First Cafe

There must be someone down that way in sunny FL that can help you to work out what needs to be done to get it running better. We're a couple of days drive from there. so that's not much help. :-(

Who do we have that's down your way?
 
That's very kind .. I'm a bit down now that I decided to leave the garage but it's too difficult to work with this guy. I gave him a 6 month cash advance so I'm hoping I won't have to chase him for it seeing as I was only at the garage for a month.. There's a garage close by that can get it to run and then I'll just leave it rat roddy I suppose. If there is anyone in the Fort Lauderdale area that wants a wrenching partner then I'm up for it.


Thanks for the support there Teazer :)

A
 
Might poke (PM) crazypj, he lives down there somewhere, might know some people to help out.

I'll make a suggestion as well and that is go check out www.hondatwins.net/forum as most of the members there live and breath those engines and bikes, especially the 450's. I'm building one myself, can't wait to get it on the road, bought it as a couple of boxes and a trailer load of stuff, never heard it run, will soon though. 8)

Good luck!
 
Looks like the operating arms on rear-sets are at wrong angle which would make shifting in one direction real difficult
You want them as close to parallel as possible.
Your a bit too far away for me to drive over (I'm in Altamonte Springs, about 7 miles from Orlando)
I'm pretty sure I can fix carbs, ignition timing is probably 'off' as well
The VW exhaust tips may work, you need is extension on pipes, when they are too short it makes things real difficult
Rear sets may be in correct position for a woman
(not being sexist, women have longer legs in relation to body length compared to men)
I would narrow the clip-on though and fit a speedo, it's way too easy to be moving well over the speed limit when it's running right
A cheap bicycle one would be fine for the 20/30/50 areas (unless Lauderdale cops are 'better' than Orlando?)
 
Hi PJ;

Yes, you're right about the rear sets; my legs are long and my body is pretty short so my feet rest on the pegs just fine. I'm 5'7" but my legs are as long as an average man who is 5'10" or so.

I have to really pull up the shifter hard to get it into first if that's what you mean about it being difficult to shift one way. I'll check the operating arms like you said.

I have the original speedo which is a medium sized one, larger than the minis and smaller than the stock that comes on other Hondas so maybe I'll hook it up. I don't drive too fast on the bike and after I fix it up, I'll try to keep on the highway as much as possible (which I already did to some extent). It's tough to ride more than 20 miles on the highway with this bike seeing as the clip ons are so low. Lots of stress on the ball of my left hand.

Thanks for the info, i'll check all these things out as soon as I get to my bike next week. I'm out of the country for a bit.

Best;
A
 
Need to start doing a bunch of crunches, clip-on's are good for developing a 'six-pack' ;D
The other thing, don't allow your wrists to bend too far, the angle of bars is probably too flat (usually 10 degrees)
I made mine at least 10 degrees steeper and find it much more comfortable (although clip-on's don't 'work' below70mph)
I used to do a lot of cycling, that's how I know about the leg length thing.
You'll probably have to remove and re-position the operating lever on gear change shaft at engine end, looks like link rod is too long
 
Good advice, thank you. What I meant to write before was that I'll stay OFF the highway as much as possible after I find out what the trouble is with the bike :)

About my left hand, the clutch is stiff and depressing the lever while riding in that position is what causes the base of my hand to get sore as well as getting used to having so much weight on the balls of my hands compared to my Harley which is more like riding a sofa with handlebars. The wrist itself isn't a problem as I keep the wrists as in line with my hands as possible. I think the angle is pretty good but when I get back I'll measure where it's at exactly. What do you mean by the clip-ons not 'working' below 70mph? I can just hit that speed at this point.. one day I'd love to cruise at that speed regularly ..

I have an issue with the pipes being so close to the rear-sets. Seeing as I already rewrapped them I would have to start again if I want to add on the turn-downs. Also, there will be no room for the curve of the turn-down unless I remove a couple of inches off the pipe... maybe I'll get to that question again when I get back to the garage.

I know it's already been suggested here that I reposition the rear-set in order to be able to add on the turn-downs or a muffler but I like them that far back. I think that I will have to shorten the pipe if I want to be able to do that. Anyhow, seeing as I don't have access to the bike at this moment, I'll talk about this again when I return to Florida.

Thank you again for all your help; it's greatly appreciated
Amira
 
The clutch shouldn't be stiff?
I shouldn't be 'heavy' either unless there are heavy duty springs installed.
There is a good possibility it isn't set up right and cable routing could be less than optimal.
Cable probably needs to route in front of left fork leg, around to right side of steering head then over motor and cross back to left in the cover.
The lever position on bar could also be wrong.
It seems very few people know anything about motorcycle ergonomics.
I used to teach how to 'personalise' set up if students wanted to know as it wasn't part of the curriculum (probably another reason I got canned?)
 
Yes, I'll have to see how the cable is routed when I get back. I already slipped off the break lever and moved the front break cable because it was weirdly bent due to not being routed properly. Anyhow.. more things to check.. Maybe I'll move to Orlando! lol..

Thanks
 
Hi everyone;

Just wanted to thank you guys for all the help along the way. The bike is on the road and doing great. I have a new question that maybe someone can help me with.

When I ride, generally at a higher speed, some liquid squirts out from under the headlight. I can see it fly over the headlight and hit the tank sometimes. It's not a lot but I did notice it left a stain on the tank that disappeared overnight. I have a gun metal colored tank and it stained it lighter where the spray was.

I don't know what kind of fluid it can be but I'm thinking fork oil/fluid? I also noticed that my breaks aren't fantastic so I was thinking break fluid but I don't think it can be break fluid from where it's originating from.

So besides that, the bike is running well. We've tuned the carbs high because of the idle issue but it's good for now until I decide to rejet and maybe tweek it a bit more.

Again, thanks to everyone for your advice; you guys are a gazillion times better than any of the mechanics I went to here in South Florida (all the respect, there's nothing like decades of experience...)

best;
Amira
 
It sounds like you have a brake fluid leak?
Could be old brake line, banjo fitting, master cylinder bellows/seal or even piston cup seals.
You need to find out where it's coming from, even a tiny leak is unsafe
 
Ok. I found a local mechanic who specializes in old bikes. I'll take it there and see what he thinks. Again, thanks for the advice.

Amira
 
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