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Date: Mon Dec 30 20:08:50 2002
Name: Colin
Email: colf@lineone.net
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

Dave,

The motor is stripped for rebuild. Bores will probably need re-bored. Crank is within its tolerances. Needs the usual cam chain etc. I've started sand blasting some of the cases for polishing. The rolling chassis is complete after being powder-coated along with stands, disk covers etc. Stainless fasteners. Anti-dive was seized so I made a new piston and stuff for that. I have a brand new red/white tailpiece still in Honda wrapper, reprofiled cams and new Honda clutch plates.

I'm in Edinburgh. If you want you can mail me and I can send pictures if you want.

Cheers
Col.

Date: Mon Dec 30 19:00:55 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Type: CBX 550F

....in retrospect, the quoted excerpt from Basmafs page actually also describes my first girlfriend rather well. Well done, Basmaf - know I know why I am so keen on my CBX! What discs!

Harry

Date: Mon Dec 30 10:13:24 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Type: CBX 550F

Dave

Thanks for the thoughts regarding the crankcase breather as well as the reluctant steering. To close this post on steering, I would like to quote Basmafs site, to wit: "When trying to change direction when either powering on or braking, one had to really muscle her in and try to hold the line, as she had a tendency to want to keep going straight. This was due to the gyroscopic effect of the added weight generated by the enclosed discs. (Thanks, Basmaf)"

Ooooh, I do so love the internet.

Date: Mon Dec 30 09:24:49 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Type: CBX 550F

Basmaf
According to my Haynes manual, right-hand leg oil capacity is 292.5 - 297.5cc while left hand leg needs 302.5 - 305.5cc (with a spread like that, makes you wonder why they bother about the decimals, eh?). Oil level = 152mm. Interesting though, the left-hand leg needing more oil, must have something to do with having your heart on your left hand side, and thus the need to compensate for the greater weight ;-)

Date: Mon Dec 30 08:51:33 2002
Name: Dave

Basmaf
The tightly bound end goes to the bottom , I think whichever way you top up the oil is a personal preference,I pour a measured amount in , that's because I havent got a centre stand ,I'd have to support the bike somehow if I removed the springs , I've fitted spacers above my springs and run them at about ten p.s.i. partly because my springs have lost a bit of their "spring" and mainly because of my weight !dont apologise I'm pleased to help any way I can , especially like now when I'm in work in the dead of night on my lonesome !
Colin what kind of price are you looking at for the bike or even just the motor ? but please dont tell me you live in john o groats or lands end !
Dave

Date: Mon Dec 30 07:47:00 2002
Name: Colin
Email: colf@lineone.net
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

Hi Rob,

Still reading when I get the chance. Still got the bike but the rebuild is not coming along very well due to lack of time. I've gone and bought new car so the bike will definitely have to go to make room in the garage. Maybe got a month to get it ready. Any takers?????? Got some new parts as well that I might flog seperate.

Cheers
Col.

Date: Mon Dec 30 04:47:03 2002
Name: Basmaf
Email: basmaf@ntlworld.com
URL: http://members.lycos.co.uk/basmaf/index.htm
Type: CBX 550F

Cheers Dave
Started the front-end rebuild today.
Everything seems to be going to plan, except the big O ring on the anti-dive unit moved, and did not seal properly, so as I was filling the forks, it leaked on the left leg.
I had to refit the bugger again.
I changed the fork seals, and fitted gaiters, and am present waiting for the paint to dry on what was a rusty hunk of metal disguised as a front mudguard holder.
I will finish her off tomorrow.
Two things though, sorry to be a pain.
First, the amount of fork oil required.
Do I have to go by the ruler measuring method, or can I just add a set amount to each, after all, she is 20 years old now, and I cant really see a few cc of fork oil making that much difference, can it?
Second, the long springs fork springs have a tightly coiled end, and not so tightly coiled end.
Which end goes in first, as mine had both in, each way round, typical, and the manual does not say.
Thanks again
-Basmaf

Date: Sun Dec 29 23:40:41 2002
Name: Dave

the brush price from honda are eight pounds each reduced from twelve and you need four
dave

Date: Sun Dec 29 23:37:28 2002
Name: dave

Harry
It says a lot about your bike still having the drain plug , most got thrown years ago !Its there for enviromental reasons the idea being all the water and goo be pereodically drained and disposed of sensibly , wether you keep it ir not is between you and your conscience ( mine went years ago)as regards the cbx steering the geometry is set up at the factory with safety in mind , they would rather you complained of a bike " straight lining " rather than going into " tank slappers " I got rid of this on mine by jacking up the rear by about 50mm or so, this has the effect on the front end of steepening the stearing angle ,alternatively try slipping the stanchions up through the clamps and see what that does . I also found on my counter steering through some turns works atreat .My cbx ( when it had an engine ) could virtually be steered by thought !
Basmaf
hope the clean up works , if you need info on brush changing just let me know , and dont go to your honda dealer asking for brushes you'll be greeted with "your in luck they've been reduced from 2 to EACH !! and youll need four.
Dave

Date: Sun Dec 29 09:28:29 2002
Name: Harry Teicher

Just wondering II.....emptied the crankcase breather pipe, filled half a cup with oily water, and, almost as an afterthought, while I was sniffing the water, the pipe spat out what looked like a pile of vomit (fortunately into the jam jar I was using as a collecting receptacle). The crud floats, and looks like the sour milk, excepting for the colour, which is grey. Clearly some sort of curdled fat (oil?) - can anyone identify this? And why should the crankcase breather pipe be plugged - surely it would be better to let whatever it is in my crankcase that wants out....out?

Date: Sun Dec 29 09:20:23 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Type: CBX 550F

Just wondering.....I have a favorite curve, which I make a detour to reach each day, just for the sheer pleasure of commiting my MZ to the "ideal line" and feeling her soar through the curve, a feeling close to flying...(I know, I will take my pills when I am done with this message). Now, on my CBX I approach the curve in a straight line with the unswerving determination of a train on track, and when I get to the "ideal line" I lean into the curve, and the CBX REFUSES TO BUDGE...stiff as my old aunt, she clings to the straight line and only with a muttered curse and a wrench of the bars does she agree to follow the curve. The first time this happened I thought the rudder had seized up on me, but there is no sign of notchiness or loosness in the head bearings etc. Even slow stuff like weaving between the broken lines on the main road (we dont gut much traffic out this way)gives the impression that there is a little man down there, with strong arms, opposing my every move. On the straight, you could let go the bars, swing your leg over the saddle and stand on one footpeg while taking a leak without the cbx noticing. Would this vaguely worrying steering oddity have something to do with fork angles, with the MZ having a front end stretching way out like something out of an "Easy Rider" remake, while the CBXs forks go almost straight down, in an attempt to be sporty? Are CBXs a little eccentric in their steering? Am I getting old?

Date: Sun Dec 29 09:13:56 2002
Name: Basmaf
Email: basmaf@ntlworld.com
URL: http://members.lycos.co.uk/basmaf/index.htm
Type: CBX 550F

HI Dave.
Thanks for he starter motor tip.
I striped it today, and the cap covering the brushes was full of shite.
I cleaned and checked inside. The bushes are worn, but still usable, and so is the commutator.
I will have to keep a check out for a replacement.
I have not tested it for real as yet, but she does start after the rebuild. A plus point.
I will start on the front fork rebuild tomorrow.
Thanks again Dave
-Basmaf

Date: Sun Dec 29 09:01:38 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Type: CBX 550F

Rob

Christmas dinners in Denmark last for hours, and include the consumption of essentialy raw comestibles, mainly aquatic, some with bulbuous eyes still attached. Trips to the shed for liquid fortification are essential for survival...

Harry

Date: Sat Dec 28 12:01:55 2002
Name: rob
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

me again
just had to stick another post in to ask if the following are still reading this?
Gary/Colin/John.
have not heard from any of you in recent times.
what are you up to guys? i know you bought a gsx600 John, but we will forgive you!

keep in touch guys

rob

Date: Sat Dec 28 09:00:21 2002
Name: rob
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

hi all
your about right with the tractor bits Dave. the original guzzi v-twin was designed to power a half track military vehicle. its a Le Mans II by the way, in need of a new set of barrels and a drive shaft universal joint(U.J.)....at least!
the bike got taken off the road to replace the UJ but was then stripped down to do a few other things.......wont bore you with the details but lets just say that its still in bits with lots still to do. do the words money pit have any meaning.........!!!!
it was the bike i always wanted, so i WILL get it back on the road again.

By the way Harry, thats what i call dedication, fixing the bike on christmas day! better than sitting on the sofa in front of the telly!

rob

Date: Sat Dec 28 07:43:17 2002
Name: dave

harry
nice to hear you sorted it , I'm afraid my knowlege stems from the need to keep a 20 year old , ten rider owned and abused bike on the road !if I really was clever I wouldnt have bought the ***@:?>$$** thing in the first place !
ps I'm still looking for a new motor so theres still hope for the cbx yet !

Date: Sat Dec 28 05:40:06 2002
Name: Harry Teicher

Oh! (I am a bear of very little brain, said Pooh.....) There I was, having a squiz at http://digilander.libero.it/ierovante/cbx/man/17-04.JPG and the light dawned: I HAD SWAPPED PLUG LEADS TO 3 AND 4!!! (My defence is that I have a background in single pot two-strokes). Switched leads, pressed starter and within one millisecond the whole mill sprang to life and idled sweetly AND ALL THE PIPES WHERE PIPING (excuse the pun) HOT. Oh joy! Oh exultation! Oh time for a celebratory beer! Anyway, thanks for your response, Dave, you seem to be a vast sea of knowledge and epitomise thereby the whole point of having something as wonderful as the internet - just dont leave us for some European foolishness.....a Japanese in-line four is the pinnacle of motorcycling excellence! Oh, and my interest in slide rules goes back to my school days, when we could use our extended members to lift the dresses of the girls in front of us, try THAT with your scientific calculator!!

Date: Fri Dec 27 08:06:36 2002
Name: dave

Harry
have you checked the plug caps ? on my cbx (when I had one that was running , boo hoo) , I was trying every thing to get a decent tickover and I found the ngk caps had inbuilt resistors, I replaced these with short lengths of brass rod and it improved running no end , just to prove a point remove the caps and push the leads straight onto the plugs ,I found the cbx hard on plugs, almost like the two strokes of my youth. By the way very interesting site yours , I've never known anyone to collect slide rules ! they where just going out of fashion in my college days , I always liked adding " by slide rule " in my calculations it gave me an even chance of being right !
dave

Date: Fri Dec 27 06:15:36 2002
Name: Harry Teicher
Type: CBX 550F

Got four new plugs (see fouled plugs bleating in earlier message) via the internet bang on time for Christmas dinner, popped out after the Turkey to fit them (father-in-law wearing paper hat and scowling at my oily fingers, dead give away)and bugger me but shes back to firing on two cylinders (1+2) again! Drained carbs after the Christmas pudding, no joy (father-in-law muttering darkly to mother-in-law) cant be the ignition as 1+3; 2+4 plug are fed by separate coils, screw out plugs to check spark anyway and 1 and 2 are dark = firing, while 3 and 4 are still virginally white but smell of fuel. Cranking the engine over reveals fine spark on all plugs, holding the plugs about an inch from the motor results in a long spark arcing from plug to motor (is this ok?). Checked whether carb 3+4 are getting fuel (they are). So, fuel to all carbs: ok; ignition at all plugs: ok; firing only 1+2 cylinder - all thats left are the jets - but why would 3+4 block all jets, leaving 1+2 clean. And would all the jets block (cold start, main jet etc) - I have tried reving, running the motor warm on 2 cylinders etc, all with no joy. Anyone have any ideas? Can I remove the jets from carb 3 without dismantling the whole circus? Maybe I should try to spray some quickstart in to force cylinder 3+4 to fire, therby creating enough vacuum to clean the jets? Thanks in advance etc

Date: Fri Dec 27 01:18:06 2002
Name: dave

yeh got some bike related stuff, scottoiler, handle bar mirrors and foggy's latest video which is quite good,which is a pity as I havent got a bike thats roadworthy at the moment ! which guzzy have you got Rob ? although they get a lot of critism the few people I know that have them would never part with them ( a bit like your good self ) the one I particuly like is my neighbours brother pete , he's the editor of those old time mags " old glory , old wagons " or something so he must know a thing or three , anyway he runs a mk 3 le mans ( the one with the titchy front wheel ) and he's fitted a full fifties style dustbin fairing and with open pipes it brings back the sights and sounds of the tt's classic years !any way for spares can't you pop down to your local massey fergason main agent ! hes bound to be having a january sale.
Dave
ps how do you know I'm wearing red ?

Date: Fri Dec 27 01:17:20 2002
Name: dave

yeh got some bike related stuff, scottoiler, handle bar mirrors and foggy's latest video which is quite good,which is a pity as I havent got a bike thats roadworthy at the moment ! which guzzy have you got Rob ? although they get a lot of critism the few people I know that have them would never part with them ( a bit like your good self ) the one I particuly like is my neighbours brother pete , he's the editor of those old time mags " old glory , old wagons " or something so he must know a thing or three , anyway he runs a mk 3 le mans ( the one with the titchy front wheel ) and he's fitted a full fifties style dustbin fairing and with open pipes it brings back the sights and sounds of the tt's classic years !any way for spares can't you pop down to your local massey fergason main agent ! hes bound to be having a january sale.
Dave

Date: Thu Dec 26 11:17:54 2002
Name: rob
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

hiya dave,
as the fat bloke in red would say.....ho,ho,ho...

you would'nt want it if i told you how much it is going to cost to get going again!

hope you all got what you wanted for xmas, any bike related presents? the wife got me a new waterproof Lewis jacket, but as her car seems to be on its last legs i think there might be another motive for this.....

rob

Date: Thu Dec 26 02:09:18 2002
Name: DAVE

Rob
I have a honda in a million bits , swap yer !!
Dave

Date: Tue Dec 24 07:48:23 2002
Name: rob
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

i have a guzzi in a million bits that will prove him wrong!

rob

Date: Mon Dec 23 12:06:26 2002
Name: dave

rob
Italian bikes , unreliable ? thats just a malicious rumour ..... according to my local Ducati dealer, he wouldnt lie would he ?
Dave

Date: Mon Dec 23 09:17:00 2002
Name: rob
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

italian and red.....oh dear!
just make sure you have enough money for a reliable everyday hack!

rob

Date: Mon Dec 23 07:46:12 2002
Name: dave

basmaf
If theres one thing i know about its cbx starter motors !it may seem strange at first but as engines warm up so does the compression hence a cold motor is easer to turn over than a warm one , so if your starter is a bit "tired " it will find it dificult to spin over a hot motor but if you let it cool down for ten minutes , " hey presto " she fires up !making you think its the battery.Provided your starter motors not too worn a simple strip and clean rejuvinates it.Remove the starter from the bike ( if you've never stripped it down before loosen off the two screws that hold the starer together first while its clamped in place)then remove the end plate to gain access to the brushgear , then give the inside a spray with cleaner and make sure the brushes move freely, the best cleaner to use is that sold for cleaning brakes ( you can then give your calipers a spray )
Dave

Date: Mon Dec 23 06:30:27 2002
Name: Basmaf
Email: basmaf@ntlworld.com
URL: http://members.lycos.co.uk/basmaf/index.htm

Thanks Dave
An open ended 17 mm spanner fits, and with wife holding the throttle open, she now ticks over at 1300 revs, not 900.
I am now left with just one little problem.
I start the bike on the morning.
The starter motor is a bit laboured, but she does spin the motor, and then starts ok.
The same in the evening.
But if I stop halfway home, the starter spins, even more laboured, but she starts again.
If I stop once again, the starter fails to turn the engine fast enough, as if the battery is flat.
If I wait 10 mins, the battery has miraculously regained enough power to spin the motor, still a bit laboured, but she the spins enough to start.
That tells me that the charging circuit is working ok ???
I have checked and the regulator and alternator windings for polarity and continuity, but I will be checking with an ammeter..
I even bought a new battery,
I still have the same fault.
I have run with lights off, on, and a mixture of both. Still the same.
I have done both short, 3 miles and longer, 10 miles, runs. Still the same.
Starting is ok, it is the spinning that is not.
I am now just left with what I believe to be a faulty starter motor.
Before I go and strip it down, any advice please ?
Anybody selling a starter motor ?
-basmaf

Date: Mon Dec 23 04:01:06 2002
Name: dave

rob
not followed up the blackpool engine, too far , too iffy , I'm not too bothered at the moment ( too cold / slippery for 2 wheels )I'll just see what comes along then panic in the spring !and to be onhonest I quite fancy something a bit newer in the new year , maybe Italian maybe red ....When the local paper obituary starts looking like my old school reunion it makes you think !
ttfn Dave

Date: Mon Dec 23 00:09:48 2002
Name: Rob
Type: CBX 550F2 (Integra)

Hi Dave
sorry to take so long to get get back to you. the bike was taken off the road at LEAST ten years ago. most of the top end was removed with the intention of replacing the tensioner and a few other bits and pieces. But through assorted events that i wont go into (too long/boring...but mostly involve women/kids/other bikes and you guessed.....money!) its been left in a rather damp council garage for all of this time, so cant vouch for what is left of the engine.

I will keep the rolling chassis. i have been using it as a donor for the present bike.
i think you might be better off looking for a tatty runner, rather than basket cases. might be ok for a pre-unit triumph classic but not a forgotten mid range jap!!

how are you getting on with it? have you had the chance to find out about the Blackpool basket case? have you have tried any breakers yet?

took mine out for the first time in a few weeks today. it started ok but the front brake was locked up. cast discs, what a pain if you leave em standing! soon got it free with a bit of pushing/pulling.

speak to you all soon. and if i dont get back here before...have a good christmas and DO drink/eat too much!

rob