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Jim's CB450K5

42K views 103 replies 27 participants last post by  FrisianWheel 
#1 ·
After thinking about it for the last year or so I tool the plunge and bought a restoration project. This thread will conical my progress.
Currently, I'm working my way through the State of Washington to get the bike registered in my name without a title. I cannot start spending until this is done. At a point in the future, I will need to have it inspected by the state patrol. All street legal equipment must be installed. This means it will need to have a RH muffler installed, rear turn signals and rear view mirrors. It is interesting because the equipment does not need to work, just be installed.
The condition of the bike requires a full restoration. It is covered with light rust and corrosion. I have bought from eBay the correct turn signals and a nice set of mufflers. I plan to use rear view mirrors from my '81 Goldwing (standard) to get through the inspection.
Once this is done the bike will be completely stripped down. the following items will be treated as separate projects:
Frame (including swing arm, center and side stands, and forks).
Wheels (new rims and spokes).
Chrome (and gages)
Engine and Carbs.
Electrics and lights
Upholstery
Paint.
I’m sure there will be more to come and I will keep everyone informed.

I'm having problems attaching photos. Once it is resolved I will post some pictures.
 
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#2 ·
Pix can be inserted more easily from a web host site (like Photobucket).... You'll have to upload to there and then just copy and paste the link in between the "open and close image" brackets.....
 
#5 · (Edited)
I discovered my picture problem, the file name must use HTML. This is the day I brought it home:
[attachment=0:36kfvcn5]IMG_2016_Small_40.JPG[/attachment:36kfvcn5]
 

Attachments

#7 ·
Great news today, I found the last registered owner. He agreed to meet me and sign a release for the title. This will simplify things alot, no state patrol inspection will be required. Things should start moving next week.
 
#8 ·
OK, it is legally mine. I met the previous registered owner and obtained the notorized Release of Interest. The state has accepted the documents and the title issue is behind me.
Turns out the previous owner is a great guy and a big motorcycle enthusist. My Goldwing is torn down and should be out of the way soon. then the fun with the 450 will start.
 
#9 ·
Update:
The Washington state title is now in my posession. I'm a happy guy :D . I'm on this project yet. I've been doing some delayed maintenance to my Goldwing. Timing Belts, radiator hoses, carb work and general polising and cleaning. I need to get this behind me so I can get on the 450.

I have sourced a lot of the parts I need for the restore. I'm having trouble finding new instrument faceplates (speedo & tach). Can anyone help me find a source? Has anyone made them themself (coputer & printer)? I'm looking for ideas. :D
 
#10 ·
JamesPal said:
Update:
The Washington state title is now in my posession. I'm a happy guy :D . I'm on this project yet. I've been doing some delayed maintenance to my Goldwing. Timing Belts, radiator hoses, carb work and general polising and cleaning. I need to get this behind me so I can get on the 450.

I have sourced a lot of the parts I need for the restore. I'm having trouble finding new instrument faceplates (speedo & tach). Can anyone help me find a source? Has anyone made them themself (coputer & printer)? I'm looking for ideas. :D
Man, that was easy....

The only instrument face decals I know of are for the SOHC fours - never saw any for the twins.......
 
#11 ·
Jim, A newer menber who is working on a 160 has meter faces on his site.....
r6100mph is his group name here.... You might try contacting him... they looked good on his site..... No affiliation or experience with him other than on group here.....Steve
 
#13 ·
Bone said:
This guy apparently sells faces for certain models (350k4) and will do custom ones for other models:
http://sites.google.com/site/ingerslevc ... auge-faces
Eric,
this is the stuff! ;) he has the faceplates for the CB450K4. I think they are the same for the K5. I just got over buyng a new set of handle bar switches. Soon as the Visa cools off I will contact him. I will check in and report to this post.

Back in '75 :mrgreen: I bought a new red 1975 CB360T ($1125) from the Navy Exchange in NB Subic Bay. I rode that thing all over the PI. It rode back to the US in the ammo magazine on board the USS Kitty Hawk. I drove that back and forth between San Diego and Seattle twice. Great memories.
 
#14 ·
Can anyone give me some advice on cylinder heads? I have a cracked fin on my head. It is the lowermost on the right side. Can it be welded? All of the material is there.

Also, there is a head on ebay. It is from engine S/N cl450-4002519. I believe this is from a '71 model. How can I tell if it will fit on my K5 model? I've read other posts that show the four speed models have different heads. What about the 5 speed models?
 
#17 ·
Need some advice on K5 side cover emblems. Turns out I have a K6-K7 tanks and side covers. I think the tank is the same, but are the side covers? Can I just get the emblems or do I need the covers too? I intend to paint the K5 Candy Red/ Gold stripe scheme.

Does anyone have a set of decient K4-5 emblems?
 
#18 ·
Time to wake up this thread

It is amazing how much time has passed since this thread was started. A lot of good things in my personal life have happened, but they have not included motorcycling. It is time to buck it up, get out of the rut and move this project forward. This year winter in Western Washington was very mild. After the holidays were over I decided to get out and tackle the rest of the Goldwing. It too was suffering from a lack of attention. The frame, carburetors, electrical and suspension was and the engine is out. I discovered minor rust in the cylinders. This is requiring the case to be split and the cylinders honed. I have pulled about half of the engine apart, the heads were off and the front and rear covers were off. Then i stopped working on it in the fall. It seems that it doesn't take much distraction to get me off focus. It seems like these projects go in spurts.
Back in January, I went out to the garage to determine where to start on the Goldwing. Also, I looked over all of the parts I had acquired for the 450, it was clear the only thing lacking was a good engine and it could be quickly put together. The decision was made to locate a usable engine and defer the Goldwing. I ran a successful WTB CB450 engine ad on Craigslist. In February the tear down started:

Land vehicle Vehicle Spoke Automotive tire Motor vehicle


My son came out to help. There is nothing like having a 22 Yo to try to keep up with. he was pulling parts faster than I could bag and tag them! The new engine can be seen in the lower right corner. It is from a K6. It turns over with a nice pop from the exhaust. Other items I have acquired are better wheels, they had little corrosion on them. A replacement seat. it has a good pan and a small tear in the cover. It should re-cover very nicely. And a rust free tank with OK rattle can respray. Overall the chrome is in pretty bad shape. It is pitted and will require further attention. That will come after both bikes are on the road.
The next step was to blast and paint the frame. I didn't feel powder coating was worth the expense. I understand it is more durable. I have owned the Goldwing since 1982 and the factory finish has stood up well. There were areas of surface rust in the typical areas. Those cleaned up nice. These were touched up Rust-Oleum oil based enamel. It matched the factor frame finish very well. The State of Washington does not use salt and it had been kept in the garage during the off season. The 450 would get the same treatment. After checking with a few shops around the area, I decided to have the parts blasted and then bring them home for the painting. Since I liked the result of the Rust-Oleum, I went ahead and used it for the complete respray. There was one coat of primer and one top coat. The drying time is 24 hours at a very forgiving 50 degrees minimum temperate at 85% humidity or less. The paint was diluted with 15% acetone and sprayed using a Harbor Freight touch-up gun. This was the results as of middle of March:

Auto part Machine Engine


One thing about the oil based enamel is its touch up ability. My garage is not well lit and there were a few areas the paint was thin. One spot was at the rear end of the passenger peg location. That was very easily fixed by touching up with a brush. I can't say enough about how easy this product was to work with and it looks great.
Next up was the front forks. After taking them down I discovered there was deep rust in the upper portion of the fork tubes. I have read that some folks on this site will clean them and use them. For me this is a safety issue. Not to start a discussion but. I was concerned their structural integrity was compermised. It turns out this is a very common problem with this configuration of Honda forks. The upper area of the forks are sealed from the elements and moisture does get in, but not out. My research determined these forks were used on the '72-'74 CB450 and that vintage CB500 (four). Honda does not stock them but I found a company in Evanston IL who can make nearly any fork tube at any length to order. Their name Forking by Frank. They put out a quality product at a fair price. They quoted $288 for both sides and they will solve your problem. I wound up finding their forks at Everett Powersports here in Washington. I placed the order at 3:00 in the afternoon, got a shipment confirmation before the end of the day and UPS delivered them the next day. granted they are only 25 miles from my house, but it just doesn't get any better than that. Here is what I found:

Machine Machine tool Metal Tool accessory Cylinder


I will post a few more photos of the fork rebuild and overhauling the wheels. They are still in my camera. Currently this is where I'm at:

Tire Motor vehicle Automotive tire Vehicle Motorcycle


I ran into a challenge getting the rear bearing seated on one side, so the rear tire is there for the picture. The handlebars are CB400F replicas. The plan for this week is to get the rear axle installed, build the engine work stad and pull the top end off. As you can see I'm very happy with the progress. More photos to follow.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Dang, I was going to post and say that your side covers and tank are NOT of a K5, but I only saw this until recently. Can't believe no one else caught on to that.

Show us a picture of the gauges and that will tell the other part of the story. If the gauges show a center console, then I'd have to say it's more likely you have a 73-74. Otherwise, I would try to find out as to why you have a newer tank and side covers?

The side covers are identical, as is the tank. Only difference is emblems and stripes.

CB450 emblems are not easy to come by in good condition.
 
#21 ·
Its a bitsa, the tank and side covers came off a K6 or 7. The frame is a K5 by the VIN. I think the K6-7 has tabs on the frame for the grab rail. Mine doesn't have that. The stuck engine that came with it is a K7. The one I bought is a K6. The K6 engine will get refreshed starting tomorrow.
 
#22 ·
Frame Restoration

The first photo is the frame after the complete disassembly. Sorry about the quality, I was tired by the time I got to this point. The picture file is data 02Mar2014:

Auto part Chassis


Next up is the frame parts in primer. My boss let me have the day off after they were blasted. This is 13Mar2014:

Tree


This is the paint used. It seems to be very durable. There is a 24 hour cure time between primer and top coat. $22 for both cans:

Tire Cylinder Gas Fire extinguisher


Here are the rubber parts. I ran them through a couple of cycles in an industrial power ultrasonic cleaner, then cleaned with Armor All. I got to like that:

Games


The last thing I would like to leave you with is the equipment. I bought a Harbor Freight 6.75 oz Touch-Up Air Spray Gun. It ran fine on my ancient 1 HP compressor. This is the link Touch-Up Air Spray Gun. For $12.99 minus a 20% off coupon it cannot be beat. Don't forget the respirator. To safely spray oil based enamel, you must have a carbon filter respirator. I will say it again, you must have a carbon cartage respirator. A dust mask will do nothing. I also got this at HF: http://www.harborfreight.com/p95-maintenance-free-dual-cartridge-respirator-large-67727-html.html. This mask sealed nicely on my face and I do have a beard. To test your mask you should cover the air intakes with your hands and try to suck in. If air leaks around the mask you are not safe. Did I mention you must have a respirator???
 
#23 · (Edited)
Fork Rebuild

Honda used this design on the CB450 and CB500 Four from 1972 to 1974. I didn't snag a photo of it, but the tubes can be identified by a hole about six inches up from the bottom, in the side of the tube. These forks were a huge step forward for Honda. They allowed spring dampening in both directions. Previous fork shocks only dampened under compression.

The upper part of the fork tubes were badly corroded. I believe the cause is a design flaw. The headlight (fork ears) trap moisture. I strategically placed drain hole may fix it. When I disassembled the forks I discovered one of the tubes was missing the bottom bolt.

Machine Machine tool Metal Tool accessory Cylinder


After about 20 minutes on the buffer this is what the slider looked like.



A 1/2 HP buffer is a very valuable tool. I have a 6 inches wire wheel on one side and an 8 inches buffer on the other. I didn't bother with blending out every nick. If the buffer wouldn't smooth the nick, I wound up with a polished nick. After they we polished, I sprayed them with a plain clear lacquer. It went on really nicely and dried in a few minutes.

I used a blue thread locker on the bottom bolts. The Honda shop manual says to use it. I can imagine if the bolt does unscrew, the sliders could come off if you ever got some serious air.

Tool


I used a 1 1/2 inches PVC pipe to drive the seal in. In this photo you can see the lock nut at the top of the spring. It goes against the upper fork nut. Note: when installing a progressive spring, the tighter wound end always goes toward the wheel. this is the softer end of the spring and flexes first. If it is turned around, the un-sprung weight will be increased. The outside diameter of the pipe was a little fat to fit inside the slider. A little bevel on the outside of the pipe, tapering over an inch or so took care of that:

Machine Auto part


Another shot of the assembly:

Auto part Wood Machine Metal


Forking by Frank. These guys are great:

Tool accessory


And this is what I wound up with:

Suspension part Auto part Suspension Tool accessory Shock absorber


The gators are a story. I bought a set from a guy in Thailand. The ebay post said they would fit a CB450. $30 bucks down the drain... Then I found a set of ebay replica gators. They looked like the stuff so I hit on them. Turned out the outside diameter will not fit into the chrome ring as part of the head light (fork ears) mount. Another $40... for now I will use a black zip tie around the top of the gator and if this bike ever gets restored I will get OEM parts for about $60. BTW: the gators are upside down in this photo, I got 'em fixed.
 
#25 ·
Tripple Tree and Wheel Bearings

I decided to go with the All Balls bearings. My one mistake was using the thick shim on the lower stem race. Anyone who has used the All Balls head bearing kit will know what this is. The kit comes with a thick and thin shim. The go between the lower (stem) bearing race and bottom of the stem. The result was too much distance between the upper and lower triple tree clamp. I put a 1/8 x 1.375 ID o-ring on top of the upper end of the fork (headlight) ear.

This is the bearing kit:

Auto part


This is my favorite tool and a home made lower bearing driver. I opened up the end to fit my gold wing and it still had enough purchase to drive the lower bearing home:

Tool accessory


This is the lower bearing race before I set the inner onto the stem. Notice the height of the shim. That is about 2mm too high:

Auto part Tire Automotive wheel system Automotive exterior Vehicle


I picked up a pair of survivor stock wheels off of ebay. Whoever posted them thank you. I believe this is original 1972 Tokyo grease:

Auto part Hardware accessory


After about 4 hours of good old Brasso and 4 Years of Navy Training, This is the front Wheel:

Spoke Tire Rim Wheel Automotive tire
 
#26 ·
Frame Assembly

Hear are the front and rear wheels with rubber:

Tire Alloy wheel Spoke Rim Wheel


Sorry, it was getting dark, rear:

Tire Automotive tire Bumper Automotive exterior Vehicle


Hear are a few shots, front:

Land vehicle Vehicle Tire Automotive tire Bicycle


Rear Quarter:

Land vehicle Vehicle Bicycle wheel Spoke Tire


Close up rear:

Land vehicle Tire Vehicle Spoke Automotive tire


Other side of rear:

Land vehicle Vehicle Tire Automotive tire Motor vehicle


Front Wheel:

Tire Automotive tire Spoke Vehicle Wheel


I never thought it would be looking this good at this point. My aim was to clean up the rust, refresh the finish and make it run good. The rear shocks are a little puky. They will be fixed at a later time. Next up is the engine. Currently it is sitting on a roll around stand. I framed up a 2x3 box and screwed it on a Harbor Freight furniture dolly. Let's see how that turns out. I will post again in a few days.
 
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