CB550 to the Loire (paging SWK electrics)

Well, I counted it out and I counted it back.

First big shock was haviung to *hammer* it to the hotel after getting
off the boat, because the boat was half an hour late and I knew what
time the hotel's restaurant shut.

Nothing goes as fast as TOG who's afraid he might miss his dinner.

Anyway, I wound it up to an indicated 90 and headed down the autoroute
for Abbeville 80 miles away, covering the distance in one hour. The
shock was running onto reserve at 73 miles.

That was about 30mpg, max. It *is* a thirsty bike. It doesn't seem to be
running rich, it just drinks fuel. Cruising it at 70-75 gave 43mpg later
in the weekend, but the moment you start using the revs above 6000rpm it
dives to below 40mpg. My four-piper K3 was never this bad. I *think*
they changed the carbs for the K3, because of economy issues with the F.
I'll check the Haynes BoL.

And it has a titchy tank - 2.5 gallons to reserve, or 100 miles. This
was a pain.

On the plus side, comfy, handles surprisingly well for a 25 year-old
Honda, and got me to ChateauRenault on the Loire in good time. Weather
was warm, and with a lot of luggage, it used a bit of oil, consuming a
litre over the whole weekend's 900-odd miles. Nothing untoward there.

It attracted some attention from the French Japanese SOB fiends (there
were a couple of CB750K7s there, an XS1100, a nice little GT125 twin,
and one or two other Japs) and some pitying glances from people who'd
ridden down on modern machinery. Generally, though, anyone who sees it
says: "Blimey, that's nice!" or "Blimey, I haven't seen one of those in
ages." Or, in one case, "My Dad had one of them." which really made me
feel ancient.

Tiniest of weeps from the r/h fork seal - just enough to stain the fork
stanchion, and not enough to dribble.

Only prob was switching on the ignition on Sunday morning - on came the
oil light but not the neutral light. I thought I'd knocked it out of
gear, but I hadn't. And the electric starter button wouldn't work. Eek.

It started on the kick, though, and the neutral light reappeared. This
intermittent fault persisted and now neutral light and electric foot are
utterly absent. No probs with the kick. All other electrics present and
correct.

It's not the bulb and I swapped the ignition switch over with the 400
Four and checked it's not that. Not the fuses either.

The CB550 *only* starts in neutral as a safety thang, and my guess now
is that the neutral light switch is the villain. The safety interlock
has to take its command from that, so I'll check the switch and the
wiring through the loom to the ignition switch.

Anyone else got any brighter ideas?

 

(The Older Gentleman)
wrote:

Is there a clutch sensor as well so you can start it with
the clutch in, in gear?

 

No.

Or at least, I'm 99.9% sure it's the same as the 400/4, which doesn't.

 

Did they have sidestand switches ? ( showing lack of knowledge) Does
it have a sidestand ?

 

No, those were the glorious days when you could ride off with your
sidestand down.

 

Ahh happy days...

 

You're right!

I zoomed in on the neutral switch earlier this evening. It works via a
cam on the end of (I think) the selector shaft, which, when the selector
shaft turns, operates the switch. It just wasn't making contact. Remove
switch, and see it's just a copper tang which bends under the cam and
makes contact. It was evident a piece had broken off.

I thought about it, and used one of those spade connectors (female
half), which I crimped onto the remaining tang, and then bent it until
contact was perfect.

Result: working neutral light and electric start. Cost: 40 minutes' time
and zero pence. I feel rather chuffed at a correct diagnosis and a neat
repair )))

 

The Older Gentleman said:

Oil change to remove (hopefully) the broken off bit? IIRC there's no
oil filter on those (apart from the centrifuge on the end of the crank).

 

No, the switch and cam are outside the crankcases, behind the sprocket
cover. Very handy. I was surprised they don't give more trouble (chain
goo and stuff flying around) until I saw that the cover has a casting
that actually separates the unit from the sprocket and associated gunge.
A remarkably simple and neat form of engineering. I mean, it's lasted 25
years before failing.

And yes, it has a proper oil filter, on the front of the block. Even got
the (near-essential) 17mm-headed aftermarket oil filter bolt, too.

 

Some of us love old Brit iron, but not that many people actually own
them. Most of those who do are aware of their virtues and failings.

MOT - old Ministry Of Transport acronym. Means the annual roadworthiness
check and accompanying certificate. Applies to all bikes and cars and
vans over three years old. The nice thing is that it considers
"roadworthiness" in the light of when the thing was made, so if it
didn't have indicators and decent functioning brakes when it was
made[1], then it doesn't have to have them now.

[1] That covers most British iron pre-1974, really. And decent brakes
only appeared on most Jap bikes in the 1980s.

 

Oh christ, I remember those - famous for rounding of the original 14mm
item, weren't they.

 

Yep, sounds exactly like the switches on my first bikes.

Good!

--
Ivan Reid, Electronic & Computer Engineering, ___ CMS Collaboration,
Brunel University. Room 40-1-B12, CERN
GSX600F, RG250WD. "You Porsche. Me pass!" DoD #484 JKLO# 003, 005
WP7# 3000 LC Unit #2368 (tinlc) UKMC#00009 BOTAFOT#16 UKRMMA#7 (Hon)
KotPT -- "for stupidity above and beyond the call of duty".

 

Or straight through pipes !

I think there is a perception held by a lot of British, that "Brit
Iron" as you call it, is unreliable, overpriced, leaky and difficult
to live with.

Also there seams to be so much Jap stuff about that is Cheap and
reliable, comes guaranteed with a left hand gear change and can take,
post 1980 ish Unleaded Petrol ( Gas) (1)

I would Love a Bonnie, but in the back of my mind is a tiny voice that
says " It'll let you down when it's dark, raining and miles from
anywhere. It will get stolen ! Parts are Soooo expensive ! etc

I bought my 1982 Jap (Import) for £1300 - 3 years ago. It has taken
me across London almost 320 times a year.
Has never stalled, always starts either hot or covered in Snow.
Costs about £100 to service. Crashed twice and still got me home.

Spare parts are cheap and plentiful, too.

Oh and it will do 70mph all day and commuting gives me 70 mpg.

Perception. and possibly my lack of brit bike experience (2) - most
likely.

1. Correct me if I am wrong on this.
2. Must rectify this.

 

Yup, and they weren't even 14mm. They were 12mm. I once had to remove
one with a set of plumber's grips and a hacksaw.

 

The Older Gentleman said:

Fair enough - I never had to bother with the one on mine as the starter
was shagged and to puny to start the engine anyway. Kick starts were OK
for the young Simes.

Of course - I'd completely forgotten that... Not sure I want to remember
it really. It was the G5 (and maybe CJ360T et al) that had no filter
apart from the centrifuge that only got cleaned when the engine was in
bits.

 

The Older Gentleman said:

Usually - although it was not unknown for the cam-chain tensioner to
take an early bath.

I remember rebuilding a GF's G5 - started off just fitting a new
cam-chain and tensioner and got carried away. When it was back together
it ran absolutely silently (for a few hundred miles then started usual
non-threatening rattles). I even nut blasted the outsides of the barrels
and crankcases until they shone.

 

Simon Atkinson fascinated us all by saying...

My CB250RS doesn't have an oil filter as such, just a poxy little filter
screen arrangement. It lasted 166,000 miles before going bang.

 

Lozzo said:

IIRC that wasn't entirely down to a filtration problem...

 

ROFL. I can see that you could derive a lot of amusement from that.

 

Simon Atkinson fascinated us all by saying...

It wasn't due to that at all, it was due to me not checkig the oil
regularly enough on a bike known to use quite a bit. I drained out less
than half a litre when I stripped the top end of the motor. I think some
RDs take more than that in their gearboxes.