Inherited Grandpa's old Bike. Cafe Time!

[adventurco]

If your lights are wired properly and the flasher isn't, when you switch to L or R turn the lights will come on solid and not flash.

You mentioned earlier that the switch wasn't 'properly' grounded to the bars. If its grounded to the bars at all, that can be a problem. A switch grounding out on the bars will not function properly. check to make sure there's no contact with any exposed wire inside the switch itself.

Your lights should have two wires, one ground and one hot. Aftermarket lights almost never specify which is which, and it matters which is hooked up to which. Take one of your signals, and a black (hot) lead and a ground lead and make it light up. Then you can properly wire the whole system.

Wiring can be a pain in the arse, but with a good test light, patience and a couple beers its doable ;D

 

[gordo2472003]

Ok I do have a test light and was able to find out what wires were the hot wires. I have the lights wired best I can figure them.

-Activate L=both rear constant and front/right constant
-Activate R=both rear constant and front/left constant

BUT

If I activate the headlight, the rear lights stay constant if I try to activate the signals but nothing happens at all with the front signal lights regardless

 

[adventurco]

Ok I do have a test light and was able to find out what wires were the hot wires. I have the lights wired best I can figure them.

-Activate L=both rear constant and front/right constant
-Activate R=both rear constant and front/left constant

BUT

If I activate the headlight, the rear lights stay constant if I try to activate the signals but nothing happens at all with the front signal lights regardless

My advice would be forget the headlight for right now. You probably have a ground crossed somewhere or the dimmer switch wired up wrong. Disconnect the wires and the switch for that, its much more productive to figure out one thing at a time while wiring.Are you running dimmer switch only for the headlight (hi/lo, headlight always on) or a headlight on/off and a dimmer switch?

So when you activate L on the switch, both rear lights come on and the front right comes on? Post some pictures of how you have the lights wired up, and the connections for the lights.

Was just checking out the link Tuna posted earlier. I know this isn't for your specific bike but this is an awesome tool to give you an idea of how it all works.

http://oldmanhonda.com/MC/wiring500.html

 

[gordo2472003]

OK well I took about a week or so off but im back at it now. Carbs are are reinstalled now with fresh boots, velocity stacks and UNI air filter. Im seeing about getting a friend who knows a guy who apparently is an electrical wizard to see if they can come tinker around with the wires to fix the weird signal light issue I still have yet to figure out. With any luck that will cost me little more than a six pack of beer. Meanwhile I have begun the process of re-spoking my first wheel! Tougher than it looks but Im sure ill get it down soon enough.

 

[gordo2472003]

Did it!! Took long enough, couldnt have done it without the sticky under the "Wheels" forum. Still have to tackle the rear wheel. Hoping its similar. I have yet to tackle the electrical issues I was having and I know Im just postponing the inevitable BUT still making progress none the less.

 

[gordo2472003]

Okay holidays are finally over and tax money (aka bike money) is on the way. Im a bit worried because after minimal research I found I could use a 3.25 x19 for the front tire and a 4.00x18 rear. Im not very knowledge on the topic but the information I found seemed to be consistent so I ordered tires, tubes and strips. However I came home to look at my front rim and it is stamped with "19x1.85". Did I just make a mistake? If so I would like to know so I can attempt to cancel my order before it ships.

 

[DohcBikes]

Your rim width does determine the max allowable tire width, but that doesnt mean it will be the same number. A 1.85 rim will safely fit up to a 3.60 width tire. It's fine.

 

[irk miller]

For another point of reference, OEM tire size on a GL1000 is 3.50 x 19 or 100/90 x 19 with exactly the same size rim. This also means you can convert the heavy steel hoop to aluminum with a GL hoop if were so inclined .

 

[gordo2472003]

Few new issues involving the gas tank. I used a method to clean the tank involving vinegar, distilled water and nuts and bolts. It worked fantastic but after just a few minutes the once shiny metal within had a rust tint to it. Not like actual rust but enough to worry me. Is there something I can do to prevent this? Also you can see my tank has a tent. Its in an awkward position so I cant tap it out from the cap opening. You can see some paint is missing as I tried, and failed, in using the crazy glue and nail method to pull it out. Any other suggestions?

 

[Hurco550]

Just did a similar tank treatment only with evaporust instead of vinegar. as soon as you dump the vinegar, immediately flush out with a couple gallons of warm water and about a half cup of baking soda to neutralize the acids in the vinegar. flush several times with hot water after to make sure its clean. next, slosh around denatured alcohol to "dry" all the water then empty that out. followed by blowing into the tank with a shop vac to dry up all the remaining moisture. once its dry, use a coat of 2 stroke oil "light" and slosh with gasoline to prevent the flash rusting that you are experiencing. should work great for ya. Just have everything listed on hand and ready when your done so that it can be done quickly =)

p.s. apple cider vinegar works better, or so I've read

 

[Tune-A-Fish]

Phosphoric acid etch from Home Depot and the rest of the Hurks recipe works so goddamn awesome I can't stress enough the amazement I have with the stuff. I use it to clean parts with now.

 

[Hurco550]

ive heard good things about that tune. never tried it. I liked evaporust because it doesn't harm paint, but it is a little spendy. what does the acid etch do if it contacts paint?

 

[Tune-A-Fish]

ive heard good things about that tune. never tried it. I liked evaporust because it doesn't harm paint, but it is a little spendy. what does the acid etch do if it contacts paint?

Seems to do little to paint as seen by the little frame T an the Ducai badge in the pick, but it will dig out the rust under the bubbles causing the chips to flake, so use at... Bla bla bla.

 

[theonlychrisj]

Phosphoric acid etch from Home Depot and the rest of the Hurks recipe works so goddamn awesome I can't stress enough the amazement I have with the stuff. I use it to clean parts with now.

Is this the stuff you used? http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-1-gal-Phosphoric-Prep-and-Etch-GKPA30220/100406369

My rear shocks could use some rust removal.

 

[irk miller]

I've been pushing the stuff since I got to DTT. A little understanding of chemistry goes a long way, and people tend to rely on word of mouth over basic chemical knowledge.

Word equation:

Iron (III) oxide + phosphoric acid yields black ferric phosphate + water

Balanced chemical equation:

Fe₂O₃ + 2H₃PO₄ yields 2FePO₄ + 3H₂O

Black ferric phosphate is actually a rust preventative. It's not permanent, but it lasts a really long time. An example I often use is the hood on my 1970 Roadrunner. I stripped it down to bare metal 3 years ago, and it has maintained itself rust free in Augusta Ga the entire time. Granted, it's not exposed to outside weather but anyone that knows Georgia knows it's humid as hell.

A common rust product that most people are familiar with is Naval Jelly. Naval Jelly's rust fighter is Phosphoric Acid. Most people are also familiar with using Coca Cola to break rusty bolts and such. Look at the ingredients in Coke and you'll find phosphoric acid. For food service, the acid comes in a gel-like form and can be bought really really cheap. Cut it with water to about 40% and you have yourself the same thing as Dap Phosphoric Prep and Etch from Home Depot.

Here's a link on acid and rust from UCSB Science Line:
http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=1933

 

[Tune-A-Fish]

Is this the stuff you used? http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-1-gal-Phosphoric-Prep-and-Etch-GKPA30220/100406369

My rear shocks could use some rust removal.

Thats the stuff, for cleaning I use 60/40 acid water and full power to clean tanks, but Eric has the science so I would listen to that.

 

[john83]

Just did a similar tank treatment only with evaporust instead of vinegar. as soon as you dump the vinegar, immediately flush out with a couple gallons of warm water and about a half cup of baking soda to neutralize the acids in the vinegar. flush several times with hot water after to make sure its clean. next, slosh around denatured alcohol to "dry" all the water then empty that out. followed by blowing into the tank with a shop vac to dry up all the remaining moisture. once its dry, use a coat of 2 stroke oil "light" and slosh with gasoline to prevent the flash rusting that you are experiencing. should work great for ya. Just have everything listed on hand and ready when your done so that it can be done quickly =)

p.s. apple cider vinegar works better, or so I've read

I've used vinegar and then neutralized it this way. I then coated it with Marvel Mystery oil. That seemed to prevent the flash rust pretty well. Of course cleaning all the rust and junk out found a pin hole in the tank that I then had to have repaired but that's a different story.

 

[theonlychrisj]

Thats the stuff, for cleaning I use 60/40 acid water and full power to clean tanks, but Eric has the science so I would listen to that.

I've been pushing the stuff since I got to DTT. A little understanding of chemistry goes a long way, and people tend to rely on word of mouth over basic chemical knowledge.

Word equation:

Iron (III) oxide + phosphoric acid yields black ferric phosphate + water

Balanced chemical equation:

Fe₂O₃ + 2H₃PO₄ yields 2FePO₄ + 3H₂O

Black ferric phosphate is actually a rust preventative. It's not permanent, but it lasts a really long time. An example I often use is the hood on my 1970 Roadrunner. I stripped it down to bare metal 3 years ago, and it has maintained itself rust free in Augusta Ga the entire time. Granted, it's not exposed to outside weather but anyone that knows Georgia knows it's humid as hell.

A common rust product that most people are familiar with is Naval Jelly. Naval Jelly's rust fighter is Phosphoric Acid. Most people are also familiar with using Coca Cola to break rusty bolts and such. Look at the ingredients in Coke and you'll find phosphoric acid. For food service, the acid comes in a gel-like form and can be bought really really cheap. Cut it with water to about 40% and you have yourself the same thing as Dap Phosphoric Prep and Etch from Home Depot.

Here's a link on acid and rust from UCSB Science Line:
http://scienceline.ucsb.edu/getkey.php?key=1933

Thanks for the info, guys. DTT is such a great resource for noobs like me. So after I make the 60/40 mix, would I just submerge the shocks in a tub? Will it damage any plastics or rubber?

 

[Tune-A-Fish]

Yep! I wish I had a better before pick, I let em soak for a few hours.

 

[gordo2472003]

Thanks for the info, guys. This baby is almost road worthy! I need some more advice though of course. Rear shocks, what should I get? Im on a budget for sure but I dont want the cheapest ebay set that will break on the first speed bump. Any suggestions?

Also, the seat. I dont plan on reforming the one I have now and because this was my grandfathers bike, im not sure I want to start hacking away at the frame. Im trying to find a seat that will prevent me from having to do that while still giving me the aggressive cafe or brat style im looking for.

I found this seat on ebay, http://www.ebay.com/itm/UNIVERSAL-CAFE-RACER-SEAT-FIT-HONDA-CB350-550-650-750-BMW-More-Model-ABS-Bottom-/111834055210?hash=item1a09d4422a:g:m7sAAOSwcBhWVzJJ&vxp=mtr, seems to be long enough to extend to the back of the frame and should be relatively easy to bolt on. Thoughts?