The ’72 Honda restoration inched forward this weekend. Like any frame-up restoration, there were advances and setbacks. On the plus side of the ledger, most of the black items have been repainted, including the frame. The Frog Tape worked perfectly to mask any original decals or plaques, preserving the original appearance. The glossy black paint from Valspar, which is intended for painting tractor parts and farm implements, should be more than durable enough for my purposes. As an added bonus, my black motorcycle parts are now non-toxic to livestock.
The new tires and tubes have also been mounted. The Michelin Gazelle tires look great and should provide excellent handling.
On the negative side, the carburetors are a mess. The fuel and moisture that sat inside these unused carbs for 30 years created an incredible amount of damaging oxidation. The white aluminum oxide coating has been nearly impossible to remove, in spite of trying 3 or 4 different solutions reportedly designed for this purpose. I’ll continue working on the carbs, resorting to abrasives to remove the gunk. I’ll know in a week or two whether I can avoid the expense of replacing these carbs. My goal is to get as much of the aluminum oxide removed, coat the inside with a protective epoxy layer, then install the new gaskets and other brass bits that came with the rebuild kits.
Stay tuned!
