'72 CB350 - Some Assembly Required

[Senor_Taylor]

Let me know. I don't know how much this ways, but I have a motorcycle rack for the 4runner. If the bike isn't all in one piece, it might be light enough.

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[.RJ]

Those motorcycle racks scare me for anything other a dirt bike...

I've got a hitch on the E91, I can grab a uhaul trailer. Let me see how stuck I am in a week or two.

[.RJ]

Had some time today with temps above 40*.  The extra daylight is helping.  I worked some today to get all the odds and ends mounted on the bike.  

Taillight mounted



Ignition coil/horn/ignition brackets mounted





New mufflers mounted



Headlight mounted.... no photos.

Next thing is to order one of these:



That will allow me to fire it up without the tank on, gives easy access to carbs/ignition for tuning. At this point, I think its ready to fire, motor sounds like it has healthy compression cranking it over.  I need to figure out how to open the tail light and change the bulb, it wasnt obvious to me today and I dont know where the flasher relay lives.  I havent decided whether or not i'm pulling the covers off to change the clutch plates, but I do have the parts now.

Maybe next month another update...

[.RJ]

More progress...

Cleaned out the tank - used a rust remover/converter product from home depot.  Worked really nice.



New gas cap & latch



Rubber boots on the plug leads that I forgot to do last time



Flasher relay has a home, had to buy some longer bolts for the brackets for the coils/horn/ignition switch



Fuel tap mounted & started running the fuel lines



I also got the clutch adjusted, and it seems to be working as it should.  Its fucking stiff though, for a little motor.  We'll see if it loosens up.

The flasher relay, isnt really working so a new one of those is on the way along with a new tail light gasket & bulb, some more fuel line for the carb overflows & vents and a replacement points cover for the one that disintegrated.  I also need to mount the brackets/supports for the mufflers to the footpeg mounts, need a trip to home depot racing for some hardware.  This should be the last parts order I need to make.

I have no idea whats going to happen when I fill it with fuel.  The carbs are new and in theory, jetted for the pods & short mufflers.  Best case no issues, worst case I screwed something up with the ignition timing and it wont fire.

[.RJ]

Two steps forward, one step back.

I'm trying to sort out why the tail light doesnt work, but I've found some more clues - the tail light is just fine as is the bulb, so there's a wiring/ground issue, I just need to work backwards from the key switch - the light does work with the headlight off and the rear brake on, so something works. While getting into that, I found the connector for the key switch was pushing the pins out of it when I connected it - maybe part of the problem. Fortunately I can buy a new connector & pins, so that's ordered.

Re did my fuel/vent/overflow lines, I wasnt happy with what I had, and got my remote fuel tank set up and ready to use. Swapped the flasher relay, no change so I wonder if it needs more voltage from a running motor to work properly. I tried to install my front brake light switch and promptly broke it... clown shoes. New one on the way. I got the ignition timing set, I think. I had my test light set up backwards so the light went off when the coil is triggered rather than on. I hope I didnt somehow wire the coils backwards.

I also realized the carbamaphones dont have any vacuum ports, so I dont know how the fuck I'm supposed to balance these things... I think I need one of these? https://www.amazon.com/Carburetor-Synchr...B00SLH03R4

Anyone use one of those things?

[.RJ]

That spade connector with the green wire, yeah thats a ground.  Wasnt there before.... oops.  




I had either forgotten to plug in, or connector had pulled out in the headlight bucket so now the gauge lights work.  Went through them and check them all with the test light against the key/switch positions and it all seems good there.



And, tail light.



Onward... progress.

[Senor_Taylor]

Very nice! Keep it up!

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[.RJ]

Thanks. Have a few small things on my list I should be able to get done this week and we should have fire in the hole shortly. Getting excite.

I even pulled the title out so I can go get tags, assuming it runs/stops/turns in the parking lot.

[ScottyB]

"the little lights aren't twinkling, Clark"

that is the best feeling ever though, to the rats nest connected and everything lights up. i don't know how you work your sorcery on those carpamaphones but hopefully its not a total meltdown to try to balance them out...which i also did not realize is a thing you do with them.

also that is the most hilariously oversized taillight i've ever seen. did they pull that from a lighthouse?

[.RJ]

Its a good thing I'm not colorblind



So I got some fuel on the way home from work..... 

Grips are on

 

Double checking ignition timing



Fuel in the can...



And... nothing.  No start.  womp womp.  Of course, it cant be that easy.

I have spark, fuel and squish but the 3 arent coming together at the same time to make fire in the hole - it doesnt even sputter like it wants to start.  I think it's ignition timing, like its 180* out of sync.  I went back and double checked the timing, its got a fancy (well, for 1972) electronic ignition and going step by step again with the setup it all seems fine and setting the timing was easy.

I also installed my new brake light switch for the front brake, and it promptly broke.  I dont know what the fuck I'm doing wrong with it, because that's the 2nd one.  I was all happy that was done and I could shove that wiring rats nest behind the headlight and forget about it but the pope of nope arrived.

I'm off work the next two days, so I hope I can wrap this thing up and go put some tags on it.

---

I was correct... timing 180* out.  Easy fix.





I need to go back and re-check ignition timing, since I'm sure its way out.... but it runs!

Tomorrow, I'll check the valve clearances and have a few other things to tidy up and ride it out of the backyard.   Maybe I'll go to the DMV?

[V1GiLaNtE]

Huzzah!! Awesome progress!

[.RJ]

muffler bracket things... had to make some holes in the footrest hangers, but those are done





The offending front brake switch... the plunger in there got uh... plunged too far...



Set the ignition timing, again, and ran it until warm.  Its loud AF for a 35hp motorcycle.  



 It takes a while to come off of the choke, it revs clean and i'm getting some backfire through the exhaust so I may be too rich.  The idle when warm is pretty high and I have no clue if these carb settings are correct - these things have a pretty wide range of adjustment so it may take a while and a stack of plugs to get it sorted - way more adjustment than the factory honda carbs I've tuned in the past, I'm at the bottom of the learning curve with these.



And, I got some vintage lenses in the mail for my other hobby...



I think I am going to wait until the temps warm up a bit today and ride it back around the front of the house and declare success.

[.RJ]

cock. the gas tank is leaking.

it runs well though, having some trouble getting it to idle properly. I guess I can sort that out while I find another gas tank....

[Senor_Taylor]

Woop Woop!

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[.RJ]

I drained the fuel back out of the gas tank, and it was full of shit. dirt, rust, dunno. I thought I cleaned and flushed the tank out pretty well, I guess not. Doesnt matter if it leaks. Conveniently trash goes out tomorrow.

Bike goes back on the back patio.... I am concerned now that some of that crud made its way into the carbs, the fuel tap was full of it and it doesnt take much to clog a pilot jet. Running with the hanging gas can, it doesnt want to idle and adjusting idle speed & mixture on the carbs doesnt respond the way I'd expect - pretty sure I clogged a pilot jet. Going to look at that tomorrow I guess.

Before that though, I rode it around in the neighborhood and it pulls nice, throttle response is good, brakes/clutch work. Forward/Backward.

[.RJ]

Well, god dammit.

I pulled the carbs apart, 1, to check the pilot jets (looked OK) and verify (again) I had the right combination of parts in there (I do). Hrmph.

Fire again, start walking through setting idle speed & mix. Chasing my tail, hangs idle like its lean, throttle tip in bogs like its rich, cant get a steady idle, will idle too high for a bit, then bog down and die like its run out of fuel. Look at the plugs, left side is lean, right side is rich. Left side pipe is pretty hot, right side pipe is pretty cool, I can hold my hand on the muffler. Da fuq. It still runs great over 3k RPM.

I'm going to do a valve adjustment next, and do a compression test, and check for air leaks although everything is new so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Something is wonky here.

#carbamaphonelife.

[.RJ]

[Sijray21]

What's happening here? Your only YT subscriber wants to know.

[.RJ]

The carbamaphone boot/cylinder head gasket is leaky, creating a lean condition. One of the tells of a lean idle mix/pilot is the idle wants to hang and run higher than it should. The starting fluid sprayed at the gasket gets sucked in to the motor and pulls the idle down.

new boots, new gaskets, too.

The left plug shows lean, right plug shows a little rich. left pipe much hotter than the right. it all makes sense.

edit - I found another tank in the same color on ebay that looks really clean inside. fingers crossed.

[.RJ]

Bunch of things arrived in the mail today - new gaskets for the carb boots, different pod filters that will hopefully fit better, new tank (really clean inside & out), some carbamaphone parts in case I need to make any changes in there and some other small odds & ends.

I really want to get it running this weekend and ride it to work next week.