Author Topic: New Toy! 1971 CL450 (Read 4922 times)

slikwilli420 · « **Reply #25 on:** May 20, 2020, 11:23:16 AM »

Quote from: grcamna2 on May 20, 2020, 09:47:29 AM

Quote from: MauiK3 on May 20, 2020, 09:37:06 AM
Is that a 70 in the background?

That CT90? I had a 71',looks like that.

Yep! CT90, I believe '72.

slikwilli420 · « **Reply #26 on:** May 20, 2020, 11:25:05 AM »

Quote from: bill440cars on May 19, 2020, 06:40:53 PM

It IS nice, to see a 450, get the treatment that you have lined up for it. Sometimes, I have seen 450s bought, stripped & cafe'd, which (of course) is up to the person who forked out the cash to get it. And I'm not nocking that route, but, it sure is good to see one get the 'Revival" treatment, as they are Fine Looking Rides, as Honda built them. Be looking to see more on this one.

Im with you on this one Bill. This thing was such a time capsule, it really deserved to be kept as-is. Im not sure what the production numbers are between the CB and CL for each year, but I certainly see a whole lot less CL bikes, especially the 450's.

slikwilli420 · « **Reply #27 on:** May 20, 2020, 11:30:32 AM »

A little more eye candy. The seat was a bit rough, with a few torn seams, dull and a rusty pan and rivets. I wanted to keep the original cover, but sourced some new rivets for the cover. I pulled the cover originally just to fix the seams and replace rivets, but when it was that far down I figured I would rehab the whole thing. I cleaned the cover and fixed the seams, then dressed with some vinyl and rubber restorer. Rub on and wait 30 min, then buff off. Did the same treatment to the three rubber bumpers and they look as good as new. At that point, it was so close to being all apart, I pulled the foam, still in great shape and cleaned up the bottom of the pan. A fresh coat of semi-gloss black and I was ready to put it all back together. Restoration and preservation is new to me as Im more of modifier, but this is really rewarding.

Current state of affairs:

grcamna2 · « **Reply #28 on:** May 20, 2020, 02:16:23 PM »

Looking Nice

bek1966 · « **Reply #29 on:** May 25, 2020, 08:12:21 PM »

Nice find. Such a good candidate for the preservation approach. Keep up the great work - looking good!

Regards,
Brad

slikwilli420 · « **Reply #30 on:** May 27, 2020, 11:32:05 AM »

I got a quote for $250 to remove a dent on the side of the tank and figured on a $300 bike that is getting refurbishment, not restoration, it was out of the question. I just so happened to have a semi tire iron that fit nicely into the tank filler and was able to get to most of the dent with it. My finely calibrated eyes and hands (haha) allowed me to get most of it out and it looks far better (80% I'd say) than what it was before, all for 5 min of work and no cost. If (or when) this gets restored I will have it finished off properly.

Dent

Less dent

I also tackled the carbs for a full clean and looking over. They came apart easily and after lots of work to get the new felt seals in, they are good as new. I kept all the stock brass which was excellent and just added a few gaskets.

Fresh Motion Pro fuel line routed per the Honda service bulletin

The pipes are the last major task for the refresh phase of this project and they were rough in some places. The rear of the heat shield and the head pipes were worst but are already coming up nice in the Evaporust soak. Before pictures here, after will come in the next post

Tank on, but not the last time since I still need to do valve service and clean up the bottom of the tank of some rusty spots. I went over the top with some Turtle Wax Polishing Compound and the fuel stains and oxidizing came almost completely off. Ill go over it once more then finish with some wax. Overall it came out pretty good, still has the patina from a few chips, but will be well preserved for now.

Up next is a coat of paint on the battery box, then I can install the repro air filters. I need to polish the side covers and fit the new grommets then those can go on as well. Last assembly piece will be fitting the still to be painted headlight bucket and cleaned exhaust. After that its time for a full tune up then fire it up!

grcamna2 · « **Reply #31 on:** May 27, 2020, 02:22:00 PM »

That blue is one of my favorites

kap384@telus.net · « **Reply #32 on:** May 28, 2020, 08:35:26 AM »

Tasteful and cost effective. Looks great!! Love the patina.

Can550 · « **Reply #33 on:** May 28, 2020, 03:35:37 PM »

Very nice find
Following

What is the rubber and vinyl restorer you used on seat cover

Would appreciate to know

Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

slikwilli420 · « **Reply #34 on:** May 28, 2020, 09:02:59 PM »

Quote from: Can550 on May 28, 2020, 03:35:37 PM

Very nice find
Following

What is the rubber and vinyl restorer you used on seat cover

Would appreciate to know

Thanks

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It was called Car Guys Plastic Restorer. Looked like it was going to be greasy like armor all but after you buff it off it leaves a nice non greasy luster. Worked excellent on the rubber bumpers on the seat as well. They looked fresh from the Honda package after that.

slikwilli420 · « **Reply #35 on:** May 29, 2020, 06:37:08 AM »

Before and after on the exhaust is pretty remarkable. Lots of soak time in Evaporust and tons of elbow grease. Unfortunately, some of the chrome is gone and I will need to be diligent with keeping it clean now, but it did come out great.

bek1966 · « **Reply #36 on:** May 29, 2020, 07:14:15 AM »

Nice results on the exhaust clean-up! I can appreciate the amount of hard work it took - I am currently cleaning up the exhaust on my CB750K1. Lots of steel wool and sore fingers. The quality of the chrome on the bikes when new was never really that good; making it that much more of a challenge now to clean them up and make them look presentable.

Regards,
Brad

slikwilli420 · « **Reply #37 on:** May 29, 2020, 07:27:03 AM »

Quote from: bek1966 on May 29, 2020, 07:14:15 AM

Nice results on the exhaust clean-up! I can appreciate the amount of hard work it took - I am currently cleaning up the exhaust on my CB750K1. Lots of steel wool and sore fingers. The quality of the chrome on the bikes when new was never really that good; making it that much more of a challenge now to clean them up and make them look presentable.

Regards,
Brad

Absolutely true! My only real concern now is how to protect my work ongoing. So many places on this exhaust that really suffered did so because they are not at all accessible when the exhaust is on the bike.

slikwilli420 · « **Reply #38 on:** June 10, 2020, 11:38:47 AM »

And its a runner! And a stunner! I wired up the freshly painted headlight bucket Monday night and put fuel in the tank, hooked up the battery and it started right up! Standard Honda cold-bloodedness but it settled to a nice idle and I had a chance to run up and down the block a few times. It starts, runs, shifts and stops. What more could I ask for?!

The list of the things to do this time around is really short now:
- derust and paint centerstand
- trim carb overflow hoses (damn near dragging on the ground!)
- install tank badges
- rivet gas cap back on
- oil change and standard engine maintenance stuff

It will be ready for pit bike duty in some upcoming races at the end of July. This was my first stock refresh and I really enjoyed it. In fact, its MORE stock now with the refreshed air filter setup vs the UNI pods it had.

For now its nearly time to call this one done, and on to my street 750F to finish up.

simon#42 · « **Reply #39 on:** June 10, 2020, 12:33:31 PM »

thats the second nice 450 i have seen on here this week , its a bike i have never owned but that might change . let us know what you think of it after you have had a good ride . i would trust your opinion .

grcamna2 · « **Reply #40 on:** June 10, 2020, 04:05:46 PM »

That front tire looks massively wide on that little 450:the stock is 3.25x19.The bike would handle Much better with the stock size,especially when doing 180's on pit row.

bek1966 · « **Reply #41 on:** June 10, 2020, 05:04:35 PM »

Really nice! +1 on interest on your riding impression of the 450. Also never had one, but they sure do look nice.

Thanks for sharing.
Brad

seanbarney41 · « **Reply #42 on:** June 10, 2020, 05:14:44 PM »

fantastic work! ...cb/cl450 the only Honda twin I would own

well, except for rc51 lol

ekpent · « **Reply #43 on:** June 10, 2020, 05:19:09 PM »

Looks great Matt. Give me a call sometime when this Covid crap has settled down and maybe Sean and I can ride over to your place and check things out in person. I wanna see your racebike in person also !

slikwilli420 · « **Reply #44 on:** June 10, 2020, 05:59:54 PM »

Quote from: grcamna2 on June 10, 2020, 04:05:46 PM

That front tire looks massively wide on that little 450:the stock is 3.25x19.The bike would handle Much better with the stock size,especially when doing 180's on pit row.

Front on there is a 3.50 right now. Not correct but the extra 1/4" width is likely not discernable for everyday riding. That said when it's time to replace them I will go with stock sizes on both ends.

My impressions of the bike may be skewed for a few reasons. First being the last bike I've ridden for some time is physically larger but around 60lbs lighter and makes twice the power. The other being that it will see limited street use and will mostly be utilized as a pit bike meaning it will rarely leave 2nd gear or go over about 30mph but we'll see! I definitely appreciate a lot of the engineering of the bike and first ride impressions left smiles for miles.

Quote from: ekpent on June 10, 2020, 05:19:09 PM

Looks great Matt. Give me a call sometime when this Covid crap has settled down and maybe Sean and I can ride over to your place and check things out in person. I wanna see your racebike in person also !

I'll definitely get you and Shawn over to check everything out soon! Thanks for all the praise from everyone. I gotta say the stock bike bug bit harder than I thought it would. I have projects that need attention before I pick my next bike but when opportunity knocks, you answer!

bill440cars · « **Reply #45 on:** June 26, 2020, 12:19:46 PM »

Always good to see an old CB/ CL450 get a new lease on life. And yours, is getting some fine care, at that. Very Nice job on yours.

I have a fair part of a 1974 CL450K6, that my Dad picked up somewhere (no title or bill of sale) and he messed with it some and realized there was a lot of difference from when he used to work on them, back as late as the early 1960’s. So, next thing I knew, I acquired it. So, with all I had going on, it didn’t get much attention. Now, quite a few years later, I am messing with it, as I can. Here is the only photo I have of it, presently ( it is a “roller”, for now. Hoping to be able to get on it, before long.

bill440cars · « **Reply #46 on:** June 26, 2020, 12:26:34 PM »

Can someone give me an assist, Somehow, I don't know how, my photo was posted sideways. Could someone straighten it up? I couldn't find this photo on my PC & posted from my phone. Have no idea why it posted sideways like that. Appreciate any assist.

grcamna2 · « **Reply #47 on:** June 26, 2020, 01:00:11 PM »

When you click on the picture to see it better,it straightens out.

bill440cars · « **Reply #48 on:** June 26, 2020, 01:40:24 PM »

Quote from: grcamna2 on June 26, 2020, 01:00:11 PM

When you click on the picture to see it better,it straightens out.

When I click on it, it of course enlarges, but it doesn't straighten out for me. I didn't use to have this problem. Not sure what happened.

Just John · « **Reply #49 on:** July 14, 2020, 10:03:31 AM »

Excellent job bringing it back to life! The last 450 I owned was a 71 CL and it was one of my favorites.

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Author Topic: New Toy! 1971 CL450 (Read 4922 times)