Air supply

After a quick spin on the Schwinn to Wal-Mart this morning to pick up some sundries....(I spent almost $50.00 on light bulbs and Band Aids, odd combination I know but I think maybe it was so dark in the house because there were so many burnned out light bulbs that we kept getting hurt and used up all the Band Aids)...I got down to business on the Honda.
I kind of thought that getting the engine back in was a major hurdle, and it was, but it was only the beginning of the real work.
I was pretty careful about labeling wires and such as i was dis-assembling it but I guess I got a little careless when it came to the air boxes.  Who knew air filters could be so complicated. 
I mean when I pulled out the box with the air boxes, I looked at all that junk and thought "how in the h--- is all that going to fit back in that space."

Anyway, I worked for about 4 hours (that equalled about 4 quarts of sweat 'cause it was really hot today) and I got about 1/2 the wiring and cables reconnected, the engine firmly mounted, the chain on and tension set, and one side of the air filter system reinstalled.  And I hate to admit it but I'm pretty sure I spent at least 1/4 of that time figuring out the puzzle of the air boxes, and only got one side done.

I would have thought otherwise before today but based on the progress (or lack of progress) I made today I'm guessing at least 8 hours maybe more involved before I get to the big pay-off, but I am making progress and I'm a lot closer than I was last week at this time so on the whole I'd have to say it it's really going pretty well.

A word about labels

Well I had everything "tagged & bagged" just as I said...or did I?

I started reassembling the Honda this morning and things were going just splendidly until I got to a point where I needed to attach the caliper for the front brake, but couldn't find the bolts for that.

Hmmm, I know I bagged and tagged everything.  So I looked again.  Went though every baggy in the "small parts" tote.  Not there.  Dug though two other totes where I was sure those bolts weren't and sure enough...they weren't.  Looked through the baggies again, this time I was looking at what was in the baggies, as well as what was written on them.  Not there.  Again, this time spreading everything out to make sure I wan't over looking anything.  Still not there.  Now I've looked through all the parts three times, and I can't find the blasted bolts I need for the front brake.

I know they are here somewhere, so I decide to have a cup of coffee and relax for a few and see if that helps, I mean it can't hurt, right, and it's time for a break anyway.

Look again, nope.  Hey, I think to myself, I've got tons of old bolts laying around...some of those are bound to fit.  I try that for a while to no avail, get frustrated and decide to go on line, look up the parts list, and see exactly what it is I'm looking for.  Simple, two 6x25 hex bolts and one 8x35 hex bolt.  No problem one more quick look and if they don't turn up I'll just run ofer to the local HomeDepot and by some bolts...heck they won't even cost $2.00 probably.  Inconvenient but no big deal.

{note to self:  "If you are taking lots of bolts off of something you should label, them and if certain bolts have a dual purpose, you should probably note that.}

{second note to self:  When you are making the note referenced above, a mental note is not only unsatisfactory, it is totally and irrefutably, unsatifactory.}

{note to you:  If you get these e-mail updates and don't want them let me know and I'll get it stopped.  Also, if you get these e-mail updates and don't click the link for "The Motorcycle Diary" at the bottom of the page you are missing the entire "blog-o-licious" experience which you really should be taking advantage of as a means of enriching your otherwise sordid existence.} 

You see as, I got my keys and prepared to journey to the local merchant to purchase replacements for the errant fasteners, I was overwhelmed by an aura of peace, clarity, and tranquility as I hadn't experinced in the past 30 minutes or so.  It was during this moment that the location of the wayward bolts was revealed to my inner eye. 

Yes, you, perhaps have grasped previously, the solution which vexed and escaped me for so long... The bolts that attach the front brake caliper to the left front fork are one and the same with the bolts which attach the front fender, and there was indeed a baggy labeled "front fender."

Now, all that said and in spite of that seemingly excruciating, frustrating search, I had a rather productive, enjoyable morning/afternoon and it went something like this:

            

 

      

      

This is a good "before & after of the rear frame, wheel, and shock absorber.

So you see, even though there some troublesome moments, I managed to get a decent amount of work done, and next time I can't find something I'll have about 10 fewer baggies to dig through.

I must say that they have found an interesting way of making sure you grease the bearings in the steering column.  Since you have to feed the fork through the housing while somehow keeping 19 loose ball bearings in place on the bottom race and 18 loose ball bearings in place for the top race, you really haven't any choice but to slather the races and balls up real heavy with enough grease to make them stick together until you can get the fork through the housing and the cap screwed on.

Anyway, I'm pretty pleased with the progress I made today and I'm pretty well all smugged up about how much better the bike is looking after a little TLC.  But...in the back of my mind I'm thinking about "The Dirty Dozen."   To paraphrase Donald Sutherland from that movie..."It's pretty, but will it run?"  Only time and more work will tell.

Baby steps, but in the right direction at least.

I just spent about an hour and a half buffing the rear wheel hub, getting the rust off the rim, and cleaning the corrosion and rust off the spokes.  It's a big improvement but not perfect.  I think its looking pretty respectable though considering it's 34 years old.

Yesterday I spent most of the morning sanding and priming the frame.  The frame appears to be in very good condition, the only damage being a small dent on the bottom left side tube and a slightly cracked weld on the bracket to which the kick-stand bolts. 

 

I painted the frame today and had hoped to start reassembling things but I got a late start due to my good nature and willingness to help a fellow human being in need, so that's going to happen.  Hopefully I get an earlier start tomorrow and don't find too many spots that I missed while painting. (I already saw a spot on the swing arm that needs some touch up.)

It is going to be kind of slow going for a while as I'm intending to clean and degrease parts as I go...plus, although the parts are identified, they aren't exactly cataloged and organized, so there will be a fair amount of wasted time looking for the next part/assembly and the respective fasteners.

4 little words.

Okay so here's where we are with this little project so far, and I really must say so far it has gone pretty smoothly.  During the disassembly, one snap-ring broke, and I dropped one washer that hasn't turned up yet.  (Where do those things go?)  Everything appears to be usable, if not esthetically pure.  All the chrome parts are rusty and pitted to some extent or another (some actually look as though they will clean up better than I originally thought.  Parts are difficult, but not quite impossible to find.  (Ordered some mirrors today.)  I'll just have to be careful cause a lot of the parts on e-Bay look worse than what I have, which makes me think that if I find replacements I can put my old ones on e-Bay and maybe recoup some of my expenses. 
Anyway here's where I am:

Well there you go...I love a fresh start don't you.  I'm pretty sure the worst is behind me.
I'm still looking for a shop to check out the engine, but the frame is all degreased and sanded and ready for a coat of primer.  Then some paint and then finally the reassembly which should be a piece of cake.  I've sneaked a peek and looked ahead in the manual, and there are only 4 little words left.......

ASSEMBLY IS THE REVERSE!!

Yeah, right...

now where did I put that bolt for the alternator...?

How far will I go with this?

Yesterday I was fooling around and decided to see if that tarnished aluminium (?) on the front fork would clean up any and started trying to do that, and decided that it would be easier to do it if the wheel wern't in the way so the wheel had to come off and it actually looks as if there is a little gleam left under that patina.

The thing is that now there really is very llittle left in it's original position and maybe I should go ahead and take those last two or three things off and clean the rust off the frame and repaint it while I've got things torn down.  I doubt I'll go back here if it ever gets running so i may as well, right?

It also looks like the wheels will clean up pretty well also.  There is a little rust on the rims, but the spokes a just kind of tarnished and  with a little work will look pretty good.  You can see the ones I've worked on some in the picture.






I have also dicided that I need to find a shop to take the pistons, cylinders, and heads into for measurements and possible machining if need be.  No obvious problems like that hole in the top of the cylinder I found in that old VW engine but since it's torn apart already it would be a shame to put everything back only to find out there was a problem and have to redo everything.  I know the engine ran last year at about this time but only briefly so I'm going looking for a shop.

Above: before and after of handle bars (after on the top.)

Didn't like the cafe style bars that were on it when I got and Tony had some spare handlebars laying around.

Tried to clean up some of the rust on the rear fender.  Left is the after picture.  Maybe as good as rubbing compound and elbow grease can get it, but I'm gonna try again.

Sweetness

Sunday Tony did in fact come up.

We looked at each other for a while, talked with Kathy and Anna for a whle, then Tony went out in the garage for a smoke. I followed and we sorta just stood around for a while and then I walked over and picked up a wrench and Tony says what are you thinking about and I says lets get this Jeep out of the garage so we have some room to work...so we do and we get that engine pulled out and onto the work bench.

We kinda study on it for a while, then we take turns looking at the shop manual and looking at the engine, trying to figure out exactly what we are going to have to do to get down to that kick-start shaft.

We finally start taking some things apart to see what lies beneath. We get to the point where we have to take off the oil pump in order to get the clutch housing off and it so happens that removing the oil pump takes a special tool we don't have and we aren't having much luck improvising. So we try another angle.

We take the valve covers off to access the cam chain and we find the book says to separate the chain with a chain breaker and we don't have one of those either. So we study some more and realize we're accumulating a nice sized pile of bolts and screws and miscellaneous parts. We realize that as of now we know what everything is and where it goes but if the pile gets very much bigger it could start to get confusing....so we prudently stop and get organized, bagging and tagging all the parts we have so far. then we decide it's getting late and dark and we're a little tired. Not exactly the best condidtions.

Time to jump in the pool and cool off. Tomorrow will be another day.

Monday we kinda laze around for a while in the morning and decide to ride over to Advance Auto to see if maybe we get lucky and they happen to have what we need in the way of specialty tools...not likely but it's something to do and it's close.

They don't have anything I need and say I should try a motorcycle shop but that they think most of them for some reason are closed on Mondays. Kathy's taking off a 1/2 day so we decide to forget it and just hang with her.

Today is Tueday and Tony's plan is to leave around noon. We're drinking coffee and watching the news and I say "Wanna ride over to Tractor Supply and see what kind of tools they may have." Tony says that sounds great.

All they have that might be of use is a chain breaker, which looks way too big for the job but I decide to try it anyway cause the gal tending the rabbits said I could bring it back if it wasn't what I needed. (It wasn't and I did) We also went by the local Yamaha dealer to see if they might have any tools and they weren't encouaging and I didn't feel like driving to the Honda dealer in Rock Hill, so we just went back home to study some more.


Anyway we start in again and things seem so much clearer after stepping back sometimes. Things we read in the book Sunday were making much better sense today and we dug in, somehow circumvented the 'needed' specialty tools, and had things pretty well torn down with all the parts "bagged and tagged" by lunch time.

We had some lunch, patted ourselves on the baack a little and Tony split for home.



After Tony left I was only going to finish getting the parts organized and the put the tools away...but I got to looking at that engine and couldn't help myself. I really wanted to see what that shaft looked like on the inside so I went back to work....got out the manual and the baggies and the sharpy and finished busting that thing open. I had to remove a couple of things that I missed on the earlier readings but no big deal. Once it was opened up, changing out the shaft was pretty simple. I did resist the urge to start putting it back to gether beyond that because logic tells me this is the best opportunity I will have to clean things up and take some measurments to see if the engine needs any machine work or internal parts, and it just wouldn't make any sense to not do it right at this point....although I won't deny I was tempted.

Bob Dylan on the juke box

When Tony saw the blog yesterday he got all excited and contacted me to say he was coming soon up to help pull that engine.

After a couple of e-mails he decided he's coming Sunday, for a couple of days and wants to get the Honda running, or at the least help work on it some.

So I put Bob Dylan on the juke box (Zune) got the tools out and stripped that baby down carefully and methodically.....taking notes, making sketches, and labeling, and now the engine is ready to come out. All I need is the horse power.

Have I mentioned that "Zen and The Art Of Motorcycle Maintenance" isn't really about fixing motorcycles.

Let's try this again.

After a long hiatus I pulled out the bike and the tools and started to tear into it again. It's been a good long while so I spent a fair amount of time looking at what was what and what went where because I was afraid i wouldn't remember after all this time. Then I started taking things apart. Worked for a couple of hours until I got down to the nitty-gritty and decided to stop and start fresh another day. Most of what I removed today was stuff that I had removed previously, then re-installed when I decided I wasn't going to mess with the kick-starter, but since I now have a kick-starter shaft, I may as well put it in...just in case I'm not able to get the electrical starting system fixed.


I got to the point where, if I went much farther the engine was coming out and I wasn't ready for that. I'm not sure I can manhandle it out by myself...in fact I'm pretty sure that it wouldn't be real smart to try.



Next step will be unhooking and labeling all the wires and hoses and cables.

Progess?

Ok, so ist's been like forever since there's been any activity here.
Near the end of the summer I actually found an alternator for the bike at an on-line salvage yard in California, and it was cheap. So I ordered it, and waited for it to arrive. And waited...and waited...and waited.
So after a while I e-mail them and asked when they were going to ship it since my card had been charged like for 2 months and i hadn't heard anything. then i waited for a reply...and waited..and waited.
I e-mailed them again. Finally they contact me and inform me that my order was filled and shipped way back when. They're gonna check with FedEx and get back with me...and I waited...and waited.
I e-mailed them again. Finally they contact me and provide me with the FedEx tracking number...and tell me that FedEx has no record of this package being delivered. In fact they have no record of the number at all.
So I e-mail them again and ask them what they intend to do about this. They reply that I should look for FedEx to credit my card. So I wait...and wait...and wait...nothing.
So I e-mail them again and ask them what they intend to do about this. They reply that I should be getting that credit just any ol' day and not to dispair.
So I wait...and wait...and wait and finally any ol' day rolls around and I get that credit.Of course I am more disappointed about not getting the part than I am happy about getting the money back.
But wait...what do I find under the Christmas Tree? Some greasy, used, but not abused, motorcycle parts including a kick-start shaft and the elusive rotor for the alternator. So now all I'm waitng for is some warm weather to get in the garage and get back at it.

Discouraged but not dismayed

Well, in case you were wondering, Jerry did come back from that vacation he was on...not that it did me any good. I went back to the DC Cycles the morning after they were supposed to reopen. Jerry was there but he was on break (they'd been open for half an hour already.) They weren't very busy, there were two employees (counting Jerry) and another "customer" in the office. No one reacted to me coming in so after browsing the custom bikes and chrome and leather motorcycle accessories for a few minutes I felt compelled to interrupt their little coffee break. Shirley came out to see what was so important that I couldn't have waited.

Let me set the stage a little here: Shirley and Jerry and the "customer" were all about my age, but that was about where the similarities ended. I, in my 'duck head' khaki shorts, Virginia Tech T-shirt, and sandals, obviously didn't fit with they, in denim, chains, bandanas, boots, leather, and Harley T-shirts. Who's not the real biker in this picture? Did I mention that the "customer" was about 5'10", and weighed about 325 with a beard to his nipples and hair to his lower shoulder blades? I didn't think so.

Anyway, Shirley was nice, asked how she could help, took a few notes and my phone number and said that when ever Bobby, who is the evidently the parts guy, came in he'd give me a call if he thought he could help. Bobby hasn't called. He's probably networking with bike shops around the world looking for parts for me. Or maybe he never came in, I don't know, but I've gotta grow my hair out some and get a chain for my wallet before I go back so I can get some respect.

But I haven't given up, I found this gem on e-Bay. It was billed as a 1973 CB500. I communicated with the seller who said that he thought that many parts may be interchangeable between the '73 and the '76. There were however some contradictions in his listing. On the one hand the listing indicated he was in Columbia, South Carolina, somewhere else it said he was from Columbus, Ohio. (That makes a big difference because it costs $18.00 to ship a bowling ball from Detroit and I can drive to Columbia.) On the other hand there was the issue of price. In the listing heading he cited a price of $175.00, very reasonable if any of the parts which I actually need are interchangeable between the two models and if he actually still has the parts I need, but in the item description he said he wanted $2750.00, which seemed a little (a lot) steep. We got the price and location worked out but he never specifically said that his bonanza of parts even contained the parts I was looking for...forget about whether or not they would work on my bike, Then there was the fact that this wasn't actually an auction but a "classified ad", the intricacies of which on e-Bay I am not familiar with. Alas, by the time we ironed out all the inconsistencies the item listing had timed out. I received a subsequent e-mail from Stephen, that's the guy's name, stating that the bike, well the pieces of bike, hadn't sold and was I still interested in working something out... I haven't gotten back with him because I really wasn't sure I wanted to drive 70 miles to pick up 400 or 500 pounds of motorcycle parts that may or may not do me any good, especially in the Jeep, which has over-heated the last two times I tried to leave town (which problem I have never addressed.)

Meanwhile I was still searching parts on the Internet and found a solenoid, which I ordered, so that's good. While perusing the site I found the solenoid I needed. I decided to look up the parts for the '73 (and other models) to see if they were the same. I found many parts that were available for other models of similar vintage that looked very much the same (though they had different part numbers) which were still available at this site. So I e-mail this guy and ask him what he knows about parts from other models being interchangeable and he says he doesn't know about compatibility and that I'd be taking a chance. I figured if he reckoned I'd be taking chance trying to cross-match new parts I'd for sure be taking a chance trying to cross-match old used parts that may not be any good to start with.

So, here's where I stand: The alternator I have isn't really any good to me as it is because it won't stay together, and getting it fixed in a machine shop seems like it's not going to happen because of cost, so how much worse can I make it if I fill all the holes with JB Weld and try to re-drill and tap them. I've got a solenoid to put in the starting circuit now so that has to help something, right? I mean, maybe that's why it wouldn't start before. I mean if it's supposed to have one and it doesn't , it must make some difference, right?

So that's what I try next...just as soon as I finish the bathroom which I finally started working on in earnest while scouring the "World Wide Web" for 33 year old Honda parts. By the way, I was wondering...and if anyone can explain this please do, how can it be, that if you remove the old vinyl floor from a room, and use it as a template to layout and cut the new vinyl floor, and if you do all that very carefully, then how can it be that the new floor doesn't exactly fit the very same space the old floor came out of? It's not going to be a huge problem, it is, however, going to require a little creativity, but I really don't understand how it could happen, really.

Jerry's on Vacation.

So...

I've spent time pouring over the phone book this week, and made several trips around the Lancaster area in search of a machine shop or welding shop that might be able to do something about those sloppy holes in the rotor part of the alternator. Most of this has been futile...well actually all of it has been futile. I don't know, several of the places have been abandoned, some seemingly non-existent. Two of the places actually had signs, but alas, no people.

Today I found an old welding shop that was open. Actually it looked like it had been open since shortly after the Civil War, and while the guy who seemed to be in charge was most definitely not a Civil War veteran, his pappy may have been. I looked around as I walked up to him and it was the most unlikely place you'd think to go to get something fixed, but I'd had that feeling before. It called to mind that taxi shop I was led to by a policeman in Bennetsville when that Cavalier broke down on the way home from the beach a few years back. That turned out to be a pleasant surprise and a bargain as well, so I was not immediately discouraged. After all, their ad in the Yellow Pages proclaimed that "Anything Manufactured Can Be Rebuilt." (Just maybe not by us.)

Any way, we talk and I ask him what I'm thinking "Can these holes be welded up, re-drilled and re-tapped?"

"Yup" he says. "First I have to cut away all this metal up here, and around here and then I build it all back up and you have to find someone else to recut all this and drill the holes cause you need one of those things that holds stuff so it doesn't move while you're working on it. " 'Course," he said, "you'd have to take it to him first so he'd know what it looked like and be sure he could fix it after I got done with it."

"Is there anyone around you know of that could do that?" I asked

Some guy who came over said "Maybe ol' what's-his- name."

First guy says "maybe."

By now a couple of other guys have moseyed on over to see just what was so interesting. One of them says what is that thing anyway. I tell 'em it's a part from a 30 year-old motorcycle and one of them kinda makes one of those whistling noises people make when they're astonished or impressed or what-ever. One of the guys studies it for a while and says maybe the holes could be drilled out and some inserts placed inside the holes rather than all that cutting away and welding. I looked at the old guy hopefully and asked, "Could you do that?"

He looked at me and said "Hell son, you're talking about millionths of inches here." Then he wanted to know what one of these things cost. I told him about $150 but I couldn't find one anywhere and he said that what I was wanting to do if I could find someone to do it would probably cost $400 to $500 dollars.

There was some discussion about California and the Internet and I told them about the futility of that process so far. One of the guys wanted to know if I'd talked to Jerry about this. I told him I didn't think so but who was Jerry anyway.

He says, "Jerry runs C D Motorcycle and i bet if he doesn't have one he can help you find one. Shucks he may have one on the shelf!"

And so there it is. The consensus of the forum was that I should go to see Jerry. "He's out 903 past the bypass right next to Sambo's."

Jerry's on vacation.

Balls

The other week some kids were playing with my balls and they busted my balls. I have to admit my balls were not looking so good anyway, so yesterday morning (since I still haven't had any luck finding a source of parts for the Honda) I decided to spend some time on my balls. You know cleaning them up, shining them up, re-hanging them, etc. I think it’s probably safe to say that I now have the best looking balls in the neighborhood. (Kathy said she wished I had done them in pastels but I’ve always been more of a brass balls kind of guy.)

I KNEW IT WAS TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE!

We went to the beach for a couple of days after I ordered all those parts.  When we pulled into the driveway I was hoping to see a box of motorcycle parts that the UPS guy had dropped off.  Not there.  Well, there really wasn't time for them to have gotten here yet anyway...it was just wishful thinking.

Did I mention that I had found several sites on the Internet (brought to us by...)  Anyway after spending hours looking for parts on line, finding numerous sites that list every single part of the 1976 Honda CB500T right down to the smallest washer, most of which are no longer available through their site, I found one site that stated not all parts they list are available but if they show a price for a part they stock it.  That's where I ordered parts from. 

I didn't have any part when I got home, but I had an e-mail from the site I'd ordered parts from.  Two e-mails as a matter of fact.

The first e-mail listed the parts I had ordered which they couldn't send, because they didn't have them in spite of the fact that they were listed and had prices, and what did I want to do about the rest of the order.  The second e-mail said that since I hadn't responded to the first e-mail they were canceling the whole order.  Not really a big deal because the parts I needed the most were the ones they didn't have anyway.

I found a motorcycle salvage yard in Beaumont, TX which purports to be one of the largest motorcycle salvage yards in the US.  Hopefully they will respond in a more positive fashion to my inquiry as to what pertinent parts they may have in their stockpile.  Meanwhile I'm on hold here for a while.

KICK START

Sunday I was ready to order some parts.  Well actually I had ordered parts when I remembered the broken kick-starter  shaft.  I canceled the order and decided I'd better look into that kick start thing to see if I was going to need any parts for that beyond the shaft.

I knew the right crankcase cover needed to come off and I could see that the right exhaust pipe was going to have to come off in order to get the cover off...

The studs where the exhaust bolt to the engine were bent, and after about two hours of careful prying and shimmying (which resulted in me getting my head skint (#@@&??!!!) on the turn signal. I was able to get the collars holding the exhaust pipe off. 

Now the bad news:  I've gotten both crankcase covers off, and still can only see one end of that danged kick starter shaft.  Hmmmm.  Maybe I need to look at the book.

Hmmmm, step one; drain the crankcase oil,  Hmmmm,  guess that explains all that slippery liquid that came out unexpectedly.  Step something- or- other:  separate crankcase halves as in chapter 4.  Oh-Oh!  Chapter 4 is about the engine and it's... Whoa, you have to pull the engine to do that, and I can do that, I mean I did it to the old VW,right, but I'm not really ready for that just now, I just want to get the dog-boned thing running.  I've considered the fact that I may, at some point want to, or need to rebuild the engine, but I really wanted to ride it once or twice and maybe get attached to it, and you know, give her a nick-name so I could whisper sweet nothings to her while I was caressing and removing her cylinders heads.  You know what I mean, right?   But all that for a kick starter?

I don't know somehow it all seems a little too forward.

I ordered the parts I've decided I need to get the electric starter working.  If it starts and runs, all's well.  If not...Chapter 4.

PROGRESS?

Well, not really.

I guess I'm just gonna have to tear the thing apart and order some parts.  In spite of the Lock-Tite the screws holding the starter clutch to the rotor worked loose.  The holes in the rotor are just too far gone, and it looks like short of replacing the rotor this is going to be a continuing source of aggravation.   The good news is that it's cheaper to buy the whole alternator assembly than it is to buy a rotor.

I did learn what the awful clunking sound was that occurred when you let off the starter button.  Did I mention that sound?  Anyway the starter chain is a little loose and was jumping a couple of teeth on the sprocket sometimes when you let off on the starter, so that's good because it sounded pretty rough, like something was tearing up in there, but that's gonna be a relatively easy thing to correct.

It also looks like some light sanding with very fine grit sand paper and some rubbing compound is going to clean up enough of the rust to at least make it presentable.

 

RATS

Well, I didn't accomplish much yesterday.  Cleaned some parts, J-B Welded the wallowed out hole on the alternator stator and went shopping for some parts at a big bike shop up in Rock Hill.  That was rather thankless as the only thing they had on my list was the woodruff key.

When I put the alternator together this morning I was very optimistic.  Everything fit together snugly and seemed solid.  That was a big improvement.  Even the worn out screws seemed to fit tightly and I lock-tite-d them in.  I got everything back together and didn't have any left over parts, (that's always encouraging.)

The moment of truth came and I hit the starter button.  The engine turned over and fired briefly, but failed to catch.  I kept trying but was hearing that freewheeling sound again, and occasionally things would mesh properly and turn the engine over but it never actually did start.  I'm confident that the rotor is no longer slipping on the shaft so the starter clutch must not be locking on the starter sprocket fully.  The manual said to grease the clutch parts, and I did, but perhaps I gummed it up with too much grease.  I guess tomorrow I'll pull it back out and clean it up and try again.  (I'll also have to check the position of that 'neutral indicator' thing-a-ma-jig, 'cause right now it seems to think everything is neutral.)

Did I mention that the original starter switch is missing and that there is a makeshift button in the starter circuit that essentially puts the thing in a state of perpetual 'hot-wire?'  Well, that's the case, and while looking through the manual at the wire diagrams and comparing the schematics to the reality of what was actually there I noticed that there is no starter solenoid.  Hmmmm.  Did I mention that since it seemed like it was close to starting, I kept trying until that makeshift button kind of started smoking?

I guess I'd have to say that the most positive thing that I accomplished today is finding an on-line parts source that actually seems to have more parts "available" than "not available."

In the beginning

LiveJournal Tags: motorcycle,motorcycle repair,liquid tape,honda,honda CB500T,CB500 T,alternator

Saturday, June27
Today I took possession of a 1976 Honda CB500 T motorcycle.  My son Tony brought it up from Charleston for me to tinker with.  (I had made 2 failed attempts to drive down to pick it up.  Both times I was thwarted by my Jeep over-heating.)  Tony had owned this bike for about a year and had had limited success with getting/keeping it running.  He finally decided he'd rather ride his new Kawasaki than work on this old Honda.  I know almost nothing about motorcycles but have had a moderate yearning for one for a while but could never really bring myself to make the leap.  Perhaps the most astonishing aspect of this is that my wife didn't object.  She actually has been rather supportive to the extent that she actually found a friend to loan me a trailer with which to get the bike.  This is a major turnabout for her since in the past any mention of a motorcycle was met with scorn and ridicule.
Here's what I knew about this particular bike: a) it didn't run, although I had heard it run once, b) the electric starter was non-functional, c) the kick starter was broken off, d) when Tony had gotten it running it was never for very long.  I am looking forward to the challenge of getting this thing going at least as much as I am actually riding it.  Maybe even more because let's face it, at my age and with my total lack of motorcycle riding experience, I'm much safer sitting on the floor in my garage working on the thing than riding it.
Over all the bike looks to be in decent shape for being 33 years old.  The chrome is all bad, rusty and pitted (but solid) but not as bad as might be expected for being in the salty air for so many years.  I like the style of it a lot, and if I get her running and reliable it might be worthwhile to do some restoration, you know, get some parts re-chromed and what-not.
Tony also brought along a couple boxes of miscellaneous parts, some of which were for the electric starter which he had taken out since he couldn't get it working anyway.  the first thing we did Saturday was to reinstall these parts.  While doing so I noticed that there was a key way cut into the rotor for the alternator but there was no key.  This looked wrong but what do I know about these things.  After putting it together and trying it out it sounded as the engine was not turning, the alternator was just spinning around on the crankshaft.  Tony got out the manual and I was looking over his shoulder and saw a mention of the woodruff key.  I said we hadn't put one in.  He asked what it looked like and I drew him a picture.  He said he'd seen something like that fall out a while back and didn't know what it was and just tossed it into a box.  We found one at a small engine repair shop and installed it.  It wasn't an exact fit but we managed to get it in, but the battery was too weak to turn the engine over.
Then there were these three screws which kept mysteriously wearing out in the middle.  I think these were the original reason Tony had given up on the electric starter.  They connected the starter clutch to the rotor of the alternator.  The cause of this wear is obviously caused by the wallowing out of the hole where the dowel pin locks the clutch to the rotor, which can be seen in the right photo below.
                    
It was my feeling that the reason he could never keep the bike running very  long was that without the key in the shaft, the alternator wasn't actually charging the battery so when the battery ran down the bike quit.
The next day (Sunday June 28) we got a battery, charged it and installed it.  The engine turned over and actually fired up, but only briefly.  Then the poor fit of the key came into play and the rotor began mostly slipping again catching occasionally but not long enough to actually do any good.  But it was a promising sign, I thought.

Monday, June 29
I tore back into it and found another problem.  I actually think I may have created this one.  The wires for the alternator were damaged because they were not fun through the slot in the housing.  On a positive note I found the rubber grommet that was missing which caused the alternator wires to get damaged, and which Tony says had been causing a small oil leak.  At some point in time it had slid up the wires and gotten out of sight.  If I can find an electrical repair shop to fix those wires I'll be in good shape there.
I found another key today at Home Depot, but it isn't an exact fit either.  I'll either have to modify it or try to find one at a motorcycle shop.  (I actually found the right one on-line for @ $2.50 but the shipping was $14.95.)
Tuesday, June 30.
2 words..."liquid tape."
I took the alternator down to the auto electrical repair shop today.  The guy took one look and said "I don't really work on that stuff."  Where the wires were damaged he said he couldn't splice them because they wouldn't have room to be flexed in the housing the way they needed to be.  I knew that, and that was the reason I decided to take it to the shop.  I was hoping he'd just replace them, but he wouldn't do that.  Another guy came out of the back of the shop and told him to put some "liquid tape" on it.  The first guy said he didn't have any more.  I wasn't sure how to take this 'cause I'd never heard of "liquid tape."
Then the second guy says "just go over to Auto Zone or Advance Auto, they'll probably have some.  It's like the paste you used in school with the little brush and all."  Well, I was feeling a little foolish but I went to Auto Zone and asked for "liquid tape."  The sales-dude in Auto Zone looked kind of quizzical and asked a sales-dudette who pointed to a display on the counter.  Did you know they have a spray on product called "Liquid Duct Tape?"  Well, they couldn't find any of what I was looking for and didn't really know what I was talking about so I went to Advance.  I asked the clerk if they had liquid tape.  He actually knew what I was talking about but said that they no longer carried it.  He described it the same way the guy at the repair shop did so I figured maybe I wasn't actually on a snipe hunt.  I decided to try the local Wal-Mart Super Center, and what do you think?  They had it, and I bought it, and while it was kind of messy to work with, it seemed to do the trick.  Below are before and after photos of the damaged wiring and in the center:  what to look for if you have a problem.  (this is an unsolicited testimonial)