Preparation

So it begins. I am preparing to take out the engine. This includes disconnecting things, draining things, and umm… blessing things. I don’t know if this is really preparation, because it’s actually listed as part of the process. Whatever, I’m taking it out to rebuild it. With a trusty Clymers by my side, what can go wrong?

Step 1: Disconnecting the battery



Step 2: Taking off the seat. (Notice the gas tank in the pic)



Step 3: Taking off the gas tank. These steps took no time at, everything seems so easy. Look at that tank what a beauty.




Step 4: Taking off the exhaust. This is where my nigthtmare begins. So the exhaust is supposed to be in three sections - muffler, converter, and pipes- that you take apart individually. However, the mufflers were rusted to the converter. Taking the pipes off of the converter is not a big deal but with the mufflers still attached it was a chore. So I disconnected everything as one piece then took the pipes out of the converter. The muffler on the right side is postioned perfectly between the foot brake and the frame so it was a tight fit. I ended up having to take off the mount and finessing the thing out. After that was done the floor looked like what I imagine the surface of mars to look like- rust colored crap.




Step 5: Draining the radiator. First I had to take off the radiator shroud before I could drain it. This was not too hard except that the horn was in the way. I think it was relocated. Either way I had to move it. I was careful when removing the drain plug because I didn't know how fast it would come out. Check out that action shot! Dang that fluid is really moving.



Here's a look at the bike so far.

Inspiration

So my friend Spencer totally turned me on to Carpie (Steve Carpenter). He’s an English guy that makes café racers out of Honda cb750’s. How rad is that? And these bikes are sick. He won First and Second at the Hotrod Grand National Roadster show in Pomona and he builds these things out of his 2 car garage. Steve is another reason I chose a Honda, I mean who would not want a cool café racer like he builds. Spencer, I, and some friends have been planning on taking a field trip to go see Carpie. It hasn’t happened yet but it will soon. So go check out his website. http://www.cb750cafe.com. Ton-Up

6/24/06

First things first, I took off the engine guards and travel rack. It look awhile to get the engine guards off because the radiator was in the way. The screws that held the guards to the frame were very long and they caught on the radiator. So I had to unscrew the radiator and move it to get those bad boys out. But it was worth it. I think the bike already looks cleaner without them. But we have a long road ahead of us.

It starts with a bike....

Alright, here I am with my first motorcycle and I am stoked. I have wanted a bike for some time now but I haven't had the time or money for it. I like building stuff so whatever I would have got would have been customized. My options ranged from buying a newer triumph, buying a bike kit, making a buell conversion chopper, or buying an old bike and taking it apart and putting back the way I wanted it. I really liked the look of old triumphs but other people liked them too and it was getting harder to find a decent triumph at a low price. After talking to a good friend I started looking into older honda's. After talking to another friend that had an older triumph (the bike I wanted exactly) I realized that they seemed more of a hassle than a blessing. So my search for a honda continued.

God totally blessed me with finding this bike. It's an 1980 Honda CX 500 that doesn't run. That's right, it doesn't run. I got the bike for $200 from a good guy named Ron. I was looking for a project bike and I found one. If I wanted to I could probably part this bike off for more than $200 but this is what I wanted, something to build.