the build

I really wasn't planning a restoration project when I stumbled on the 1966 CB77 on Craig's list. I had recently completed a custom chopper show bike based on a 1998 Suzuki 1400 Intruder and was not looking for something else to do. However, I was surfing Craig's for something not even related to motorcycles when for some reason I got a wild hair to see if there were any old 60's Superhawks still around. As you may have learned on the about me page, I lusted after one of these bikes in my errant youth, and apparently there was a little of that lust left when I saw photos of the dusty, rusty (hmmm, rhymes with lusty) old bike. I communicated with the owner and found out he purchased it in an estate sale several years ago with plans to restore it. That previous owner had also decided to restore the bike, but had only apparently gotten as far as new tires when he passed away since the rubber nibs were still on the age-cracked rubber. The bike sat in a storage building for probably at least a couple of decades before the guy I bought it from decided that after all this time he most likely was not up to the task.

He wanted more for the bike, but I talked him down to $350 based upon the online photos and paid another $150 to have him deliver it from a couple hours away. I believe if I had to go get it I would have passed on the deal. With 20/20 hindsight I'm really glad it worked out the way it did. Typically, I would have done some parts research before jumping at a project like this, but this was not typical since I had never restored a real vintage bike before. I can honestly say that I wavered a bit after checking out eBay between restoration or just reselling it for parts. The numbers matching frame and engine are what sealed the deal for me in deciding to move forward with the build, along with the overall integrity of the basic bike. Yeah, it looked like crap, but with a discerning eye a lot of that crap could be cleaned up and refurbished. And in the final analysis the finished product was about 90% or more original. I agonized over the color...would keeping it red enhance the overall value of the completed bike? Well, I'm one of these weird guys who do not like red...I like black. So, who gives a flying you know what about value, this is my bike and I'm going to paint it the color I want. Besides, black is way so much cooler. I did stick with the Honda color codes for the black and silver.

I suppose today I would be considered anal when I start working on something. But, pardon the pun, (I know "but" should be spelled with two T's) I could never figure out where or how that term came to be. I prefer exacting, perfectionist, detail-oriented, or as my wife would say...anal. She's got photos of me with a lock washer in a vise, wire brushing it rather than buying a replacement at O'Reilly's.

I had the bike delivered to a rented storage building because I wasn't sure at the time if I wanted it in my garage. Okay, okay my wife said she didn't want it in HER garage. After total disassembly, and finding only a few cockroaches, most of the parts went in sanitized boxes to OUR honored garage and the frame and other painted components went to my bro Jason Brewer of Redline Finishes for sandblasting and his high quality paint work. I gotta say, if you want body or paint work that is off the charts perfect, Jason is who you want to talk to. His dad owns Corvettes Unlimited, which specializes in vintage Corvette restorations (we're talking Bloomington Gold here) and Jason is the guy that brings those old fiberglass heaps back to $$$$ life. www.redlinefinishes.com, corvettesunlimited.com.

Anyway, while Jason is tackling the paint stuff, I'm working on the rest of the stuff. I really didn't ask a lot of questions about the bike from the previous owner because he settled on a pretty reasonable price. The one question I did ask was if the engine turned over. His reply, "It did when I put it in the shed." After at least a couple of decades I guess I should have expected it to be frozen solid and my expectations were met in spades. Probably the most difficult task in the entire restoration was unlocking the rusted pistons in the cylinder bores. "Patience it is young Skywalker." After copious amounts of PB Blaster and knocking the living shit out of those mofos for three days with a rubber mallet, I finally got them loose. I literally tore down the bike to all its individual pieces. I didn't count them, but maybe I should have. I'm talking wheel spokes, seals, every nut, bolt, nit, etc. I'm not sure what a nit is but it disassembled well. Stepping back and gazing at all that crap, my next thought was, "What now?" That's where the anal stuff really started. Clean, scrape, sand, polish, restore every piece that could be salvaged. Fortunately???...that was a lot of pieces. For instance, the seat cover was gonzo, but the foam and frame was in great shape, so I was able to do a re-upholstery rather than an entire seat replacement. The tank was full of rust and moving things, but otherwise was in pretty good shape minus a few dents. I took it to a radiator shop to have the interior cleaned and sealed (pricey, but effective). They took care of all the rust and guaranteed the sealing of the tank...I'm not sure, but I think the moving things went up the arm of one of the workers. Don't go there I think they're looking for a new home. Jason also did some body work (repairing small dents) on the tank and fenders. Joking aside, I kept and used every nut, washer and lock-washer that wasn't chewed up after surface rust removal, cleaning and polishing. That was sooo much fun.

I had the engine cases, cylinder bores and heads bead-blasted back to like-new condition and purchased NOS valves, valve springs, rings and a set of NOS Kenig Italian racing pistons (I couldn't help myself) on eBay. I mentioned O'Reilly's before in jest, but in their home town of Springfield, MO, which is where I reside, they have a machine shop that is populated by a bunch of great, capable guys. They bored out the cylinders to .025 which thankfully matched the racing pistons and rings I had purchased;) and machined the valve seats to perfection. Check out the pics in the gallery, they are cuter than my kids which is not saying much. The transmission, crank, rods and most of the rest of the innards were in great shape and stayed where they were. Even the cam chain was like new. I think the person who was going to originally restore the bike had already begun with the engine. I had to acquire a vintage kick start arm since the spline in the one I had was ripped. I presume the previous owner tried to kick start it with the engine frozen. Liar, liar pants on fire. I also acquired NOS points and condensers, and of course, I purchased new seals, bearings and gaskets for the whole shebang.

I got carb kits for the Kenigs and rebuilt them after thorough cleaning and polishing. The parts on the bike that were not salvageable were replaced with original parts from vendors on eBay, NOS parts from hondarestoration.com, davidsilverspares.com, ohiocycle.com and bikebandit.com. A few aftermarket parts were required and were purchased from vendors on eBay including a couple of companies in Thailand (surprisingly great quality, at least on the few parts I got). For instance I replaced the rims and spokes on both wheels with new (still have originals), new header pipes (still have originals) and new mufflers that look mucho better than the originals which I didn't have and which cost over $1400 for aftermarket dupes from Australia. I guess some people like dropping that kinda jack on pipes that have an ugly welded seam along the length of the top and bottom and are still not originals.

Probably my biggest surprise was how salvageable the rubber components were on the bike. I don't know if anyone else does this, but I spray all rubber pieces with a lot of "No Touch Tire Care" and rub it in thoroughly before I disassemble them. This helps keeps the components from getting damaged during removal. This stuff also brings the rubber back to life. Check out the gallery photos...the side pads on the tank, carburetor tubes, fuel tank base and the rear fender flap are all from the original bike and look new. The tires look new too, but they are. Brand new vintage reproductions. Another product I really like is "Master Formula Metal Gloss" purchased from an auto show. I used it for polishing metal parts as well as plastic. For instance, the tail light lens is from the original bike and looks new after using this stuff. You can buy it online at www.masterformulapolish.com. The small parts that Jason didn't paint, I did after stripping with "Aircraft Paint Stripper, cleaning with Dupli-color Prep-Spray, priming with Dupli-color "Self-Etching" primer and spraying with Dupli-color black or silver paint. Parts with surface rust were soaked in "Evapo-Rust" (non-toxic, great stuff) all from O'Reilly's.

The engine cases and wheel hubs on the bike, even when new, are a dull natural semi-polished gray. My buds at "Mirror Finish Polishing" in Springfield, MO came to the rescue here and shined up those dudes until they look like chrome. It's a miracle! I even acquired an original tool kit in its original vinyl wrapping (not cheap) and cleaned them to like new. Some chrome parts were in good shape, but needed a new finish, like the tank side plates. This work got shipped to Atlas Plating in Houston, TX. They did the work on my two custom choppers in the past and I would recommend them to anyone. The plastic badges on the tank are expensive reproductions. Beware of the cheap ones on eBay that do not have the subtle gold finish that came on the originals. I have the original handlebars that are low-rise that came on this later model of the CB77, but opted to install the NOS "drag bars" that were stock on earlier models. I think those bars truly make a huge difference in the stance. You may notice the "1965" date on the main wiring loom in the gallery and say "aha!" Well hotshot, many of the 1966 models used 1965 wiring and this bike was one of them. So there!

There is so much more to write about in this restoration, but nobody would probably read it anyway, so I'll wrap up. This was truly a fun project in hindsight. Doing the parts searches, connecting with other bike guys and generally commiserating with an historic work of art is something you've got to experience to truly appreciate. Thank you to everyone who provided info and advice and if I can help someone else I would be happy to pass it forward.