1981 CBX Reassembly

[sixpackscott]

I just purchased a lift table and my bike is patiently waiting my next move. I noticed the plate was last tagged in 94 so I guess another 20 years has slipped by. Anyways I am ready to put er back together and I would appreciate any input from the CBX gallery out there. I am looking for a naked conversion procedure - I have no idea what to do with all that wiring harness. My plan is to use a large bucketed headlight assembly from a 600 seca or maybe a GS1100E and stuff all the wiring in there leaving enough room for a compact light source. I don't want to cut up my harness if I can avoid it. I am also looking for 6-6 pipes - should I do anything to my jetting or airscrew while the carb bank is removed?
Thanks
Scott

[NobleHops]

I'll offer my usual advice, and if you take it I can nearly promise you that help will come out of the woodwork.

Post pictures. Get a photobucket account or Smugmug or whatever let's you link, spend 15 minutes mastering how to post them, and keep this thread updated as you go. This gang likes nothing more than to help get another bike on the road and its owner grinning.

The second bit of advice is to also master and avail yourself of the site search functions. Your questions will find a slightly more helpful audience if you mine what's here first, and take your questions from there. You'll also learn more and get further faster.

Most of all, do ask away, and we will help.

[EMS]

....and the service manual and a parts fiche/book are invaluable in an assembly job. You will find essential tips and images of how things go together and what to look for when you do it.

[bikeymikey748]

What Nils & Mike said
Plus, that budget that you've set aside for the project ? You know, the one that you swore you would not ecxceed ? Umm, plan on beating that puppy up a touch
The best news is that any trial you are faced with, any setbacks or stress-filled days you plow through will be more than worth it a few seconds into your first ride.

[sixpackscott]

Thanks for all your support. I intend to keep this post as sort of photo journal of this project. Next step is going to be installing my carb bank. Just heat up the boots with a heat gun and they will pop right in!! Right?
An observation watching Jay's garage CBX Youtube: it looked like he had the #6 off the tree while he was doing a boot replacement job - does he know something that I will find out the hard way?

[EMS]

Next step is going to be installing my carb bank. Just heat up the boots with a heat gun and they will pop right in!! Right?
An observation watching Jay's garage CBX Youtube: it looked like he had the #6 off the tree while he was doing a boot replacement job - does he know something that I will find out the hard way?

Not quite. Heating up older boots that are not as pliable anymore will certainly help, but it is still no walk in the park. Just make sure, you don't use brute force. I have seen quite a few carb banks where the alignment was distorted and some had bent or dented connection tubes. Get some longer bar clamps and work the bank into the boots.

[sixpackscott]

The heat gun softened the boots a little - they still felt like there was a metal ring molded into them. My secret brute force with rubber is to apply semi-brute force and hold pressure and let time do its bit in the deformation process. I first engaged the far side carbs and applied pressure toward that direction and then grasped the front of the head and squeezed the bank into position. Slow steady force and a dab of K&N air filter grease smeared around the inside diameter of the rubber. I can't find my "new" 15 year old air filter pods so the stock air box is going back on tonight then tilt the engine into place. I looked to see if anyone addressed card angle. It would be hard to set with the engine tilted and my garage floor tilted but does anyone has a dimension for one of the carb bowls or piston top to and adjacent engine feature? I was able to rock the bank such there was a 3/8" difference in the bowl to top of gear case dimension. My floats aren't going to work with he front wheel in the air all the time but I still want to make an effort to keep the float level adjusted.

[daves79x]

Not sure what you're confused with adjusting float level. You just statically adjust each float per the manual (15.5mm) and that's it. The carbs only rest at their inherent angle (slight sag with pods) - you can't change that. Just bolt up your airbox, etc and if your floats were set properly, the carbs will be fine (assuming all else is well with them).

[EMS]

I think he is concerned about the "wiggle room" the carbs have when sitting just in the boots and the resulting change in angle and whether he should do something about it.
Like you say, once he has everything together, it should not be an issue.

[NobleHops]

Next time those carbs are off, give the insulators a slow boil with 4 oz of wintergreen oil, and they will not only smell great, they'll be a lot softer and more pliable, easing installation and making them seal easier.

[Larry Zimmer]

One other bit of advice when installing carbs: high-temp silicone grease. Put a thin film around the boots to the full depth of the carb nipples. Also, be CERTAIN that the carbs are fully seated into the boots. The boots should seat completely flush up against the shoulder of the carb body for every carb. Be certain to check both sides. If 1 and 6 are seated, the other four will be.

[NobleHops]

Here's a bit more on the treatment of the insulators:

viewtopic.php?f=27&t=8753

N.