A few young'ns need advice on a potential restore

[jamesdom]

Hey,
I'm looking at picking up a '65 superhawk 305 cb77. I'm 19, and I'm basically just looking for advice as to whether this bike is a good idea for me and my little brother's first restore project (he's 14). I've never restored a bike, but have decent mechanic skills. I also have a lot of experienced people I can go to for help. However, most of them are not very familiar with this particular bike, so I am coming to you guys for advice on whether this particular bike I've found on craigslist is a good idea. I know it would be a lot of work, but is it over priced? About how much do you think this project will cost to at least get the thing ride-able?

http://seattle.craigslist.org/see/mcy/1172576825.html

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,
-James

[davomoto]

James, it may be a bit much for a newbie. If you can do the engine rebuild yourself, figure around 500 in parts and machine work. Add in tires, speedo, etc etc, and it's gonna take some money just to get her going. Personally, I'd buy it for that price, but I have a lot experience, and a lot of parts.

davomoto

[Spargett]

That thing is gonna be a lot of work. The missing spedo could be a pain to find. You'll want access to a sandblaster as well. It'll be your best friend with that much corrosion. There's aftermarket seats that are pretty cheap and look good. You'll certainly want that. In addition to new cables (most likely), new lower handlebar, aftermarket badges ($45), new air filters ($70-$100), new tires, replacement rear brake light (cheap fix), and a whole lot of paint.

That's just from looking at the bike in those small photos and shooting a few prices off the top of my head. You can certainly do it. A parts manual is SUPER necessary for you. The Bill Silver manuals are awesome. Get both if you can.

You've got alot of studying to do, but I'm restoring one myself through the help of this forum and the manuals I purchased. Here's a photostream where I've been trying to capture some of the process.

But for $450, assuming there isn't too much engine damage is a pretty good deal. I'd really like to know the approx. milage. Some things seem to start wearing out around the 10k area.

-Scott-

[Gunner_CAF]

James,

My 16 year old son and I just finished our restoration and we both had a good time doing it. I think it sounds like a great project for you and your brother.

If you can find a bike that runs and is fairly complete it would make a good project. Parts are available. There seems to be a lot of parts offered on eBay, but if you need to shop around an choose your parts wisely to get them at a reasonable price. There are a few on-line parts stores that sell many of the things on eBay for less.

There is a wealth of information here on these forums, so read through the posts, and do searches and you will find a lot of information you will need to know. Good luck!

Gunner

[Michael Stoic]

James,

That bike is rough and a full restoration is pricey. That said, if you do buy it you can always go mid rat to mid cafe and have a great time. You'll meet a whole lot of cool people on that particular bike, in any condition.

Let me know if you end up buying it and I'll send you a parts + shop manual CDs, compliments of honda305.com

Michael Stoic
honda305.com

[CliffC]

Michael,
That's very generous of you, I hope James takes you up on the offer. I also want to thank you for the forum and keeping it up. CliffC

[Loudo]

James, I've been following this particular Craigslist listing with interest as I'm here in Seattle and could pick up that bike in a heartbeat if I wanted to. I note that it's been listed for a few weeks now and the price keeps dropping. I've just completed the mechanical restore on my bike and don't have interest in a bunch of new parts laying around but I have buddies who would be interested in the listed bike.

It looks like it's been sitting outside. In Seattle, this is not so super. I didn't start with a frozen engine so there's more work in this one than what I started with.

Those non-stock mufflers look sketchy, handlebars are from a Scrambler. You'll need new tires as Scott pointed out, new chain, might have to replace a whole lot of oil seals like I did. Could be a fun project if you have a lot of stick-to-it-tiveness. But you better plan on shelling out an additional $1,000 or so for starters just to get it road-worthy.

Others may disagree with me and I wouldn't be offended if they did, but a lost title here in Washington is a hassle. The people at Vehicle Licensing are confused by old iron that hasn't been registered in decades, doubly so when the title's lost. Not intended to discourage, just forewarn.