Author Topic: winter progress (Read 39964 times)

WTF304 · « **on:** March 08, 2015, 05:56:56 pm »

Making some real headway, bought quite a few new parts. Almost ready for this season's ride and for my first bike that actually is street legal. Have had alot of bikes but with so many trails being cleared out for new homes and owners it's time.

The things i have done/bought - caliper rebuild kits both front and rear. Front brake master rebuild kit, new pads front and rear. 16 tooth front sprocket, clean and re-jet carb with a 55 pilot and 160 main with a tweak of the accelerator pump linkage and getting alot more use from it. Replaced the intake manifold seals and the inspection cover seals, battery, new filter for the stock airbox. A set of rear shocks from a CB550 nighthawk which feel way better then the stockers, new fork seals which haven't been done yet but will be at a local shop along with progressive springs and the new tires i picked up. Shifter shaft oil seal and another complete gasket set which is good to have, got to pull the stator cover and fix the silly tab for the neutral sensor. Vapor gauge rewired as i didn't like the way some of it was done by the PO, also got the highbeam, signal and neutral indicators wired up that came with the gauge. New set of Renthal CR high bars wich look good and feels better, with new grips and bar ends and a brighter headlight bulb. New EBC clutch springs since i had to remove the clutch cover and adjust the balancer tension which was good cause I'm getting a new cable and clutch plates since i have gotten a better look. I'm sure there are a few things I'm forgetting, have to check the list.

J6, i haven't had a lot of time to finish modifying the original stock muffler. Trying to get things in motion since the weather seems to be changing for the better, ordering an Emgo 80-84030BC muffler. I haven't given up on the original unit yet and won't lol, but taking your advice from a while back for now.

Probably spent close to 800 give or take on mods/ preventive maintenance/ tlc. Liking the outcome thus far, going to that much more safe and reliable as well as a more comfortable and "to my needs" ride.

What all have you guys done this winter ?

wrk2ride_ride2wrk · « **Reply #1 on:** March 08, 2015, 08:33:46 pm »

Good stuff, can you you share a pic of the bars fitted?

WTF304 · « **Reply #2 on:** March 09, 2015, 12:46:31 am »

I have to crop a photo so it fits the size requirements but sure, or I'll just take a better photo that's easier to crop so it can still be seen.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #3 on:** March 09, 2015, 07:39:05 am »

Pictures should work as long as they are 500KB or smaller. I don't think the dimensions matter, but I could be wrong. I usually size to 800 wide & let the length follow. That way the picture stays on the same page instead of opening in another window.

That stainless steel reverse megaphone looks like a new release. I don't recall ever seeing that one. They were originally only available in chrome. Then they were available with a black finish. Then the 2-piece design. You want the 2-piece unit so you can repack the silencing material.

Sounds like your bike is really progressing well. Looking forward to seeing what it looks like.

J.

WTF304 · « **Reply #4 on:** March 09, 2015, 07:49:51 pm »

Had to take some new pics after changing the resolution so i could crop the shots down to file size. Tank is off right now, nothing wrong just easier to unplug the connection to the pick up on the clutch cover then to dismount it.

WTF304 · « **Reply #5 on:** March 09, 2015, 08:02:17 pm »

Once i get all the parts on, and the ones on order in which should middle of this week I'll get some other pics up. Sorry about the mess in the background, between my 3 bikes and my buddy's quad i don't have much room with that and all my other stuff. And I'll have to get my go pro charged up for a short video, upload to my YouTube and post a link.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #6 on:** March 10, 2015, 07:06:30 am »

Nice looking bars. They look comfortable. I like the Honda CR bend bars.

If you plan on doing any touring or long road runs, you might want to instal a "Vista-Cruise" throttle lock while you're at it. I have had a few on bikes over the years & it is such a relief to my right hand after a while. They release real easy with just a nudge of the lever, or you can overpower it with your throttle hand if needed.

J.

wrk2ride_ride2wrk · « **Reply #7 on:** March 10, 2015, 09:51:05 pm »

Cheers, I'm thinking about differnt bars now. Nice mods

WTF304 · « **Reply #8 on:** March 10, 2015, 11:47:23 pm »

Thanks, the vapor gauge was installed by the PO as the speedo didn't function properly. I inspected the speedo and there was a part inside that was faulty, the vapor gives it a small modern touch but the indicators were not put on and hooked up. With the shop manual provided by him upon purchasing the bike, i went to the wiring diagrams, changed only two connector ends to except more bullet style plugs and some soldering it became plug and play with no cutting of the original harness. Neutral doesn't light up and he did a messy number with silicone on new gaskets to the stator cover wich i am undoubtedly sure the tab which the saftey switch is either broken/missing or out of shape is the cause. The RPM's reading was jumpy so i undone the ugly coiling of wire on the plug wire side and re-directed it to the coil power plug and it read properly.

My first choice of bars were satin black CRF bars and far too tall for the controls. I brought them back to exchange the bars for something that fit better. Mavrix Motorsports, a women at the parts counter helped me pick out a different set and i am pleased with the help she gave me. The parts manager, Shawn had previously set me up with the grips and the bar ends. I kept getting asked if i was doing a cafe bike and when i told him i wasn't and it's going on an FT and that i was looking to keep mostly an original look but getting it ready for the season he thought it was cool. They had an FT they were doing for a customer and one of the guys owns a VT. He's doing a CB750 of his own so it was good i was dealing with somebody with similar interests of older Honda's.

WTF304 · « **Reply #9 on:** March 13, 2015, 03:50:25 pm »

So i got my clutch back together and the side cover back on, clutch feels good and all brand new. The thing that really made my day was that emgo muffler, it's looks amazing. Never had to remove and discard the peg either, plenty of clearance, can't wait to hear it once I'm all done. I'll post a pic of how i set it up so you guys can see and not have to worry about your passenger peg.

WTF304 · « **Reply #10 on:** March 14, 2015, 09:59:12 am »

Not the best pic, I'll get another one later on. Was up almost all night with it.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #11 on:** March 14, 2015, 10:38:22 am »

Is it just the end cap that is stainless?

There should be no problem with retaining the passenger peg. If I recall correctly, the muffler support strap bolts to the back of the peg mount. I had to put a bit of a twist in the support strap to mate up correctly.

J.

WTF304 · « **Reply #12 on:** March 14, 2015, 11:04:12 pm »

The clamp, strap and end cap are actually chrome dipped but made from stainless before being dipped I'm not sure .... i had to twist the bracket a little too it was the only way to get it to sit flat. I didn't remove the peg to put the bracket behind it, i found myself within reach of another bolt. The stock muffler has that plate with those notch marks to place the peg in the correct position. I un-bolted the 2 nuts from the backside of the bracket completely leaving the peg alone and how it's supposed to be. I very lightly and with little to no effort pry'd the muffler and the bracket away from eachother to clear the studs on the muffler that go through the bracket. Yes, for now there is the stock bracket there with nothing on it but I'm going to mark the position of it so i can cut that same groove design into section of the frame that the peg bolts to. She's almost done and back together, entire brake system is all rebuilt front to back, valve lash has been set and inspection covers have new seals. And that's about all for today's to do list. Waiting on the shift shaft oil seal and then the engine will be 110%, my neutral indicator didn't work and exactly why i thought so. The PO bent the hell out of the ground tab that comes in contact with the switch, good thing i had a spare it was too bent up to try and shape it back. Reason I'm waiting on a new seal is cause he also installed it backwards. .....

and that seal is no good cause of such

WTF304 · « **Reply #13 on:** March 14, 2015, 11:47:39 pm »

A closer, yet a little blurry look but you'll see what I'm talking about.

WTF304 · « **Reply #14 on:** March 17, 2015, 11:02:28 pm »

A few shots now that she's back together, minus the new tires on and the forks have yet to be done aswell. That emgo muffler looks nice but i had no idea it would be as loud as it is, but still sounds real good.

WTF304 · « **Reply #15 on:** March 17, 2015, 11:04:37 pm »

Sorry for the odd facing photos, they weren't taken that way and i have no clue how they turned sideways.

J6G1Z · « **Reply #16 on:** March 18, 2015, 06:15:19 am »

I try to warn everyone that the EMGO reverse megaphone is loud. That's why I recommend the 2-piece model so you can re-pack it with stainless steel wool and/or fiberglass silencing material. You might try pulling the core out to see if it is even wrapped.

The good thing about all that noise is that it doesn't get much louder at cruising RPM & it's all behind you. Now other motorists & pedestrians, etc, will hear you coming.

J.

WTF304 · « **Reply #17 on:** March 18, 2015, 08:24:52 pm »

Well i found the reason to it being soo loud, poorly packed core. When i opened it up and removed the core this was what i found.

Looks like I'm going to repack a brand new out of the box muffler. Any suggestions?... I have read of different type of materials so is there one i should be on the look out for ?

scottly · « **Reply #18 on:** March 19, 2015, 12:27:10 am »

I've used Pink Panther type fiberglass building insulation; works well for silencing, but burns out very quickly.
I've also used woven fiberglass cloth, such as used for lamination of surfboards; not the best for silencing due to the tight weave, but longer lasting.
The muffler on my FT was packed with proper fiberglass packing, I think FMF brand? So far it seems to work well. The trick is to pack it not too tight, nor too loose.

WTF304 · « **Reply #19 on:** March 23, 2015, 08:52:25 pm »

Haven't had a chance to get any packing yet, but for now everything is done. I'll work on the cosmetic stuff as time goes by, she isn't the prettiest bike but mechanically sound.

Would like to tear down to the frame and repaint every inch of it, but that might be next winters project.

WTF304 · « **Reply #20 on:** March 25, 2015, 02:05:56 pm »

Got some FMF packing material today, going to that a shot and go from there. Also going with Mobil 1 20W50 instead of the 10W40 Castrol i had in it, Better for temps to go with heavier oil for this little air cooled motor i feel.

Crossing fingers that it might give her a little quieter sound

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Author Topic: winter progress (Read 39964 times)