Hi I'm new to this group, hope to find answers and help here

59Tebo said:
Wow, Niels! That bike is really complete (except for the exhaust), and not in that bad a shape at all! For a good read, check out "Mailman's XS2 a full on restoration". He did a fantastic job, not only on a nut-and-bolt restoration, but also blogging the whole thing! There are many others on this forum too. It all depends on what you're into. If you want it to ride, it shouldn't be that hard. If you want it to look like you stole it from the Smithsonian, then it's gonna take a little more work! Good luck, and keep us posted (did I mention we're nosy? :laughing:).
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I like to get it back to how it looked when it rode out of the shop first time :) - if the speedo is to be trusted it only got 7100 miles on it - the guy i bought it from had it for little over a year, was going to make a cafe racer out of it, he had it started up when he bought it. If all is true it had been sitting in a garage for a very long time when he got it, i'm not sure why he would dare start it up if it had sitting so long, in my humble opinion, it as an absolute minimum, would have required a full oil and filter change before any attempt. I have checked the filter and it looks pretty clean - now on to the sump. It turns and show compression, will check all these things and then give it a shot. nevertheless it will go through a complete disasembly, clean / paint / engine work etc. - in short a long way out. I have searched for something like this for years, however most are either chopped / bobbed or made into cafe racers, which is OK, but i like the original style and I'm aware how hard it can be to find the little things missing. Most is here so good bones for a start, will need a bunch of rubber fittings though - if all bolts come lose i can clean them up by "vapor honing" in my garage - so far they all looks like they have never been touched and very few are rusty. The color i believe is original to, looks like the one i had when i was a lot younger - kinda black metallic - not sure what the real name is for the color scheme - seen the decal can be purchased so that's a good start . Will eventually share my progress and look for tips (may have to finish the Honda first though!
 
That's great news, Niels! :thumbsup: As a wise man once said: "...it's only original once...." And many say the '75 was the best color/graphics of them all. In fact, maybe see if that original paint job will clean up? A good wash/polishing compound/McGuire's clay and you might not need to repaint it!
 
I think that was it, Machine. And, Niels, don't worry about the rubber bits. Those are (relatively) easy to obtain, whether OEM or aftermarket (good reproduction). I see some corrosion on the left side, under the side cover. That's "blow" from the battery (pretty typical), so you're looking at refinishing the frame, at the very least. Do you have "JIS" screwdrivers? (The points look like the difference between a house roof, and a barn roof.) All those screws that look like Philips are going to strip unless you use the proper bit. Regular bits can be ground/reshaped to make a passable JIS driver. You're also likely to find JIS bits in a hand impact driver set. :twocents:
 
Machine said:
Star Black ? Please do a bike thread on that Black Beauty !
:cool:
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So that’s what it’s called ? Is there anywhere the colors and the names for the paint can be looked up ? I like the star black - didn’t know exactly what to call it as it’s not like today’s metallic paints - I’m sure I can find a painter that can match it :) thanks
 
59Tebo said:
I think that was it, Machine. And, Niels, don't worry about the rubber bits. Those are (relatively) easy to obtain, whether OEM or aftermarket (good reproduction). I see some corrosion on the left side, under the side cover. That's "blow" from the battery (pretty typical), so you're looking at refinishing the frame, at the very least. Do you have "JIS" screwdrivers? (The points look like the difference between a house roof, and a barn roof.) All those screws that look like Philips are going to strip unless you use the proper bit. Regular bits can be ground/reshaped to make a passable JIS driver. You're also likely to find JIS bits in a hand impact driver set. :twocents:
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Yes I do have JIS bits and even a few screw drivers - I came over from Denmark and brought my metric tools back then - some were JIS because of a large amount of Japanese bikes in Dk in the early ‘70 ties ( no one could afford HD and the british bike leak a bunch of oil
 
That paint is base black with the metallic in the clear coat. Should be pretty easy to duplicate. And yes, it is indeed called Star Black.

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