I coated the new rings, new pistons, new pins, cam, rockers, everything in Lucas Assembly Oil.(pic3) I followed the break-in procedure that pgcb200 posted on HondaTwins.com. So far so good. I've got about 225 miles on it now and it runs nice and strong. I used a a stroboscopic timing gun and a circuit test (with the light) to check the timing. When the timing is right on, the bike ran OK, but was noticeably weeker and wouldnt idle very consistently. Since the timing was advance from the previous owner, I tried advancing the timing and voila. It runs perfect; strong, consistent acceleration and steady, reliable idle. It will hold 65-70mph now and has some power in 5th gear. I'll probably re-check the compression again once the rings are fully broken-in. I dumped the oil after 50 miles and the website was right, there was a lot of metal shavings in the oil. I plan to change the oil again after the 250 mile mark. I hope someone may find this helpful. If anyone is diving into this themselves, feel free to email me or comment and I'll try to help you out.
Great blog, Vincent! I just picked up a 76 CB200 and I will certainly be referring to this as I go through the refurbishment process.
ReplyDeleteThanks Charles! My bike has been running great all summer, I'm really glad I went through that whole process last winter. It sounds like you have a winter project of your own. If you run into any dead-ends, let me know and I'll try to help you out. Also, hondatwins.net is a good resource, too. Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteAre you still monitoring this blog? I've started a rebuild of a cb200 (my first). And observe that the pistons rise and fall in unison rather than alternating. Is this correct?
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHey Peter, Yes, it's a parallel twin engine, meaning they rise and fall in unison. When 1 piston is on stroke 1(intake), the other piston is on stroke 3(combustion). Then 2 and 4, etc.
ReplyDeleteGood luck on your rebuild! Let me know if you get stuck.