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This page contains information about bikes the shop is currently working on.
Please check back as we will frequently update this page as progress is made towards full restoration.
When new bikes come into the shop, they will also appear in this section.
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| Friday, November 25, 2011
This summer and fall we spent a lot of time and money on upgrading our shop addition with insulation, heating, humidity and condensation control, and better space utilization. Recently we acquired a surplused 1998 General Electric X-ray table with electric lift from 14" - 44" and a capacity of 1,000 lbs along with a dentist's lift chair with adjustable seat height and ratcheting crescent arm steady rest. The dentist's chair is perfect for extended hours of close work for old backs. Now all we need is an operating room overhead light and scrubs to make the OR complete.
Now that the shop is upgraded we can return to working on bikes instead of working on the shop. In mid November we sent 3 more 650s to Norway, acquired a 257 mile since new 1980 Honda CB125s (pictures below) and a nearly completed '63 Honda 305 Super Hawk which only needs a little detailing to finish. The Super Hawks are a petite, elegant, and nimble complement to the 650 collector's stable. We now have a matched pair of red and silver examples.
We are now returning to serving our client's and our own restoration needs and look forward to the next round of projects that are approaching. There are 2 '73 TX650s and a '79 standard that have been waiting patiently for our attention. The pictures below show the upgrades to the shop (with X-ray table and dentist's chair), the '63 Honda 305 Super Hawk, and last, but not least, the 1980 Honda CB125s.
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This irresistible 1980 CB125s has 257 original miles. Everything is original except for the battery and fuel line. It runs perfectly and it all looks new. First break in maintenance is at 600 miles, so it is still a new bike after 31 years.
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| Friday, August 5, 2011
Click on the link below to load a video of us firing up this '72 for the first time (this is the same '72 detailed in the Friday, January 14, 2011 entry below). Seems like we had a good time!
NOTE: the video often takes a few minutes to load. Please be patient.
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| Friday, January 14, 2011
These 9 images are from our current '72 restoration. Everything on this '72 is either new, painted, plated, polished or rechromed. Two of the images display the front triple tree looking aft just after the bike became a rolling chassis. One is of the rolling chassis and the other is of the front brake. The details of the rear wheel are very nice: other than soap residue resting on the rim, the images show the '72 with new or painted or plated everything including rim, spokes, nuts, etc. I especially like the shot of the freshly rechromed rear fender being installed.
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| Thursday, August 5, 2010
This has been a very busy and productive summer. We have expanded our shop in order to increase our inventory and working space. The following 4 photos give you a sense of what our expanded shop looks like.
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| Monday, March 8, 2010
Two photos below of our latest acquisitions:
The first (on the left) is a '73 that comes from Jeremy Ruport in Superior, Wisconsin. It's a 14,000 mile bike with possibly the most awkward handlebar we've ever seen. However, the bike performs well, and is a testimony to Jeremy's diligent care for this excellent candidate for restoration. I call it the "Superior '73."
The second (on the right) is a front end challenged but sweet running '77 we acquired from a guy with the best garage in Wisconsin: half of the garage has a bar with a view of a beautiful lake in northern Wisconsin!
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Our shop is busy at work on our many new acquisitions over the last 6 weeks. Here are a couple action shots pulling down an XS motor; in this case, a wounded 750 kitted motor from 1970. The small end rod roller bearings had lost their cage and collapsed allowing the wrist pin to rock about with bad consequences to the piston and bore. The 750 kit had Forgedtrue pistons installed by a Yamaha dealer in 1971. Later Yamaha went to a bushed small end rod which solved that problem.
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| Saturday, December 19, 2009
Our shop has been very busy lately. In the last 3 weeks we have acquired 8 new 650s. This includes two '71s, two '72s, two '73s and 2 '77s. One of the '77s is a very well preserved original with the exception of an updated front rotor, progressive springs, K & N filters, new tires, and a sealed battery. Any of these bikes are solid candidates for restoration and are available as is or as completed restorations.
Please check back shortly. We will post a number of pictures of these acquisitions as soon as they're taken.
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The
shop is currently working on a 1973 TX 650 (see photos below). The
photos show the front third of the bike being restored. Check
back in a month and we should have more documented progress on this and the
other bike in the shop (the 1963 Honda 305 Super Hawk).
The bike is on a jack stand so the entire front end can be pulled
down and inspected, repaired, and reassembled. At this point the forks have
been rolled on plate glass to insure straightness and put on a press if there
are any bends. If there is a flaw in the chrome in the stanchions, they are
discarded. The sliders are stripped and polished, cleaned and flushed on the
insides, and new seals installed. The fender and fender supports are cleaned
and polished or sent out for re-chroming. In this fender example, a small dimple
was able to be pushed and teased out. Then the chrome was polished on a buffing
wheel with white rouge for a clean clear finish. The triple tree and Triple
Crown were removed in order to clean, inspect, and assemble the steering head
bearings with fresh assembly grease. If the races are bad, new roller bearing
sets are used to replace the original balls. The freshly painted brilliant
metallic blue headlight ears and bucket are installed with the forks. The front
rim/hub assembly is cleaned and polished and the bearings are checked for wear.
The brake caliper will get a rebuild with new pads and the original worn master
cylinder will be replaced with one with more hydraulic leverage. The handlebar
has been replaced and the instrument cluster mount has been cleaned, touched
up, and polished. The gauges are excellent, so they were polished and
reinstalled. The handlebar mounts along with the switch housings on both sides
and the triple crown are repainted the correct satin gloss black. Once the new
front tire and tube are mounted and balanced the rim will be checked and
adjusted for runout and then the front end will go back on the ground and we
will take the rear end apart. Because the original paint on this frame is so
well preserved we decided not to repaint it. This bike was the property of an
aircraft mechanic at the O'Hare airport and was kept in good condition.
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This little beauty is a complete restoration. It is a 1963 Honda 305 Super Hawk. Although a 650 Yamaha enthusiast, I have a soft spot for the 1963 Honda Superhawk I rode from 1967-1970. It was the first bike I owned that could run from Los Angeles to San Francisco and back and expect to make the trip without a problem. It was capable of 100 mph in ideal circumstances, it could handle, and it had superb brakes for the day. This is a bike I have regretted selling for the last 39 years so I decided it was time to make amends. Sandblasted frame, epoxy primer, velvety silver instead of high gloss, new or re-chromed just about everything including the speedometer bezel, new swing arm bushes, fork seals, aluminum polished, cylinders bored .50 mm, fresh head by the guru in these parts who does head work for Bonneville Speed Week record holders, NOS exhaust, cables, mud flap, etc. I look forward to riding this bike and showing it at VJMC events for the next few years as a compliment to the muscle of the 650 twins.
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Saturday, November 21, 2009
Two new additions to our shop: what you see here is the starting point of a 1971 XS1B and a 1972 XS2. As the photos clearly show, we've also acquired many new spare parts for future restorations.
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