Hello, all.
I got this bike last fall and have been battling it manfully all winter.
When I got it, it hadn't run since '92 (according to the last inspection sticker on the fork boot). It barely rolled, had no brakes (fine getting it into the truck, out of...not so much), and to my accounting had rust on every single one of its 1000+ parts. It was a period customization that wasn't great new and had not aged gracefully.
I acquired it for $900 from a young gentleman who though it wouldn't take much wrenching to get it working, but didn't have the time to take it on. By God was he ever wrong. The #2 exhaust valve was rusted open. Not a big deal for me as I always intended to rebuild the head, but it was never going to be a quick fix.
I've torn every part asunder. After a the miserable period of every restoration; where the thrill of the buy has faded, blood has been drawn, and most of the work is a quarrelsome toil to continually make things worse, I think the nadir has passed. Shiny parts have come back from powder coating and every day is Christmas morning with more (expensive) parts magically at my front desk.
I've restored a Triumph ('78 T140V) before, and was keen to do a big restore again. I've marveled at the belt-and-braces engineering that went into this wonderful bike. It is in every way more sophisticated that the English bike that is 5 years its junior. I've read it was the last one build with the guidance of Soichiro Honda. I'll be glad to get this classic back on the road.
I'll keep posting here as the build progresses.
Enjoy.
