[bfarm752]

Hi all, new member from michigan. I am the owner of a 1971 CL450K4. I bought this bike last fall for $400 from the original owner. It had been sitting in a shed up north since 1985. I did the usuall stuff, fresh oil, gas, plugs,battery, carbs cleaned. and it fired right up. then i proceeded to take it on a 900 mile ride to the upper peninsula. My friends and I came up with this idea for the "roach run". buy a bike for $500 or under and ride it from detroit to the mackinac bridge and back. it made it no problems. it does have some issues though. it seems to break up around 7000 rpm. from what i read these motors should rev to around 10000. So i was only able to get around 80mph on our high speed runs. i'm not gonna do anything special with this, i like it how it is. its a ball to ride, i need to get it running right and fix a few things and i'll call it done, i've already got new tires, cables, bars, chain,etc.., just need to get time and warmer weather to work on it. i have owned everything from sport bikes, to rigids, and i loved them all, i wish i could have kept every one of them. i currently also own a Ducati Hypermotard and a YZ450F. here is a link to some pictures from our roach run. http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] ... 901197477/
a couple pics showing my bikes.

 

[MNellis]

Hi all, new member from michigan. I am the owner of a 1971 CL450K4. I bought this bike last fall for $400 from the original owner. It had been sitting in a shed up north since 1985. I did the usuall stuff, fresh oil, gas, plugs,battery, carbs cleaned. and it fired right up. then i proceeded to take it on a 900 mile ride to the upper peninsula. My friends and I came up with this idea for the "roach run". buy a bike for $500 or under and ride it from detroit to the mackinac bridge and back. it made it no problems. it does have some issues though. it seems to break up around 7000 rpm. from what i read these motors should rev to around 10000. So i was only able to get around 80mph on our high speed runs. i'm not gonna do anything special with this, i like it how it is. its a ball to ride, i need to get it running right and fix a few things and i'll call it done, i've already got new tires, cables, bars, chain,etc.., just need to get time and warmer weather to work on it. i have owned everything from sport bikes, to rigids, and i loved them all, i wish i could have kept every one of them. i currently also own a Ducati Hypermotard and a YZ450F. here is a link to some pictures from our roach run. http://www.flickr.com/photos/[email protected] ... 901197477/
a couple pics showing my bikes.

Welcome aboard. What is the problem with the triple that's on there now? I just pulled the bearing race off mine last night ('71K4), stripped it and painted it so I don't have one to sell.

How do you like the Hypermotard? I've got a YZ426F with a big hole in the case that I need to start working on as well.


Did someone actually buy that yellow XS650 flat track for $500? That would be a cool find.

 

[SSCR]

Welcome! Man I love them Hypermotards!

 

[Bird76Mojo]

i currently also own a Ducati Hypermotard.

You LUCKY bass turd! :shock:


GB :mrgreen:

 

[bfarm752]

the problem with my lower tree is the turn stop tabs are broke off. the story from the first owner was he went down a couple of times in 72, he put a couple mounds of bugger welds on it that really didn't work. i have ground those off and got some round stock to weld on if i can't find a lower to buy. funny you should say you need to fix a whole in your yz motor. i broke a piece off the upper case on the CL the other night. i read the tip on this forum about plugging the chain oiler on the counter shaft. so i was trying to get that bolt loose on the end of the shaft. i had the rear wheel off and i was being to lazy to put it back on to use the brake to keep it from turning. (thats how i get the big nut on my ducati rear wheel loose) so i jamed a screw driver in between the counter shaft sprocket and the case and snapped off a piece of the tab above the counter shaft sprocket. now i need to get that welded back on. that ducati is by far the funnest bike i have ever owned. everything about it is cool, dirt bike looks, 2 valve air cooled desmo motor, dry clutch. i put 12000 miles on it the whole 7 months i got to ride it last summer. fuel compacity sucks, and it eats tires, 3 sets in those 12000 miles, and i really pushed it before getting new ones. i love it. And no, that guy went way over the set limit. infact i think only 3 of us stayed within the limit, it was a ball none the less.

 

[MNellis]

i broke a piece off the upper case on the CL the other night. i read the tip on this forum about plugging the chain oiler on the counter shaft. so i was trying to get that bolt loose on the end of the shaft. i had the rear wheel off and i was being to lazy to put it back on to use the brake to keep it from turning. (thats how i get the big nut on my ducati rear wheel loose) so i jamed a screw driver in between the counter shaft sprocket and the case and snapped off a piece of the tab above the counter shaft sprocket. now i need to get that welded back on.

Bummer about the case but it looks like it broke cleanly and someone should be able weld it nicely.

I've got a new cse for the 426. I'm at the point where the motor is ready to come out. I think the bearing on the balance shaft failed and started flopping around and busting out the front of the lower case.

I can't have too many projects I guess.

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Id take a wild guess and say that those issues around 7000rpm are because of those straightpipes.. Have you checked the jetting?

GB :mrgreen:

 

[bfarm752]

i checked the jetting in the sense of just reading the plugs. on my 900 mile trip they looked pretty good, light tan, i thought maybe it was bordering on being just a little lean. both cylinders. after the big trip i put another 1000 miles on it just bombing around. still having the breaking up problem. and i was putting fresh plugs in it a couple weeks ago along with new points and condenser and the plugs were black as can be. when i was initailly cleaning the carbs i didn't even look at jet sizes. i am assuming it has the stock jetting in it. i have the carbs off again, i thought i was gonna go a little richer, but know it seems like i need to go leaner. any recomendations are welcome. all that being said, the thing runs great, idles great, starts right up, just won't rev like it seems it should.


Bryan

 

[Bird76Mojo]

What air filters are you running? If you've opened up the exhaust then the engine will benefit from flow increases to the intake as well. But you'll have to get that fuel mixture matched to it all. Others have said before that they've always seen the 450's have problems with running straightpipes. I think if you take your time with jetting it would respond nicely. I bet it's leaning out up high, but I'M NOT an old pro like some of the guys here. One or two sizes up in main jet since the needles are non adjustable??? :?: ???

GB :mrgreen:

 

[bfarm752]

I am running the stock filters. i am no carb expert myself, but it does seem like it is running out of fuel when it starts to cut out. it kind of coughs, pops, and stutters. i think i will go a couple sizes richer with the main, and a couple s izes leaner with the pilot to start with. i was thinking of even getting some small baffles for those pipes.

Bryan

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Have you checked the timing to see if it's advancing properly? Gapped the points? I'd do all of that before going into those carbs for a rejet..

GB :mrgreen:

 

[bfarm752]

i just put new points in it, and set the gap, the gap on the points i took out was to large, i have not had a chance to run it yet, i will check the timing once i get it all back togather. your probly right i should not mess with the carbs till i rule out all the ignition stuff. the temptation to tinker with it may be to great tho.

 

[JeyLux]

Bryan, welcome to the boards.

I love that Ducati.


Where abouts in michigan? I am in the Linden area and work in the Novi area.


That Trip to mighty mac and back sounds similar to what the 555 guys did. http://www.thefivefivefive.com/ they road from Knoxville, TN to Portland Oregon and back. under 500 cc, under 500 dollars, and older than 1975 were their rules.

Sounds fun!


Jason

 

[bfarm752]

hey jason, just got back from a ride on the duc, man is that bike a ball to ride, as much as i hate fuel injection, you got to love it sometimes, the duc has been sitting since october, fired right up and pured like a cat, not one hiccup. i live in waterford and work in dearborn. those guys way out did our ride. i am trying to talk the crew into riding the roaches down to north carolina this summer, so far no one wants anything to do with that, so i'll probly do it solo on the duc.

bryan

 

[JeyLux]

that would be a fun trip.

I plan to buy a monster dark soon
A.) not lose my job and
B.) Find a nice one


I've been looking, and i want to buy one locally. so far nothing great has popped up on ebay/craigslist etc.

 

[bfarm752]

i had a 2002 monster 750 dark, what a fun bike, kinda slow, but, still one of my most favorite bikes. i sold it to buy a buell xb, that was a pretty cool bike, i love those xl motors as much as the air cooled desmos. i love air cooled motors.
if i was to get another monster i would look for around a 2001-2002 900 dark, kinda the original monster with fuel injection and the dry clutch

 

[JeyLux]

a buell city xb9sx would work for me as well.

something small and nimble. faster than a CL350 and a little bit of 'differentness' to it.