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Date: Sun Dec 22 13:36:25 2002
Name: dave

Basmaf
If I think on I'll have a look when i get home (thats the beauty of having your bike in a million bits , the carbs are in a drawer !)but if memory serves me right the knob drives the throttle stop via a short flexible shaft ,if its siezed at the stop end theres a chance you'll snap the drive if you force it, give it plenty of WD 40 in the meantime.
Dave

Date: Sun Dec 22 10:09:13 2002
Name: Basmaf
Email: basmaf@ntlwold.com
URL: http://members.lycos.co.uk/basmaf/index.htm
Type: CBX 550F

Dave
This knurled plastic knob under the inlet rubbers between the carbs?
What do you do if the bugger wont turn, like mine ?
Can you get at the mechanism with just the tank off, or it is it carbs off as well ?
Thanks
-Basmaf

Date: Sun Dec 22 09:12:12 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
URL: http://www.geocities.com/harry_teicher/veteran_index.htm

Just have that link again , shall we, only this time it should work:

http://hjem.get2net.dk/bioscience/MCTANGEN/

...check out my other bikes under the "billeder" link (if you are really bored) or follow the "links" link to my own MC page at:

http://www.geocities.com/harry_teicher/veteran_index.htm


Harry

Date: Sun Dec 22 09:06:22 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Type: CBX 550F

... off I was! Brilliant, pottering about at low revs on a frost clear night, a few short bursts past the light night revellers on their way home (cheers, applause), a quick wheelie to clear the carbs, and now she is out in my shed ticking quietly to herself as she cools off. (Sorry, I tend to get carried away, you need to remember I am an all-year MZ rider so the performance from my Honda, apart from being the culmination of my pubescent dreams, is the sort of thing that leaves me dreamy eyed and distant for days on end). Actually, the reason I have her is that I am the treasurer and web master of our newly started local MC club (http://hjem.get2net.dk/bioscience/MCTANGEN), and about a month ago we went to visit another club which has a (female, and very nice thank you) treasurer with a 1100cc cruiser, who asked me what I rode (snigger) and when I replied a MZ150TS there was a stunned silence from the 50 or so hairy, viking type bikers at the bar and I am not going to tell you the rest but that is why today there is a lean, mean 550F ticking quietly in my shed. And why Santa is going to have one less parcel in his sleigh come Wednesday.

Date: Sun Dec 22 09:05:11 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Email: harry_teicher@yahoo.com
Type: CBX 550F

Felicitations all, and seasons greetings etc.

Well, to counter the father in laws curse I hooked my recumbant 550F up to the car battery, and...again no luck! On a sudden flash of inspiration I put my hand on the outlet of the exhaust pipe and.....no compression, just the faintest of flatulence! Ah! thought I, bugger, the starter motor寄 turning, but the pistons arent - must be the starter motor clutch....opened the timing cover and saw that the starter clutch was turning. Hmmm, plug out, son寄 paintbrush down the hole and crank the motor and bloody hell did that paintbrush shoot out of the hole at a rate of knots - most of them due to the fact that I had about 10.000 volts passing through me AND THEN THE LIGHT DAWNED: fouled plugs (due to my repeated attempts over the last two weeks to impress all and sundry by starting the motor and letting the engine burble along)and resultant diversion of spark / lack of ignition....well, to cut a long story short a couple of shots of contact cleaner, some wire brush, screw everything together and (continued)

Date: Sun Dec 22 03:52:25 2002
Name: Dave
Type: CBX 400K

John
Theres a knurled plastic knob under the inlet rubbers between the carbs.
Dave

Date: Sun Dec 22 02:28:25 2002
Name: JOHN HALES
Email: HALESTSS@AOL.COM
Type: CBX 550F

HELLO CHAPS I KNOW THIS SOUNDS SILLY ,BUT HOW DO YOU ADJUST THE TICK OVER AS I CAN NOT SEE ANY OBVIOUS ADJUSTMENT SCREWS .I NOT HAD BIKE LONG UP UNTIL RECENTLY I HAD YAMAHAS BUT I AM IMPRESSED WITH THE PERFORMANCE

Date: Thu Dec 19 04:19:16 2002
Name: 

Thanks for that Rob , I'll bear it in mind , I live in cheshire so its quite a distance , why was your motor stripped ? youre dead right about the probable wear inside the engines we use every day and I would have tollerated mine but for the chain wear and gearbox shaft.Just been in touch with a guy in blackpool ( totally opposite direction )whos selling a motor in bits with an unknown history for 75 might think about that but I'm browsing the likes of the loot for a complete bike, someone wants to offload for spares or repair,the trouble is its very tempting to say sod it and buy another hack for about 700 !
Dave

Date: Wed Dec 18 09:23:49 2002
Name: Rob
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

Hi Dave
sorry to hear the final sorry tale. I suppose in some sort of strange way you have to give the bike some credit for holding together like it did.
And on reflection i bet that if most of us here were to do a full strip down we would find a few things we would rather ignore!!

I take it you will be getting a copy of MCN tommorow to check out the breakers? If there are any breakers in my area,im in northamptonshire,you want me to contact or help you with transport wise let me know and i will try to help as best i can.

If you want a bottom end, i have my donor bike for spares but the motor has been standing for longer than i dare think about. I have been using it for cycle part spares.

Rob

Date: Wed Dec 18 07:37:01 2002
Name: Dave
Type: CBX 550F

Thanks for the sympathy chaps and Harry, minus ten !! I'd be praying the bike wouldnt start in those temperatures ! Neil if you flick back through the pages you'll see that top end rattles figure big time on cbx's ! although a cam chain swap cures most of them , not though in my case for the full gory details read on ...are you sitting comfortably ? then I'll begin ,It all started at the top end , scored cams and bearings , which I was prepared to live with , broken cam chain guide , and worn tensioner blade ,cam chain stretched thirty mm of spec ( and that was the good news !) crankshaft bearings scored , main bearings down to the "copper ", primary chain thirty mm over spec and tentioner destroyed , clutch plate half the thickness they should be along with springs below minimum length and if that lot wasnt bad enough the needle bearing on the end of the primary drive shaft was totally gone ( the shaft had been flapping around in the bearing outer case and is now half the diameter it should be !) oh and I almost forgot several of the crankcase bolts snapped or stripped , in fact the only servicable parts were the spark plugs ! and I'd thrown them away.With all due credit to the honda I been happily riding round wales with the motor in this state all summer and even seen 120mph on the speedo on one down hill stretch,but what now ? if I can find a decent motor at the right price I'll go down that route , or even move the cycle parts , brakes, suspension etc onto my old 360
mournfully Dave

Date: Wed Dec 18 02:40:41 2002
Name: Neil
Email: neil_white@jurysdoyle.com

Was looking to buy an 84 CBX550f2 and found one with a bit of a rattle in the top end, Is this normal??

Date: Wed Dec 18 01:59:09 2002
Name: tony Germin
Email: gve@passport.ca
Type: CBX 550F

I have recently purchased a cbx550f with 26k Km.

runs great looks great. I had one 15 years ago . still love it

Date: Tue Dec 17 16:35:23 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Type: CBX 550F

Bad news, Dave. FYO, theres a breaker here in Denmark who has a 550 motor for sale for 9000kr (about 850 pounds, if my memory serves me right)....

BTW.... thanks for your answer to my previous posting. Funny thing, had the inlaws over on Saturday, took the old man into shed for a quick beer and started the motor no problem, all cylinders go (you know the procedure: me baring teeth like a collie who just shit on the carpet, him shaking his head darkly and muttering something about "when I were a lad, one cylinder were enough for the like of us.." under his breath)...anyway, later same day I went out again to start, and there was lots of chugging but no bang, as it were - fuel ok, spark ok,idiot lights ok, battery recharged, start spray applied, priming a la your method: still no joy. But it is now about -10C in my shed and the battery plates look a bit strange, so I figure the spark is not strong enough to bridge the 0,7mm spark gap under compression, so I will try to start with the car battery come weekend.

Harry

Date: Tue Dec 17 10:47:29 2002
Name: rob
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

hi Dave
things sound pretty grim! from the story so far i guess its bottom end?
aint bikes just great! just like life! one minute your having a whale of a time, the next it prods you in the eye with a shitty stick. just what you need at this time of year.
If things look real grim you could always scrap it and buy a second hand ZZR1100. on second thoughts dont! just think of all those speeding tickets, or worse the ban!!

Rob

P.S. sorry to sound so depressing, but i have a stinking cold at the moment, so i dont see any reason why anyone should be happy!

P.P.S Keep it comming Dave, I hope that we can be of help if you need it.

Date: Mon Dec 16 18:41:34 2002
Name: Dave
Type: CBX 550F

Honda RIP
Story to follow , but basically the further I delved into the motor the worse it got ! now looking for a new motor , or a new bike or a new life !
ps nice site Basmaf
Dave

Date: Mon Dec 16 08:07:32 2002
Name: Basmaf
Email: basmaf@ntlworld.com
URL: http://members.lycos.co.uk/basmaf/
Type: CBX 550F

Hi
For those of you who want to read the inane drivel of my newly aquired CBX, go to my website.
http://members.lycos.co.uk/basmaf/
Thanks for all the help so far guys.
I am still waiting for the next installment Dave. Well done.
-Basmaf

Date: Fri Dec 13 03:21:10 2002
Name: dave

Rob
maybe the change of bushes was a honda afterthought ! mines a'83 model and it had bushes made of something that resembled mild steel ! complete with a grease groove round the outside but it still managed to wear through the link, been studying the cam chain tensioner for a couple of hours today ( i know I'm sad ) trying to work out hondas thinking ,removed that rubber sleeve on the spring and the whole assembly works better! also figured a way of asessing tensioer travel used and whats left without stripping motor ... to be continued/
Dave

Date: Thu Dec 12 12:05:10 2002
Name: Gord Bain
Email: baysend@shaw .ca
Type: CBX 550F

Have just completed restoration of an '83 CBX 550F (white/red/blue). It was in storage for 14 years and in reasonable original condition with 26,000km on the clock. It now looks great and runs strong (with the exception of a few minor tuning needs). I was lucky enough to find a new set of factory pipes, as the original set literally fell off.

I have an assortment of parts available if anyone is in need (plastics, frame & engine parts, right side pipes etc.)

Does anyone know if tank decals are available either OEM or aftermarket?

Thanks...Gord

Date: Wed Dec 11 22:10:07 2002
Name: Dave

Harry
If memory serves me right cyls one and three share the same ign system like wise two and four so unless its a plug fault I'd go for carburation , now heres a thing I've read that the cbx has a prime position on the fuel tap but mine hasn't so whenever I start her up after she's been standing for a while I get down on my knees and suck ( phnar phnar )the vac pipe to the fuel tap to prime the motor ,otherwise like yours mine stars up on a couple of cylinders.
dave

Date: Wed Dec 11 17:52:12 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Type: CBX 550F

To those of you breathlessly clicking on the mileage link below, to no avail, it seem you need to cut-and-paste the link to your address window in the menu bar (at least in my version of Netscape).

Hae a good day now, y'all
Harry

Date: Wed Dec 11 17:07:24 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Type: CBX 550F

Oops, sorry, not trying to spam.

While I have your attention: last night I started the motor prior to an oil change, and noticed that only 2 exh. pipes where hot (from drivers view, left 1 and 2). After a few minutes and a short spin out front, the other two cylinders came into life. Temperature about -5degr C; REDEX and carb alcohol antifreeze) added to fuel tank. If this should happen again, where should I start troubleshooting: carbs or electronics?
Regards
Harry

Date: Wed Dec 11 17:00:32 2002
Name: 

http://www.geocities.com/harry_teicher/mileage.xls

Date: Wed Dec 11 16:54:16 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Email: harry_teicher@yahoo.com
URL: http://www.geocities.com/harry_teicher/mileage.xls
Type: CBX 550F

I have started to compile a listing of high-mileage motorcycles (hey, wow, get a life), in order to answer the question "How far can a motorcycle go?" At the same time it could be interesting to identify which makes and models go furthest, and (more interesting) whether daily workhorses go further than round-the-world tourers. To my knowledge, no analysis of this type exists on the net today (gee, I wonder whether this will make me rich?). The list is available as an Excel file on www.geocities.com/harry_teicher/mileage.xls
Already after the first dredge of the internet, I was able to compile a list just over 40 150+Tkm machines. Of course, the Honda Goldwing series is a prominent player, while BMW is sure to be highly represented, once I locate some figures. Interestingly, one of the highest mileage machines is a CD 250, which suggests that there are other, simple workhorses out there with heroic mileages - like the MZ with 170Tkm, and the CBX with 210Tkm. So, if you have some relevant figures or links, please send them to me!!

Date: Wed Dec 11 09:40:57 2002
Name: rob
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

nurse with medication! hang on, just trying to think about it.......thats some girl in suspenders and uniform carrying a beer!!............mmmmmmmmmm........beer. oh sorry i seem to be drooling.

anyway, more to the point, some years ago, i seem to remember replacing the bushes on the pro-link. now correct me if i am wrong, but i thought that they were made of plastic? dont remember replacing any of the linkage arms?

By the way, if you enlarge the drillings, and find that the oil pressure has dropped, correct me if i am wrong guys, but one would assume that if you increase the quantity of oil that should raise the pressure? am i being over simplistic?

please feel free to tear this theory apart anyone.

rob.

P.S. im off to get a can of stella and a pair of stockings for the wife.....doctor and nurse tonight dear!!!

Date: Sun Dec  8 23:09:10 2002
Name: Dave

Rob
Yes,when the motors back ( or if )I might replace the pressure switch with a pressure gauge , which will indicate pressure at the main bearings before the one m.m. restrictor and progresively open up the flow to the cams to see if the bottom end pressure is effected, but then again I might leave it and go for a ride ! It never ceases to amaze me whenever you delve into the workings of bike engines (even japonese ones) the extremes of over and under engineering that you find, given hondas reputation for weak top ends and cam chains you'd think there'd be more oil up there than a Texan oil field !Take also the rear suspension linkage bushes ,they are so designed to bear on the links themselves so not only does the bush wear you also have to replace the links , when I rebuilt mine I simple made a press fit bearings that bears on the hardened pivot pin , its been trouble free for the last three years, and theres the front disc caliper on older hondas that not only carry wet weather warnings but have an ADJUSTER , really an adjuster on a self adjusting hydraulic caliper , that got throwm aswell.
there I feel better for that, got to go, heres the nurse with my medication!
TTFN Dave

Date: Sun Dec  8 20:37:08 2002
Name: rob
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

Dave
the bit about the rubber sleeve is mentioned in the "know how" bit on the first page here.
the bit you mentioned about enlarging oilways is common on some european bikes, on guzzis it is a recognised mod, but then again like you i would be worried about the lack of oil at the bottom end.
Any volunteers?

rob

Date: Sun Dec  8 07:28:37 2002
Name: dave

yes its me again , it just occured to me that when I was inspecting the head and assosiated oilways there was a lot of sludge , and I dont do short trips and do an oil and filter change every two thousand miles ( plus a pint of fresh oil once a week)this combined with a restrictive oil feed ( see below ) dont boad well , in fact from what I've seen a good flush out with flushing oil wouldnt be a bad idea and then one of those molibdium addatives with the new oil may cure a lot of ills.
Dave

Date: Sun Dec  8 07:19:54 2002
Name: Dave

Sorry Basmaf didn't hit the "refresh " button before I wrote that , as I see it from my humble position( and dont forget the mighty honda corporation are only now making reliable cam chain tensioners ) causes of cam chain rattle are , broken guide , see below ! ,worn chain and you could only prove that by either process of elimination ( expensive)or stripping the motor and measuring it, faulty cam chain tesioner , now this is interesting, if it had fell to bits that would be easy to diagnose but if hasn't it comprise of a guide which may wear, but from my experience they all wear down initially and then stop ,the spring could get weak or the locking mechanism may slip , if mines typical it looks like it just left the factory ! my first advice ( but dont forget I'm on a steep learning curve here)would be to remove the valve cover and shine a bright light down the cam chain gallery , now I dont know if you can see down here with the engine in the frame,and all will be reveeled , in fact if you follow the factory instructions for releasing the tensioner ( screwdriver and a hooked wire, you can actually see and feel the tensioner take up the slack , or not as was my case, because the guide had broken there was too much slack for the tensioner to get rid of!
hope this helps but it'll probable confuse you even more !
Dave

Date: Sun Dec  8 06:49:49 2002
Name: Dave

Found problem with slack cam chain, the guide on the opposite side to the tensioner has snapped in the middle !on a plus side the bores are like new , no "step" or ovality, same with the rings like new ,this pleased me no end untill .... removing the ignition sensor , as I was unbolting the rear one of the two.... CRACK!, you all know that sound, its the one that sends shivers down your spine , its the noise that makes you look away in silent prayer , "perhaps its not broken !" but you know it is , this really sent me into pits of dispair untill .. I noticed the other sensor ( the one I hadn't touched ) had also been broken by a previous owner and was happily sat there full of oil and working perfectly , now I've got a matching pair !
the story continues Dave
Oh I almost forgot, why on earth have honda in their infinate wisdom decided to put a rubber sleeve around the camchain tensioner spring ? after the spring commpressed a few m.m. it bottoms out on this device, that's going or at least shortened , come to think of it havent I seen this mod in these pages ?

Date: Sun Dec  8 03:51:34 2002
Name: Basmaf
Email: Basmaf@ntlworld.com
URL: http://members.lycos.co.uk/basmaf/
Type: CBX 550F

Hi chaps and sorry Dave.
Panic set in and I ordered a cam chain tensioner set Thursday
The reason, well the tititi sound seemed to be getting louder and by the time I had arrived at work, was so loud that secretaries were even asking if there was a problem with it. (Not a good sign)
I finally had the chance to take her for a good run today, the first one in a while.
All the cam chain noise disappeared by the time I had got home. Errrrrr.
The only thing I can think of is the usual winter problem.
The oil is not getting warm enough on my 3-mile ride to work.
I am planning to change the tensioner anyway, as I reckon there is a problem, but, any other ideas please.
Can't wait for the next instalment Dave.
Thanks.