Newbie will need lots of help

MosquitoJones · Post by **MosquitoJones** » Mon May 18, 2009 9:20 am

For the bargain price of $100, I picked up a mostly-complete Superhawk in pieces. I also got buckets and boxes of spares. Having never restored or even really worked on a motorcycle (I've owned a CB650 for the past 10 years, but I leave most of the work to a mechanic), I have a feeling I will be using and abusing the wisdom on this board a great deal.

I picked everything up yesterday, and this evening after work I will start sorting through all the parts I have. There are a lot. The fellow I bought it from was cleaning out some fifty old bikes from an overstuffed garage, and I took everything I could get my greasy mitts on. I got a rolling chassis and an engine. I'm most notably missing the sidecovers, but I think everything else I need is there. I also ordered a copy of the shop manual from the website. I'll probably end up ordering the restoration guide as well, but for now I'll start with the shop manual. Anyway, enough chatting, here are some pictures:

The rolling chassis. This blue paint is crap, someone just plastered it on over the original black.

Motor. Looks to be in decent condition from the outside. We'll see how it looks when I open it up.

Some of the many spares. The fender is complete, even the flipper is there and looks pretty good. I also ended up with 2 complete seats, 1 is in very good condition, the other is torn but the pan looks good.

More parts. Both the crate and the 5 gallon bucket are FULL of stuff.

Bits 'n pieces. Those gauges are from a later model year than what's mounted on the bike. All told I have something like 4 complete gauges. They are dusty but other than that look pretty good.

A spare crank plus a set of shocks, and a set of black front forks.

Spare tank. Overall this looks to be in much better condition than what's currently on the bike except for a small hole in the bottom. I'm hoping that's repairable with a weld or other patch. Inside it's a lot cleaner; a good electro will make it sparkle.

Spare cam.

Couple of the gauges.

Closeup:

Once I figure out what I've got, then I'll put some spares aside for myself and probably sell the rest off. If you need something ask, I may have it. I'm hoping to pay for a part of the rebuild with what I can sell off. After sorting I think I'll tackle cleaning the 2 sets of carbs I have, then move on to stripping down the frame. I'm not intending this to be a professional-grade resto, so I may end up doing a bit of mixing and matching. Also parts will have to come bit by bit as I'm not dripping cash.

davomoto · Post by **davomoto** » Mon May 18, 2009 3:09 pm

Good score! It looks like the two seats you have aren't for a Superhawk. The one on top is a late CL77 seat, and the one on the bottom is for a CA. Let me know what parts you need in addition to sidecovers, and we can work out a swap for the CL77 seat.

davomoto

MosquitoJones · Post by **MosquitoJones** » Mon May 18, 2009 3:38 pm

Good deal. I just grabbed whatever I could and stuffed it in the car, I imagine at least some of the stuff I came home with doesn't belong. Some of it may end up being mystery parts to who knows what. That top seat is pretty torn up (it's facedown so you can't see), so let me know if you still want it. I have a seat that fits perfectly on the bike, and it's in remarkable shape for its age.

Edit: Here's an interesting development, I just went out and checked the frame, and apparently I have a CP77.

66Replica · Post by **66Replica** » Mon May 18, 2009 6:59 pm

So how'd you find the bike? Craigslist? I've been searching for a project bike but can't find anything.

MosquitoJones · Post by **MosquitoJones** » Mon May 18, 2009 9:06 pm

Yeah, Craigslist but it turned out I know the guy who was selling the stuff. I went and sorted all my parts tonight. Lots of stuff, I'll definitely be using the "identify a part" section!

MosquitoJones · Post by **MosquitoJones** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 9:51 am

Well, I haven't posted, but that doesn't mean I haven't done anything. I stripped the frame down and got some paint on there to seal it up for now. Eventually it's going to get powdercoated, but I want a running bike first. All that crappy blue paint is gone with the exception of the headlight bucket, but I have 3 spares so I think I'll take the one in the best shape and use it. I've spent a lot of time reading posts here to get an idea of what I'm up against and I've figured out the following things:

1)The frame and engine are less than 100 numbers apart, so they probably go together.
2)Other parts on this bike probably don't. For instance, I have an old speedo without the high-beam indicator on it but the wiring harness and VINs suggest the bike is a '65. Also, the handlebars are completely wacky. They're high bars, but with a crossbar like you'd find on a motocross bike. Maybe from a CL?

So instead of going for a "period correct" rebuild, I'm going to use these parts I have that are in good condition and make a cafe racer. The CB650 will be my bike for long trips and going 2-up and this will be my show-off/run around town bike. Well, that and maybe hitting some nearby twisties :) I'm deciding on a paint scheme. I was going to do black, but now I'm considering a British racing green. Also, I'm going to put some turn signals on it so I have to hunt up some LEDs and a flasher to splice into the harness. Replace the high bars with clubmans, glass up a seat, and Bob's yer uncle.

davomoto · Post by **davomoto** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 11:30 am

MJ, I got the seat, thanks! The later wiring harnesses have all of the wiring for turn signals, grey, orange and, light blue. I may have a late harness if you don't.

davomoto