[Jalow]

So I bought this bike in early June just before I got my motorcycle Endorsement. It has a 1962 Honda tank on it that's in great condition. Other than the fact that it runs smooth (for the most part and can brake reasonably fast)....it needs quite a bit of work. I do not consider myself mechanically inclined so thus i'm gonna rely on your support to get it to optimal condition. Here are the following things that i want to have done and would welcome all suggestions for replacement parts and mod ideas.

1. The Electrical wiring is just a steaming pile of dinosaur crap. It all needs to be redone. The guy that i bought it from said he had taken the bike completely apart and put it back together. I am assuming that's why the electrical is as sloppy as a 2 year old's rendition of the Mona Lisa. Though maybe i'm being unfair to those toddlers. Shortly after i bought it i had to replace the battery, after doing so i found that the key no longer would turn on the aux power or allow me to start it using the starter button. But randomly 2 or 3 minutes later it started working. After various other maintenance things i experienced this several more times until it just stopped all together. It now can only be started by jumping the starter. I'm no genius but i suppose there is a problem in the wiring between the ignition and the starter solenoid? The horn also does not work. lol There are wires that are unused and go to God only knows what. To top it all, the wiring is all pretzel tied, completely taped from one end to the other, and no cover in which to hide this gross atrocity

2. The Seat must go. I would like to replace it with a more traditional cafe style or maybe an original seat from and early 60's Honda to match the tank. However, the frame has been chopped just behind the shock mounts so i don't know what to do here. I'd like to have a seat that can hold 2 persons, but this probably will take some sort of metal fabrication to facilitate the additional weight.

3. The speedo stopped working about 3 weeks after i bought it. The odometer still spins but the needle is just maxed out all the time and makes a very annoying buzzing sound. i have looked into it but cannot see a means to disassemble the module to see what came loose. I guess i must replace it.

4. The mirrors provide very little visibility and are made of plastic. id like to replace this with bar end mirrors.

5. The handle bars are ridiculously uncomfortable and need to go as well...id really like suggestions on this part.

6. The bike is very quiet and id like to put new exhaust and heat wrap on.

7.Bar end blinkers? WTF

Moving on to the more important things

8. The wheels wobble, side to side and up and down. I especially feel the effects.....ummmm ALL THE TIME!

9. The Carb pops when under very light throttle.(such as going down a slight hill and not quite having to roll off throttle to maintain a certain speed) I've read elsewhere that this may be an indication of it being set too Lean. Would love some more insight on this!

Anyways there is certainly a lot i need to do. Ill post more pictures as i whittle down the list. Let me know your thoughts and suggestions!

 

[longdistancerider]

FIRST! park it until the wheel issue is corrected. This is extremely dangerous.
Instead of trying to fix the PO's nightmare wiring disaster I would replace the harness. You can use any of the CB/CM 400/450 harness's except for the CB400T1 and the CB450SC aka 450 Nighthawk.
To get a double seat you'll need to add a hoop to the frame to replace what was cut off. Dime City among others sell those. There are a few condisrations before welding that in place that need to be looked at first.
Speedo failures are not uncommon, seems more prevalent on the 450's or any of the 85mph speedo's. The earlier 110 speedo's don't seem to have that many failures. They can be taken apart, Google "motorcycle speedo/tach repair" and you'll find several video's and tutorials on it.
Mirrors, lol. The only ones that seem to give any semi clear rear vision are the OEM ones. Everything else buzzes a bit and are only good for general reference of vehicles behind you. MC mirrors don't work like cars so never rely on them before lane changes, they are reference only. Bar ends are cute, end of story.
Several decisions need to be made before addressing the bars. This bike was built as a bar hopper, ride from bar to bar and look aggressive while riding for 1-5 miles. The seat situation needs to be dealt with and the tank as well. Once you know the actual seat positioning then you sit on the bike and extend you arms forward in a comfortable position. The width of you hand position is the "Spread" of the bars. The distance between the riser mounts on the triple and your hands is the "Pull Back". The height of your hands and the bar risers is the "Rise". Now you can look for bars that fit those specs. Here's a supplier Handlebars , yeah they're in Eugene.
Stock mufflers are very quiet, especially for me :lol:. There are lots of options available there. Some people are using HD Sportster take off mufflers which they say gives a deeper throatier sound. Some go with the EMGO. Whatever you decide do not get the little tiny mufflers, they don't work well on these. Loud pipes don't save lives, they just annoy everyone around you. Don't get rid of the power chamber, that lump under the engine, since it's an important part of the performance.
Bar end turn signals are like the bar end mirrors, cute is all I can say about them that's printable. There's nothing wrong with the stock units, you do want people to actually see that you're going to make a turn. Blacked out, Stealth, Mini, etc turn signals are another cute thing,
Carbs pop? There's a sticky on the SOHC Fuel section on using the pod filters that's worth a read.
I mentioned the gas tank earlier, those tanks are getting hard to find and can fetch some serious money especially if the chrome panels are good. Ceck eBay prices for that stuff. You may want to swap out the tank.

 

[Jalow]

So my lack of experience has for sure played a part in my not realizing the problem with the wheels sooner. I'm taking the bike in tomorrow to get the wheels looked at by a professional. Thank you for the links and knowledge! Any suggestions on what I should do for new blinkers fender and tail light? @longdistancerider

 

[Brent]

Might want to check the date stamp on the tires. Your exhaust looks to be in very good condition, heat wrap is going to hold moisture against it and cause it to rust. I live in a beautiful natural area that has great roads for riding. Nothing annoys me more than these Harley guys who feel their dinosaur engined, rolling couches need to be loud. There is no advantage in making your bike loud.

 

[Jalow]

I definitely don't want it to be loud! I'm just saying that it's quieter than my stock tdi jetta and I know there's no way anyone can hear me. But honestly if theres no mechanical advantage then it's really not a priority.

 

[workdogz2]

I don't know how to say this with out sounding like a wise guy,But sell it and buy one that hasn't been hacked up. You will be farther ahead making your own mods from stock than trying to work around someones bad work.
Most respectfully Barry

 

[Jalow]

I understand where you are coming from Barry. However i am not opposed to to fixing or repairing. The fact is that i got the bike for $600. With every year all of our bikes become more rare or more ratty. Id like to contribute to the reversal of this process by fixing the bike i have. That doesn't mean however that i'm not going to buy another bike.

 

[dtsmjr8dan]

That's one of the things I find fascinating about this forum. Those that buy a beautiful stock bike hack it up (like yours), and others (like you) buy a hacked up bike to return it to its original beauty.

 

[Jalow]

Update: So I had a hypothesis about the wheel wobble earlier today. Being that the PO took the bike apart and put it back together, i figured he probably did a lot of other things himself. (most of it wrong) I remember him saying that it has brand new tires and i concluded that he might have put them on himself. Sure enough when i looked at the wheel bead (front and back) they were inconsistently set. All i had to do was deflate the tires, loosen the nut on the valve and reset the tire using soap and water. I'm kicking myself for not having realized this sooner. I am thankful though that i didn't have to get the wheels trued.

 

[dtsmjr8dan]

Update: So I had a hypothesis about the wheel wobble earlier today. Being that the PO took the bike apart and put it back together, i figured he probably did a lot of other things himself. (most of it wrong) I remember him saying that it has brand new tires and i concluded that he might have put them on himself. Sure enough when i looked at the wheel bead (front and back) they were inconsistently set. All i had to do was deflate the tires, loosen the nut on the valve and reset the tire using soap and water. I'm kicking myself for not having realized this sooner. I am thankful though that i didn't have to get the wheels trued.

Are the tires installed in the right direction? Arrow pointing towards direction of rotation?

 

[Jalow]

Are the tires installed in the right direction? Arrow pointing towards direction of rotation?

Yes they are. That's a good thought though.