'84 1150 rebuild

[wyly]

Tires-do you have a preference between these two, Metzler Lasertec or BattleAx...I have Lazertecs on my CBX but I've no experience with the Battleax...

 

[wyly]

pistons in cylinder with no ring compressor, yeah that was a struggle 5hrs...:sorrow:...

 

[wyly]

I see scratches on inside of #1, hmmm...I pull up the cylinder enough to check the rings and they're all good nothing that would cause a scratch. Cylinders have already been honed so I assume the scratches are the remains of the seized rings and debris from the broken plugs being dragged up and down. Very very light scratches the ring gaps will be much much bigger so I carry on. Cylinder head on, cam guides in, tomorrow I set the cam timing.

 

[steve murdoch]

pistons in cylinder with no ring compressor, yeah that was a struggle 5hrs...:sorrow:...

5 hours would have had me in the loony bin.
I admire your patience.
Hey, it could have been the Honda. haha.

 

[wyly]

5 hours would have had me in the loony bin.
I admire your patience.
Hey, it could have been the Honda. haha.

well getting frustrated and annoyed I did give up at about 4hrs...I had supper, watched some tv then recruited a 2nd set of hands (the mrs) and went back at it in a calmer state of mind, done!

if I had to do this to my cbx I'd order ring compressors ahead of time...

 

[wyly]

so installed my cams, the intake lays in it's bed nicely...the exhaust cam sits up on the left.

the service manual says to tighten the caps down diagonally, but from where? where is the start point, is there a pattern/sequence.

is it okay to tighten down the one exhaust cam where is high and do no damage, I suppose the two valves underneath will open

 

[Carter Turk]

Tires-do you have a preference between these two, Metzler Lasertec or BattleAx...I have Lazertecs on my CBX but I've no experience with the Battleax...

I had a Battleax front, didn't like it, but many owners are happy with it. Don't like the feel of the Metzler, though that was on a 19'' front. I have a Pirelli Sport Demon on the front, but can't say I like it just yet. Seems better than the Battleax. My favorite was the Michelin Macadam 110/90/16, but they don't make it anymore. The PO crashed it showing off, so maybe the front end is slightly askew or my block off plates aren't allowing enough fork oil past. The old Kat handles way better, even better than the old RF 900 I owned briefly.

 

[wyly]

it seems from what I've read and people I've spoken to the when comparing Battleaxe with Lasertec it's a coin toss, both well liked. Since I have Metzlers on my CBX I'll try the Battleaxe on the 1150, and save a bit of cash vs the Metzlers too.

1150 rebuild brought to a halt by a wrench or lack of a wrench for at least a week. None of the four torque wrenches I own could measure the 8lbs required for the cam cap bolts. Even one that I bought specifically for that and measured in inch lbs was unable to do the job, I tightened to a point where I know I was easily past 8 lbs and still no click! So I ordered an electric version on line that measures from zero to 22lbs and uses led lights instead of clicks.

 

[londonboards]

At the level of 8lbs you are better off going by feel. Those cam cap threads are easily pulled out. Finger tight and half a turn with an allen key pretty much does the job - maybe a little more if it isn't seated correctly. Then maybe another quarter turn after a run.

I would never trust a torque wrench at such a low level. Trust your fingers

 

[wyly]

At the level of 8lbs you are better off going by feel. Those cam cap threads are easily pulled out. Finger tight and half a turn with an allen key pretty much does the job - maybe a little more if it isn't seated correctly. Then maybe another quarter turn after a run.

I would never trust a torque wrench at such a low level. Trust your fingers

thanks for the advice that will have to be my fallback procedure if I'm not happy with the torque wrench I ordered on line.
The problem I've found with click wrenches is that lowest range the click because inaudible, the wrench I'm waiting for uses led lights to guide the user and it's a 1/4 inch designed for low torque levels.

 

[dorkburger]

Agreed with Londonboards. I stripped one. It was shockingly easy, even for this weakling. You may want to spring for new seals for the bolts also. Im under the opinion that perhaps the rubber compresses over time and the bolts bottom out on the shoulder at the cam caps before they seal. Most of mine were leakers.

 

[wyly]

??? my cam cap bolts don't have seals.

 

[dorkburger]

Sorry, I was referring to the valve cover bolts that screw into the cam hold downs.

 

[wyly]

ah right, at 32 yrs old mine aren't looking too good I may replace them at some point

 

[rapidray]

At the level of 8lbs you are better off going by feel.

I would never trust a torque wrench at such a low level. Trust your fingers

This is a CROCK, some of the WORST advice you could give someone!! I build engines EVERY DAY & use a Snap On, inch pound torque wrench to do ALL cam cap bolts, & even cover bolts with it, all between 7-10 ft. lbs, or 84-120 inch pounds. The cam caps torque spec is CRITICAL!!! DO yourself a favor & don't take advice from someone that doesn't know what they are talking about.
Ray.

 

[wyly]

This is a CROCK, some of the WORST advice you could give someone!! I build engines EVER DAY & use a Snap On, inch pound torque wrench to do ALL cam caps bolts, & even cover bolts with it, all between 7-10 ft. lbs, or 84-120 inch pounds. The cam caps torque spec is CRITICAL!!! DO yourself a favor & don't take advice from someone that doesn't know what they are talking about.
Ray.

I agree it's a very critical area Ray, too loose or too tight can't be a good thing when the part you're fastening is in contact with cams that spin around as fast as they do. This isn't like tightening the bolts on a static crankcase cover.

I'm waiting for my digital wrench to arrive and if that doesn't work I'm not sure what I'll do, I certainly can't afford a $500-1000 for a professional quality torque wrench. I've looked for local rentals and there none to be had, and people that may have them aren't keen to lend them and I understand why. I don't trust my torque wrenches at the best of times thinking of doing this by hand worries me.

 

[rapidray]

A Snap On torque wrench isn't 500-1000 dollars. I have 4 of them, an inch pound torque wrench, 2 of the same 5-75 ft. lb., & a 25-250 ft. lb. I USED to use the 5-75 lb for cam caps too, with NO issues, but recommend the inch pound for anything under 15 ft lbs.
Ray.

 

[dorkburger]

You guys with your fancy tolerances.. kidding of course. I have an inch pound and a foot pound wrench, but ive never used them for engine covers and such. Ray, guess I proved your point or I wouldn't have stripped one......

 

[wyly]

I don't know where you buy your tools Ray but I looked up Snap-on a 1/4" was listed as $440USD, once converted to canadian funds that's about $520 then there's shipping, tax and customs charges...

The one I found was $150 tax and shipping, hopefully it'll do the job.
http://www.bikemaster.com/tools/digital-torque-wrench.html

 

[wyly]

my head reassembly still on hold while I wait for my torque wrench to arrive ...so I wrestled the carbs into position today, very glad I purchased new rubbers for the carb/head that would've been near impossible with the old petrified rubbers.