'65 Honda Trail 90 Rebuild http://honda90.henshaw.org 45 years after it left the showroom, a 1965 Honda CT200 just might ride again. posterous.com Sat, 31 Dec 2011 00:27:00 -0800 New points, a clean chamber, and a stuck valve http://honda90.henshaw.org/new-points-a-clean-chamber-and-a-stuck-valve http://honda90.henshaw.org/new-points-a-clean-chamber-and-a-stuck-valve

Spent a little time in the garage with Dad tonight before the UFC PPV fight. Was good to have a second set of hands to help loosen the screws holding the ignition points. They were very easy to replace with a much cleaner set that I bought. The new ones theoretically have only a few dozen miles on them. Here are the old, and then the new.

Cleaning the creosote off the interior of the cylinder was easier than I expected. I used brake parts cleaner based upon a recommendation from John Ryland over at Classified Moto.  Great recommendation, as it cuts right through most anything. Here's a before and after of the top of the chamber with just a few minutes' work. 
I'll finish that cleaning tomorrow. Good news is that I found a complete new gasket set that I forgot having bought, so I can get the head back onto the motor quickly. The bad news is that when I went to test the valves, the intake actuates OK, but the exhaust seemed stuck. I'll work on that a bit tomorrow too, but I was optimistically hoping to not have to deal with stuck valves. With 25 years passing since the last time this motor fired, I shouldn't be surprised with a stuck valve.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Thu, 29 Dec 2011 21:32:54 -0800 The Trail 90 is cool enough to hang with Don Draper. http://honda90.henshaw.org/the-trail-90-is-cool-enough-to-hang-with-don http://honda90.henshaw.org/the-trail-90-is-cool-enough-to-hang-with-don

In today's world of liter+ hyperbikes, Harleys that cost more that average cars, and custom choppers that cost more than some homes, it's fair to ask whether 90cc 1960s Hondas are cool enough to merit restoration.

Obviously, I think they are.

Today I got a bit of reinforcement courtesy of Mad Men. I love the show, and have been catching up on the back seasons. It's worth watching... just get on Xbox LIVE and say, "Xbox, Bing Mad Men," and it'll take you right to it. 

Today I watched season 4, episode 5, "The Chrysanthemum and the Sword." It's set in 1965, and who approaches Sterling/Cooper/Draper/Pryce as a potential account but Honda of America. A product they want to push is the good ol' 1965 Honda CT200...

Mad_Men_CT200.mov Watch on Posterous

Don Draper is one of the coolest characters on television. The fact that he's wheeling around a CT200 validates that it's worth restoring. 

Now back to the garage.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Sun, 11 Dec 2011 19:03:04 -0800 A year gone by, time to get back at it. http://honda90.henshaw.org/a-year-gone-by-time-to-get-back-at-it http://honda90.henshaw.org/a-year-gone-by-time-to-get-back-at-it

It's hard to believe that I let over a year go by since doing anythign on this project. My last post was back in October of 2010, and that was the first in months. So what's the hold up? In a word: work. I'm rejoined the ranks of a team and project that I love (Xbox), so it's easy to let all of my extra time that doesn't go to family funnel into work. While that may sound like a bad thing, I actually consider myself incredibly lucky to work on a project that I love with people that I enjoy working with.

Balance is important, though, and hobbies like this project are an important thing to balance in. With the holiday coming up, I'm hoping to get back into the project more regularly. Ideally, I'd like to have the motor running by January. That's a stretch, but we'll see. 

To start toward that, I began some general cleanup on the exterior of the crankcase. The cylinder is still pulled and all oil drained. I'll flush the crankcase when I'm done. Here's how the crankcase looks with 40+ years worth of gunk on it:

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I spent about an hour just cleaning it off. Haven't used any solvents other than elbow grease, but it is beginning to clean up pretty well:

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Next weekend, I'll try to get the crankcase thoroughly cleaned and get the cylinder and head back on. That shoudl be easy provided I can figure out a gasket. After that, this poins have to be replaced:

90_3

I already have a new set, but am shopping for a cover for them. All of the ones on eBay are pretty beat up and I haven't seen any NOS anywhere yet. I'm hoping beyond hope that I don't need to dissamble the crankcase. It looks to be in good shape as-is and it'd save me a lot of time to leave it in tact.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Sun, 03 Oct 2010 19:58:00 -0700 Fresh powdercoat is a beautiful thing. http://honda90.henshaw.org/fresh-powdercoat-is-a-beautiful-thing http://honda90.henshaw.org/fresh-powdercoat-is-a-beautiful-thing Thanks to the generosity of my good friend Leon, I have several parts back in beautiful new condition. He had these powdercoated and they look fantastic!

They're still in the back of my truck, but this is a sneak peek at the next phase of the project. The before/after difference is amazing.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Sun, 25 Jul 2010 17:18:40 -0700 Re-assembling the carburetor (part 1 of ?) http://honda90.henshaw.org/re-assembling-the-carburetor-part-1-of http://honda90.henshaw.org/re-assembling-the-carburetor-part-1-of The carburetor body is as clean as it's ever going to get, and individual parts have been stripped. I've reinstalled the floats and main jet. Pics of that are below.

Unfortunately, I need new o-rings before I can go any further. I can't find any online at all. A few vintage parts suppliers have carb rebuild kits or gasket kits what have both the o-rings and new gaskets (which would be a bonus) but none of them are in stock. If you know of a source for 64-65 carb gaskets and o-rings, please let me know!

Honda_90_carburetor_rebuild_1 Honda_90_carburetor_rebuild_2 Honda_90_carburetor_rebuild_3
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Sun, 11 Jul 2010 22:42:00 -0700 Sneak peek at refinished body pieces http://honda90.henshaw.org/sneak-peek-at-refinished-body-pieces http://honda90.henshaw.org/sneak-peek-at-refinished-body-pieces

It has been a while! Work perpetually in the way, but I got this video in the email today with a glimpse of the Honda 90 body parts newly back from refinishing. They look great!

This forces me to get on with the engine clean-up now. I'm going to start that next week. What a great motivator this is!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Mon, 18 Jan 2010 14:12:22 -0800 Metal parts are out for surfacing, head and cylinder come off http://honda90.henshaw.org/metal-parts-are-out-for-surfacing-head-and-cy http://honda90.henshaw.org/metal-parts-are-out-for-surfacing-head-and-cy
A few pieces of good progress to report today: First, the frame, front forks, and other metal body parts are now offsite at a powdercoating facility getting sandblasted and then resurfaced. They should return shiny and like-new in a few weeks.

While the carburetor parts soaked today, I ran up to my Dad's metal fabrication and machining shop to work with him and a buddy on a plan for the wheels and main engine components. After really examining the wheel rims, we decided that there was enough rust that the process of stripping them would render them structurally unstable. Since i want this bike to be rideable after this project, I bit the bullet and decided to toss both the original and second set of eBay wheels and buy a new set. They rim and spoke sets come out of Thailand, and I'll order them shortly.

Since the cylinder head needs to be stripped, we went ahead and pulled the whole thing off. I brought the motor's lower unit and valve stems home. The lower is in great shape and doesn't need a complete tear-down, so I'll just store it until the head is resurfaced and then do an exterior cleaning after I put the head back on. This will keep foreign stuff out of the lower unit. We got some photos of the broken down motor, including the teeny tiny little piston.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Sun, 17 Jan 2010 18:35:00 -0800 Finishing up the carburetor rebuild with help from the Netherlands http://honda90.henshaw.org/finishing-up-the-carburetor-rebuild-with-help http://honda90.henshaw.org/finishing-up-the-carburetor-rebuild-with-help
I have one of the two on-hand carburetors completely stripped down. The gasoline that sat in it for so long had turned to thick varnish, clogging nearly every part. I have cleaned as much of that out as is possible by hand, and to attack the rest of it I'm soaking the internal pieces in a nasty solvent called Clean-R-Carb. We'll see what a good overnight bath in this stuff will do. Tomorrow I'll scrub them down with a wire brush and reassemble it.

I'm also using great website from a company called "Consolidated Motor Spares" over in the Netherlands. They help people find parts for old or obscure bikes. They have original microfiches for component systems on old bikes, like the '65 Honda 90's carburetor. These are really helpful in the re-assembly process and of course for ordering replacement parts.

Carburetor-ct200-trail-90-us_b Img_2195 Img_2196 Img_2197 Img_2198
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Sun, 17 Jan 2010 10:35:35 -0800 The 90 in 83: better days http://honda90.henshaw.org/the-90-in-83-better-days http://honda90.henshaw.org/the-90-in-83-better-days
Scott_on_90_001

Mom found an old photo of the Honda 90 back in 1983. That's my dad and
brother when Scott was about 11. They're at an apple orchard in
Wenatchee, WA. It was already a little beat up by then.

Though day-job work has kept me away from must restoration lately, I'm
going to try and get the carbs worked on today.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Fri, 09 Oct 2009 17:32:15 -0700 Ongoing carburetor cleaning http://honda90.henshaw.org/ongoing-carburetor-cleaning http://honda90.henshaw.org/ongoing-carburetor-cleaning
I don't think there is any way to make this process go faster. I've got pretty potent solvents, but chemical deposits from 40 years of old gas just take elbow grease to strip away. There is progress, though.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Sat, 19 Sep 2009 20:26:00 -0700 Twin carbs, both need work to yield one good one. http://honda90.henshaw.org/twin-carbs-both-need-work-to-yield-one-good-o http://honda90.henshaw.org/twin-carbs-both-need-work-to-yield-one-good-o

While body pieces are out for refinishing, I wanted to get started on the carburetor rebuild. I bought a second complete use one online in case I need any parts, which I certainly will. Unfortunately, both have similar problems. I disassembled the original carb and found exactly what I expected: a lot of gummy gunk in the float bowl. The good news is that the floats are intact and fill valve appear to work. The bad news is that the throttle insert is stuck tight -and I mean TIGHT- in both units.
 
I had hoped for this to be a one-day project, but it'll take several at my pace. First I've got to strip all of the gunk out of the float bowl and jet insert. I've got some great chemicals that are helping with that. In fact they're soaking over night. Once I get them stripped and can see what I'm dealing with, I'll attach the problem of the stuck jets. None of the industrial lubricants have worked thus far, so the next step is some brute force. I have to be careful not to break the housing, but then again I've got a spare if I need it!
 
In the photos, the top one is the one I bought online, the bottom is from the bike itself. The purchased one has a rusted source value so I will wind up rebuilding the original rather than the new one. Though the original is dirtier, it's actually in better mechanical shape.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Wed, 02 Sep 2009 22:20:49 -0700 New (old) exhaust and rear shocks http://honda90.henshaw.org/new-old-exhaust-and-rear-shocks http://honda90.henshaw.org/new-old-exhaust-and-rear-shocks There is a steady stream of vintage parts arriving on our front doorstep. The FedEx truck is a regular sight at our house. Most of these are used parts that I've bought online at eBay or special-interest websites. The challenge is finding the nicest-condition parts and getting them for a decent price. There is very little new stock for 1965 bikes outside of maintenance items (gaskets, piston rings, and filters).

The two latest deliveries were for a complete exhaust system and a set of rear shock absorbers. When I took the exhaust off back in June, it had rusted through in many spots. I found a much nicer exhaust system that includes both the exhaust pipe itself plus the chrome heat shield that protects the riders' legs. The heat shields are in great shape. The pipe has some surface rust but should clean up by hand without too much trouble. Here are the old and new side-by-side:

The rear shocks were an even better find. The rust on the original shocks is quite deep and they may have been a total loss, though the plastic covers are in great shape. I found a pair of replacements that look darned close to new! I'll clean up the orange plastic covers from the old shocks and put them on the newer ones.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:30:53 -0700 New (old) wheels and carb http://honda90.henshaw.org/new-old-wheels-and-carb http://honda90.henshaw.org/new-old-wheels-and-carb The modern marvels of Ebay and FedEx brought a new set of used wheels to the garage today. While they have light surface rust, they are in significantly better shape than the original wheels. The front wheel in the lower right of the first picture is in extremely good condition.

 A complete carburetor was also part of the same purchase. It appears mostly functional, with the notable exception of a rusted-open primary fuel flow valve which can be replaced with the working one from the old carb. I'll order a new float and jet kit in a couple of weeks, which can be found as NOS, or "New Old Stock," which are vintage parts that have been manufactured new by aftermarket companies) online.

 Tonight I pulled a few external pieces off of the motor, including the kickstarter. Yes, this bike has no electric starter; you have to jump on a pedal to start it up. It was broken off at the top of the shaft anyway and has to be replaced.

 Next week, the painted body pieces, these wheels, and the motor will get sandblasted to strip the surface coatings (paint or rust!) away before they are recoated. I'm hoping to visit the shop and get some footage of that process. A good family friend is helping identify shops and get the work done on the cheap... thanks, Leon!

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Mon, 10 Aug 2009 23:31:00 -0700 Rear shocks, swingarm, and wiring harness removed. The frame is bare! http://honda90.henshaw.org/rear-shocks-swingarm-and-wiring-harness-remov http://honda90.henshaw.org/rear-shocks-swingarm-and-wiring-harness-remov

The disassembly of the motorcycle is complete, and the frame is bare.
Tonight I removed the rear shock absorbers, the swingarm, and the
wiring harness. Aside from the engine, there aren't major constituent
pieces to disassemble and rebuild (except to clean them). While I
still don't spend nearly as much time as I'd like to on this project,
it's neat to have reached this milestone because it means the nature
of the work changes dramatically.

The first big change is that it's time to get the primary metal body
pieces refinished. Surprisingly, there are only 5: the frame, gas
tank, front forks, rear swingarm, and front fender (not pictured):

For this refinishing, I have to rely on the expertise of friends and
family for referrals to metal shops. This also means that my answer
of, "It doesn't cost anything to disassemble an old motorcycle," that
I have been using with my wife will no longer work. While those parts
are out getting refinished, I'll begin rebuilding the engine itself:

The last time I rebuilt an engine from the piston rings up was in the
8th grade. I have no ideal how long this will take me, but I have
fresh rings, gaskets, points, and seals. I'm just missing some of the
major parts for the carburetor which I hope to find online.

After all of this work, I've managed to take something that at least
looked like a motorcycle and turn it into this wheelbarrow full of old
parts and a few new items recently delivered to the house:

Here's the last set of disassembly documentation photos to assist in
the eventual reassembly.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Sat, 25 Jul 2009 15:54:00 -0700 Centerstand, rear brake linkage, and rear tire removed http://honda90.henshaw.org/centerstand-rear-brake-linkage-and-rear-tire http://honda90.henshaw.org/centerstand-rear-brake-linkage-and-rear-tire
With the engine removed, the bike's frame is now inverted as if the motorcycle were on its back, wheels in the air. Today I took off the center-stand, decoupled the rear brake linkage, and removed the rear wheel with all of the sprockets and axle spacers. It's getting down to the bare bones.

One more session in the garage should allow me to remove the rear shocks (which are already half-done because they connected just above the rear axle), the swing-arm, and pull the wiring harness. Once that is done, the bike is officially disassembled and it'll be time to start the engine rebuild after a through cleanup of all the parts. Even now, there really isn't much motorcycle there...

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Sun, 12 Jul 2009 20:47:00 -0700 Bodywork is starting, and the engine is pulled! http://honda90.henshaw.org/bodywork-is-starting-and-the-engine-is-pulled http://honda90.henshaw.org/bodywork-is-starting-and-the-engine-is-pulled
Work - the kind that happens at an office on weekdays - and the big 4th of July weekend have gotten in the way of progress on the Honda 90 project lately. This weekend brought a rainy Sunday and a few hours in the garage to get caught up. Plus, an important part arrived in the mail last week: a replacement front fender. These have been hard to find in decent condition, and the one that came off the bike was pretty torn up. I picked one up online that has only a couple of crinkles in it. Dad volunteered to straighten those out, so I dropped the fenders off with him this afternoon. With that, bodywork on this project has officially begun:

I also hit a big milestone in getting the engine completely removed from the bike! It was messy work:

Now that the engine is out, the fun can really begin. I'm going to spend the next couple of nights getting the back end torn down. Once that is done, I will collect all of the coated body parts (frame, forks, front fender, rear swingarm) and get them out for "paint, powdercoat, and chrome." That's what they say on American Chopper, and I've always wanted an excuse to say that. I can't wait. Once the metalwork is moving forward, I'll tear the engine down. I already found and ordered a complete gasket set, so the carb in the only remaining challenge to deal with.

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Tue, 23 Jun 2009 04:42:00 -0700 Front end is disassembled http://honda90.henshaw.org/front-end-is-disassembled http://honda90.henshaw.org/front-end-is-disassembled
Tonight I hit an interesting milestone: the front end of the bike is completely disassembled. I removed it from the frame last week and tonight I got the wheel and tire removed from the front axle, front shocks pulled from the forks, and the brake housings torn down. I should have pressure washed the bike before I started this, but I was worried about damaging it more. So the progress has been filthy.

I think I can save the wheel hubs; they're actually in pretty good shape. I have had no luck finding any replacement wheels, but a these ones are definitely shot. I was really hoping to avoid lacing my own wheels for a few reasons: First, I've never done it before and wheels are a critical component on any vehicle. Second, the outfit that sells the kits is a Taiwanese operation that ships rim and spoke kits as "AWESOME!  EXCELLENT!" I just don't know if I want anyone riding around on wheels assembled from those kids. We'll see.

With tonight's progress, I have two more body parts ready to go out for sandblasting, powder-coating, and paint: the front forks and the fender (once I buy a replacement fender, since this one is beyond repair):

Another new part arrived in the mail today: a set of ignition points to replace the rusted-out points in the bike:

Here are tonight's documentation shots:

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:43:00 -0700 Front end removal http://honda90.henshaw.org/front-end-removal http://honda90.henshaw.org/front-end-removal
While the last post celebrated the first new part involved in this project, this post winces at the first injury resulting from stupidity. I brought the table lift into the garage and was excited to get the bike up in the air. It's still fairly heavy, and while I was loading it onto the table the kickstand folded under and the bike rolled forward, crushing my left index finger between the bike frame and the table. It hurt but will be fine.

Stepping back to do this right, I decided to remove the front end. This cuts the weight by about 25%, and shifts the center of gravity to the rear so that the bike will stand upright with just one wheel and the kickstand. The forks are connected to the neck of the frame with an odd metric nut that requires a spanner wrench to remove. I have very few metric tools, and no spanner wrenches at all. Dad's metal fabrication abilities solved the problem. I sent him some conservative measurements (standard approximations as that was all I had), and he had his metal shop up in Kirkland machine me a part. The credit goes to Willow Bay Manufacturing, Dad's shop. The process of milling a tool out of steel is interesting, and I got this video from Dad today showing how the milling machine runs a small high-speed bit through the metal to carve out the teeth that will remove the nut:

With a large bolt welded to it, any normal crescent wrench can be used to remove this nut from the neck of the bike:

With the help of some penetrating lubricant, the nut came right off. This could have been a lot more expensive than it was (free)! Now that the front end is off, it was easy to get the bike onto the lift and safely strapped down so that it won't go anywhere.

I'm going to completely disassemble the front end next. The brake drum needs to come off and the rotten wheel and tire must be removed form the forks. After that, it's time to pull the engine! Here are the bread crumb photos from this phase...

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Thu, 11 Jun 2009 20:28:00 -0700 Rectifier, brake cables, carburetor, and front fork brackets http://honda90.henshaw.org/rectifier-brake-cables-carburetor-and-front-f http://honda90.henshaw.org/rectifier-brake-cables-carburetor-and-front-f
It's getting hard to squeeze time for this project in between work and family obligations. Tonight was just half an hour after dinner dedicated to:
  • Pulling the rectifier (a small box that converts alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC)) and it's associated bracket and wires
  • Removing the security lock that locks the front forks into position
  • Yanking the speedometer cable, front and rear brake cables, and throttle cable
  • Removing the carburetor from the engine
The front end of the bike is now ready to be detached altogether. Before I can do that, I need to pull the engine. Before I can do that, I really need a lift of some sort so that I'm not crawling around on the garage floor. Real motorcycle lifts are expensive but my Dad has a solution at his metal fab shop: a flat lifting table that is big enough for a small-bike project like this. It lifts to waist height and will provide the perfect surface to remove the engine, front forks, wheels, and eventually rebuild the engine itself:

After all of mucking with filthy old parts, it was nice to get the first new part in the mail today. It's a new gas cap for the eventually-refinished gas tank. It's a genuine Honda part, no less!

It fit like a charm, and it was nice to touch something during this project that didn't smell foul or crunch before disintegrating. Speaking of which, here are the shots of the parts I removed today...

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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:10:00 -0700 Headlamp, speedometer, and front-end wiring removal http://honda90.henshaw.org/headlamp-speedometer-and-front-end-wiring-rem http://honda90.henshaw.org/headlamp-speedometer-and-front-end-wiring-rem

As you read this post, you can play a fun game of "count the number of insect carcasses and nests."
 
I pulled the headlight, speedometer, and front-end wiring. That's basically everything that was inside the plastic housing that bolts to the front forks. The plastic is chipped but likely salvageable. I plan to replace all of the wiring anyway. The speedometer is a closed unit and is in remarkably good shape. Provided it stull functions, it'll be saved for the rebuilt bike. In fact, I cleaned it up a bit and it looks great!
 
Individual parts that can be made to shine again provide motivation for the overall project:
 

 
Here are the documentation shots. It's kind of neat to see the front forks completely bare:

Cimg6768 Cimg6780 Cimg6777 Cimg6776 Cimg6775 Cimg6774 Cimg6773 Cimg6772 Cimg6770 Cimg6769 Speedo_before_after
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]]> http://files.posterous.com/user_profile_pics/1740429/401430_10150656902453496_500013495_11952266_437470472_n.jpeg http://posterous.com/users/KB0O5ncwh3 Jeff Henshaw Dingo Jeff Henshaw