Oh boy. Big update. So many things have happened. So many, in fact, I probably won't rememer them all and this post will have a lotta edits.
Well, first of all, I finally got my rider/driver's license, almost 1 exact year after buying the bike.
So, first things first, no more starter issues. I re-crimped the starter engine cable anyway, no more cracked copper. Rest of the cable seemed fine and not oxidized, thankfully.
Finally found the 1st and only issue so far with the new wiring harness: it does not have the terminals for the hazard light switch - Should still be pretty easy to hook one though, as all wires are present, there's just less terminals.
And my first electric gremlin:
One day the starter started not wanting to fire up, and for some reason the high beam lights on the panel turned on when that happened. I remember that had happened on the original wiring harness but only when I was in gear and with no clutch, this time I was in neutral though.
Pressed again, it worked.
Then I noticed the high beam light on the panel would have a very faint light whenever I turned on my normal headlight (not using high beams).
And then one day the headlight didn't turn on when I moved the switch, but the high beams light on the panel lit up.
I did what my instincts told me to do: I slapped the headlight, moderately if not lightly.
It turned on. Heh. I noticed the high beam spot on the panel was as always faintly lit, but then I noticed vibrations affected it.
I got my multimeter out next morning and traced the problem back to the ground coming from the bolt on the right side (brake pedal side) of the headlight. Have yet to fix that, I had a random wire with a double terminal so I just added that wire to the left side nut (the working one). No problems ever again. Still gotta fix the root of the issue though. Will get to it at some point. Sure. I wrote it down here so I can't forget it.
While I got that done, I wanted to test out a theory. While working on my girlfriends new appartment, I used a lot of these straight Wago 221-2411's and they worked beautifully, even for the electric shower:
I saw a couple of people mentioning using them on cars with no issues so I thought, eh, why not, horn's not working anyway.
I had found a plug that was a match to the wiring harness horn connector, and it already had 2 wires as well, so I just put in the 2 wagos on them, connected them to the cable from the horns, tested and hoped for the best. If they disconnect, I know they don't work for this application.
That was a few weeks ago, so far, no issues, horn sounds very good. Don't use it that often to be fair.
And then it came time to decide if I was going to keep the bike, because if I was to keep it, this is where I'd spend all the money I saved these last few months to push the bike to what I'd call a finish line: no worn parts left. If I was going to sell it, I'd spend $30 on a detailed wash and put it up for sale, then use the money I saved + whatever I sold the bike for to buy another one.
It was frustrating dealing with that decision as I was experiencing a delay with my rider/driver's license, I had calculated by the end of April I would have already done some long rides, finally, but unfortunately that did not happen, I was at 2200kms, I don't even know how many oil changes, babying it but also giving it WOT when possible and touching the high rpms every now and then, and I did managed to sneak in a few twisties one night and another on holidays as well.
And I decided to **** it, just keep it.
So anyways, I once again spent a ton of money on the bike. Let me get the stuff I ended up giving back out of the way first.
New seat - I looked at a few pictures online and realised the rider's part of the seat on the CB is usually taller, and mine was already digging into the tank, so why not.
Well, I hated it. I ended up being way too high on the bike as the seat's foam was quite hard/stiff, everything felt weird, in less than 10 minutes riding I completely gave up on the idea. Packed it up, gave it back. My seat is just fine and it feels much nicer than that one.
New clutch separator plates/discs - Installed them, along with new friction plates/discs, slipped like hell. Took it all apart, decided to check. They're like 30%~40% slimmer than the ones that were on the bike, installed the old ones, everything's perfect, gave the ones I bought back to the store.
Ok, now for the stuff that did work/get replaced
Clutch:
New Friction discs - Got them from a good local brand. Worked beautifully, managed to zero the adjustment nuts close to the lever.
Also ended up finding out an interesting repair done on the clutch pressure plate? Can't confirm the english name.
Number 9.
Anyway, there were two... Screws. Welded to it.
Took it to a machine shop, they removed them, cleaned, checked everything including if it was plain/flat/even, etc. They welded new machined bolts into it, following the sizes and tollerances of the original two pins that were intact. Not fun, REALLY not cheap, delayed some other stuff I wanted to test on the bike, but it was okay, thankfully this was one of the first things I tackled so it didn't delay things too much.
New clutch lever o-ring as well, because the old one was leaky.
Now for the stuff I paid my mechanic to do and check, because my day job was already being too much so I just wanted to ride on the weekends.
Brakes
3x Sets of pads from a very good, and very old local brand. Pretty old stock as well, they've been working amazing.
1x Front Master Cylinder from the same brand as the one on the bike - It was cheaper than buying a repair kit.
The mechanic also went through the brake calipers themselves, cleaning and restoring them - I did take one pic:
He relayed to me that, of course, I should also look into new brake hoses. I'm going after real aeroquip/steel braided lines, not too easy to find for the CB450's these days, but I did manage to find a few kits, quite expensive. Will replace them on the next bleed.
Brakes felt weak at first, as expected, and are now very great, they don't brake more than before, but the levers are much more responsive and smooth, especially the rear brake.
Full transmission:
-Tires:
130/70-18 Pirelli Sport Demon on the rear - Semi-slick? Almost slick? I found it very good. I noticed the bike turns easier, and it really wants to lean sometimes, which was pretty scary especially in the first few kilometers with that new tire wax, it also does not come back to vertical as easy as the slimmer, terrible old tires - This also tells me I was already riding on the edge.
Old ones were 4.10-18 - "Maggion Rattler" - Mine were produced in 2017 and I saw the same tire being sold until very recently, but for some reason they still use the old standards. Anyway, terrible brand, known for being almost impossible to balance, and they were one of the weakest links ever since I bought the bike. It did make me learn its limits pretty quickly and respect the engine and tires, so hey, they served their purpose.
100/90-19 Metzeler Tourance on the front - Not too happy with this option, but there were basically no slick tires for this size around, so I just went for a good brand and chose the most rubber I could get.
I had previously heard that 120/80-18 was the maximum, but 130/70 fit just fine, no modifications needed, same for 100/90-19 on the front wheel. Got the idea from a couple of guys who installed CEAT/Royal Enfield tires on the bike.
Both tyres are tubeless, but the brazilian CB wheels are not equipped to deal with that (if I recall correctly, they do not have the lip), so they are running tubed - I do know some people do run them tubeless anyway over here, but I'm not one of them.
Balanced the wheels as well.
Old ones were 90/90-19 - Rinaldi R34's - Amazing tire, especially for the price, but also in general, I never liked their thread pattern too much as it was too "old school" for me, but they really worked and I not once ever lost traction on them, no matter the rain and conditions.
-Sprockets and the rest
-New cush drive
-KMC 530EX Chain - O-rings steal power, X-rings steal less, so X-rings it is. Price difference was less than $10 anyways.
-18T front/drive sprocket - 2 over the original 16t. Been running it for a few days now, and it works amazing, makes 2nd gear more usable and third longer. I'm pretty happy with the result. It definitely fits tight on the engine case but it works just fine.
-Original Yamaha Fixing Plate and screws - I thought the idea was funny, and it worked out. It's the original fixing plate for the Virago 250, which might mean it`s drive sprocket might also fit (and its drive sprocket is also 16t).
-36T drilled "Factory Racing" rear wheel sprocket - I had originally bought an original looking one, but they wrongly sent me the 4 hole one that at least here in Brazil is only used on the first few years of the CB400 and I needed the sprocket to arrive quickly, the ""racing"" one was the only option. It's fine, here's how it looks, it also doesn't have those "protector rails" of the original one.
And... 2 rear wheel bearings that were absolutely gone. The one that is closer to the sprocket was completely destroyed, mechanic showed me pictures of the removal but unfortunately did not send me, I guarantee you guys though... Stuff was in pieces. Bearing races in particular.
Other stuff that doesn't fit into any particular area:
-New swingarm plastic bushes
-Starter gear brushes as well as all o-rings and seal.
-New gasket for that leaky right side silencer. Can confirm, bike is much quieter and also has not stopped popping during decels. Amazing.
-Changed oil to imported Motul 5100 15w50 - Does not have recycled oil on it, unlike the locally produced Motul 5000+ 20w50 that I was using - Of course, new filter and filter cap gasket as well.
-New oil plug with a magnet on the tip - Ended up forgetting to install this one - Next oil change will install it.
-Installed original handlebars - Bought them from a better brand and installed them. I also installed the plastic cap again which was when I figured out the harness did not have plugs for the hazard lights. I already got used to them so I don't even feel it anymore, but I really want to go back to the CB400N/CB 250 Twister handlebars again, it made the bike much more agile. Also, SO MUCH EASIER to push and guide when off the bike, which really makes a great difference to me considering I always push it whenever going in or out of the house - Don't want to disturb people.
Well...
-New grease nipples - Old ones were, of course, torn off. Mechanic did fix it thankfully, here's a raw pic during the reassembly, before cleaning all the grease:
I didn't even notice this, he saw it, let me know and I approved it.
-Finally got around to installing that Fiat Magnetti Marelli external ignition coil. Worked perfectly out of the box, I had already checked which wire was ground and made the connector, all I needed was the bracket for it, which the mechanic made for me. No performance gains but surely no performance loss. Bike seems to start easier and now I can also use an iridium plug without going over 5k resistance. Here's a pic of how it looks under the tank:
Now I just gotta make or buy a cable that lasts long, as someone here (sorry, can't remember who) told me these automotive spark cables don't last too long out in the open.
Even if I don't find them, these cables are really cheap, and I kept the original ignition coil just in case.
P/N if any of you is interested: 0780002010
Here in Brazil these were used on the following cars up until around 94, when they started using one coil with 3 wires for all 4 cylinders: ELBA, FIORINO, PREMIO, SIENA, UNO, STRADA.
-------------- End of mechanic stuff.
Bike has been running fine, starting up easier, starter also sounds healthier and for now, nothing else has shown its ugly head other than the front brakes making a noise here and there. But then again my last few rides were on cold and very humid weather so its bound to happen. It made noises when it rained before, it'll still happen now I'm sure. Will look further into it on the next bleed when I also replace the hoses (which could also be the culprit).
I've been going on more and more rides, especially now that I can legally do it and not worry about police and it's been mostly a pleasure, I still usually prefer to ride through neighborhoods and not fast streets because getting to the destination quicker is usually not my objective, riding for more time with less cars close to me sounds like a good deal. Have gotten on and off a highway a few times but really nothing special, engine can handle the 110 km/h with no stress.
Unfortunately had an episode where I was tailed by a random car for more than 3kms which is a story for another post, but to make a long story short, I realized I couldn't go home because I'd have to get off the bike, turn it off, unlock the lock, open the gate [...], VERY fortunately, I had put my girlfriend's condo electronic gate controls on my bike key, so I just made a turn, turned off the lights and went as fast as I could towards her appartment, got in, checked, no cars on the road, that was it.
Not the worst experience I ever had on two wheels, I admit. Had to run away from the rozzers once on a motorized bike that barely made 2hp and that was much worse and longer (not doing anything wrong, but they were probably going to take it away from me just because it did not have plates and taxes), but it felt very real when I realized I was ****** if I went home. If I didn't have the gate controls, I'd probably just go as fast as I could until the tank ran dry.
On a better note, been riding more with the girlfriend and somehow she likes it. I absolutely hate riding on the pillow seat and I told her a couple of times I would never ride on my own but she seems to enjoy it somehow, and after the first 3 rides or so, I don't even feel her added weight on the bike anymore, damn happy with my choice to not start with a 125 in this regard.
Next week or so I'm planning to do a small trip to a café that is in the middle of some mountains, and the road there is full of twists, should be pretty amazing. Around 120kms total (getting there and back), about 2 hours, should be fun, my brother's also coming with me on his Daytona 675r.
But that will be next week, because for this one I'm recovering from an eye injury that I did to myself with rubber and its elastic properties. Adjusting to different light settings hurts quite a lot.
