Honda 550 Four
Part 4
While the carbs were still off the bike I painted the top of the engine cases with silver smoothrite aerosol and zinc plated quite a few screws, brackets and bolts. The engine is still in - I'm only tidying and doing things piecemeal, which probably takes longer, with all the masking needed.
The sprocket cover, clutch cover and alternator casing all came up well - they were easy to remove and a new Honda badge, courtesy of Phil (SOHC/4 forum member) is now fitted. New clips came from Miles Kingsport in Hull.
The down-pipes are cleaning up well with just a few pits on the inside of a couple of the bends and a small ding in number 4 but I've yet to locate an original silencer.
I've also fitted a new face to the speedo and re-painted the faded needle tip, so when the outer casing paint has hardened, that will be reassembled and then it's the turn of the rev counter.
I decided to remove the centre stand as it was looking a bit crusty around the edges; this must be a first - the clamp bolts and nuts - along with the little battery breather plate, split pin and even the pivot tube all came out as if they had been fitted last week! There was still a small amount of yellow paint on the nuts - yes, it could have been more recent bull but I don't think so! The spring, bolts and other parts have responded well to new zinc plate - yes, I will fit a brand new split pin - no expense spared here! The very thin Honda paint on the stand came off easily and the areas of light rust dealt with, so it's ready for paint and then re-fitting.
While there was good access, I cleaned down the rear and underside of the engine and parts of the swinging arm. It appears to have been sprayed with light oil - perhaps something like ACF 50, as it still looks very tidy under there. True, it would probably have been easier to remove the engine for cleaning but they are quite heavy lumps with everything still attached and I am not as strong as I once was! I would normally remove the head, barrels, pistons, clutch and alternator before even attempting to lift out the bottom half but I wanted to avoid all that on this bike as it seems too good! I may have to do all that in the future if it has any problems - time will tell.