[miss450]

Feeling a bit discouraged/intimidated by all work yet to be done, so thought I would post a re-cap of everything that's been worked on the last month or so I've had the bike.

So first things first, new battery, new spark plugs (old ones were BLACK), drained the old gas, added seafoam into the carbs and tank, then added some new premium gas. It popped a bit at first, but I've been running it every few days and it seems to be doing ok, other than the idle speed being too low.

Old gas:

I also unplugged all the electrical connections I can find, and have been cleaning them up, then applying dielectric grease as I go.

Changed the oil. The drain bolt and oil filter bolt were a bit chewed up, and I ended up holding a 2x4 to a ratchet and tapping it with a hammer to get it out. The washer that came off, had a strip of metal come with it. Got a new, properly sized washer, and there's no leaks so far.

The forks were pretty tough. Had a heck of a time getting the right side open, and damaged the cap bolt. It's still functional, just a bit ugly

Finally got all the gunk out, and added new fluid. Spring A is at the service limit, but I put it back together for now. It looks like about $100 more to replace the entire fork set, than to buy the springs new. I'll think about replacing the entire set, and keep an eye out for a pair of springs when I'm at the salvage place.

While the brake fluid reservoir was empty, the problem actually ran a bit deeper. I picked up a new reservoir and o-ring, and tried putting new fluid through, but could get absolutely no pressure. It turned out the front caliper was also so dry/corroded/bent nothing was getting through.

Heres a pic of it with the one cylinder out:

Sooo... ended up getting another cm450c caliper from a motorcycle salvage and using the best parts of both + all new rubber bits.

Also, the diagram in the Honda manual isn't for the 450c, I ended up printing off a diagram from one of the online part stores.

The back brakes looked pretty bad when I opened it up, but almost all of it was just dust. Air compressor, and wiped everything down seemed to work. Since the brake shoes were not at the service limit, I just gave them a sand and put them back on for now. Only thing I had to replace here was the cotter pin on one of the outside bolts.

The front axel is bent, and I haven't been able to remove it from the wheel (Getting the wheel off the forks was an ordeal) It looks like I might be able to pick up a new one from the local Honda store however, and it's not too pricey. Just have to get the old one out of the wheel.

Rest of today is probably going to be working on these dusty throttle cables, then working on that idle next weekend.

Found this handy photo tutorial for throttle cables on a google search: How to replace your throttle cables ? GL1100 DIY Articles ? goldwingdocs.com

It's not the same model, but I'm new, and the pictures help a lot. The clutch cable was much easier to figure out

 

[longdistancerider]

You're making good progress with this, congratulations.
Not sure what's meant by the diagram in the manual not matching, explain.
The rear brake shoes even though they look good are 35 years old now. Old shoes are known to the linings delaminating from the metal shoe.

The front axle will have to be driven out of the wheel it sounds like. This will ruin the front wheel bearings, any impacting on the center bearing cage will create flat spots. Good news is they are a generic bearing, #6302 with seals, so they can be purchased from any bearing supplier or auto parts store.

 

[miss450]

Thanks! This forum has been an amazing help.

Definitely, in section 17.0, there's a diagram of the front caliper.

But my front caliper actually looks like this:

That's good to know about the bearings! The rubber in there looks fairly chewed up as well. I understand the rear brakes pads are not good. I figured it would be fine to put them back in since I'm not actually riding it around.

 

[longdistancerider]

Looks like you have a CB450SC caliper, your picture matches my '82 SC. PO probably changed it out at some point.
All the wheel bearings are generic. I paid $20 for all 3 rear bearings on mine that Honda wanted $17 each. When you look at the fiche and bearing part number you'll see the bearing reference number

BEARING (6302Z) 96120-63020-10

BEARING (6302Z) 96120-63020-10

 

[miss450]

*Well, It's been about a year, and things are still being repaired, but it's been good!

2017

- Took it to a mechanic friend for carb cleaning, new tires, and fixing some electrical problems in the signal light switch

- Rode it the 8km/5 miles to work and back all summer

-Tried the sliced up pop bottle trick to clean the fork seals, while switching the fork fluid out. (The old stuff came out almost black again) it helped a little bit, but they still had a slow leak. There was a "high water line" on the forks all summer

-One day the bike wouldn't start in my work's parking lot, couldn't figure it out, everything seemed fine when I checked it! Turns out the negative battery terminal bolt had vibrated out just enough to have no connection.

-I only noticed this after I'd scrubbed the cylinder down, but it was kind of "spitting" out the front. I ordered a new cylinder head gasket, and it's been fine since. Plus while the cylinder head was off I could give it a really good scrub. One day I'll get through all the dirt layers!

Grungy

I'm not touching this inside part, so I hope that's the right colour

Clean with new gasket

Surprisingly shiny

-Rode it to Calgary (about 300km/186 miles) The bike did fine, I did not.

Stopped to switch visors, my side panel was gone!

Otherwise it stayed in Calgary, in my parents's garage until spring this year

 

[longdistancerider]

There's a new member that is stripping down his 400 and selling unwanted parts like the seat, etc. Might hit him up for the cover.

 

[miss450]

2018

-Finally changed the fork seals! Finally! NO MORE SLUDGY FORKS!!! Changing the fluid wasn't good enough, but completely dismantling and cleaning everything brake cleaner through helped a lot We also got some new slider bushing while we were in there, since we kind ****ed one up.

-Here's a DIY seal driver my dad made on his Lathe for me

-New headlight!!! Part of the reason I had such trouble on the highway last year was the stock headlight. I got a new one, AND BONUS, the new casing is metal. Unfortunately the signal light threads are too big. I'll have to find a friend with a tap and die. In the meantime I still get to use the new light, just with the old casing.

This was actually super, super easy. All I had to do was unplug the old one, and plug in the new one

Since the forks were off at the time, I also cleaned out some rust inside the fork ears, and realized one of my fork ears is slightly bent. Will keep an eye out for fork ears next time I'm at the salvage yard.

After installing a new windshield from fortnine, I rode it back to Edmonton! This went a lot better then the trip south, the windshield makes a huge difference by keeping all that wind off your chest.

The other week I installed some sportier handle bars. I find the new riding position much easier, it's like a whole new bike!

Need to find a friend to bend my mirrors out

Sanded and Painted the bottom fork part, prep was an hour, painting like 5 minutes. I will definitely be doing some touchups next time the wheel is off. There's some silver peeking out from behind the brake disc. I really should have just taken the wheel off.

Brake caliper and crankcase covers are next!

Also got some new shocks, went for a rip around the neighbourhood and it FEELS SO MUCCH BETTER. I thought the soreness was just from the old seat, but I think a lot was from the shocks having no give anymore.

 

[miss450]

There's a new member that is stripping down his 400 and selling unwanted parts like the seat, etc. Might hit him up for the cover.

Ooh, that would be perfect! I'll go check the other project threads and look for him. Thank you!

 

[miss450]

New side panels in, my battery is now slightly less visible, thanks Hardlyslept!!!

 

[longdistancerider]

You're coming along nicely with this. Those god awful buckhorn bars that Honda used were the worst thing about these models. There's a member selling parts from a CB400T2 that might have some mirrors for you, that model used a flatter bar similar to your.
This winter need to change the front brake hose to a SS braided type, nice improvement for the front brake.

 

[dtsmjr8dan]

I used mirrors off a Yamaha (Virago?). Just right.