[jer00n]

After rebuilding the bike for the most part I made a list of all the parts I need to order.

Then I took the whole bike apart again, meanwhile cleaning and spraypainting a lot of things. I cleaned the frame over the weekend, removing a lot of rust with the grinder. I've put on two layers of rust converter now. It's cheap stuff so I hope it'll last - I'm not planning to spend a fortune on this bike. During the week I'll spraypaint the frame, in gloss black. After that I'm going to clean and repaint the engine if I figured out what paint I'm going to use for that. It's probably going to be Motip engine paint. VHT should be better but it seems VHT is not allowed to be sold to individuals here (for health safety reasons).

Frame

Frame after two coats of rust converter stuff

 

[jer00n]

It's been a while since I did anything on the bike because I had to wait for warm weather so I could paint the engine. Two weeks ago I figured it was warm enough and continue the project. I cleaned and degreased the engine as much as I could and then painted it with Motip engine paint in gloss black.

A week later I mounted the frame and this week I started on the front fork, carburators and air filter.

I've already put bigger jets in the carbs - 130 instead of 125. This will account for the slightly lean factory setting plus the after market mufflers.

Next up will be mounting the electronics and wiring harness which will need some work too (soldering, isolation et cetera). At the same time I'm cleaning and repainting other parts... really nice to work with clean and freshly painted parts instead of old stuff covered in rust and grime

 

[jer00n]

Thanks guys! I've ordered a lot of stuff to patch up the wiring harness. Also ordered a fuse holder for blade-type fuses (mini size) to replace the glass cardridge fuses. I'm also going to redo some wires of the ignition switch connector because the ignition switch is now mounted next to the carburators. And finally wrapping the whole harness in new tape.

 

[jer00n]

Another small update. I've been working on the wiring harness. I relocated the connector for the ignition switch way down near the electronics compartment, then wrapped the whole thing in fresh tape. I installed the wiring on the bike and tested the things I could test so far, seems to be working all right. I had some issues with the clutch lever switch, if the bike is NOT in neutral and you pull the clutch, the starter should work but it sometimes didn't. I've sprayed all the connecctors with contact cleaner, this seemed to work.

Cable harness before ...

and after

Installed

It took me quite some time to install it because I didn't know exactly how the wiring runs along the frame together with the choke/throttle cables. The wiring is now wrapped tightly to the left side of the frame and the thottle and choke cables are pretty much hanging free because otherwise there was too much drag on the throttle cables. The tank fits so I guess it's ok for now, might redo that later. If anyone has pictures of the wiring on this bike, that would be nice (I of course forgot to take them) ...

Also just ordered a lot of (OEM) stuff from CMSNL.com. Nothing special, just a lot of bolts, nuts, rubber washers, dust caps and other small bits and pieces. Still nearly a 100 euro's together, but then I can finally install the swing arm and rear wheel. After that I can install the front wheel and exhaust and hopefully start the bike again!

 

[jer00n]

Thanks for the tip, I now have the Honda service manual (thanks Dan), looks a lot better than the Clymer one I had. Seems like I've got it quite wrong regarding the wiring routing. It seems like I'm missing some of the wiring clamps, I think I'll try and make them myself.

 

[jer00n]

OK, yesterday I took apart the brake caliper. Pistons need to be replaced, the brake pad pins need to be replaced too and somehow the bleed valve seems to be leaking although it was fully closed... Also, the only new pistons I can find are for the 1986 Nighthawk and they are a different length than the ones used on the 85 model. I'm thinking about replacing the entire caliper. Any idea what calipers from other models fit the Nighthawk 450?

 

[jer00n]

Thanks for the reply. I've done some comparing on the part numbers, Honda seems to have used the caliper 'body' for a range of bikes (for example CM450A) but they don't use the same pistons. I'll contact some Ebay sellers and ask if they can tell me the length of the pistons they are selling for the CM450A and check if they could be used.

Another route might be just buying generic pistons of the right size - if i google '33 mm brake piston' I get a few results, for example this one: Yamaha 33mm x32mm front brake caliper piston which is only half a millimeter longer than the pisons I'm looking for. Would there be anything against using these Yamaha pistons instead?

 

[jer00n]

Last week I received the parts from CMSNL:

New bolts for the front engine mount

New dust caps for the swingarm:

Today I installed the swingarm, both wheels and the side stand, it's starting to look like a bike again

Also, it seems I'm in luck regarding the front brake. I had another spare brake caliper in the parts box, it looked awful but unlike the original caliper it didn't leak through the bleed valve (i filled it up with brake fluid to push out the pistons). I cleaned up the whole thing and I'll order a rebuild kit for it. The pistons are in a better shape too but still have some pitting so I'll order new ones. I was under the assumption that they were 33 mm in diameter for some reason, but after I measured them up they were 30 mm - a more common size so that's nice.

Next step will be mounting the exhaust and see if it runs!

 

[jer00n]

Bad news about the starter, I hooked it up and tried to turn the bike over but the starter did nothing. Took it apart (ended up cutting through the bolts because they were completely seized) and saw what I already feared:

When I took the bike apart two years ago I used too much force on the bolt that connects to the starter cable, tearing up the insides. I don't feel comfortable soldering these connections. The starter is useless anyway now with those completely seized bolts. Looking for a new one now... anyone knows if a CM450 starter fits on a Nighthawk 450? Looks the same judging from photo's but the part numbers are different...

 

[jer00n]

Great, thanks for the info. New starter is on it's way!

 

[jer00n]

Well I received the starter earlies this week. Installed it on the bike and gave it a go - started immediately! So that's a good sign. It's very noisey though, because all the exhaust gaskets are crap or even missing. I've ordered new exhaust gaskets, new aftermarked down pipes and a master cylinder rebuild kit from David Silver Spares.

 

[jer00n]

Thanks!
I was quite surprised it started so easily even with the battery which is in a bad shape, I'll replace it in time.

 

[jer00n]

Alright, new update! I received the headers and gaskets from David Silver Spares. Can't say I'm toohappy with them - the collars didn't fit at first:

I had to grind a bit off the rim to make it all fit:

I was also barely able to put the header-to-collector gaskets on them, it seems the chrome is just too thick. But at least they look good, and they're cheap (50 pounds ex. VAT).

I've also made a video of it running. Looks like it's running fine, but I must say there's quite a lot of valve noise, what do you guys think?

Tonight I've installed the rear brake pedal too, maybe I can do some more work on it during the weekend.

 

[jer00n]

Thanks Jim. I popped off the valve cover again and checked the valve clearance, seems to be OK but I noticed the valve adjusters don't look the way the ought to be:

They all look more or less like this. I guess I'll have to replace those. Could this be the cause of the noise? By the way: yesterday I adjusted the balancer chain which seemed to improve somewhat on the noise, however I might need to move the balancer bracket (?) a notch to allow for more adjustment.

 

[jer00n]

Alright, I'll order new ones from CMSNL. I hope that will fix most of the valve noise.

Meanwhile I've found a solution to mount the rear blinkers. I wanted to use smaller, universal blinkers instead of the originals. I needed a way to mount them though. The easiest solution would be just drilling a hole in the plastic rear cowl, but it would look a lot better if they could fit on the original position on the grip bars.

To do this I took the original rear blinkers, and take off the lamp parts:

Then I sawed off the part that sticks out of the grip bar:

After that I used a drill and then a tap to make an M8 thread to fit the universal blinkers:

Installed on the bike:

Looks pretty good I might say!

 

[jer00n]

New update, the front brake is finally done. I repaired the leaky master cylinder with a new piston and seals, replaced pistons and seals in the caliper and put a steel braided brake line on.

Finding the right brake pistons is tedious, the original Honda pistons aren't made anymore for the 1982 through 1985 Nighthawks. I ended up buying generic pistons that are slightly shorter (29 mm instead of 31.5 mm) but I reckon this won't be a problem. Of course, the diameter is the same. If you plan on buying new pistons for your Nighthawk, be aware that the diameter is actually 30.2 mm even though the caliper says '30'.

Installed:

Also resprayed the master cylinder.

Bleeding the brakes was a real PITA this time, next time I will definetely buy a large syringe and use the reverse bleed method, it took me a whole afternoon. I have good pressure now but there are still small air bubbles coming from the master cylinder hole. I guess this problem will fix itself in time...

It won't take long before I can get the bike on the road again. I'm still waiting for some large bolts and nuts to mount the headlight. And I also need two M12x1.25 bolts to mount the rear blinkers... very hard to come by, CMSNL doesn't have them either.

 

[jer00n]

Well last week the nuts 'n bolts arrived so I could make the bike roadworthy! Installed the rear blinkers, installed the headlight and took the bike for a ride! Apart from all the things that still need to be done, it runs fine. It's very easy to ride and manouvre, especially at low speeds. I didn't remember it rides so well!

Yesterday I went for a second ride, and after starting the oil pressure warning light was on (however dimly)... checked oil level which was really low, so added oil. Problem persisted. Because the light was dimly lit while running, and bright/normal with the engine off, I suspected the oil pressure switch. Took it off and checked, seemed to be working OK. Put it back in, noticed that the wire going to the oil switch was getting bad so that needs to be fixed. Reconnected the wire and then the problem was gone.

The bike is still running very lean, especially the left cylinder. The left header is turning blueish:

Right side:

I've pulled the plugs and they are very white, so obviously too lean:

Now, I've already increased the jets from 125 (stock) to 130 because of the factory leanness plus the somewhat more open mufflers. The new headers from DSS are single wall, whereas the original ones are double walled. I guess the after market ones will get hotter on the outside 'cause they're single walled of course (and probably made with thinner steel), but they also make the bike run leaner because they allow more air to flow through, right? I'm thinking about going up to 132.5 or 137.5 for starters (unfortunately I don't have 135 jets lying around).

Update
Changed the jets to 137.5 and rode around for 15 minutes. Just checked the plugs and they're still white as a lilly? I had the feeling the bike had a bit more power though. Should I increase the jets even more or check for problems? I'll try and get a hold of some tools to check compression and carb balance soon, too.

 

[jer00n]

Well I've changed all the pictures in the topic, they are on Google Photos now, so they should be visible again.

I also installed new mirrors. They're a little shakey but I guess there's not a lot I can do about that.

 

[jer00n]

Sorry, picture should be visible now.

By the way, I took out the dB-killers from the exhausts and there was barely any damping material left. I want the bike to be quiet. What could I use to fill up the exhausts? Glass wool? Rock wool?