As seen in previous post, the z1 blew out 4 (non-heli’d) cam cap bolt holes randomly, out of no where after a year of being totally fine. So, I heli-coiled the z1 cam caps fucked threads last night. Went well. Engine is fixed. Really glad I didn’t have to take head off and take to […]
This swap always interested me for the power bump but I never found any good comparison info about it so I was skeptical that it was possible without major modification. I successfully completed the swap and it was very straight forward but you will need to some additional parts to do it. Here’s all the […]
Here’s a solution for removing your starter if you have setup your cycle to be kick only like I did. Previously, I used to use a rubber freeze plug which is the standard internet forum recommendation. However, day one of riding to Lake Superior my freeze plug blew out and my bike hemorrhaged oil 30 […]
There are certain things you can do yourself and there are certain things you should leave to the experts with the real tools. I’ve lapped valves before. It’s cool to play around with doing that for fun, but really… let the experts make sure your head is legit. Mar automotive is an engine machine shop […]
I am currently working on tuning my 1976 CB550 for pods and a CB650 cam with the help of the jetting wizard Ed. We’ve been discussing which heat number to run. Out of curiosity, I did some reading up on spark plugs and learned more than I expected. 3 Important things according to NGK: 1. […]
We’ve already covered this topic in a previous post for small cc enduros: Get a title with a Vermont Registration. However, for larger cc motorcycles that fit the below requirements there is an additional form that you have to submit: 1. Titleable motorcycles 300 cc’s or more last registered in another state are required to […]
It’s time to take a good look at your cafe bike / chopper / bobber / enduro… Riding old enduro bikes around in the woods and street is pretty awesome. It’s some of the most fun I’ve had since BMX. My CT1-175 and IT250 are pretty loud. Chain saw loud. I assume most people assume […]
Since a lot of friends have been getting 70’s and 80’s Yamaha 2 stroke dirt bikes, and I’ve done this a couple times now on my CT1-175 due to the motor blowing up, I figured I’d do a basic write up on how to change the crank seals. First off… Why do you care and […]
Not all the jobs needed to modify a motorcycle are really all that interesting and extending the CB360’s brake stay to accommodate the extended swing arm shows this. However, the prep and clamping that this took I think is a good example of how to work with something round. Maybe this will give you some […]
How do you turn this… …into this… …then into this… …and get one of these… …then go rip around worry free. Overview If you purchase a vehicle that does not have a title, it can be a little tricky to get one. Fortunately, there is a legal loop-hole to eventually obtain one: Vermont will issue […]
I got the top end back from Mar Automotive all nicely cleaned, honed, and painted for $50. I really recommend these guys. They open at 7:30am which makes it easy to drop/pickup parts before heading to work. I found an NOS piston and rings on Ebay for $130 which is expensive but it was the […]
2021 update – click here. Below is deprecated info… Read about rebuild Part 3 Read about rebuild Part 2 Read about rebuild Part 1 Well… the 450 is finished and it runs. Video at bottom. I’ve riden it about 10 miles so far. Haven’t gone over 5K rpm yet, but it feels super responsive and […]
Stripping an old bike down to its bare bones looks awesome but can often look unfinished unless few simple modifications are done to complete the look. Of these, fabricating a rear loop is the easiest way to clean up the rear of the bike. It also stiffens it and gives some more options for mounting […]
2021 update – click here. Below is deprecated info… Read about rebuild Part 1 Ok… So, I had a couple different machine shops do a couple different things for me. First machine shop: Mar Automotive 4345 Orchard Street, Philadelphia, PA 19124 (215) 288-7320 They’ve done cylinder head stuff for me in the past: – they […]
I’m actually going to have a full-on 3-angle valve job done on this head next week. More on 3-angle valve jobs later… Regardless, I wanted to show the basics of lapping valves. Figured it’d be good to show a general overview. I made a quick video. I’m sick today… Hear me sniffling? This ring below […]
As I said earlier in this post… cb450 and cb500t have no valve springs. They have a torsion bar set up. Let’s take a look at how exactly the torsion bar works. It’s pretty cool. Pic 1 – The engines are double overhead cam which means there is a separate cam lobe for each valve. […]
Let talk about valves… As you can see in the below picture, my cb450 valves were all sorts of f’ed up. We determined that the piston must have burned up a hole in itself and the aluminum burned onto the valves? I guess? I could not get the shit off no matter what I tried. […]
My work Drexel University is closed for the next 2 days because of a hurricane, so I decided now would be a good time to get started on my cb475 supersport build. Let me recap what I’m doing… I have a 73 cb450 that I put a 75 cb500t engine into last year. (Hence cb475) […]
This is a basic tutorial on how to re-lace a spoked wheel in a cross 4 pattern. (Took me roughly 4.5 hours). Our friend Bill Becker was kind enough to coach me through this, and let me use his tools. Thanks again Bill! 1) Get all new spokes and nipples from Buchanan Spokes in California. […]
So, I’m still working on the seat for the cb650. This is my first time working with metal since high-school metal shop. So, it’s been a while. I’m pretty much winging it. Below are my steps for figuring out what I’m doing and how I’m doing it. So far it’s turning out real good. I’m […]
Random
Blast
From Past
Published - Apr 25, 2011
I’m really into the single cylinder choppers. I’ve got some ideas for when I get my hands on one and it involves big knobby tires… Kev’s Suzuki Savage: