| 1978 Honda CB 750 F2 |
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| The Resurrection | ||
| In the Beginning | Disassembly | Cleaning/Painting | Reassembly | It Starts | On the Road |
On the Road
Time to get this machine out onto the road... after starting it up and allowing things to get warm, I carefully step on the gear lever to be rewarded with the usual Honda clunk, then navigate down the driveway and out onto the street - I was surprised at how well the clutch performed (seemed spot on!) and the general smoothness... although the clatter from the top end was distracting! A camchain adjustment definitely in order, followed by, I suspect, an adjustment of the valves.
Overall everything seems to be functioning well, except perhaps for the rear brake, which is next to being totally ineffectual... there are new pads there though, so I figure they will need to "bed" in for a bit before being 100% effective. Back in the garage and I notice a couple of oil weeps, one from where the tachometer drive attaches to the rocker cover and the other from somewhere below the gear lever region...
Am still running the original spark plugs which were in the bike when I got it (NGK DR7ES), which from everything I've read, is totally the wrong plug type for this engine, so I purchase the correct type - NGK D8EA - and don't really notice any difference and/or improvement... oh well...
The rear brake - upon closer examination of pictures of various other "F" models I determine that the brake lever itself is way too short - like about 3 - 4 cm too short!
My brake pedal The proper one
Obviously not the right lever! I steal the brake lever from my 550, which is still too short, but only by about a cm or so. Braking improves a little, by virtue of being able to exert more force, but is still below par I feel... with more investigation I notice the pad closest to the wheel is only being touched by the disk at its upper edge and when looking at the caliper itself it has been gouged out of shape... a couple of hours of filing and things seem to be working a heap better, although I will still need to acquire the correct brake lever at some stage.
Cam chain adjustment - the shop manual recommends doing this with the engine idling:
I couldn't get it to work properly following this method, as it is a real pain trying to get a spanner onto the bolt under the carbs when the engine is hot!!? I was wanting to remove the carbs (again!) anyway, because there was a slight petrol weep from the accelerator pump on carb #2 that I wanted to sort out and they needed bench synching also, so I whipped them out, (getting quite good at this!) removed the whole camchain tensioner, cleaned and lubed it, sorted out the accelerator pump weep and the bench synching, then re-installed everything. Now, no more rowdy camchain noise! And a bit (a tiny bit?) smoother because of the bench synching... a proper synching will still be required of course.... I feel that a Morgan CarbTune is in my future...
As the first step to getting legally on the road, I am aware that a WOF (Warrant Of Fitness) for the machine will have to be sought from a local motorcycle dealer. This is required before the bike can be registered. Or so I thought. To this end I arrive at my local Honda dealer to be informed that because the bike has been un-registered for so long, it will require to be checked for "compliance" first before any WOF can be issued.... grrrrr... basically a check of the braking components to ensure they are up to scratch. Well, unfortunately, this check returned a non compliance condition in that the rear disc rotor is less than spec thickness - it was 5.88mm thick, minimum spec thickness (as inscribed on the rotor itself) has to be 6.0mm. Also the dust boot seal had a hole in it. I dutifully replaced both - a second hand rotor (6.7mm thick) has been purchased - (it was originally off an '82 CB900F DOHC) along with a new dust boot seal. Re-inspection yields the all important piece of paper stating the brakes are now compliant, and I'm OK now to visit the Vehicle Testing Station (VTNZ) to get the whole bike compliance tested. This is another hoop to jump through, before the WOF can be issued.
At VTNZ they tell me that they will not do the compliance check until I have a letter from the previous owner stating that I am indeed the new owner, and I will also have to get a form completed and signed by the local constabulary to say that the bike is not "of any interest" to the Police (ie: NOT stolen). What a rigmarole!! So, I contact Bill and request the necessary letter, then visit the local constabulary to have them run the bike's VIN (Vehicle Identification Number) and Frame/Engine numbers through their database. This confirms they have no interest in the bike and I have another piece of important paper... Bill, not known for his ability to speedily follow up on anything, has still not sent me a letter after a month, so I draw one up myself and physically visit him at his home one Saturday morning and get his signature.
Meanwhile, in the midst of all this bureaucratic running around, I have taken the plunge and purchased a Morgan Carbtune via the 'net to properly balance the carbs. I have read nothing but good reviews for this tool, and, while a bit pricey ($184.00 NZ including air freight) I can see the benefit of a quality tool which can be used for, well, literally a lifetime! Anyhow, after a simple procedure, the difference is just amazing. Initially carb 4 was way more than the others, and #3 wasn't far behind, closely followed by #1. After getting the three of them within range of #2 (the base carb - it has no adjustment), the idle is the best it has ever been...
A worthwhile investment indeed! Having the carbs balanced has made a marked improvement in the overall smoothness of the bike...
Basically the bike is now all finished, only a few cosmetic things to attend to - sidecover emblems and a proper (oem) rear mudguard etc... here it is with those items:
As of April 2009, this bike is no longer mine - I have sold it to kick start my foray into modern motorcycle ownership.... I have enjoyed immensely working on this project and for a while there entertained the thought of hunting around for those other Honda SOHC4 models of the 70's - the CB350, CB500 and a "K" model to go with this bike and my CB550. But, I decided against it and now have sold my 550 to finance a bike for my wife since she has enjoyed getting on the back as pillion with me on the new bikes and wanted to go "solo". Thanks for reading through my ramblings!
| In the Beginning | Disassembly | Cleaning/Painting | Reassembly | It Starts | On the Road |