Installation Marathon - Final Drive, Wheels, Stand.

I had purchased new bearings for the entire bike, and that includes the front and rear wheel. I also wanted to get the rear final drive mounted and the rear wheel installed, so that is the subject of this posting.

I began by cleaning up the front and rear wheels and then taking that and the tires to the dealer to mount. They did a mount and balance for about $90, and then it was up to me for the rest.

I decided to work on the front wheel first, so I began by cleaning up and re-installing the disc brake rotors as I had removed them to clean them up. They were in great shape, but had some surface rust and needed to be cleaned up. Once I had those installed I needed to drive in the bearings and seals for the front wheel. I had purchased the All Balls bearing kit for the bike, and it includes the seals as well as sealed bearings for the front, so it was a complete kit.



I drove in the first bearing using a bearing driver and then a socket of applicable size. I then needed to properly place the center collar and then install the second bearing and seal. The pictures below show only one side of the bearings and also the seal for the Speedometer side of the wheel. This side has a larger seal to accommodate the speedometer drive. Once I had the seals installed and the speedometer drive ready to mount, it was a simple task of preparing the front axle for installation. I also needed to find the axle holders as I had powder coated them. Once found I installed the wheel and axle and then torqued the axle holder bolts to the proper torque, and the wheel is installed. All that remains for the front are the brakes and fender, etc.

For the rear end, this would require I install the final drive, build and install the rear brakes, and also install bearings in the rear wheel. I also wanted to install the center stand so I could take the bike down from the stand I had it resting on. The first thing I did was to mount the center stand. I had this powder coated and it looked great with no rust on it at all. I had also purchased a new spring as the old one was rusty and not in good shape. The installation went very well and I even mounted the down-tube holder for the breather tube. The spring was a bit of a hassle to install, but once in the entire bottom end looked great as you can see from the photo's.





Next I did the rear wheel - the tire was already installed and I had just done the front, so I had some readily available knowledge about driving bearings. That went very well and there aren't seals to drive so it goes well. One thing to note here is that I had purchased the All Balls kit for the rear as well. It comes with three bearings but you only end up using two of them. I had sent them an e-mail asking why they send it out with three bearings, and they told me they send it that way so that the one kit can accommodate more bikes. Whatever. I also installed the rear drive gear to the rear wheel as I had removed that for cleaning. It was also very greasy and the bolts were showing a bit of corrosion from sitting, so I was able to clean them up and they looked great.


Next I grabbed up the Final Drive to clean up and install. I hadn't wanted to tear this apart as it had very few miles on it and upon inspecting the gears and the other mechanisms it looked to be in great shape. This was a bit greasy and dirty, but it cleaned up very well. I also drained the gear lube from the case and it looked to be in fairly good shape and not dirty at all. I flushed this out with new lube so that it was coming out clean. I will refill it once I have the bike sitting properly on the ground. I then installed the drive. There are only three bolts holding that to the swingarm and they install and torque easily. I also connected the left side rear shock to the final drive.




Next I pulled out the rear brake panel to install pads and get that ready for installation. I had powder coated the rear panel and it looked great. I installed a new set of Vesrah brake shoes and also new Honda springs, retainer, and cotter pins. With that together I only needed to clean up the rear axle and I was ready to install the rear wheel.

The rear wheel is very easy to install and remove. Simply loosening and removing the axle is very easy, and then the wheel pulls from the final drive and it is off. Installation is the reverse. I began by placing the rear brake panel and brakes into the rear wheel, and then pushed the rear wheel into place on the final drive. I installed the space between the brake panel and the swingarm, and then installed the rear axle. This involves driving this from the right to the left side of the wheel and then installing the axle nut on the left hand side. Then you must torque this nut and the pinch bolt on the right side and voila, the wheel is on. I haven't hooked up the brakes or anything yet, but as you can see from the photo below it is looking good.

Next I will begin to work on the airbox and rear fender, as I need to remove the wheel to install those. I'll post more pic's as work progresses. Thanks for looking.

Rebuilt rear shocks and installed swingarm

I finally got more work done on the bike this weekend, and have the rear shocks cleaned up and the swingarm mounted. Next I will mount the tires and handlebars so I have a rolling chassis.

First the shocks. The shocks were in great shape, but were very dirty from sitting and also had some surface rust inside of the spring that was impossible to get to assembled. I purchased an automotive spring compressor from Harbor Freight for under $15, and was able to get them apart using some luck and trial and error. I used a piece of 1/2 inch bar through the bottom end, and then used a ratchet to compress the shock spring to get them apart.

Once apart I used steel wool to clean up the surface rust, and also did some very minor painting on a couple of parts that needed a touch up. I used soap and water to clean up the remainder of the parts as they were just dirty, and then assembled the shocks. Here are a couple of pictures of that process including the contraption I used to compress the shocks:

I then went to work on the swingarm. The swingarm had been powder coated and looked great. I needed to install new bearings as the old ones had been removed. This is all part of the plan to have 100% new bearings in this bike once the build is done. I purchased the required bearings from a dealer so they are 100% Honda parts. It was more expensive than I would have thought, and I definitely recommend not doing this unless necessary as for the price it is a small amount you are gaining by having new bearings. The ones I removed were in decent shape and I saved them in case I needed a replacement set down the road.

I drove in the bearings using a driver and also installed the other parts and the seals, and then mounted the swingarm. The mounting takes some work as you need to torque the mounts that hold the swingarm in place, and you need to also torque a locking not. It took some work to pull off and I used a hammer and punch to set the locking nut, but it worked OK. Here are some pic's of that process:

With the swingarm mounted I then installed the rear shocks so the swingarm could be held in place. Only the right shock connects directly to the swingarm. The left shock connects to the drive gearbox portion of the swingarm when that is installed. That is the next thing on my list to do, and then mount the front and rear tires. Here is what the swingarm looks like installed:

That is all for now. I plan more work tomorrow and hope to have a rolling chassis by the end of the day - I guess we'll see. Talk to you then.

CJ.

Installed the forks and head bearing

It has been a few months since I did anything, and so I finally got off my behind and got the forks installed. I started out by getting out the bearings and ensuring everything was there. I decided to use All Balls bearings as they are a taper bearing and not a ball bearing. Picture of the bearings is below. Notice they come complete with the top and bottom seals. They are a great kit and a great product and I highly recommend them.















Next was to get the bottom seal and bearing race on the bearing. It was very easy to get the seal onto the pipe, but the bearing is a press fit and I didn't have a driver. I had purchased a piece of pipe for the job, but didn't want to damage the bearing so I didn't use it. Instead I did a very patient tap on one side-tap on the other side approach. It took quite a while and a couple of rest breaks for my hammering hand, but eventually the bearing was seated - see the photo's below.

Next was to drive the seat into the top and bottom of the head on the frame. I had purchased a driver set for this and it went very easy. The final step was grease and then putting it all together. I have the Nighthawk manual of course, so I read that section and used the exploded drawing to get the order of parts correct for the installation. I first greased the bottom bearing and race, and then did the top bearing and race and put the pipe into the tube in the frame. I then added the seal and other parts, and screwed on the top nut for a finished install - sort of.

Once the top nut is installed then you install the lock nut and the sealing nut, and then you put on the top of the triple tree, and then the final locking nut. All of this needs to be setup properly as well. Once you have it all installed and mostly tightened down you need to get the book and read the final steps. This involves installing the forks and then setting the lock nut so that the proper pull on the front of the forks makes them move. This means you need to tighten the top bridge nuts so that they are putting enough pressure on the bearings to keep the forks in place until met with a set force. This force was 2.5 to 4 lb, so I used a fishing scale and hammer/punch, and slowly tightened the nut until the reading was right. It is at just over 3 pounds at the finish of this exercise.

The last step is to tighten the top nut to a torque of 70 to 90 foot-pounds. The top nut is a 32mm nut, but I happened to have a 1-1/4 socket that did the trick. And the job is done. Now to complete the install of the forks and get a front wheel on and I'll be darn close to a rolling chassis. Photo of the forks installed below. More coming soon I promise.

Cheers. CJ

Forks Rebuilt

I have two Honda CB700SC's, one I am rebuilding and one I pieced together and is my daily driver. Since I had rebuilt that bike I have had leaks in the front forks, and they are getting worse. I decided over the past weekend that I would rebuild the forks and replace not only the fork seals but the springs as well. I completed the job and it was worth the effort as my front end is now very firm and not loose at all, and it really responds well to a quick stop.

I started by getting together the tools I would need for the job. The main tools were the tool to hold the fork innards when removing the base nut. Also I would need a seal driver. I would also need all of the parts required, which luckily I had acquired after many months of scrounging and a last-minute spree at Dennis Kirk.

I started with the right fork and had that apart in no time. The seal came out and the fork came apart easily, but I needed to use the special tool to hold the innards to remove the base nut. I made this tool out of a piece of 5/8 inch threaded bar and then the nuts at the hardware store that would fit on it. I bough three feet of rod, two nuts, and a lock washer. On one end of the bar I attached the two nuts with the lock washer between them, and then tightened them as much as possible. This being done I inserted the tool into the fork and it found a connection on the inner damping rod. A picture of the tool in the damping rod is below. I also needed to drive the fork seal on, and for that I used a 1-1/2 piece of PVC to do the job. It fits right over the 39mm forks and drives the seal well. I used a 2 foot piece.

So much for buying tools you will only need once. Lastly in the tool dept. I needed to have something to measure the fluid level in the forks, so I devised a syringe and rod with a tube to do that. I measured the desired height and marked it on the rod, and then held the tool at that height until I was sucking air out of the forks.

I purchased a set of Progressive front fork springs and also bought Leak-Proof Moly Seals for the fronts. There are pic's below. Notice how much longer the Progressive springs are compared to the stock. They are a thicker spring and provide for a firmer ride.

Once I got the right forks back together I did the left forks. As you can see there are alot of parts to the left fork on this bike. And this is without the small piston that is still in the lower part of the fork. It was a small miracle when that finally came out.

Once I got the forks back together I installed them and then took the bike for a test ride. I have put about 200 miles on the upgrade and I must say I am very very happy. The old springs gave you no sense of comfort during an aggressive stop. The new forks are great and much more firm. I didn't drain much fluid out of the forks, so I am guessing they were fairly low compared to the spec's for the forks.

I also replaced the fork fluid with Mobile 1 ATF instead of standard ATF. I have read it has similar viscosity properties to a 10-weight fork oil, but is much more stable being a full synthetic. I am glad anyway as the ride is more firm and since I am a heavier rider it makes a big difference. I think the next mod will be the Progressive Suspension series rear springs and shocks.

On a final note I have received my parts back from the powder coater, and they look amazing. I will post some pic's when I get a chance. You have to see the brake calipers - unbelievable.

Thanks, Y'all

Craig

Finally - Powdercoating begins

I finally have everything sorted out and have the pile for the powder coater, so I dropped it off on Friday the 28th. Of course, as soon as I got home that night I realized I had a couple more smaller items to have them do as well - so I will need to drop off when I pick up. That is how it goes. Here is how the frame looked before powder. It is actually in pretty good shape, but very very dirty. The engine that was in this bike had an oil leak and you can see much of that on the lower portions of the frame. I am excited to see how it looks when I get it back.

I also dropped off several other items including the swingarm, triple tree, the rear grab rail, and many other small components for the frame. The dude at the powder coater commented that they don't normally get that many small parts, but it wasn't a problem. I also am having them do the master cylinders for clutch and brake, and the two brake calipers. The item I forgot to drop off were the covers for the carburetors. I have seen a set with the covers powder coated and it looks awesome. I'll bring them in when I take the luggage racks down, so it will be OK.

Yes, I said luggage racks (plural) and in this case multiple. I decided that since I can't seem to buy a used luggage rack for this this bike I will make my own. I have purchased 25 feet of 1/2 inch round solid aluminum, and some 5/8 round solid as well as some 3/16 x 2 inch flat. I have also purchased a small cutoff saw, a rod bender, and will use a solder brazing technique to make the racks. I plan to make at least three, and more if I can sell them. The last one I saw on e-Bay went for over $200, so if I can sell just one at that price I will break even. Just what I need - another project.

I also hit a minor setback this past couple of weeks dealing with paint. When I had originally purchased the bikes, they came with all of the decals to do the repaint, at least I thought. Upon review it seems I was missing both of the decals for the rear fairing. This shouldn't be a problem as they are supposedly available from Honda, but when I did the ordering I found out I can get the right one is discontinued. I have found another source that supposedly has one and have it on order with them now, so I am hopeful. That is the last item I will need for this restore before I go to paint. I did find out the label for the fuel tank and the right side cover are discontinued, and are nowhere to be found. Great! So much for authenticity.

I have ordered the remaining parts I am getting new, and have ordered from three separate vendors as the first two didn't have or couldn't get everything. I just received the orders from the first two, and you just gotta love the look of new parts in bags. Now all I need to do is remember where it all goes and I am set.

Preparing Parts for Paint and Powdercoat

I have been disassembling my latest 700 for a couple of weeks now off and on, and sorting parts into piles. One pile to go to the powder coater, one pile to the painter, and one pile for cleaning and reassembly. This part sucks because you have major decisions to make that can affect every part of the project, and you don't want to impact it negatively. I decided early on to repaint as the tank needed body work, the fairing was scraped up from a crash I am guessing, and I had decals to do all of this. I was going to paint everything including the frame, but decided to powder coat it after to talking to a painter.

I really struggled with how to redo this bike as it was in decent enough shape that with a few parts and some cleaning it would have been a decent enough bike once put back together. The downside though is that it has sat for over 10 years, so all of the seals are likely shot, the bearings likely need replacement, and the bike was dirty as heck. The motor did run though and I had run it in my first bike for about 200 miles before swapping it out because it leaked oil from a crack in the lower case.

Taking into account all of the parts I would need to put into it, I decided the bike wouldn't be worth as much as my investment if I didn't do a 100% job on the rebuild. As such I have decided to do a ground up rebuild of the bike replacing much of the worn or broken parts with new OEM parts. I decided to replace every bearing and seal on the bike including the wheels, swingarm, and head. I would make the bike as near to showroom new as possible.

I have been acquiring other as necessary, some OEM and some aftermarket. The major components I have been able to get new are as follows:

• Dynojet kit for stage 1&2
• Carburetor kits for all 4 carbs - new O-rings and float needles
• Progressive springs for the front
• K&N air filter
• New fork seals and wipers
• Front brake pads and rear brake shoes
• Kits for the master cylinders for brake and clutch
• Kit for the clutch Slave cylinder
• Kits for the front brake calipers to make them like new
• New mirrors
• Wheel bearing kits for the front and rear
• Head-Pipe bearing kit and seals
• I have many others too numerous to mention, and have more to order

I am still looking for a deal on Galfer cables for brake and clutch as well as Progressive shocks and springs for the rear wheel.

The items I have decided to powder coat are the following:

• The Frame
• The Triple Tree top and bottom
• The swingarm not including the gear transfer case which is pristine
• The brake mechanism from the rear wheel
• The mounting brackets for the engine
• The rear grab-bar that mounts to the fairing
• The handle bars if I can figure out how to remove the plastic from the LH side
• The foot peg mounting brackets for the front pegs along with other Peg parts
• About 10 other small parts

I have decided to paint the following items:

• The tank - needs to be sealed and dents removed as well
• The fairing - needs repair and body work
• The tail fairing - in good shape except for the current decals
• The side covers - also in good shape except for the current decals
• The front fender and mounting bracket

My next steps are to work on the remaining parts I will need for this build. I need to get a brake master cylinder as the one I have is shot. I also need to get rear mounting brackets for the pegs as those are shot as well. I'll keep looking on Ebay for those items, and if weather permits I may go out to the junkyard to do some prospecting. I'll upload some pictures when I get a chance.

First Pictures - CB700sc

Introduction to Craig's Nighthawk Page

Back in 1983 I was the lucky owner of a brand new Honda Nighthawk 650. I loved that bike and while selling it was a necessity I was very sad about not having a bike anymore. I had it for about 1 year and put about 8000 miles on it during that time.

Time warp to 2006 and I had a desire to own a motorcycle again. I had always wanted one but had decided I would just drive a car instead. I had recently started a new job that was a short drive to work, so a motorcycle would be a great way to commute in the summer.

Fancying myself as an excellent mechanic, I started looking for a project bike. Something simple would work, but a complete overhaul would be good as well. I had really liked the Nighthawk so I started looking at EBay and Craigslist for those. Most were overpriced for me or weren't what I was looking for. I really wanted a cheaper project bike. I posted a Craigslist add looking for one and had several replies, but most of the offers were for overpriced boxes of parts instead of something I would consider a project.

In November of 2006 I found a Craigslist ad for two 1984 Honda Nighthawks - CB700SC's. This isn't the bike I had owned, but they were a unique piece of history and I was very interested. The owner had one he had engine problems with and had gotten another running parts bike to do a motor swap. The parts bike had been laid down and had an oil leak, but it was mostly complete and did run. He had the motors out to do the swap, but then had gotten busy and they sat for a couple of years. He decided to get them out of his garage and move on with his life, so he listed them for sale on Craigslist.

I went to take a look and they were quite a mess. They were very dirty and somewhat disassembled with the motors out and no tanks on them. These bikes were basically complete but some parts would need replacement. But all things considered it was a heck of a deal for both bikes so I decided to buy them and all I ended up paying was a total of $250. I got the bikes home and stored them until April 2007 when I started working on getting one running.

This blog is dedicated to that process and the myriad of things I went through to get to the point of first having a running bike, then one that didn't leak oil, and then to having two running bikes. I have taken several photo's along the way thus far and will continue to post progress as I go along this journey. My goal is to first detail the work done thus far and bring things up to date, and then I will progress with the work being done on the restoration as it happens. I have had to fashion some tools along the way - I will detail those later on. I have also had to get parts and have found some great suppliers on the web and elsewhere and I will include links to those. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as I have thus far.