Japan Meets BritainVince, That can't be right. Cb750 pistons are 61mm stock and dead flat on top. Wiseco 64mm pistons have a very small crown but not enough to work in a CB77 head.
Boretech machine their aftermarket CB350 pistons to make those CB77 big bore kits IIRC. We have stock and wiseco 64mm pistons if John needs to see what they look like.
Double-checked that CB750 stuff with John -- okay okay, so he made a mistake! CB77, CB350, CB750 -- you get the idea.
On another note, the engine is back in the bike, and everything went together no problem. There's talk about going from a 15 tooth front sprocket to a 16, but I think I'll need to ride it first before we make a change up front....think I have enough changes going on already!
Bike should be all buttoned up this week -- we had a bit of a road bump with the transmission (turns out the shift linkage was indexed at 12 o'clock instead of 11 o'clock), but now that's fine and it shifts beautifully. Road testing will probably be next week (hopefully), which is great timing because the weather's starting to get a bit nicer.
Bike is now running and shifting, and everything is great! There's a small leak in the right side carb, but John seems to think it's an easy fix. As well - though I haven't heard it - the bike sounds different.....almost like it has a deeper, quieter tone. Could be due to the engine now pushing more volume? I also managed to find a 16T front sprocket, and we might replace the current 15T sprocket if necessary.
Only thing left to get back is the gas tank -- turned out it had a small pinhole, and was causing the paint to bubble in one little spot. Lee has that under control, and hopefully will have that back next week. Getting ever closer!
Road testing starts on Tuesday. The 'new' tank isn't ready yet, so we're just going to use the 'old' tank for the time being, and once Lee is done with the new one, we'll just switch it out.
I'll let you guys know what a 358cc 5 speed transmissioned SuperHawk is like -- I'm as curious as anyone else!
Just came back from a day of road testing. There are still some things to do, but this is what we've found out thus far:
The NOVA 5 speed transmission is awesome. The shifting is so effortless and spot-on, and locating neutral is finally a cinch. No more false neutrals, and oftentimes when I thought I was in 3rd gear, I was really in 2nd. 70mph in 3rd gear was a revelation, and I am very glad I chose this transmission option. Definitely worth the effort. I did about 6 hot runs today, and John's determined that the bike is running lean. We started with 150 mains (what were already in the carbs before all the work was done), and then went to 170's, and then 190's, and the plugs were still light. At full throttle the bike got up to about 95mph (indicated) and just sat there (at about 7500rpm indicated). Smooth acceleration throughout the entire range, but John's going to try 220 mains and ride it himself and see what happens. The bike might also be having a problem with the starter motor clutch (don't know if that's the proper name for it), but sometimes when we tried the starter it would just spin and not engage. John's going to look into that. Other than that, it's interesting to see how these three different procedures (big bore kit, head work, 5 speed transmission) seem to work pretty well together. Hopefully nailing down the jetting won't be too much of a problem. The welder has that new engine side cover, and hopefully I'll bring the finished product to the powder coater next week. Lee should have the gas tank done by the end of this week. Stay tuned for more excitement! The current side cover -- the 'new' one will eliminate those two plugged holes and smooth that entire area out. The test pilot! The old tank is presently on the bike while the new tank is being fixed.
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