1971 CL450 that sat for 40 years.

And a flat screwdriver in the gap where the bolt pinches the turn signal body to clamp it to the shaft, spread it apart slightly like you would to remove a shift lever.
 
fxray said:
Your picture shows the hole where the ground wire is supposed to be routed. It should pass discretely through the hole I marked with the red arrow and along the stalk, nearly out of sight. That is probably why Tom did not remember the ground wire with the ring terminal.



In your earlier picture, the wire was routed incorrectly outside the bracket.




WD40 may help, but PB Blaster or Liquid Wrench are far better penetrants.
Click to expand...
Thanks for pointing that out. I’m convinced now that a group of cavemen worked on this bike in the mountains somewhere around a campfire. I’ll be making a trip to the hardware store and add some PB Blaster to my arsenal.
 
ancientdad said:
And a flat screwdriver in the gap where the bolt pinches the turn signal body to clamp it to the shaft, spread it apart slightly like you would to remove a shift lever.
Click to expand...
Different topic on the bike. Am I missing another D-Washer for the triple tree? Couldn’t help but notice this and ask.. I have tried to figure it out on the parts diagram to no avail.

28AD6A7C-463B-4DEA-AA94-A59F75F314D7.jpeg
 
Danager4792 said:
Different topic on the bike. Am I missing another D-Washer for the triple tree? Couldn’t help but notice this and ask.. I have tried to figure it out on the parts diagram to no avail.
Click to expand...
No, that gap is normal and did not come with any protective washer in gap. You are one of the lucky ones, we've seen so many cracked top bridges even when the D washers were in place, people just out of their minds when tightening the pinch bolts.
 
ancientdad said:
No, that gap is normal and did not come with any protective washer in gap. You are one of the lucky ones, we've seen so many cracked top bridges even when the D washers were in place, people just out of their minds when tightening the pinch bolts.
Click to expand...
The two positives I have found while endlessly working on this bike: The horn still works, and the top bridge is not cracked!
 
I had a few chats with Danager over discord and on the phone past few days. He has a number of problems electrical that need addressed in addition to what is posted here.

  • Harness is in poor shape. Along with the corrosion on other parts of the bike I suggested that he either repair the harness or replace it. We looked into what it would cost for me to repair every connector for him, but in the end it would actually cost about the same to buy a new harness from Matt. He's probably going to do that.
  • He did buy a soldering iron and solder to do wiring repairs.
  • He has resistor caps and resistor plugs on the bike. For now, I suggested he pull the resistors out of the caps and put a screw/brass rod/etc. in place of it to get it back to 5K resistance total.
  • He wasn't entirely sure about setting and checking points. I walked him through that. He's getting a used points advancer assembly today as he's not confident he fixed the springs correctly and possibly damaged them. I mentioned that he will not be able to set the ignition with the test lamp method until he fixes the wiring.
  • Went over basic maintenance tasks, like setting valves, cam chain, and greasing the felt on the points plate.
Not trying to take discussion away from here, but sometimes it's just easier to knock it out in a 20 minute phone call and then come back and recap. I mentioned to him to come back here for additional questions and to be sure to keep us posted on the progress.
 
Maraakate said:
Went over basic maintenance tasks, like setting valves, cam chain, and greasing the felt on the points plate.

Not trying to take discussion away from here, but sometimes it's just easier to knock it out in a 20 minute phone call and then come back and recap. I mentioned to him to come back here for additional questions and to be sure to keep us posted on the progress.
Click to expand...
I get it and it helps to hear someone explain stuff, but remember this engine's valves adjust very differently than any you've worked on. Valves are valves, but familiarity and experience is important too.
 
ancientdad said:
I get it and it helps to hear someone explain stuff, but remember this engine's valves adjust very differently than any you've worked on. Valves are valves, but familiarity and experience is important too.
Click to expand...
Right, I did not give specific advice on how to adjust the valves. I mentioned that it is part of the maintenance that he should perform soon. I did mention to him that I am not familiar with this bike and it's quirks and that it's DOHC so the rules are different so that he should reach out to you in this thread for the specific procedures. The electrical and stuff like that has most of the same techniques that apply.
 
I reached out to Maraakate to discuss buying the correct soldering iron, wire, flux, terminals, and all general electrical tools needed. All of it was discussed here previously, but needed a good reminder and more fine details.

I received a wiring harness from Brody, which is in very good shape to my knowledge. When compared to my old one, it’s a complete 180. I went over this harness with contact cleaner on all connections, and applied dielectric grease. I also wrapped it in heat resistant cloth tape. I’d be curious to know if it’s in good enough shape to go ahead and swap it out on the bike. The last few days I’ve been working on getting the turn signals back up to par(soldering that disconnected ground wire, soaking the parts in evaporust, and putting a new ring terminal on the black bolt wire).

Today the used spark advancer will arrive, and I’ll finally be back on track to finish the final cam bearing cover. I’ll be reaching out once again with more questions on valve adjustment, and most likely a write-up on points timing. Thanks everyone. Getting one day closer at a time!
 
Danager4792 said:
I received a wiring harness from Brody, which is in very good shape to my knowledge. When compared to my old one, it’s a complete 180. I went over this harness with contact cleaner on all connections, and applied dielectric grease. I also wrapped it in heat resistant cloth tape. I’d be curious to know if it’s in good enough shape to go ahead and swap it out on the bike.
Click to expand...
Again, pictures... :) but if Brody felt it was good enough to save, I'll trust his judgment on its usability.
 
ancientdad said:
Again, pictures... :) but if Brody felt it was good enough to save, I'll trust his judgment on its usability.
Click to expand...
I think it should be complete and usable, but it was definitely in need of some cleaning when I boxed it up. The plastic sheath going into the headlight is cracked and I would recommend removing the remaining plastic and replacing it with harness tape or new sheathing. It came off my parts bike, so I never ran any electricity through it.
 
stl360+450 said:
I think it should be complete and usable, but it was definitely in need of some cleaning when I boxed it up. The plastic sheath going into the headlight is cracked and I would recommend removing the remaining plastic and replacing it with harness tape or new sheathing. It came off my parts bike, so I never ran any electricity through it.
Click to expand...
And if he wants to get some fresh shiny black plastic sheathing like the original was for where it goes into the headlight case, he can get it here:

www.vintageconnections.com

Black PVC Sleeving

This is soft, high-gloss PVC sleeving that is identical in color, surface finish, inner diameter, and wall thickness to the vinyl sleeving that was used originally by the factory. It is NOT heat shrink tubing. All sizes of our sleeving are sold in continuous lengths, up to a maximum continuous...
www.vintageconnections.com www.vintageconnections.com
 
The spark advancer I received from Bobco is in excellent shape.. the springs feel nice with proper tension. Won’t have to adjust those any. Fairly clean, too. Went ahead and adjusted it 180 degrees. Will I need to apply any oil to it?

B1F4E31B-C1F1-4A22-BC31-9BD7A2D3BA0C.jpeg
 
Very nice, it even still has the rubber bumpers on the weights both inside and outside. Nice clean breaker cam lobe for the points too, make them last a lot longer. I use a drop or two of PJ-1 chain lube on the felt for the breaker cam lobe and points rubbing block, and I wipe a small film of it on each rubbing block where it contacts the cam lobe. Slows down the rubbing block wear a lot so the points don't have to be adjusted as often.
 
ancientdad said:
Very nice, it even still has the rubber bumpers on the weights both inside and outside. Nice clean breaker cam lobe for the points too, make them last a lot longer. I use a drop or two of PJ-1 chain lube on the felt for the breaker cam lobe and points rubbing block, and I wipe a small film of it on each rubbing block where it contacts the cam lobe. Slows down the rubbing block wear a lot so the points don't have to be adjusted as often.
Click to expand...
I am still building my arsenal of mechanical spray cans, lubes, etc. I think the closest thing I have is 3in1 oil.
 
Here is the electrical harness. I wiped down the old sheath with window cleaner then wrapped heat cloth on top of it. Then cleaned the outside of the wires and connectors, applied dielectric grease.

A3581D05-27E6-4DEE-ABE5-6F9008131973.jpeg
2499D406-17C7-408D-A442-C534732E6B83.jpeg
3C521A1C-1F09-49FE-B7AB-AEE40A61047B.jpeg

7E1C7F8D-8F7C-4086-84CB-7CC4AD06562D.jpeg
 
Danager4792 said:
I am still building my arsenal of mechanical spray cans, lubes, etc. I think the closest thing I have is 3in1 oil.
Click to expand...
I like chain lube because it has graphite in it and thickens up, so it stays there and won't fly off and around the area, ending up on the points contacts in some cases of over-do.
 
Within two minutes of having the new spark advancer in my hand, installing it, and attempting to get the points plate lined up, this happened. I just went back inside.

C5D6B90F-58C2-4342-A44A-C5741A1C6EC2.jpg
 
After clearing my head, and thinking real hard, I decided to solder. This was my 1st pic before attempting and just “lining it up”. I had just stripped the wire back.

7BE48C18-DBEA-4BB4-837B-1710A4E3BA0A.jpeg

I made a solder attempt (without the towel underneath) and it honestly doesn’t look too pretty. I forgot to take a pic. Maybe it will hold and work out. Is it possible to buy another terminal/connector? Or would any connector work?
 
I don't know if this will work, but use the pointy soldering iron to open up the old soldered crimp and blow out the liquified old solder with a straw in your mouth. Then you can crimp the wire back in and solder.

Edit: They make a special de-soldering wick (braided copper 'string') to soak up old solder.
 
Hey Dan,

Sorry last night I was busy and couldn't reply to your messages about this as it happened to you. As a stop-gap solution you can scuff up the terminal with some sandpaper/scotchbrite and then use flux paste on the wire and terminal to flow solder and get it to stick. In fact, it may be a slightly better and more reliable wiring fix in the long run if you can get the terminal straightened out and do a clean job of soldering.
 
Danager4792 said:
Can you repost that link?
Click to expand...
Yeah, I'm sure he meant to post this link - it's the one I believe he was referring to.

Points Leads Replacement

I recently replaced the points on my CB450K7 and, at the time, was reminded that the points leads were in rough shape. The right hand (blue) lead had a split in the casing and the left hand lead was a combination of two wires (really!). I spent a couple of hours remedying the situation this...
www.vintagehondatwins.com www.vintagehondatwins.com
 
stl360+450 said:
It was a cheapo eBay purchase and I don't think the sizes are labeled. The kit includes various sizes, but they are the proper crimp style, unlike what you tend to find in auto parts stores.
Click to expand...
That helps a lot. Im assuming it was the smallest ones on the bottom right.

21855D84-0B8E-420B-AAB8-078C786EE515.png
 
With those old wires it just tends to not accept solder very well unless it's clean and a tiny bit of flux paste. I know the 60/40 solder has flux in it, but it never seems to be enough to be useful. Scuffing the area on the connector to be soldered and a small dab of flux on that area as well makes everything work nice and dreamy.

If you do more soldering be sure to clean the area you soldered with some rubbing alcohol or acetone. Flux can corrode connectors over time. Not instantly, but in like 5-10 years. Maybe sooner depending on how it's stored. I just keep old toothbrushes around to dip in a bottle of rubbing alcohol to clean the areas off. Q-tips work fine as well.
 
Maraakate said:
With those old wires it just tends to not accept solder very well unless it's clean and a tiny bit of flux paste. I know the 60/40 solder has flux in it, but it never seems to be enough to be useful. Scuffing the area on the connector to be soldered and a small dab of flux on that area as well makes everything work nice and dreamy.

If you do more soldering be sure to clean the area you soldered with some rubbing alcohol or acetone. Flux can corrode connectors over time. Not instantly, but in like 5-10 years. Maybe sooner depending on how it's stored. I just keep old toothbrushes around to dip in a bottle of rubbing alcohol to clean the areas off. Q-tips work fine as well.
Click to expand...
This was my 2nd attempt soldering. The problem I’m having is the 60/40 melting. I’ll have the iron heating for maybe 5-10 mins. I’ll hold the tip of the iron(30w/900F) on the area to be soldered for at least 30 seconds. Even up to a minute. When I press the solder, it doesn’t melt at all.
 
You need to get some flux or a damp sponge for the tip. If allowed to burn for long periods of time with no solder it will damage and corrode the tip. Occasionally you will dip the tip in the tub of flux or a damp sponge. Immediately put some solder over the tip.

Also check that the soldering iron isn't junk. After 5 minutes try to melt some solder on the tip. It should just consume it immediately. If not, the soldering iron is no good, the tip is bad, or the width of your solder is too much. Pictures of your soldering setup would help.

If all of that is good, then your technique needs work. How I would solder the above...

* Strip the wire, if it's kind of dark on the colour of the copper from corrosion then I rub my fingers over it to see if it's surface. If not, then I try a piece of scotch brite. If still bad trim back until you get some clean copper.
* Twist the wire.
* Dip the exposed wire into the tub of flux.
* Dip the soldering iron into the tub of flux.
* Put some solder on the tip.
* Put the tip on the wire.
* Some solder from the tip should transfer to the wire. With the tip still on the wire feed solder in between the tip and the wire.
* Check both sides of the wire to be sure it's penetrated fully. No dry spots.
* Scuff the metal area to be soldered on the connector.
* Put a dab of flux on this area.
* Hold the tip over this area, now again flow solder in between where the tip is touching the connector.
* A pool should form.
* Now take the wire, put it over the terminal with solder.
* Press the tip over the wire.
* The solder from the terminal should liquefy "into" the wire. Solder from both of these parts should attract each other.
* Sometimes you have to flow some additional solder into this "blob" between the two parts.
* Keep the workpiece steady and remove the soldering iron.
* Wait about 5-10 seconds, and check that the two parts are staying soldered together correctly.
 
Hello everyone. Went on a little break. My 2 year-old daughter’s birthday was yesterday. I was in charge of cooking. Smoked a boston butt, made my grandmas baked bean recipe, and made some bacon-wrapped kielbasa. I didn’t have time for pictures cause it all got eaten so fast.

Anyways, a few days ago I reassembled both rear turn signals and crimped on a new ring terminal for the right ground. They are good to go, at least I think so until I fire up the bike.

Todays schedule:

Camchain adjustment
Valve adjustment
Swap out wiring harness
 
Just to be sure I’m getting the camchain done correctly, you previously said to turn the crankshaft over and look at the exhaust side. Once a valve is being opened then make the adjustment. If the valve is closed when the cam lobe is straight up, does it open when it starts to leave that straight up position?
 
With the cam lobe up the valve will open, not where you want to do any adjusting. Just roll the engine over until you see the points opening and adjust the valves for that cylinder there.
 
After taking more time to learn about the 4 stroke engine and the cam lobes, I decided to swap the wiring harness. Everything went smooth, but I have a female green wire with a yellow stripe with nothing to plug into. Looking back at all of my pictures I don’t think it was ever plugged in.

This picture is after swapping the harness.

Edit: I think I found in my pictures what was plugged into it. It looks like the green ground wire from the headlight was plugged into the green wire with yellow stripe.
F64D45C4-860C-4776-8186-8C26D04F2E0E.jpeg
 
LongDistanceRider said:
Green w/Yellow is for the brake light. Black feeds the switch and Green w/Yellow feeds the bulb.
Click to expand...
I’m thinking this bike is missing the black male and green w/ yellow stripe male wires. Or they were changed to different colors. Do these two wires come out of the handlebars or one of the gauges?
 
Danager4792 said:
I’m thinking this bike is missing the black male and green w/ yellow stripe male wires. Or they were changed to different colors. Do these two wires come out of the handlebars or one of the gauges?
Click to expand...
The stop switch should be installed on the brake lever perch (very close to the pivot) and it would have a black and green/yellow lead. Those wires would end up going to the headlight bucket to match up with the corresponding connectors on the harness.

Your bike may currently be missing the brake switch.
 
Last edited:
stl360+450 said:
The stop switch should be installed on the brake lever perch (very close to the pivot) and it would have a black and green/yellow lead. Those wires would end up going to the headlight bucket to match up with the corresponding connectors on the harness.

Your bike may currently be missing the brake switch.
Click to expand...
97307C2D-EC62-4CE3-8A03-107BC54BC5F5.jpeg
8E8927C3-2C95-4F2A-A1E2-0DD22338C705.jpeg
 
Not sure which perch you have, but take a look at the indicated spot in the diagram below, which just happens to be out of sight in both of your photos.

Screenshot_20231022-220531~2.png
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom