[Tomsfunmachine]

I wasn't looking for another motorcycle project, I already had a 1965 BMW Willis conversion that needed my attention at home. But walking around an antique car swapmeet, one of the biggestest I've been to, not including Pomona, one needs to be on the lookout for non-antique automotive items. That's where the deals are!

This one called out to me as I walked by. I owned it's twin in 1978. My girlfriend needs something lighter than her 883 Sportster to make motorcycling fun again.

"$1400 or offer", the sign said. It looked complete, no rust in the tank. Shifter felt good. he took the time to knock some of the dust, and corrosion off of it. Oil was clean.

"It's a 1971. Ran when parked" he said. Hmm... that told me little, this IS a swapmeet after all. "I haven't started it in a couple years" he says "All it needs is fresh gas and a battery"

'These things are drop-dead simple' I tell myself 'and more fun than a barrel of monkeys'.

I take a chance, $1100 dollars and clean California pink slip traded hands, now I had to figure out how to get it home.

 

[Tomsfunmachine]

Getting it home

I wasn't looking for a motorcycle, I drove my 4 door Jetta. A friend who has a seller's space says I can leave it with him, go get my van and trailer, come back and pick it up. But I'm in Turlock, CA, 70 miles from home, that'd be another 210 miles on top of the 70 miles this morning, on a Sunday, I wasn't really looking forward to that. Don's trailer is full, so it can't go home with him.

I haven't owned the Jetta long, but I did spy a couple factory D ring anchors inside the trunk... I swing by one of the sellers, and pick up 3 pair of Motorcycle ratchet straps, and 2 pair of web handle bar loops.

"How hard can this be?" I tell myself

With the help of a couple passersby, we heft the front wheel into the open trunk, and I proceed to lash the thing down for the 70 mile journey home. I didn't invent this, I was inspired by watching one of my favorite movies of all-time "The Fastest Indian" where Burt removes the front wheel and ties the front forks of his broken racer to the bumper, towing it home.

The trip was made without incident, including 40 miles of interstate 5

 

[Tomsfunmachine]

Over the next few weeks, I clean the carb jets, charge the battery (surprisingly it takes a charge), new fuel lines. I prime the float bowls, hit the starter button and it fires right up!

It won't idle, the petcock leaks from the packing gland, has the typical cam chain slap of an under maintained Honda twin. One of the mufflers is rusted from the inside out and is blown open at the lower seam, but other than loud, from one pipe, both cylinders are firing and it sounds pretty good!

One turn signal is out, no brake light response front or rear. Both high and low beams work, and horn works.

I look it over a lot better now that it's up on my lift, 4000 miles on the clock, little rust (must have been garaged most of it's 46 year life) I think she's a keeper!

 

[ashimotok0]

Nice find .. lovely little bikes (I have a '71 K5) & love your ingenuity in getting it back home

 

[Tomsfunmachine]

Over the next few months, I work on it a few hours at a time. I soak the carbs in Berryman's, put in replacement parts from an ebay seller, re-set the float heights. Still not running like it should.

I turn my attention to replacing the factory mufflers, with a set of similar looking aftermarket ebay silencers, spending several hours making new hanger brackets, cutting off the factory crimp joints, making some stainless steel shims to make up the difference between the Honda headpipe OD's, and aftermarket muffler ID's. I'm happy with the way they came out.

I adjust the cam chain, re-set the points, opened the stator cover and static set the ignition timing (it's been a long time since I've static timed anything!). Gap and install new NGK plugs, fresh premium gasoline.

Can chain slap is gone, still won't idle properly.

I futs with the carbs for another 4 hours, but can't get the thing to tune. I read and re-read the Clymer manual, do some reading on this site, still no-joy. I think I've got more than one issue.

Last week I realize the carb slides were swapped left for right, by the previous owner, semi-easy to do (good information on this site, again, thanks guys!). My guess is the previous owner cleaned the carbs, accidentally swapped the slides, and never got it running very well. Then sold it to me.

In the meantime, I've been waiting for the new intake-to-head, and carb body to intake o rings to come in. I finally received what I believe to be the correct ones a couple days ago. I should have just bit the bullet and ordered them from David Silver Spares for $10ea x 4. Live and learn.

 

[Tomsfunmachine]

Nice find .. lovely little bikes (I have a '71 K5) & love your ingenuity in getting it back home

What impressed me the most, is (other than the JB Welded petcock) it's unmolested.

Thanks! I'm sure it raised a few eyebrows along the way

 

[Oldgeezer]

I like small CC motorcycles. Nice find.

 

[Tomsfunmachine]

Mufflers.

As I mentioned earlier, one of the factory mufflers was blown out, had an 18" long split along the bottom seam, from being rusted from the inside out.

I found an pair of similar looking aftermarket ebay 'Dunstall style' silencers.

I cut off the factory mufflers just forward of the crimp joints with my 4" makita and .04" cutoff wheel. Then peeled away what was left of the crimp ring.

The aftermarket muffler's inside dimension is about .030" larger than the Honda's headpipe outside diameter. after measuring the muffler's 'crush collar', it was pretty clear the 'crush zone' of the collar was too small to make up for .030" diameter. My math says the crush zone would have to be roughly 3x .03" It wasn't going to take up that much difference. I ordered some .010" thick stainless steel shim stock, making a 1" wide shim for each side, hand forming them around a smaller piece of steel tubing I had in the shop. I cut the ends at 45deg angles, so the small gap, where the ends of the shim come together, won't leak much exhaust gases. I didn't get a pic of the shim, but you get the idea.

I tried to use the factory muffler hangers, but everything I tried looked like an add-on. I spent a little more time, and made new muffler hangers from 1/8" x 2" steel flat stock, spending several hours getting the dog leg bends just right, so the mufflers would tuck in nice and tight.

I'm happy with the way they came out.