72 450 WR Tank Restoration

I guess it's all about motivation . She's not just assisting with the build, when it's done it's her bike.

The 450 is a bit of a lump to kick over, are you fitting a decompressor?

I tried that but it failed buying feed for hay burners now ...which is good as no argument about spending $$ on toys

When rebuilding the card I installed the stock jets (170 main and 35 pilot) as a starting point. Is it good practice to increase the jet size or oil mix for break in purposes? Thanks for any advice.

After rebuilding the engine and turning it over by hand I think a compression release is definitely in order. Is there a standard used on vintage Huskys?

always pays to richen up the first tank or two on a fresh engine. think about dropping the needle clip 1 position to richen that midrange till the first 2 tankfulls have gone through.

it never hurts to ever do a compression test.. then you will have a good baseline.

Is that a speedo on the bars clamps? Do you have a better pic. I have one that looks like it clamps to the crossbar. I'd like to see how yours is mounted. Is it front or rear wheel drive? You did an awesome job on the tank and the rest of the bike looks great.

Sorry for the delayed response. The speedo is mounted off the bar risers via 2 brackets and anti vibe rubber mounts. The speedo is cable (1460mm) driven from the rear wheel (left side).

That's a sweet setup. How does the drive work, is it installed like a bushing? Mine looks like it replaces the left bushing. here's a pic of my mount.

Sorry hit the wrong button.

Not really a standard that I'm familiar with. I've used a chainsaw decompression valve and it works good. Since this photo, which has a plastic handle, I've found a decompression valve with a chrome steel handle that's longer making it easier to pull open while wearing a glove. These run the risk of coming apart and falling inside which doesn't go well with a traveling piston so its prudent to weld a washer to the bottom of the reducer bushing you'll need for the 10mm decompression valve to fit the 14mm sparkplug hole.

Finally finished up the 450 just in time for Christmas. Can't wait for the weather to cooperate long enough for a shakedown run.

First kick over:

View: https://youtu.be/iYdzYFhb_QA

Very similar set up except for mounting to the crossbar rather than the risers. Was it stock with your bike?

Thanks Crash, haven't had an problem kicking her over yet but I can foresee it being an issue for the girlfriend.

Yeah, It came with the 360rt with a 450 engine in it. The speedo was in a parts box but the drive was on the left rear axle. I'm looking for a low # MJ frame to put the motor in and a 360 engine for the rt. Seems my Husky family is growing.

Great job on the bike. I hope mine starts as easily.

Altos75, I like your choice of frame color. What did you use?

Great job on everything. With all the refurbished and upgraded mechanical stuff your 450 will be a lot of fun to ride.

That dynamo ignition is probably a big contributor to the easy start. Very nice.