In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
We're supposed to be up there in April for a week too, that would work out well if you're passing through at the same time. My FIL is an...interesting character.
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
We're supposed to be up there in April for a week too, that would work out well if you're passing through at the same time. My FIL is an...interesting character.
Short time this morning. Did a quick oil change. Nice and black like I remembered oil in the 80's. No one signs of any water in it. Nice.
Also pulled the foot pegs which required pulling the exhaust. Exhaust has seen better days. Header part is absurdly heavy.
The foot has rusted off the bottom of the kickstand which requires the bike to lean against the wall. I'm going to get some wood and some bolts and make a permanentish center stand to replace that while I work on things. The bike will get rearsets.
just posting so I can find later to read in depth (quick skim so far). I love the goal of "something mechanically beautiful"
In reply to AngryCorvair :
I have a trailer you can use to go get it 
In reply to mazdeuce - Seth :
Talked to my FIL today & confirmed he still has the Honda & he thinks it is indeed a 73, though he said he thinks it's a 360 & that they offered both a 350 & 360cc bike concurrently. Oh, and he has the title for it. Also, he said make an offer. He has a pair of Honda mopeds he said he'll take $100-each for too, if anyone is interested.
I'd be interested in those mopeds. If somehow I could string together a relay to get them a little closer.
I know a guy that sells aluminum clip-ons for about $20.
In reply to Appleseed :
It looks like they're about 160-miles south of you.
Really? Somehow I read FIL, and I turned that into Florida. Derp.
Hmmmmm...
Trying to chip away at this. I've got it on an IV now. That should help.
Bolted on the spare XR100 carb that I have (since it fits) and figured out the electronics while still keeping the service manual in celophane. Once I got good power to the coil, it kicked right over. 39 year in the shed, just needed a fresh battery and some good gas, essentialy.
That nice slow contemplative disassembly thing? That didn't happen.
The only thing I cut is the passenger footpegs from the rear swingarm. Everything else will stay on the frame until I decide what stays and what goes. I wire brushed the rusty bits to make sure it was just cosmetic (it was) and then treated things with phosphoric converter/prep. It will get a rattle can paint job for the build up. Once it's all together and racing I'll pull it back down to sandblast and powder coat it.
I've been to the tax office twice now and keep being told I need just a little bit more every time to get the title transferred. I think I'm close. The seller is being just awesome to deal with, so that's nice. Joined the AHMRA a couple days ago and my rule book should be in the mail soon. I've read it online, but I like paper for flipping back and forth to make sure I understand things.
The last piece of paper I needed arrived the day the tax office closed. That put me in a deep funk about the bike and I kicked it into the corner. Tax office opened up last week and I stopped by today and the paperwork for the title went through no problem this time. Clean proper title on the way. This has me a little excited again. Time to think about gathering parts.
Looking forward to following along and learning about these bikes. They are very high on my want list!
Glad to see this pop up again!
In reply to Pete Gossett :
Late to the party but I'd get clarification if it's a 360 or a 350. The (older) 350 is more desirable, a 360 not so much.
Seth, it's not a commonly known fact but your Cousin Eddie is obsessed with old motorcycles.
I keep my contributions to this board mainly car related, and try to build nice stuff, but my finest work by far is my motorcycle restorations.
Remember me when it comes time for hardware plating. I have a local shop (in Fort Worth) that's just splendid and stupid cheap. Stupid cheap, like 25 bucks to do every hardware piece of your project cheap.
Let me know if you ever want info about the place.
That said, you need to check out this guy on Instagram.
He does what you're doing here, small Honda race bike builds....In the mother country.
I could go on all day about old Japanese motorcycles. I'll quit babbling now.
In reply to Cousin_Eddie (Forum Supporter) :
Yea. We need to hang out. I almost certainly need things plated. You need to come see the RS125's run. I need to see what you have, for reasons. I mostly play with things that aren't old, but are absolutely not fuel injected. And there is a recent obsession with two strokes. And things with fairings.
Seth do you race an RS125? Back in the mid to late 80s I ran a 125 GP bike, learned so much riding those. I'm also blessed to be small enough to fit one.
In reply to Tom1200 :
I don't. Yet. I just bought a pair of Honda RS125's with a friend who also owns a RS125 chassis that is repowered with a KTM 105 motor. So far I've just ridden the 105 on the kart track but we have plans to get the 125's on a big track. At least one of the bikes has already been raced with AHRMA and we will probably look into racing these with then.
I fit comfortably on the 125 and actually rode an NSR50 last weekend and even felt great on that. The transition from dirt bikes with sticky tires to GP bikes is exciting.
mazdeuce - Seth said:That nice slow contemplative disassembly thing? That didn't happen.
This is where I realized that thing vaguely resembled a bike when I saw it roughly 2 days before that post.
Stupid question , But whats the Honda address on the envelope ?
It was over in Gardena back then , just wondering whats there now......
In reply to californiamilleghia :
Does this help? I'm not sure if the address is actually for Honda or just a group of PO boxes that they maintained.
Woody said:Is this the look you're going after?
This is my old 1977 CB400F Super Sport. I rode it for a few years and then gave it to a friend back when I had too many other bikes. These photos are from the last time that I saw it, but I think it's probably sitting in the same spot, still covered in the same kydex dust.
Old Hondas are fun.
WOW, deja vue all over again for me! My very first motorcycle was a CB400F, a 76 model, yellow, just like yours. Bought it brand new at the Honda dealer in Albuquerque NM when I had, perhaps, 5 total miles of motorcycle riding experience. I spent an hour riding around neighboring residential streets before I had the guts to get on the busy roads and head back to Kirtland AFB where I was stationed. I loved that bike, it was a really good small bike at the time, light, handled well, revved to the moon. I put about 10K miles on that thing before trading back to the same dealer for a shiny new CX500D in 1979. Great riding in northern New Mexico.
When you get the RS125 on a full size track you will be amazed at the speeds at which you can turn into a corner. As you know momentum is everything on these bikes. I did also sorts of crazy things like pull the clip ons as far back as possible trying to keep myself tucked in. If you can ride through corners still tucked under the bubble it pays huge dividends. The bikes are capable of pretty respectable speeds, I got my 125 up to 130 mph at Riverside.
You'll have loads of fun on the bike that's for sure.
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