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Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 1:24 pm
by groupus
what i called the wiper seal is the thinner rubber seal that actually goes under the oil seal and on top of the metal washer, i have them in reverse order in the photo above. Is that what your were talking about or do you mean the dust caps? some people omit the dust caps when using gaiters, but i'm keeping both. Randakk calls it the wiper seal in his tech article and says
New design Honda seals omit the separate "wiper" seal found on the earliest bikes.
my only concern is that leaving it out will leave a 1/16 inch space, which could cause the oil seal to slop around (maybe?). i dunno, thats why i ask :-?

oh, and i was going to refill the forks with atf dextron as per Randakk's suggestion

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Mon Jan 30, 2012 7:57 pm
by confish86
groupus wrote:what i called the wiper seal is the thinner rubber seal that actually goes under the oil seal and on top of the metal washer, i have them in reverse order in the photo above. Is that what your were talking about or do you mean the dust caps? some people omit the dust caps when using gaiters, but i'm keeping both. Randakk calls it the wiper seal in his tech article and says
New design Honda seals omit the separate "wiper" seal found on the earliest bikes.
my only concern is that leaving it out will leave a 1/16 inch space, which could cause the oil seal to slop around (maybe?). i dunno, thats why i ask :-?

oh, and i was going to refill the forks with atf dextron as per Randakk's suggestion
Yea i was talking about the dust shield (wiper) Now i know what your talking about & i sure would get the other seal, i`m sure Mother Honda can order them. I go into Lancaster Honda & buy odds & ends for my 76 from them. If your rebuilding the rear caliper you will need the seal between the 2 pieces or other bits , you can either buy from here from Frenchy http://www.crescentmooncycles.com/ or just buy from Honda.

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 6:56 pm
by groupus
UPDATES!
Finally have the front end reassembled and the bike back on the ground. I went to a Honda dealer to ask about the wiper seals for the forks and they could not find them in the diagrams either. I decided to just hammer the seal I have in and leave it at that; I don't think they are going anywhere since I did have to apply a liberal amount of force. I picked up some fork gaiters (read: 4x4 shock boots) for $7.60/pair dancr and they look goooood. Dropped the forks an inch through the triple trees, it sits nice and low now. I finally got the bike off of the centerstand since I got it, and of course i dropped it :oops: right into my BMW. Only damage was to my ego and the new grip's end, but I need to cut that out to put bar ends on anyways.
Got the taillight and sweet vintage grips in the mail, and made a cool little piece to mount the choke next to the ignition. and yes, the fork lock still works with it between the triple tree and ignition. Winning. Also shaped the seat pan to eliminate most of the corrosion. Bled the new brake lines, but they are not as firm as the rear; I'll let it work some of the bubbles out overnight. I jumped the battery and took it for a spin today, Mad Max style - no covers, no lights or indicator of any kind, straight metal seat, no fenders. :crosso total bad. Feels like it will need very little tuning.
I painted the rear fender black today because I plan on keeping it stock length for now and I figure it won't stand out so much in black. Painted the radiator wings too, for the 3rd time. Still getting drips but I don't care anymore. The bike will be a 5-footer anyway.

I still have a pretty extensive list of things to do, but it is progressing nicely. now that it isn't resting on my car's spare, I can do the belts, oil, and coolant. I test-wired the turn signals and they still do not blink. I guess I'll start by buying a new relay.


p.s. I'm posting some parts for sale on my craigslist add. smaller parts can be shipped, just not the fairings and bags. Link here: http://lancaster.craigslist.org/mcy/2826926854.html



And of course... pictures:

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Fri Feb 03, 2012 7:46 pm
by confish86
Looking good anim-cheers1

Yea i saw your add on c-list , and hope the best for you, as sometimes all you get is people that email the crap out of you & never buy . I have posted so many parts & bikes & all that ever sold was whole bikes (go figure). Funny story that i posted a studded seat from a roadstar & all i got was porn sites replying (saying hey stud want a good time) :shock: :lol:

Oh! did you ever get the Non notary stamped title done ?

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 4:38 pm
by groupus
HELP!
my turn signals still won't blink. I replaced the relay and reconnected the original gauges and lights to eliminate any variables.
they light up but do not blink. I connected it with my car battery to make sure there is enough power. Whats wrong?

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:12 pm
by confish86
groupus wrote:HELP!
my turn signals still won't blink. I replaced the relay and reconnected the original gauges and lights to eliminate any variables.
they light up but do not blink. I connected it with my car battery to make sure there is enough power. Whats wrong?
Do you have all 4 blinkers connected ? I know when i was putting aftermarket directionals on a magna at first i just had the rear on & they just stayed on until i installed the front ones. You say relay , what about the flasher unit.

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 7:22 pm
by groupus
i guess i meant that i replaced the flasher unit. used the correct one: #552 from advanced auto. I do not have front turn signals, they are part of the fairing and i already took apart the wiring harness. i think i remember them not blinking when i had the fairing on either. i suppose i could use me new and old taillight/turnsignal setups together, one on the front and one on the back to test it :lol: However, the new one is LED and might not have enough of a load.

could the reserve lighting unit be effecting this in anyway?

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Sat Feb 04, 2012 8:06 pm
by confish86
(groupus wrote) could the reserve lighting unit be effecting this in anyway?

The 78-79 doesn`t have this according to my PDF file , so i guess no !

I would hook up the 2 stock rear on 1 side & go from there.

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 3:05 am
by groupus
you were absolutely right, hooking up the lights to the front and rear on one side provided enough draw to make the original flasher unit function. so now the question is, what size resistors do i need if i want to run LED blinker lights just in the rear?

also, getting the timing belts tomorrow, fresh coolant, oil, and going to mount the xs650 headlight.

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Mon Feb 06, 2012 7:17 pm
by confish86
The problem is that the LED's present a lot less resistance to the flasher circuit than the conventional bulb does and won't trip the bi-metallic strip inside that makes the lights flash. What you need to do is buy a "no-load" or "electronic" flasher. Most auto parts stores sell them and they come in 2,3 and 4 prong versions.

Finding one to work on the Honda might be a trial and error proposition but you should be able to get it figured out after a little leg work. Another thought-what if you checks with the company you bought the LED's from-they should sell the flasher also.

I`m not sure if you can mix & match (LED & conventional) to make it work right.

Hope this helps

Did a little search for you http://www.ngwclub.com/forum/viewtopic. ... ls#p383876

oh post the question in the tech forum , as you might get a better answer :idea:

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 12:06 am
by hmratbam
You could put a small resistor in parallel with your leds to load the flasher. That would defeat the purpose of the leds,but it would work. I can see no reason why you can't mix bulbs and leds if you get the correct flasher.

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2012 3:38 pm
by bladredhead
thought something like this might be of interest to you. it's a bicycle speedo grafted into what appears to be a mechanical stand alone tach. i don't have much other info on it

Image

also, some nitpicking about the LEDs. i got caught on this one elsewhere on the internet as well so just passing it along. they have much HIGHER resistance thus draw less current. effect is the same as was already described, just the causation wasn't correct. look for a "solid state" flasher relay which is a fancy timer. if you chose to add a resistor, it goes in parallel with the existing light socket thus reducing overall resistance of that circuit and drawing more current

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 2:20 am
by groupus
So I got a solid state flashing unit, a direct replacement for the original thermal flasher number 552, and the turn lights don't necessarily blink as they more sort of pulse. When the flasher is engaged, the LEDs come on and then fade smoothly from bright to dim instead of off and on. This is obviously not desirable because it is less noticeable and because the attraction of LED lights is their snappy on/off reaction. So a resistor may still be needed to match the stock resistance.

Resistance in regards to LEDs is probably the wrong term to use anyway. Resistance is a constant ratio of voltage to current in a resistive circuit, such as a bulb's filament - you remember Ohm's Law (I went to school to teach Tech Ed :lol: ). With an LED, which is a diode, its an exponential relationship. Even slight changes in voltage can make dramatic changes in current, thats why they are usually listed with a typical voltage and a max voltage. The resistor value needed for a single LED can be calculated with R = (VS - VL) / I; where VS = supply voltage, VL = LED voltage, and I = LED current. To calculate a proper resistor to use in conjunction with an array of LEDs, you need to know things like the input voltage, diode's forward voltage, forward current, and the number of LEDs. Even the LED color type has an effect. Luckily, there's a handy dandy calculator here http://led.linear1.org/led.wiz. And actually, arrays of LEDs need resistors in series and parallel. For all intensive purposes, I'm going to try a 470 Ohm resistor and see where that gets me. I may need more to compensate for not running front lights.

In other news, timing belts are ordered. Sabre Cycle had them for about $40 for a pair shipped, which is about 2/3 of what I would pay at Napa and they weren't in stock either. Headlight is installed; its a tight fit, but that 7" light looks gook on this bike. Rear fender and lights are all mounted up, and I carved up my original seat pan and foam into the relative shape I wanted. A hacksaw blade worked well on the foam. A little more work and then I will start upholstering it.

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 12:47 pm
by bladredhead
www.rockauto.com
and the crossover parts list in shop talk will keep you from having to go back to sabre cycle, which is a bit of a hot button topic around here

blacked out front end looks really good btw.

Re: Winter Homework build

Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2012 7:36 pm
by confish86
sabre cycle :drunk Rubber band willpop T-belts , YES a very sore or should i say sour taste in people`s mouth. I bought my Goodyear T-belts from auto zone on 462 just east of 741