An acquisition, at last!

[e3steve]

Thanks for the kind words, Paul -- everybody, in fact. I'm in the process of tarting up the 'front end' (steered element) that had been painted 13 years ago and wasn't great in the first place. So, Deep Black (Duplicolour) and possibly a Dup. clear-coat, which I'm testing on my spare headlamp.

I'll pic it later this week.

[4shorts]

Thanks for the kind words, Paul -- everybody, in fact. I'm in the process of tarting up the 'front end' (steered element) that had been painted 13 years ago and wasn't great in the first place. So, Deep Black (Duplicolour) and possibly a Dup. clear-coat, which I'm testing on my spare headlamp.

I'll pic it later this week.

Good stuff Steve. I'll be looking forward to seeing those pictures. Good luck, Paul

[e3steve]

...I posted within this thread, so here's an update:

Replacement hubs are polished, lacquered and the drums have been skimmed to 'true' them; ready for wheel building with the Union Cycle rims and new cad-plated spokes.

I bought a tank to work on a couple of years ago -- nothing wrong with mine, crazed paintwork aside; I just want to be able to continue riding whilst renovating -- and I stripped the metallic paint (over the top of the original blue) only to find two areas bogged with pudding. They'll need to be made good before going any further.

I also have a replacement swingarm, NOS from Japan but starting to rust a bit from 40+ years' storage, undergoing prep -- once again, nothing wrong with mine other than a PO had tack-welded a makeshift chainguard bracket in place...... the wrong place, and only one screw tag! Then he/she went to a great deal of trouble and expense to have it, along with the entire frame, powder-coated.

One thing has bubbled to the surface during the past week of paint-stripping and rubbing-down: the really shoddy factory-applied paint process; no primer -- it's colour straight onto bare metal! The tank sides, under the chrome panels, are original and untouched; the swingarm is genuinely NOS with no sign of a wheel ever having been installed and with the paint still intact within the threads, but the application of the original paint is the same: straight onto bare metal with no primer.

I decided that a full resto was going to render the bike too precious (or, moreover, make me too precious over it!) so it's more of a refresh with restorative overtones along with improvements. Because of its mish-mosh assembly (the '61 'old style' CB72 frame) and the fact that I like to actually ride it regularly, a 'refresh' makes more sense. So that's what I'll call it.....It'll never be 'show' or concours;

The story so far -- The Good:

• Fenders & side covers replaced with a 'set' that had been beautifully finished in 2-pack silver, albeit not correct to be that glossy
  
  New licence plate bracket, correctly painted in silver, and NOS Stanley taillight fitted
  
  Taillight rewired with correctly-coloured wiring (tinned) and ground wire added to offset cathodic reaction at the mountings
  
  Rear winkers refitted with some nice alu brackets, found by chance with a pair of (unsuitable) folding rear pegs; correctly-coloured, tinned ground wires installed
  
  AGM battery from MotoBatteries fitted
  
  New, AM seat fitted (after fabricating aft-mounting extensions) from eBay's vintage_001 (as were the rims & spokes) -- much more comfortable than the old-and-badly-re-covered seat!
  
  New, AM sidestand fitted (after having the mounting element cold-worked to acquire the correct 'stowed' angle!)
  
  Nice, chrome side handle won on eBay and fitted; I also drilled & tapped an M6 locating screw through the inner clamp and into the frame to stop the handle rotating on lifting.
  
  Silencers (ok, mufflers) refitted using s/s packing washers as shims to correct their positioning and to negate the need to flex them against their wills; as a result running vibration has been drastically reduced
  
  NOS footpeg brackets and pillion pegs; nice, chromed r/h rider peg (thanks Ken!)
  
  NOS shifter pedal; re-chromed linkage components & s/s clevis pins*
  
  New, chromed AM pedal fulcrum shoulder-bolts from Thailand
  
  All externally-accessible motor threadings fitted with s/s Recoil inserts
  
  Horrible, round mirrors (flat glass!) replaced with NOS correct items
  
  Entire front end (steered element) stripped and repainted. Bottom yoke replaced to enable the use of the steering lock. All fasteners replaced with stainless steel
  
  Front winkers refitted as those of a factory CP77 would have been; correctly-coloured, tinned ground wires installed
  
  New, AM handlebar. NOS perches, levers and switchgear
  
  All control cables new
  
  NOS(!) instrument cluster
  
  H4 'Candlepower' 35/35W halogen headlight

The Bad & The Ugly:

Still not had the time to drop the motor, so the little-ends' rattling is getting progressively worse. And she still drops oil like a bloody Triumph!

All good fun, though!

*I always intended to 'rear-set' the rider pegs but, after trying that position for a spell I found it was grossly uncomfortable; I've since ditched the extended, makeshift shifter linkage that I fabricated as a tryout.

EDITS: adding to the list of changes as I remember things that I've done; my memory isn't what it once was.....

[Gunner_CAF]

Steve, it looks good!!

Gunner

[e3steve]

Thanks Gunner; a way to go yet, but I love all the challenges.

[e3steve]

So I managed to scoop up some garage time after dousing myself with a bucket of enthusiasm. Here's where I'm at after an afternoon's peaceful pleasure away from Her and Her Self-Loading Galloping Gob.

Looks like the transmission needs a bit more attention than I thought, but I'm ready for unforeseen eventualities!

I've taken many pics as aides-memoire for the rebuild and for posterity; here's a few, highlighting some salient points:

[e3steve]

Other in-fill images: