and some honing it is. Can't seem to find STD size rings though...

 

[clutch]

Finally got down to the bits and pieces yesterday. My goal was to get the thing started then finalize pipes, seat, and tail light. Aside from the petcock spilling out about a pint of fuel, it went pretty smoothly. I guess I didn't put it back together right...so the parts bike I bought came in handy again. Switched it out and put enough fuel in the tank to try it out. This thing fired right up! Gotta fine tune it as you can hear from the video and figure out the rest of the wiring. This was a BIG milestone.
Trying to upload a video...can't seem to get it to work.

 

[clutch]

Sounds good for a donor/temp engine!


cb450 first start