60's Honda CL 160 Rebuild as Racer

[twitchmonitor]

Tires

I finally got the wheels done. Here's the process

1. unceremoniously grind off sharp spoke threads
2. apply silicone RTV to spoke holes (this is where most of my rust came from in the first place, hopefully this will keep it at bay somewhat).
3. wrap rims with duct tape to protect tubes
4. struggle to mount tires, trying to suppress the memory of the scene in On Any Sunday, as Malcolm Smith was riding the 6 day trails, where the Bruce Brown said "if you can't change your tire in 3 minutes, you're not competitive." As it turns out, I'm not competitive. Not even remotely.
5. see the pieces begin to fall into place.

 

[McGrude]

One of the only things I check on here actually!
Great update!

Are there other worthwhile threads here on BARF right now? This is certainly the only one I check regularly.

Great updates. It looks like it is coming along great. I look forward to the day soon when you put the motor back together and fire it up.

 

[twitchmonitor]

In other news

1. I cut some more stuff off the frame. Exhaust hanger, tail mudguard hangers. Cut up the front fender.

2. Machined some wheel sleeves for the rearstand as the wheel ID is a about 0.100" larger than the axle OD.

3. Received spark plugs in the mail. 10 for $25!

4. Worked on mounting scheme for battery. Came up with some ideas and need to flesh them out in CAD.

5. Worked on an aluminum rear mudguard. Should have it done tonight.

6. Realized that the clubman bars are way too long. I'll have to chop 2.75" off each side. That'll have to wait until next week when I have access to a good band saw.

7. Got all the rearstand parts ready to go. All the tubes are cut, notched, deburred, etc. All the aluminum bits are done. Not to weld it up.

And here's a pic of the bike in "street trim," which means I stuck the headlight bucket on.

Jesus, I think I was planning to take it easy today!

 

[twitchmonitor]

And now I have my rearstand built. Still needs the hardware added and a quick coat of paint. It was a huge thrill getting this done yesterday.

 

[Gabe]

Hey, I picked up my frame today: it's a '73 CL350. I was going to take it to a welder/fabricator, but are you doing anything to brace your frame?

 

[morad]

And now I have a rearstand. Still needs the hardware added and a quick coat of paint.

Did you do a stress analysis on the joints?

 

[twitchmonitor]

Did you do a stress analysis on the joints?

Check out that FOS.

 

[twitchmonitor]

Hey, I picked up my frame today: it's a '73 CL350. I was going to take it to a welder/fabricator, but are you doing anything to brace your frame?

Gabe, we need the pics!

I'm considering what to do with the frame. I may do something, but I'm worried that a stiffer frame might just bring out the next weakest link - like the forks for example.

 

[Gabe]

Gabe, we need the pics!

I'm considering what to do with the frame. I may do something, but I'm worried that a stiffer frame might just bring out the next weakest link - like the forks for example.

http://www.bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=5564649&postcount=39

I think the forks will be okay, so long as a fork brace is involved. Forks can be pretty skinny (especially on a 200-pound bike), considering all the places where a fork gets braced: top triple, bottom triple, fork brace, then axle.

 

[morad]

Check out that FOS.

Von Mises criterion huh? Ritchie would approve...

 

[twitchmonitor]

Got a mudguard mostly made yesterday and began engine reassembly. Look how clean it is in there (and all done by hand :|). See pic for comparison.

 

[morad]

Are you planning on putting some kind of a protective coat on the frame? That bike is lookin' sweet!

 

[twitchmonitor]

Are you planning on putting some kind of a protective coat on the frame? That bike is lookin' sweet!

Thanks!

Wait, isn't Fe2O3 a protective coating?

Yeah, when I'm done with everything and ready to paint I'm going to sandblast and paint the frame.

 

[killfile]

Finished putting the Titan together with the new Avon Roadrider and the Ferodo Brake shoes. The shoes aren't fully bedded in, so I was prepared for a disappointing drop in my braking ability, however I have found a slight improvement! SHOCKING! I also pulled the wheel to check the used surface, and it appears I'm currently only using 1/6-1/4 of the new shoes, so this should improve greatly over the next few hundred miles.

The bad news is that my new tire (also a 90/100) has a much wider profile. It appears that while my wheel is true, that it favors one side of the setup and is rubbing on my fender. I'm going to keep a close eye on this, but short of removing the fender, I don't have too many alternatives (correcting the offset).

I'm shock at how much quicker my turn-in is now. Before this change the bike was a bit of an unwieldy beast. It was difficult to wrestle it into the corner, but once it was there it was quite solid. Now very little pressure allows the bike to drop into the corner nicely. I'm terribly impressed.

I'm renewing my efforts to get a correct shouldered aluminum rim and lace up the 4LS, but for now, I'm quite happy with these braking/handling improvements.

I'll be researching the options for CB160 brakes, and I'll let you know if I find any new solutions other than relining the shoes. The CB160 gets one step closer to being a project I get to start in our garage!


EDIT:
While looking around for CB160 Brake Shoe info I discovered this site, which I have never run across. They remanufacture lot of original parts in stainless steel... much of it is crazy expensive, but interesting to know it is out there! (they also make CR93 Rearset replicas for the CB160)

http://www.phildentonengineering.com/category.asp?catID=10&pg=2

 

[Roadstergal]

I'm loving this build.

What tires are those?

 

[twitchmonitor]

They're Bridgestone Battlax BT39SS, and they're very sticky. I was shocked when I picked them up, as was the counter person.

 

[twitchmonitor]

Spent some time working on the engine reassembly tonight. As it turns out the bolt kit I bought doesn't contain the selection of bolts I need for the case covers (bottom row are original). So I'll be sanding all my old bolts tomorrow. Happy MLK to me.

After talking with an experienced 160 builder I decided to just put my idler back together with the old gear and use red Loctite to keep it together. It was originally held in by rivers, which I drilled out.

And I'm working up a cover for the rear end. To trace the contours I rubbed some dirty old engine oil along the edge and then rolled it on a sheet of paper. Now I can use that to make a cardboard cut out and make sure the fit is right, then use the cardboard to trace out the design on metal.

 

[twitchmonitor]

Check out my awesome workspace after last night's rain. Had to lay my notes out to dry. I've actually worked on my EX500 when the cement was totally covered so this is nothing. You can tell that I've done this before by the way I knew to place the bike on "higher ground" when I started working on it.

 

[twitchmonitor]

Of course there are a few things I can do here, so I got to making the one gasket that was missing from the "complete" gasket kit I ordered from Ebay.

A little oil and some gasket material from Kragen and I'm all set.

 

[killfile]

Check out my awesome workspace after last night's rain. Had to lay my notes out to dry. I've actually worked on my EX500 when the cement was totally covered so this is nothing. You can tell that I've done this before by the way I knew to place the bike on "higher ground" when I started working on it.

Rain?
It hasn't rained in weeks.... your washer must just be leaking!