[CXapatite]

You're not wrong Jim.

Just to recap...This engine was in good state and I only tore it down and rebuilt it as a learning exercise. With the help of forum members, and careful adherence to the FSM, the exercise has yielded results.

As far as throwing money into it for nothing...it wasn't for nothing.....and all learning comes at some kind of cost...time, financial or both.

 

[CXapatite]

With the conversion to a GSXR front end, all my cables for the CX are too long.





Measured twice, and cut once. Refitted the ferrules, and got some brass (?) nipples to fit. Drilled a 3mm hole at one end that connected to the through-hole for the cable. Threaded cable and wrinkled the cable end.



Fitted the nipple into a large bolt with a 6mm thru hole, and an M6 bolt coming in from the head end to stop the nipple sinking in. The cable exits via a slot on the side of the bolt.



Plenty of flux, heated up bolt, and flowed some unfluxed lead/tin solder down the hole.



The M6 bolt keeps the nipple in place, and also acts as a drift to knock the nipple out.



Solder flowed to all exits. Nipple secure. I made another one for the 8mm clutch nipple.

 

[CXapatite]

Never really liked the seat I got from Cafe Racer Kits. Too bulky and high. But I had it, and my budget was closed a while ago. My acquired skill-set does not include making a seat from scratch, so I tried to make the seat a little easier on the eye.



I cut the plastic pan so it would not overlap the base.



Trimmed the foam with the electric knife that my wife never knew we had.



And I got some help from an upholsterer mate to adapt the vinyl cover. He used some staples to hold it in place and contact adhesive to secure it. I think it looks much better.

 

[CXapatite]

It's painting time. Armed with a fistful of youtube lore, and unbridled enthusiasm, I finally got the courage to embark on this most sensitive part of the build.

Some Aussie branded pint stripper.



It took a lot longer than what it said on the can, but work it did.



What the paint stripper didn't take, some 80 grit dry paper did.



Guide coat to detect the bumps and low spots the naked eye just doesn't pick up.



After working up through the grits to 240, a clean and some filler.



Back through the lower grits all the way up to 360. Had to top up areas where the filler shrank. Did Michaelangelo fill this good? Nah....it was just marble.



A makeshift spray room from a 3mx3m gazebo.



Another Aussie plug. Local auto 2K paints.....a high build primer, basecoat and clear system.



3 coats of primer and.....



hang on....WTF? My compressor tripped out, and although there was air in the tank, the pressure kept dropping, so my final coat was Orange Peel deluxe. I also went too early to start blocking and paint was peeling off. Yeah....40 minutes is way to early. Let it dry overnight, went back to the sandpaper...wet'n'dry 180 then 240, and ready to start again.



Here we go again, another 3 coats, and let dry 24 hours....to be sure to be sure!



3 coats of some random gold basecoat out of a catalogue to match my wheel colour, wait 30 minutes, and start taping up outlines. Between the tank and seat cowle, another 45 minutes.



3 coats of Subaru Black Pearl or Obsidion as it's called here. Wait 30 minutes, peel off tape, and 3 coats of clear. Photos are hazy. It takes a long time for the clear cloud to settle, not to mention what it does to your glasses.



Lots of opportunities to f#@% up here. I managed to keep it down to an acceptable level. My first attempt at the gold basecoat was a distater. Had the gun paint needle way too open, and the runs were reminiscent of a day after beef vindaloo. Had to let it dry and go again. Probably the trickiest skill to learn so far.

 

[CXPHREAK]

Nice. If that's a first attempt you've done well.

Once the pressure/mix/gun settings are dialled in I am a paint robot. Just takes a little practice.

 

[CXapatite]

Thanks PHREAK. First attempt...lots of errors along the way. Steep learning curve.
When I removed the tape after black coats to reveal gold stripe, I had a discernible step between the colours. I was afraid to sand basecoat and thought I had to get the clear on ASAP after drying. So I left as is, and sprayed clear. The step is still there, although smooth. Still have to polish clear.
I don't mind it...BUT...Any suggestions on what I could have done to avoid a step?

 

[CXPHREAK]

Too late now ..... but....

first, put enough paint on the stripe for full opacity and colour - no more.

The stripes are given a quick rub with 800 to knock the edges down and satinise the stripe, then sufficient clearcoats are sprayed to 'bury' the stripe.

2K will cut and polish and this will get rid of many paint evils. When cutting pay attention for stripe coloured slurry. If you see this rerub the piece to 800 and apply more clearcoats.

It's the reason I like oldschool acylic lacquer and still use it.

What sort of gun did you use and what size needle and jet? My old Arnold is 1.2 mm and I'm told you need 1 mm for 2 pack. I don't know if I believe it.

 

[CXapatite]

Yes. I didn't know if you could rub basecoats without smudging the colours.
I have a devilbiss FLG5 1.8mm for primer and 1.4 for basecoat and clear. Finish is good.
I may try cutting back from 800-1000 as you suggest. And if it softens step, re apply clear.

 

[CXapatite]

This project needs front brakes.
Got myself some second hand 07 GSXR-600 twin pot Tokico's.
Good externally but unknown history, so time to pull it apart, clean, and rebuild. All new rubber seals. Pistons were decent.



Old pads wear groove indicator gone, so new pads in.



Mounted, and new lines.



Fresh fluid, bled, good as new.



My next post will be the closing post to this build thread.

In the meantime, I'm just cutting and polishing the paintwork, fitting guards, and a few odd bits and ends, before I take it to the Motor Vehicle inspection station to prepare for road registration.

See you next post....

 

[Speedster]

Wow CXapetite!!

You came a long way..and progressed very well!!

What a brave move..to do the painting yourself....respect man!!
Those brakes also looks brilliant...and is surely going to give awesome stopping power..lol

Patiently, but eagerly awaiting your final pics!

 

[CXapatite]

A compounding of problems...solved.

As of last post I had the following problems, which I posted in Technical help:

1. Severe leak from right carb....pulled apart and found a pinched rubber seal between carb body and float bowl. Tucked it in and problem solved.

2. low float level in left carb and no fuel getting to left cylinder.....pulled apart and found that the left carb piston was stuck in the cylinder, thanks to some Penetrol that had seeped through between top piston cover and body which I applied to keep the carbs shiny, after I rebuilt them. Cleaned it up, and float level restored. Don't know if it's in any way related but there it is.



3. Left cylinder not firing. Murray had pick it up when I posted a "first start" video in post #179.
I thought it was the left carb problem as in 2. above, but although I restored flow to the cylinder, still no combustion. Checked sparks..OK. Swapped coils...nothing on either cylinder. Checked coils and pulse generator resistance...3 ohms and 530 ohms respectively, as per spec.

I then remembered that when I rewired, I had to lengthen the 2 blue and 2 yellow wires coming from pulse generator to sparkers. Honda marks the pairs with white sleeves, but I lost these and couldn't remember which went with which, so I just assembled and hoped for the best, only to forget about it until today.



I first swapped the 2 yellows around......no combustion in either cylinder. Put yellows back as they were and got the right cylinder going again.I then swapped the 2 blue ones around.....and HOLY GUACAMOLE BATMAN! it roared............

So I proceeded to set idle speed, balance carbs, adjust mixture screws and just enjoy the whole day....cause that's what you do when you have a good one. It's the first time I tune a bike, so I got myself a Colortune to help me. Turns out you can hear the RPM change as you adjust the pilot screws. I didn't think I would be able to do it by ear.





Here's a short vid. Lovely day.

 

[CXapatite]

I've been having problems with my trial test rides around the block. Idles fine, but as soon as I give it throttle, it clogs down, as though it wasn't getting enough fuel. As soon as I let go the throttle to lower RPM, it's OK. Haven't been able to get past 4000 RPM. I knew, or at least, thought I knew I had rust in the tank, because when I moved it about I could hear a "slosh...slosh" with a definite feel of something scraping, like sand. It made sense, as the bike had been sitting in PO's shed for 19 years before I got it, and then another 2 in mine. Looking inside however, it looked pretty sound where I could see. The flow out of the petcock was slow and sometimes intermittent, so it had to be rust particles. I cleaned the petcock and tested it..flow was OK. I pulled apart the carbs....again...clean as a whistle.

Today I was determined to clean and fix the rust problem once and for all. I tried rinsing with distilled water several times and emptying...the sloshing continued. I gave up and hooked up a clear tube to a suction motor and separator I have, hoping to see what came out from the bottom of the tank......and this came out:



Now, some of the skeptics on here may looking in my direction, but I can assure you I DID NOT put that in the tank. After I got it I rode it once around the block. Never put fuel in. Removed the tanks and in storage until the recently for painting.

Have to put the carbs back together, fit them, and take for another run....see if that WAS the problem. Maybe yes....maybe not.

Cheers.

 

[Speedster]

Nasty...and enough to spoil a good day..lol

At least you could id all the problems..so well done!

 

[CXapatite]

Trap for young (and not so young) players (Long post-sorry. Lot's to say and show)

I've been trying to get this bike running, but all I've managed is to run into problems.

I solved the usual "plastic bag in the tank" problem, so I was getting good flow out of the fuel tap. _/
I then had problems with the bike stumbling at around 4200 RPM, like running out of fuel or air. I made the assumption that my carbs were not as clean as I though, so I pulled them apart again and cleaned them...again. Turns out that the Penetrol I had painted them with sipped into a few crevices. What an IDIOT! Cleaned them throughly...again. In the process I broke a plastic non adjustable float that I was trying to adjust. Luckily I have a spare set of carbs for parts. Save.



Went out for a run and as soon as I opened the throttle the revs went up to around 4000 RPM and would not go down. When I rebuilt carbs the first time I followed Larry Cargill's carb book faithfully. I then had to pull them apart to clean the Penetrol paint that had sipped in and caused the slides to stick. When I put them together I DID NOT follow the book of Larry. I reassembled the bowls and top covers, so I couldn't sit them on the bench to align them properly, so I eyeballed it. They were not well aligned and one or both butterfly valves were sticking open.
I pulled them apart again and this time followed The Good Book....and problem solved.

Today I was able to do a few short runs around the block to dial pilot screws correctly, but it's bogging down as rpm goes up. Again gets up to 4200RPM and bogs down. I tried removing the tank cap in case the vent was blocked. Nope. Check the float levels. Good. WTF ?

I sat in my garage, just looking at the bike for a long time, thinking that after all I've done, I've failed to make the grade. As a novice builder, If I can't get a bike to run, then it's all over. I tried everything I could think off. I knew it was a carb problem but I just couldn't understand what.

Then, just as I was about to walk away, dejected, disheartened and beaten, a thought.....I wander.....Lets give it a go !

My original fuel tap has no filter, so to avoid contamination into carbs, I put an inline filter.





I wondered if the kink in the hose might be restricting fuel flow, especially as revs go up. So I replaced it with just a length of hose and no filter.



Took it for a run, and stumble gone. I'M BACK!

Closing anecdote: I was so happy that I just kept going around the block, until I ran out of fuel about 500m from home, and had to push the bike home. Who cares.

Anyway.........meet

GOLDIE'S LITTLE SISTER (in homage of Cognito Moto's CB750 - One of my favourite builds and the inspiration to mine)


Image out of Pipeburn





















In the State I live in, if a vehicle is modified significantly like a whole different front end, then it may have to be assessed by an automotive engineer to enable road registration. I'm taking it to my mechanic for initial assessment and he will tell me if that is so. Until I get registration, I can't ride it. In fact my rides around the block were illegal. But she runs! Keep you posted.

 

[JC]

Mighty fine work!

 

[CXapatite]

Thanks JC. Lots of help along the way.

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

Very nice!

Use a right angle filter. No kinks.


R

 

[CXapatite]

Thanks RiM. Great idea.

 

[Randall-in-Mpls]

I use a VISU clear filter. When I had the straight-thru version, the fuel would soften the plastic, and it would have a 45 degree bend by the time I replaced it the next spring. I've had no such problems with the right angles.


R

 

[CXapatite]

I got one one order Randall. Thanks again.

Well, just as I thought troubles were over, it started to hiccup again at 4000RPM. Could not get past this magic number.
It may be that all previous problems were contributing.....the poor flow out of the petcock caused by a plastic bag inside the tank, some rubbish inside the carbs which I failed to clean properly, the kink in the fuel hose from the fuel tap to the carb, my novice attempts at tuning carbs.......yes....all added to the problem.
But there was still one nail in my coffin.

I decided to run with some velocity stacks from a Ducati 9?? whose internal diameter match exactly to the carb intake internal diameter. Why? 'Cause they look so cool.



But to prevent birds and mice from setting up camp inside them, I concocted a filter made from some light foam and mesh, that seemed to me would not impede air flow.







In a last ditch attempt I removed these and went for another run....stumble finally gone, and here's a vid that proves it.
Any suggestions for a filter welcome. I thought maybe just the mesh. In any case, I decided to fork out for a set of Murray's carbs and they're on their way, but I wanted to make sure I learned something about carbs out of all this - specifically these old CV's. I did.