Bike Finally Done, Some Problems

grubsie · #1 07-31-2013, 04:45 PM

Finally finished my Early 63. Started in 2 kicks! Took it out for a few laps around the neighborhood. What a blast!

However, a couple of problems.

Original petcock leaking at the bottom of bowl. The nut part was butchered up pretty good so I had filed it to clean it up. Must have gone too far. No problem however as my friend will seal it with aluminum weld. He already has it. I will get it back tomorrow.

The other problem is probably minor. (I hope) The engine idles great and revs great. But, when I rev the engine then close the throttle, the engine revs (surges) for a split second, then drops back to idle. This surge is driving me crazy. I checked to see if there was an air leak, but that diesn't seem to be the problem. I changed the gasket, the insulator block along with the O-ring on the carb and checked to see if the flange on the carb was warped but it is not.

Any ideas?

Attached are some pics. The seat cover was changed to the correct one after I took these pics.

Spokes · #2 07-31-2013, 06:29 PM

Try adjusting your high speed air jet on the carb. Turn it in clockwise a half at a time until the split second rev ceases.

Foamy · #3 07-31-2013, 08:08 PM

What a beauty, those mufflers look good.

VegeKev · #4 07-31-2013, 10:15 PM

Sweet job Grubsie!......but way too clean

I had the same problem with my old fuel bowl....luckily I had a spare.

Sam Green · #5 07-31-2013, 11:31 PM

Stop moaning about the problems, if you don't like it, just send it to me and I will dispose of the bike for you...free of charge...you just pay the shipping.

Fantastic looking example.

Sam.

ByTheLake · #6 08-01-2013, 01:26 AM

Gorgeous bike - looks like an old German motorbike in the pictures. Love those early-style header pipes, too. Looks like an authentic original.

Larzfromarz · #7 08-01-2013, 03:22 AM

Well done Grubsie!
Don't listen to Sam I'll cut you the same deal and shipping will be much less to me so everybody saves..

BTW nice that you have the hand pump! You don't see too many of those anymore.

kartgreen · #8 08-01-2013, 11:18 AM

Great job ! Another one on the road . Soon we'll all have to get together and terrorize some small town with our CA95's & 160's . Can you imagine the horror of the town folk hustling their children indoors as we roar up & down main street !
Nice job keepin them alive .
By the way , Sams the man , using some of his wisdom and tips from the SOHC4 forum on my 1977 CB750 automatic . Not going to be a drag racer though .

Steverinomeiste · #9 08-01-2013, 01:24 PM

My son tells me I look like some kind of big ugly giant when I ride mine. For the sake of the citizenry I hunch down a little bit when entering small communities. Beautiful Bike! Mine is supposed to have the flat mufflers but they were removed at some point.

grubsie · #10 08-01-2013, 06:25 PM

Thanks for the great compliments. It's good to know all our hard work is appreciated in this forum. It's amazing how time consuming these projects are. Just sourcing parts takes an insane amount of time. Definitely a labor of love and fun. Couldn't and wouldn't have been able to get it this nice without this forum. The knowledge here is priceless and the talents definitely raise the bar for quality. So you guys can pat your own backs a little bit for all these bikes being saved.

My wife says it's cute and calls it my mistress. I probably spent more time on the bike than with her during the last year.

I appreciate the great offers from Sam Green and Larzfromarz. I really had to think about it. So far, Sam Green is 1 up on Larzfromarz as one of his exhaust flanges is on this bike. Sam I was a little disappointed that you did not mention how good the flanges look. If you can guess which flange is yours, I may seriously consider your offer.

Got the petcock bowl back, works great. Still have the surging though. I adjusted the air screw every which way with no luck with the surging. If I open the throttle to about 1200 rpm, no surge. If I go over that, I get the surge and it gets pretty high rpm then quickly back to idle, If I open the throttle wide open then let go, it goes right back to idle. I took the carb apart again, flushed every orifice, jet, etc with carb cleaner and compressed air. Still surging. Checked the slide in the carb and it's working smoothly, not sticking anywhere. Something that has me baffled is the fact that it won't start with the choke on. Like today when I got home from work. Same situation when started for the 1st time yesterday. It only starts with the choke completely off (open). So I am thinking it may be something to do with that? If not, maybe spark advance?

Spokes · #11 08-01-2013, 06:54 PM

Sometimes these bikes have quirks. Usually when the weather is warm, you may not need the choke. I know that an engine will rev higher when fuel starved, like running out of gas and just before stalling.

Since the carb is clean, my last guess would be the carb insulator may have a crack and it's leaking air. One option is to simply not rev the engine. Ride as normal and maybe it will work it's way out. Just my 2 cents. BTL, a very nice bike for sure.

Larzfromarz · #12 08-02-2013, 03:36 AM

It can be a simple as the slide cap and screw ring are not properly seated or mis-threaded as well.
We'll assume all of the jets are the correct ones. Is the main jet needle in the middle? You might fool with that and see if the results are different.

Larzfromarz · #13 08-02-2013, 04:28 AM

You can also use the old spray solvent test. While running you can spray something like carb cleaner around your connections. If the rpm rises you likely have found your leak (if it is one).

grubsie · #14 08-03-2013, 01:09 PM

Found the problem. It's Fixed!

Wasn't an air leak. It was a jet problem. Not what you would think. There are 2 jets that you can access from the exterior of the carb. One of them is is at the top rear of the carb just above the intake and the other is at the top on the right side. (Think it's called a power jet) Some carbs have an adjustment screw on this power jet. Mine does not. It is capped with a flat screw, but way inside is a jet. The jet in the power jet hole and the jet in the top rear above the intake are the same size, threads also except one has a smaller size hole in it. It was so long ago that I originally cleaned the carb, that I forgot about the jet in the power jet hole which is supposed to be the one with the smaller hole. Of course they were backwards.
Anyway, changed them around, put the carb back on and woohoo! Runs perfect!
Buttoned everything up, put the plate from my registered bike on it (Snicker) and took her out for approx 20 miles. What a blast! Ran great. Did a few errands. Got a few compliments from people at the stores I stopped at. Even had a couple of (Older) Harley guys give me a thumbs up at a stop sign. This thing isn't just fun to ride, it's just as much fun getting compliments and talking to people about it. Not just the ones who remember them from back in the day, but the younger ones that have never seen one before. I probably spent as much time talking to people about it as I did riding it.

Again, thanks for all your help guys. Next up........My CA160.

Larzfromarz · #15 08-03-2013, 04:47 PM

and that's why we do what we do, right? So great to hear things worked out and good to know what you found.
I just love the "Honda Grin" both when given and received!
Congrats~!