Tear-down Complete

I completed the tear-down of the 1965 Honda today, reducing the motorcycle to a rusty steel frame.  I power washed all the body parts, eating away at the decades-old mud and crud under the fenders and inside the frame cavity.  I was pleased to find the wiring harness to be mostly complete, minus the two wires that fell victim to mouse teeth.  I’ll repair and re-solder those connections later.

The sole gauge on this bike is a speedometer, but it appeared to be in pretty rough shape.  There was lots of aluminum oxide corrosion on the face plate, so I feared that I’d need to get a reproduction plate.  I disassembled the speedometer and found the worm drive mechanism to be frozen.  Perhaps that’s why the original speedometer cable was broken, and it certainly would have broke any new cable.  After some lubrication, I was able to get the gears to move freely.  Fortunately, the paint on the face plate was not pitted, and the corrosion cleaned off rather easily.  Over the decades, the speedometer needle had faded to a pale orange, so I used a red Sharpie Paint Marker to give the needle back its color.  I’m pleased with the results.

The project will slow down a bit now as I turn my attention to rebuilding the engine and transmission.  Over the Winter months, I’ll gather a few parts each week until I have what I need.  In the Spring, the frame and most black parts will be sand blasted, primed and painted.

About Kevin Forth

Always learning, Kevin is an IT professional that likes to tinker with electronics, motorcycles, and whatever he can take apart.

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2 Comments on “Tear-down Complete”

  1. When you first glance at the picture of you holding the frame and the woods in the background it almost looks like you captured a large lizard in the woods. Could be my medication needs adjusting. Anyways looks like your down to the bottom of this bike. It’s good to have a record of all these pictures and stages you’re at each time. Everyone will appreciate the work you put restoring this bike. Before and after pictures is always a good way of describing the part from being old and then restored or purchased new. You did one hell of a job on the speed odometer. It looks brand new. Now you only have a zillion other pieces to restore. I would help but I only work on toy model kits that you use glue to put together. Keep on truckin Kevin.

    1. Thanks, Al. I’ve ordered 10 parts already, which is roughly 1/3 of the parts I need for the restoration. I know of 17 parts that I still need to order, and I’ll likely run into 10 more that I’ll need to replace as the project continues. I’ll get a few each week, but it’ll take most of the Winter to gather what I need. The real fun won’t happen until the Spring, when the body will be sand blasted and painted. Stay tuned.

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