"Patina" The 1973 CB175 Cafe Racer

[1sttimer]

Got quite a bit done today. I took about two inches off of each clip on bar...looks a lot tighter IMO and doesn't leave gaps on the bars between controls.

Here's the dash. I tried to lay out the wiring the best as possible but I need another mid-bike tray to hide some wires I didn't account for.

What do people do with this group of wires if I'm not using a stock bucket with a hole large enough to cram the extra wires? I tried to slide the switch block thing through the coil hole and relocate it to the other side of the bike but the wires wanted to disconnect because of the tension.

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[1sttimer]

Also cleaned up the chain. I used goo gone as preciously recommended in my thread it it worked so well. I'm not too sure about the chain clearance though. How tight is the recommended chain tension? +\- about .25 inches up and down is about what I'm getting but I'm rubbing slightly on the swinger. I have 14.5 inch shocks which is accounting for it. Any recommendations here?

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[Texasstar]

Little update, tank came back from powder coating from o1marc down at Creative Candy. Looks great. He cleared over my sanding job to protect it. It actually has this nice gun metal look in person.

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that tank is sweet


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[1sttimer]

Started the makings of a SECOND electronics tray and realized that it's going to interfere with my freakishly long velocity stacks. Dang it.

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[xb33bsa]

Also cleaned up the chain. I used goo gone as preciously recommended in my thread it it worked so well. I'm not too sure about the chain clearance though. How tight is the recommended chain tension? +\- about .25 inches up and down is about what I'm getting but I'm rubbing slightly on the swinger. I have 14.5 inch shocks which is accounting for it. Any recommendations here?

with the longer shocks you will need way more slack in the chain when on the centerstand than with the shorter stock shocks,but overall it is exactly the same slack that is required
the only way to figure out how much slack you need is to pull off the shocks and move the swinger to the center position when pivot, axle and cs sprocket centers are all in line
at this point you need just a tiny bit of slack



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[1sttimer]

XB, thanks for the insight. I don't have a center stand on this bike, in the photo it was on a swingarm stand that elevated the rear tire off the ground.

I was thinking this would not be an issue when I am sitting on the bike, but I'm all of 160 lbs and don't even compress the shocks when sitting on the bike. With the shocks fully extended, I have about 1/8" of clearance between the swinger and the chain. Is there safely any way to remove a little height from the shocks? I know the shocks are already hard, and I don't even know if preloading is even an option to reduce some height. Is it even possible with these DCC shocks? I got some sort of tool with them but don't know what it is for.

I will try your trick to align the sprocket, axle and pivot to get the chain tension set, then see where I net out from there.

Also, is rolling resistance of the rear wheel a good indicator of how tight the chain should be? As it sits now, if I give the back wheel a good throw, it spins maybe 3 times before coming to a freeze from the frictions and tensions involved.


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[acm177]

Not sure where the content to the reply above went...

I too have very little clearance when the shocks are fully extended. You might be able to gain a tiny bit of clearance by loosening the engine bolts, lifting the engine with a jack, and re tightening the engine place.

There's a bit of wiggle room in there that might help out.

 

[1sttimer]

Not sure where the content to the reply above went...

I too have very little clearance when the shocks are fully extended. You might be able to gain a tiny bit of clearance by loosening the engine bolts, lifting the engine with a jack, and re tightening the engine place.

There's a bit of wiggle room in there that might help out.

That's a fantastic thought too. Didn't think of that. I'll do both and see if I can gain some. I really want to avoid going down in shock length.

The only thing that worries be is a bump. If I hit a bump and I have the spec of 1-2 cm of slack then I'll be slapping the swinger.


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[xb33bsa]

there is no way to get away from having the correct amount of slack and with the longer shocks it may be slapping the shit out of the swinger up front on top when you let off the throttle not when you hit a bump
i run slightly longer shocks and have a stationary roller up under the front lower chain run to take up chain slack at full droop, this helps, also running a swingarm protector up there will keep the chain from making so much noise and wearing on the swingarm
learn to adjust the shocks,make sure you have the correct spring rate,a certain amount of sag is desirable

 

[acm177]

I PM'd you this also, but thought it'd be nice to share.

You could switch to a 17t front and 43t rear sprocket (the CL's ran this combo). Just a tiny bit more clearance and a bit more grunt.

I think you're at 14/28t...

 

[1sttimer]

Yeah I shot you a note back. That's clever.

Just so I understand the basics, and Hooke's law of F=kx where x is the compressed length, by lengthening the spring (reducing preload) I am weakening the force holding me up. The bike, without me on it will possibly be rubbing but the springs will compress more when I sit on it (or adjusting sag as XB was mentioning)?


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[xb33bsa]

very good,that is solution to help clearance a bigger front rear cog combo
no matter what though with longer shocks the chain will ,at normal correct suspension sag, have more slack a roller or slider up under the front bottom run will help

 

[1sttimer]

very good,that is solution to help clearance a bigger front rear cog combo
no matter what though with longer shocks the chain will ,at normal correct suspension sag, have more slack a roller or slider up under the front bottom run will help

XB, the only chain tensioner I know of are these:

http://www.monstercraftsman.com/categories/Tensioners/

Too expensive for the budget. What are the sliders you are referring to?

Also, I found this chart that really helps me understand gear ratios.

 

[xb33bsa]

i just use a good quality skate wheel with sealed bearings,not spring loaded/movable it is only designed to take out some slack from the longer shocks ,it is not constantly turning
i mounted it to the lower engine mount bolt with a short arm and an extra bolt to keep it from rotating
careful placement and it really does the trick
look at any dirtbike or most sportbike and they have a polyurethane slider piece that wraps around the front of the swinger

 

[1sttimer]

Got a few cool smaller items in today. Nothing huge. Aftermarket gas cap (super cheap), new chain adjuster bolts (both of mine were bent for some reason), a used speedo cable and my Peugeot moped fender to fashion my rear mud guard to keep crap out of the carbs.

 

[mannydantyla]

keep the progress pics rolling, can't wait to see this finished

 

[1sttimer]

keep the progress pics rolling, can't wait to see this finished

Thank you sir. The last 5% is killing me. Taking forever.

 

[1sttimer]

Got quite a bit done today. Chopped the front fender down so I can essentially use it as a stabilizer - it won't really function as a full fender.

Also, I trashed the old electronics tray and made another that is a little more functional. Got the reg/rect bolted down with plenty of room for convective cooling, and also mounted the hidden toggle under the tray. Looks sweet.

 

[1sttimer]

For the chain rub conundrum...

I did some research and spoke with the guys at Sprocket Specialists. My current setup is a 14 tooth up front and a 33 in back, both for a 520 chain. I don't have any more room up front to increase sprocket size, or else I'll be hitting my clutch shaft.

On the back, the highest I would want to go is 40T. With some brief trigonometry, I will only gain 1/8" additional clearance off the swingarm pivot due to the increased diameter of the rear sprocket. That just isn't enough to justify a new $70 sprocket IMO. I could buy a new set of shocks and eliminate the problem altogether for that cash.

I did some research on chain sliders, after taking a polymer class for work about "choosing the right plastic for your application" (I'm a product engineer at Rubbermaid) and started looking into wear-resistant and slippery plastics such as Silicone, Delrin and Celcon. I found this chain slider that i think will work out for me quite nicely. I'll just go with that for now until something happens

http://www.ebay.com/itm/140857071689?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

 

[xb33bsa]

good ! yeah i have tried delrin tho and it is too hard, noisy as fook
have the correct spring rate on the shocks will make a diff as well as far as you will be riding with 1-1/4"+ of wheel travel used up
the only time it really is going to rub is off throttle/barking situations when it will be a slappin' ;D
make sure you run enough slack also, with the longer shock you will show a LOT more slack in the chain on the centerstand,full drop, correctly tensioned