So, after a few years without a bike, I decided I liked the looks of the new Triumph Thruxton- only I couldn't justify blowing $9,000.00 on a toy.. I was searching around the web, and found a cool group of folks that were into suping up old single overhead cam Honda motorcycles! This was intriguing to me, as I had previously owned 3 more modern Hondas, so I looked around. Next thing you know, I won an eBay auction for one! This one was totally stock, only had like 7300 miles on it, and as near as I could tell has never been dropped.

Here's what it looked like when I first bought it:

When it was delivered, the seller had installed a new battery. It turned over, and actually ran on all four cylinders! Besides being a little dirty, and having a stench of raw gasoline (I think it had been shipped with the fuel in the ON position..), it was in really good shape! The gas in the tank didn't smell varnished, and the inside of the gas tank was rust free! I still can't believe how nice this bike is, considering it's almost as old as I am!! I proceeded to compound, polish, and wax the gas tank and side panels (looks great!), change the oil and filter, remove the old 4:4 exhaust (was rusty and had leaks) and replace it with a chrome 4:1 megaphone exhaust (beautiful, runs and sounds great!!!), replace the spark plugs, clean/inspect the sprockets (they looked new!), and install a brand new chain (DID, non O-ring, #530, 100 links). I also charged up the battery and put some fresh gas in it, cleaned and primped and checked things, fixed the back brake light switch, etc. This was enough to get me through MD inspection, and I got tags for it.

Here's what it looked like at that stage- still got the old tires on it!:

Riding one day, a random guy on the road rolled down his window while we were stopped at a stoplight, and told me my back tire looked like crap. While I thought up a few choice words to say to him in reply, I suddenly realized something: He was right- it was a Nankang (who?!) brand tire, was bald in the middle, and had cracks on the sidewalls. I had already ordered Pirelli Sport Demons in sizes 110/90/18 (rear) and 100/90/19 (front), so now it was time to get serious about installing them. I bought tire irons, rim protectors, and designed and built a neato stand for holding the rims. Then I got to work removing the old tires, cleaning the rims, installing new rim strips, inner tubes, and tires. The head of the speedo drive gear screw (that holds the speedo cable) stripped out, so during the tire change I left the cable connected to the speedo drive on the front wheel, as it was disconnected from the gauge. Later, I used a dremel, cut a slot in the top of the screw, and used an impact driver to extract it and I replaced it with a new screw. The tires look really good, feel a million times better on the road, and more importantly, they're safer than old cracked and worn out rubber!

Tire change pics:

Also, I noticed that the left side fork seal was leaking. I didn't like how the fork seemed a little soft, and was lacking some rebound damping (felt like a pogo stick at times!) Clearly, some work was needed there. So, I ordered new fork seals, new dust seals, got a PVC connecting ring at my local ACE hardware store (1.5 inch piece, fits the fork seal perfect!) I also bought 10wt. fork oil by Spectro to stiffen up the front end a bit. I replaced the fork seals leaving the upper fork tubes in place (which kept the front forks aligned). To do this, you remove the front wheel, drain the fork, remove the front damping bolt while the spring still has pressure on it, remove the top cap and spring, and pull the lower fork tube off. I used my hiking/camp stove to heat up the top of the lower tube (I had already removed the retaining clip) and I used a tire iron (put cardboard between the tire iron and fork tube to protect that tube!!) to get the old seals out without any butchery. Next I packed the new seals with grease (keeps the springs in!) coated the inside and outside of the new seals with grease, and installed (with writing UP!) using the PVC deal. Slide new dust boot on fork, carefully slide lower tube onto fork, and reassemble with 155cc (for a 1977 CB550k) fork oil. DONE! No leaks! Hurray!!!!

Fork rebuild pics:

Here's what work I've got planned:

I still need to clean and flush out the master cylinder, install all new master cylinder guts (rebuild kit), clean out/rebuild the caliper, install new braided steel brake lines, clean up (or replace) the pads, lube what needs to be lubed, and fill with fresh DOT3 brake fluid. The front brake currently works fine, but this way, the entire front brake system will be new and 110%. I bought new return springs for the back drum shoes, so I might clean, lube, and adjust the back brake this winter. Also, I think I am going to replace the points ignition with a Dyna S electronic ignition, for maintenance free operation.

Additionally, I've ordered both "Clubman" and "Drag" style handlebars. I want to use bars that will be better looking than stock, more comfortable, but ultimately safe. I'm not positive, but I think I will be installing the Drag style bars- the Clubmans just don't look comfortable. I was considering painting the gas tank and sidepanels to match my car's Navy Blue color, but the '70s brown/orange paint has really growing on me!! :-) I'll also be doing things like repacking the steering stem, wheel bearings, swingarm bushings, and other maintenance! I'm toying with the idea of doing a dual disc conversion (I've collected all the necessary parts), but we'll see.

Here's a couple of bikes that I'm using for ideas for my ride: