Fresh meat!

[jleewebb]

Sounds like you're missing the insulator that goes between #2 (metal three sided piece) and #3 (spring) in your description. I had same problem, LM straightened me out and gave me the insulator I needed. Stubborn guy that I am, I decided to make my own out of one of those fake sample credit cards that come in the mail, which seems to work fine. Just hope my repair on the contactor works. I finally figgered out to put contactor in first, then work the plastic switch crescent (with insulator and brass piece on outside and spring and eventually the ball inside) back into place. Ball goes in at last minute when switch piece is partway down, if that makes sense.

Hope this helps, Lee

[Mike Mullins]

re: air leaks. Yes, you would be looking at the "downwind" side. Between the carb and the head. Basically you are looking at any place where an air leak would lean the mixture. Check juncture of head and spacer, and spacer and carb. A spray of WD 40 on these areas while running will give an indication. Might try thin coat of hi temp gasket sealer on surfaces. Also make sure carb slides at bottom of travel are at the same point. Use a drill bit as a guage to set opening on both the same. Also needle position same on each slide.
Mike

[Loudo]

Ed, to answer your question I do NOT have tubing on the brass tubes under my float bowls because I seem to recall from my previous reading of threads on this forum that these are atmosphere vents and you do not want to attach tubes there.

jleeweb, thanks a million for posting those pictures. I was going to half joke earlier about how it would be nice if one of you guys could take apart your switch and send me some pictures but you've gone and done it. Much appreciated. The H-shaped insulator is something not present in my switch, so it looks like I have a decision to make...start helping the economy by spending the hell out that credit card I got in the mail yesterday or use it to make a motorcycle part. I'm torn between patriotism and wrenchin'. Holding all those tiny parts just right while attempting to get them back into the switch is a pretty fun deal. Kind of like building a ship in a bottle.

Mike, on the air leak...I was thinking about using soap and water like one would to track down a tire tube leak. I'll give that WD40 a try. If the problem persists maybe I'll just take the carbs off again and give everything a good look-over. I have plenty of Hondabond left over which is a high-temp silicone gasket material. At $17 a tube it oughta be good for just about anything.

[Mike Mullins]

Remember that the soap and water bubbles OUT due to pressure inside the tire: the WD 40 will be pulled IN to the intake tract. What the WD 40 does is "fill" the leak temporarily and the idle drops back to normal because the mixture is no longer lean. That is the tell tale sign. The HOndabond will be excellent for that purpose. I used a thin film of Yamabond on the carb flanges/heads/reed boxes on my (formerly mine) RD 400 cafe racer. Cured a lot of ills. I'd just go ahead and put a thin film of it on the carbflanges/spacers/head/ EVERYWHERE . ( Do not coat the family pets: the fun will be short lived.) At any rate give it a try.
Mike Mullins -the electrically challenged Hoosier ( see post in other part)

[Loudo]

Yes, Mike....air going IN to the combustion chamber, you are correct. So you are saying that it would be better for a small amount of WD-40 to enter my engine than, say, soapy water?

Clearly in the common sense department there's room for improvement. But hey, I'm not making any promises, folks.

I was able to fire it up successfully last night and get it warm. I'm trying to find out the starting sequence this machine likes...initial choke setting, when and how much to ease off the choke, that sort of thing. Ran it around a little bit, my driveway is only a couple hundred feet long so can only get it into second gear before I have to brake. And yeah, now I have brakes that work great. Can't take it out on the street until I get mirrors and a headlamp that works consistently. I picked up the new oil seal today that surrounds the points cam shaft....now I have to remove all that beautiful Hondabond work I did a few days ago. Also I note that my first oil seal repair (of many) at the shift shaft crankcase cover leaks a spoonful of oil when it sits. As long as it's not spewing oil while running, it'll have to wait...I do have a replacement seal though.

I really should order a new rear sprocket and get that on there ASAP also. I wince whenever at look at the rear wheel, but I gotta keep this project moving on the other stuff. The motorcycle writer Peter Egan said in a book, "Finishing a restoration is kind of like pushing a Sherman tank or a Gold Wing to a distant gas station: momentum is everything." Though where I'm at right now can hardly be called "finishing," his point that you gotta just keep doing a series of little things one right after the other is very true for me.

I did not have a repeat of "spontaneous revving" last night but I am not convinced this means the problem went away.

Here's a trivia contest: Can anyone describe what location on my bike is missing the spring shown in the photograph?

[jwbert]

Kick start lever under locating ball?

[e3steve]

Here's a trivia contest: Can anyone describe what location on my bike is missing the spring shown in the photograph?

What photograph? Or am I being a bit a bit vacant?

Here's my cold-start procedure http://www.honda305.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3510; the motor is set up exactly as per "The EMO Recipe" ( http://www.honda305.com/superhawk/ ...FAQ...Q. How do I tune my...)