An acquisition, at last!

[e3steve]

Grrrrrrrroan! Well, I could've started off with "'Ere-wi-go", as the...... (over to you the finish off that one!)

Hey G, I know you said you have some CB250K bits kicking around; I don't s'pose you have a steering damper (knob/rod/thread), do you? Just a thought.

I'll be back in UK around Easter, but I'll be in Hampshire -- a bit of a jaunt -- and carrying out some fitting of new goodies to the 250.

[e3steve]

Just returned from two months' travelling between Spain, UK & Corsica (French Mediterranean island).

I carted some bikeybitz with me, so when I hit the UK I took my silver engine covers & starter motor to my favourite powdercoating company -- Solent Powder Finishers Ltd in Eastleigh, Hampshire. I've used them several times during the past 25 years and I'm always delighted with the service and the results; this last lot is no exception.

They used the closest finish they had that was similar to Dull Aluminium but it still has a deep metalflake content. I originally opted for the 'no lacquer' option, as the gloss sheen is very glossy; but, after immersing one of the smaller parts in a centimetre of unleaded for a minute or so, and it started to soften, I took the lot back and had it all powdercoat-lacquered and baked again.

The result is pretty sweet, so to hell with Dull Alu!

I'm sending them the top & bottom casings, head/parts & barrels for alu-oxide blasting next week; the raw finish is perfect.

[G-Man]

Steve

Excellent looking work there! I'm sorry but I missed your question about the steering damper parts. I'll have a look through my Honda stuff and see if I have anything.

I thought that you'd been quiet for a while :-)

G

[e3steve]

Hey, n'worries Graham. I got a damper for the CB250 (now, that's another story!!), along with muffler supports, speedo/tacho/mounting ass'y and a good r/h header from a CB350K eBay vendor; parstandsupplies are a good bunch to deal with, BTW!

[e3steve]

So, my NOS cam sprocket arrived at last. I decided to start undressing the head today:

• Cam lobes and rocker faces look pretty unscarred
  Rocker pins are a perfect fit, with no slop in any plane
  The bearings have no rotational flaws or play

I inverted the head, stuffed the inlet & exhaust ports with clean tissue paper and filled the chambers with isopropyl alcohol; the left remained stable for the two hours or so I was faffing with other stuff -- the right depleted by about a millimetre and there's a faint whiff of alcohol on the tissue from the exhaust port. I'm going to leave well alone with the cam bearings and I'll just lap the errant exhaust valve.

One other thing: am I the only one who has missed something in the many posts concerning the undoing of the cam sprocket nut? Or have I been asleep? See pic; the C-spanner (pin-wrench) for the CB shock adjusters fits the bill perfectly!!

[e3steve]

Another few hours in the garage this pm; played with:

• Camshafts
  Tranny (still not Xd, but that's next)
  Starter motor

I know I said I'd be leaving the cam-bearings alone, BUT I found that I'd already stocked up with a set of (four) so I engaged upon a more critical inspection of same. Lo & behold, one had a definite'lump', probably once in five turns. Good enough reason to use the stock; sold!

The spare tranny has been sat in the upturned crankcase for a couple of months, waiting for the right moment for invasive surgery. I feel that Xing, cottering & shimming is going to require my fullest attention, so that part gets to wait 'till I'm in the right mood. I opted to replace the k/s shaft, pawl ass'y & bushings. Sorted.... sweet! Onto the mainshaft bearings: they don't feel too bad, but I have a new pair anyway, bought of CMS about three months back; broke 'em out of the packets and.... Christ Almighty, I can barely turn them. They are new (not a sign of being 'shafted' on the inner journals) but the heavy grease is so old & dry that it's like bloody glue! I can rotate the 'new' bearings but they feel like they've been salvaged from the sea bed. Service ticket to CMS is in the pipeline!

The starter motor reassembly went quite smoothly, if time-consuming. It would've been a doddle, but for the fact that I had to relieve the powdercoating from the facing surfaces. End result pictured herewith: