Motorcycle Repair: 1970 cb350 problems, side valves, cl350

Question
1970 cb350

ive been working on my bike for the past month. .got it
running and noticed a pretty hard knock on the bottom
end.. i got a deal on a 1969 cl350 engine, so i bought that
and put it in yesterday.  this engine is in much better shape
and runs very well with the exception of a couple small
things..

1. there is an upper end tick.. not too loud, i think it is
coming from the right side valves. i adjusted the valves and
are set perfectly but that didnt solve it.  ive been told that
the cam chain roller, if worn, can cause a tick.. i checked
the roller and definitely needs to be replaced.  so my
question is, do you think replacing the roller will fix the
tick.

2. it has a pretty substantial oil leak.  it is definitely coming
from the lower end of the engine and seems to be coming
from the cover on the left hand side. i had the cover off
yesterday and the gasket looked to be in good shape. i
loaned out my impact driver, so havent been able to try to
lock down the cover tighter.. so that may fix it, but if not, is
there any common places on the lower left side of the
engine that leak?

3.this may only be timing, but the left cylinder doesnt want
to fire until the engine gets hot sometimes.  the carbs have
been freshly cleaned and the timing is pretty close to
perfect.  the throttle cable is adjusted as well.. so i can't
figure out what it could be.

4. lastly, first gear does a strange thing.  when taking off it
wants to grind a little bit.  i have to be really gentle with it
because the threshold where the clutch starts to grab is
very small.. do you think adjusting the clutch may help this.
i havent pulled apart the transmission so i have not gotten
a look at the gears.. but it never grinds when the clutch is
fully released.

thank you so much. any help would be greatly appreciated.
jeremy

Answer
Hi Jeremy.

Here's your answers;

1) Yes.  replacing the worn component should eliminate the tick.

2) Replace the gasket and use high heat gasket seal as well.  Then use a torque wrench to torque down the bolts as per the repair manual.

3) For the non-firing cylinder, check 2 things.  The carb synchro and the coils. Bad connections and bad coils will cause the plug to not fire, but after the engine heats up, the fuel that builds up in there wil begin to combust from the heat.  This is not good for the bike or for performance. Also if the carbs are out of synch, then you will have bad performance til the lagging carb is in fact actuated.

4) This sounds as if it could be a normal sound depending on the exact sound that it is making.  I would get it to a repair shop to check out the sound, just to be sure.

Good luck and ride safe.
FALCON