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.

 

When I did my engine the adjuster screws for the most part were bad, hard face worn away, pitting, etc. The tips are supposed to be convex not flat

 

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!

 

I like that, innovative solution. Glad you didn't drill the cowl because with age it becomes brittle and would crack with vibration of the turn units over time

 

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.

 

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.

 

im not seeing any of the pictures, are they removed already?

 

Photo Bucket has become a pay storage service, if your photo's are there then only you can see them, no more third party linkages allowed. This is why all of my photo's are on my computer and I upload them as needed.

 

Well thats unfortunate

 

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.

 

If there was a photo in your last post it doesn't show, just has a circle with a minus sign

 

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?

 

I recommend using the FMF white packing but I don't know if it's available in Europe.
https://shop.revzilla.com/motorcycle/fmf-4-stroke-replacement-muffler-packing
Muffler Repacking : FMF Racing