Honda-SOHC

It has been a real pleasure to work on....even though it was covered in 40 years of crud, it's probably helped to preserve it, but the thing that really impressed was how it's 'overengineered' so nothing seems to be under too much stress, and how simple and easy the bits are to access and spanner.

I know that back in 1979 Suzuki basically copied much of the good stuff from the Big Kwackers and the wonderful CB750K's but imitation is sometimes the best way - if something works and works well - why try and reinvent the wheel.

Of more interest to sohc Forum members will be the good peeps who helped along the way:
Bob the Seat recovered the saddle......he's got my original CB750K4 to refurbish at the moment  - in the early Ducktail style one cos I just love that look; Restore my Chrome replated the old Header pipes and did a brilliant job; Marvin Silencers in Italy supplied the new pattern Silencers (shop around on E Bay as their prices vary so much - for the same parts) and the dings in the Tank - which were just a crying shame as the patina is otherwise lovely - were sorted by MPDR - http://www.motorcycledentremoval.co.uk/ and I'm astonished just how good the Tank turned out.......the OEM decals are no longer available and I really didn't want it plain black - as I had a similarly painted Suzuki GT500 that I crossed the USA/ Canada on in 1976 - so dead chuffed with it.

I'll do a bit more cosmetic stuff next winter....regrind the fork stanchions and polish the sliders, new brake lines in stainless braided and new coils and HT leads should see it good for a few more years without breaking the bank......any suggestions for somebody who can polish the alloys ?

After 6 years maybe I'll manage the DGR this year....my crusty old Neighbour was suitably impressed when he saw my swanky Dainese pin striped bike jacket last week and I'm sure I still have a bow tie and pocket watch that I used to top off my Royal Artillery Mess Kit all those years ago ! We shall see.

My two pennyworth......Haynes Manuals do serve a purpose, but I have to say that they often (more often than not) fail to tell the full story, so you are left scratching your head on whether to turn left, turn right or stand still when you reach a task which is on the critical path with rebuilding anything mechanical....brakes, engine, gearbox etc etc. Probably why so many bits are broken or engines fail to work properly despite many hours of painstaking hard work going into them !

Surely it's not too difficult for the Haynes Author to diligently read through their words when it's finished and make a simple judgement 'Does that make sense and will my readers understand what I have written' ? We all go through an Education System where somebody more knowledgeable than ourselves reviews what we have written and corrects mistakes or clarifies misunderstandings, so why shouldn't the Publishers of Haynes Manuals do exactly the same before they release their books......on their 'unsuspecting' Customers ?

I pestered Nurse Julie to have a go at writing such Manuals/ DVD's after following her recent Engine Rebuild thread on the sohc Forum.....her thread was logical, clear, to the point and easy to follow. Whilst her photos were much clearer than the crap that Haynes use, they were actually photos of the parts being assembled - not something completely different or just showing one gear of a five gear cluster when talking about assembling the complete five gear cluster and all it's associated bits !

As my old Teachers regularly used to say to me 'Must try harder' !

I had an almost new VFR800 pre V-Tec one in 2000 which I commuted from Box Hill to Canary Wharf on for about 6 months. The single sided swing arm was a joy when changing the rear tyre and it was a brilliant piece of engineering (at the time). It never missed a beat apart from the alarm regularly playing up when I refuelled at a Garage in Banstead. I was scratching my head one time when a Mechanic at the Garage said the alarm was being 'interfered with' by a Radio Ham who lived opposite........and when I wheeled the bike 50 yards down the road, it started perfectly !

After about 6 months I sold it because my right elbow was killing me...........the riding position just didn't suit me.....although it was comfortable. The only other negative was I often couldn't get it to change up from first to second without a crunch.....must have been me.

It was an X reg in Yellow and the way it was put together was splendid....typical Honda and I was really sad to see it go. The new Owner came with a Guy who owned a swanky Ducati and he road tested it round the small Village where I lived..........he was very complimentary about the bike.........said something about how it handled nearly as well as his £20K Ducati ! 

Mine was completely standard...I never felt the need to customise it as it was a superb machine......it handled beautifully and went like the clappers.....I was hooked after about 2 miles when I road tested it down the A41 outside Hemel Hempstead. I'm sure you will enjoy the experience if you fancy one. 

Mmmmm this thread has got me thinking........when the Factory assembles Engines, they usually don't use any lubricants on the fasteners........they don't have the time - or the inclination - and bollox to the poor sods down the line who have to take them apart later.

Some years down the line poor sods like me often use some kind of grease/ oil/ copper paste etc etc etc on fasteners so that they will come apart more easily in future, especially where dissimilar metals are bolted together such as a steel stud in an alloy casing or a stainless nut on a steel stud. Where components are subjected to the heat cycles of the engine, this criteria is also important. The use of washers (of various materials) may also pose potential Torquing discrepancies, but I suppose if the Parts diagram shows a particular washer, then the Factory has allowed for that in their recommended Torque settings.

So the question is........how accurate or critical is the Torque setting if a lubricant has been employed, and is there a rule of thumb be used when determining the Torque setting that is used in a rebuild with regard to lubricants being used ?

Great news Andrew........really pleased for you.

Just take things easy....as I know you will.......the bikes will still be there waiting till you are ready......and hopefully that won't be too far away.

Best regards,
Alan.

I had my Suzuki GS750 Exhaust Pipes rechromed a few months ago by Classics and Chrome in Hinckley. He did an excellent job of them.......HOWEVER he said that he won't touch Silencers !

Before I sent my Exhaust pipes, I had a chat with him and he was adamant that he won't rechrome silencers.

The sooner HM Customs and Revenue realise that the Classic Bike market in the UK is worth some £4 BILLION each year (well that's what I read somewhere) and that many British Classic Bike enthusiasts just won't import old parts that are 30, 40, 50 years old because of the crippling Import Duty, unreasonable Handling Charges and VAT, if these unfair charges were removed, the market could actually improve....maybe up to £5 or £6 Billion annual figure might be realistic.

That's a lot of extra cash moving round the UK economy (and overseas I admit) so IMHO it's a 'No Brainer'.........it's just a pity that many of our Senior Civil Servants also appear to have 'No Brains' either !

Stolen from another page:
TOOLS EXPLAINED for Beginners
DRILL PRESS : A tall upright machine useful for suddenly snatching flat metal bar stock out of your hands so that it smacks you in the chest and flings your beer across the room, denting the freshly-painted project which you had carefully set in the corner where nothing could get to it.
WIRE WHEEL : Cleans paint off bolts and then throws them somewhere under the workbench with the speed of light. Also removes fingerprints and hard-earned calluses from fingers in about the time it takes you to say, 'Oh sh*t'
ANGLE GRINDER : A portable cutting tool used to make studs and fingers too short.
PLIERS : Used to round off bolt heads. Sometimes used in the creation of blood-blisters.
BELT SANDER : An electric sanding tool commonly used to convert minor touch-up jobs into major refinishing jobs.
HACKSAW : One of a family of cutting tools built on the Ouija board principle... It transforms human energy into a crooked, unpredictable motion, and the more you attempt to influence its course, the more dismal your future project becomes.
MOLE-GRIPS : Generally used after pliers to completely round off bolt heads. If nothing else is available, they can also be used to transfer intense welding heat to the palm of your hand.
OXY-ACETYLENE TORCH : Used almost entirely for setting on fire various flammable objects in your shop. Also handy for igniting the grease inside the wheel hub out of which you want to remove a bearing race..
TABLE SAW : A large stationary power tool commonly used to launch wood projectiles for testing wall integrity.
HYDRAULIC FLOOR JACK : Used for lowering an automobile to the ground after you have installed your new brake shoes, trapping the jack handle firmly under the bumper.
BAND SAW : A large stationary power saw primarily used by most shops to cut good aluminum sheet into smaller pieces that more easily fit into the trash can after you cut on the inside of the line instead of the outside edge.
TWO-TON ENGINE HOIST : A tool for testing the maximum tensile strength of everything you forgot to disconnect.
PHILLIPS SCREWDRIVER : Normally used to stab the vacuum seals under lids or for opening old-style paper-and-tin oil cans and splashing oil on your shirt; but can also be used, as the name implies, to strip out Phillips and Pozi drive screw heads.
STRAIGHT SCREWDRIVER : A tool for opening paint cans. Sometimes used to convert common slotted screws into non-removable screws and butchering your palms.
PRY BAR : A tool used to crumple the metal surrounding that clip or bracket you needed to remove in order to replace a 50p part.
HOSE CUTTER : A tool used to make hoses too short.
HAMMER : Originally employed as a weapon of war, the hammer nowadays is used as a kind of divining rod to locate the most expensive parts adjacent the object we are trying to hit.
STANLEY KNIFE : Used to open and slice through the contents of cardboard cartons delivered to your front door; works particularly well on contents such as seats, vinyl records, liquids in plastic bottles, collector magazines, refund checks, and rubber or plastic parts. Especially useful for slicing work clothes, but only while in use.
ADJUSTABLE SPANNER: aka "Another hammer", aka "the Swedish Nut Lathe", aka "Crescent Wrench" or a movey. Commonly used as a one size fits all wrench, usually results in rounding off nut heads before the use of pliers. Will randomly adjust size between bolts, resulting in busted knuckles, and swearing , and multiple threats to any inanimate objects within the immediate vicinity.
BASTARD TOOL : Any handy tool that you grab and throw across the garage while yelling 'Bastard' at the top of your lungs. It is also, most often, the next tool that you will need.