CB650: The Jersey Devil Project

Picking up the fuel tank today. My buddy finally was able to weld shut the hole that the previous owner had patched with a pop rivet. Also, he welded shut two seams on the swing arm that the factory had left open. I'm going to keep working to get the engine cleaned up and the the last piece of the frame cut off this weekend.

 

@LightGuy, yes I have, but not often. I'll have to remember to set my DVR.

In other news, I got several of the engine covers, save the clutch cover (since I've not drained the fluids yet) bead blasted and ready to be painted with some high-temp stuff. I'm not sure I'm feeling the gold valve covers though as it just looks a bit out of place with all the other silver accents and it just looks so "clean" with silver valve covers. Decisions decisions.

I ordered many of the bits for the front end last night (grips, mirrors, etc.) and will be ordering the switch gear and clutch and brake levers tonight, hopefully. Haven't made any progress on cutting off the last frame mount but that'll come with time. I think I'm going to start piecing the frame and suspension back together so I can figure out where the side stand needs to be welded on. Then I can pull it back apart and get back to figuring out the seat, rear sets, etc.

Can anyone recommend a good place to get custom vinyl masks/decals? I want to put an old school Honda wing on each side of the tank but I'd rather it be painted on than a sticker or badge so I need to get some masks cut.

 

Clutch perch & lever, brake master reservoir & lever, Start/stop switch-gear, left side switch-gear (hi-low beam, turn signals, horn, flash to pass, etc.) with built on choke lever, throttle assembly, key-less flush mount fuel cap, fuel line, and a glass bodied in-line fuel filter are all on their way now too. Lots more to order and do yet but moving slowly is still moving!

 

Last night, I loosely assembled the handle bars with all of the components I've received so far. New grips, bar end mirror (I'd say mirrors but I mistakenly ordered one instead of a pair so I'm waiting on the other to arrive), a start stop switch set from some Yamaha model (can't recal the particular one off the top of my head), headlight/horn/turn signal switch with integrated choke from a CBR600 F3, and a new throttle tube from Dime City Cycles. All-in-all, I think it looks pretty nice and everything goes toegether aestheticaly but I'm still waiting on the brake reservoir/perch, clutch perch, and levers to arrive.

This weekend I'll piece a bunch of the frame back together and get some pictures of the work I've done so far. Time to finally decide where the side stand is going back on, what to do with the rear seat frame, and if I need to order handle bar risers or not. Also planning to finally drain the engine oil and clean the block up for touch up.

I'll be sure to post some updates along with my pictures at that point.

 

I think I'm going to go with a more traditional "cat's eye" style under the tail hoop. Small and tucked in above the license plate which I also have to figure out how to illuminate. Do you have an image/example of what you're talking about?

I've been thinking about using a seat similar to this one DCC Seat with a white tail and black seating area, but haven't decided on that yet either.

 

Well, I think I've figured out how I can modify the rear frame to be "flat" and need to get together with my buddy (the welder) see make sure its something he thinks/knows he can do before I start cutting. I've started putting things back together to check fitment, what's missing, etc. So far, so good. In the next 2-3 weeks I should be able to get the side stand welded back onto the frame and the engine back in. I REALLY need to sit down and come up with a project plan for this instead of constantly jumping back and forth from item to item!

I believe I've settled on the wheel/tire combo finally too. I'm going to lace my CB650 hubs to a 2.15x18 front rim with a 100/90 tire and a 2.50x17 rear rim (going to use OEM Honda DID rims) with a 130/80 tire. This will essentially keep the rear tire diameter the same as what was on it and decrease the front by 1" overall. That will rock the stance of the bike forward a bit without having to mod/lower front forks or try to raise the rear height. I know it means I'll have to get whatever speedometer I opt for recalibrated, but well, oh well. I need to find that front rim now (looking for a used one for price reasons).

In other news, I think both sets of Carbs I have for the bike are from a CB750 instead of the CB650 which should be a hell of a lot easier to tune/re-jet!
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Ok, so it looks like they're more likely carbs from a 1981 CB650 but still easier to work with than the 1980 versions. Odd part is that everything says the 1981-2 carbs won't fit a 1979-80 block head... my "box of parts" has a entire engine head in it. I wonder if someone previously replaced the entire top end of the engine so they could fit the "newer" style of carbs on it. An interesting twist to the story.

 

Today I started changing out the external engine hardware with 316SS socket head cap screws. Unfortunately I forgot to order sealing washers so a lot of it will have to come back off to have e correct washers put in. So far, I like how it's going though. I still need to take the clutch cover, oil pan, and oil filter cover off to clean and paint as well as paint the alternator cover (oil pan and filter cover in black, rest in silver) then paint the little logo/details on the covers with black backgrounds. I'll probably check the cam clearances before I put the caps on again. Looks like there's a minor leak from the oil pump to tend to also as well as some general cleaning up to do before it goes back in the frame.
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Just some clean up and a little detail work this weekend. Started filling in the indented stuff on the engine covers like the "HONDA" and "MADE IN JAPAN" visible in the picture below. Still working on the rest of the covers too. Not perfect, but good enough for the time being. A big positive though is that I dropped the frame off at a local custom bike shop to get those pesky frame rail "drops" addressed. Hopefully by the end of the week, I'll have my frame back with flat seat rails from tank to tail!
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Still waiting on the frame to come back (ok, so he's supposed to call me once its cut and tacked together to get approval before finish welding it but hasn't gotten to it yet) but I was able to get a few more parts cleaned up and ready for paint:

the header mount collars
the engine panel which covers the oil pump, starter motor, and drive sprocket
side stand post
front axle clamps

Not sure I'll get to it this weekend but I still need to get the engine cleaned up and find out where the leak around the oil pump is coming from. I'd like to get the edges of those cooling fins cleaned/polished or painted a lot better, and the oil pan and filter cover painted also. Since I'm finished with the very limited mount of work I wanted to do on the rear swing arm, I think its time to get it stripped, prepped, painted, and ready for install. I should do the same with the front forks which need repainted and to have the chrome tubes polished where there is surface pitting and rust (not where the seals slide but in the tripple tree area). What do you guys think about fork gaiters vs. exposed chrome tubes?

To end on a positive note, I just ordered a wheel from eBay that has the correct size rim that I want to use for the front wheel! Its the rear wheel from a '74 CB750 and it appears that the hub on it may be in better shape than the current CB650 one I have so who knows, it may mean better condition components all around.

 

Well, last I checked with the shop, they'd still not cut into my frame yet. Oh well, its not as though I'm in a hurry. My new wheel is on the way! I'm hoping to find some time this week to paint all the parts I cleaned up as well as patch the one remaining hole in the gas tank and get the new gas cap installed. I bought some JB Weld putty filler for fuel tanks (was recommended on several websites) but I'm thinking it wouldn't be a bad idea to get some auto body solder isntead. Thoughts?

Another thing I'd like to work on is replacing all the sealing washers that I didn't put in before and adding anti-sieze to the SS bolts as well as replacing any others I can and order the remaining hardware I need. I need to get the rear swingarm masked off and ready for paint too...

I found out today though, after a thorough sand-blasting that my headers are riddled with pin holes and heavily corroded. I'm not sure if I'll try to fill the holes and some of the corrosion with the high-temp JB Weld stuff that's made for patching exhausts and then just wrap these as I do like the look and won't be terribly upset when they wrot in the long run.

Ok, so I think the next best step for me would be to come up with a project plan so I don't keep jumping back and forth. I think I've even mentioned this before!

 

Last night, when I got home from work, I drug the spoke wheels I bought out into the driveway and removed the hubs from the rims with an angle grinder. When the new wheel shows up I will do the same and get them all completely disassembled and ready for powder coating. When they go out for coating, I'll order the spokes, rim strips, wheel bearings, tubes, etc. that I need so I can get them laced, trued, mounted and balanced and ready for use.

Before I called it a night I did a bit more research on-line and have decided to attempt to salvage (for the time being at least) my headers. I found a Permatex product that is supposed to be ok up to 2000F and comes in a putty form so I can use it to fill in the pin holes, corrosion dimples, etc. I'll coat the headers with an appropriate high temp primer/paint and then put on some header wrap once they get installed again.

This week/weekend's goal is to get the apart and cleaned, get the rest of the replacement hardware for the engine and the carbs ordered, get the wheels ready for powder coat, and get the fuel tank patched up, cleaned out, gas cap installed, hole sealed, dents filled, and a first coat of primer. Of course I'd like to get my frame back but that's out of my hands for now.

No more post whoring until Sunday night unless something awesome happens.

 

Due to several factors, I didn't get as much time working on the bike this weekend as I was hoping for, but I still made some progress.

1. Fuel Tank: I got the fuel tank stripped down, completely, to bare metal and primered. I also got the hole patched and many of the larger dents (specifically the two where the badges would have mounted) filled in with JB Weld to a good enough degree that I can finish everything off with body filler. I did not get the fuel cap installed yet though.

2. Rear Suspension: I've got the rear swing arm stripped and primered, with the shocks, chain tensioners and all assembled on the floor of the garage and ready to mount to the frame (when I get it back) to mock everything up. There are a few minor areas that will need either some body filler or JB Weld and sanding to smooth out, but all-in-all, looks very good.

3. Triple Trees: I got both of the triple tree clamps stripped and painted, ready to go and looking good! The clamps, wheel hubs, and other frame items are/will be gloss black. The engine and carbs will be a matte/satin black with gold top covers. The rims will be a matching gold to the engine covers. The seat will be a diamond stitched black leather/vinyl with a white rear seat cowl. The rear fender/hugger (haven't decided exactly what to do here yet) will be white, the front fender and tank in Honda's standard motorcycle red.

There are a few other things that I worked on this weekend including some paint here and there and replacing more of the engine hardware with stainless socket head cap screws. I need to get the wheel bearings removed from the hubs and the old tires removed from the rims yet. Maybe I need to buy a few more tools?

 

Here's a picture of some of the freshly painted components.
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I talked to the shop yesterday afternoon and they've finally begun to work on my frame! Sounds like there's a good chance I may have it back this weekend yet. I will post a picture ASAP.

In other news I found a local powder coater and am working on getting my hubs and rims prepared to take in. I've got 4 out of the 5 wheel bearings out but this last one is being a real pain in the arse. I'm not sure if I will eventually get the entire frame powder coated or if I'll just give it a good 3 stage paint after I know everything is finished. The rattle can job right now is just to stave off corrosion and to see how things will look when completed.

Lastly, I spoke with another friend from work who is opening a little machine/fab shop at his house as a part-time job and will be getting some frame bracing and other misc. welding done soon too.

Its almost time to start piecing things back together and getting the engine running!

 

I went to the shop last week to look at what they had mocked up for my frame and after talking to them a bit more, decided it wasn't the best approach so they're working on a "better" solution that we agreed on. I know it is going to cost more, BUT I'd rather it be done right once than twice wrong.

-I still haven't been able to get the last wheel bearing out.
-My coworker has the fuel tank to weld the last little hole shut.
-Got the handle bars together with all the switch gear, new throttle, etc. Have to get new grips yet though. (Yes I'd done this before, but then I realized I couldn't run the bars "upside down" and that the throttle I'd ordered wasn't ideal for the style of cables I have so I had to take everything apart and start again).
-Last night I picked up a stud extractor from Habor Freight and removed the rusted and bent exhuast studs. The eventually replacement will be Stainless Steel cap screws but I'm unsure of the required length yet so I've put some spare ones in just because I can.

I haven't had a lot of time to work on it over the last week or so due to family obligations, stuff being so out-of-wack at work, etc. I am going to follow up with the shop today to see if the new frame solution is mocked up yet.

 

Thanks! Today I got a few more things done too. I cut the old tires from the wheel hoops, so as soon as I can get the last wheel bearing out I'm ready to start getting my wheels assembled. I got quite a few other pieces ready to clean up. The rear wheel including the drum brake cover is ready to clean up. The front forks are ready to be cleaned up since I was able to get the studs out of them. I need to order a few small parts like studs, nuts, washers etc. Here's a picture of one of the engine covers I finished painting today:
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Forgot to post a picture the handlebars. The throttle is brand-new so are the right-hand control switch, and the bar end mirrors. All of these are from Dime City Cycles. The left-hand control is from a late 1990s Honda CBR600 F3 and has an integrated choke lever. I like it because it cleaned everything up quite well but it will mean I have to get new throttle clutch cable maybe eventually. The master brake reservoir perch as well as the clutch lever perch are also brand-new.
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Wax, I'm glad you're still entertained but I'll be honest, I wish it was moving along a little bit faster. Oh well, at least its moving!

Update: I finally was able to get the last wheel bearing pressed out of the front hub! It took a little redneck engineering (spare head bolt, one of the arms from my bearing puller assembly, a piece of 4x4 and a breaker bar) but I got it out cleanly! So both of the hubs are ready to be cleaned up now, as is the oil filter cover. The last bit of progress to report is that I was able to get 3 of the 4 carbs completely broken down. All-in-all, they were pretty clean but I'm going to clean them up, paint them up, and replace all of the seals and o-rings just the same. Its pretty interesting really and this is the first time I've ever worked on a carb, let alone a full bank of them!

I received the Amsoil oil and filter I ordered too so that's nice to have ready. I'll have to follow up with the shop on my frame mods and my coworker on the tank. Hopefully I'll have both back by the end of the week so I can keep moving.