Honda305.com Forum

Ok, here is where I will begin my restoration trek. Maybe it will take me a year or maybe five, but it all has to start somewhere. I just purchased this '62 Super hawk on Monday and here it is Wednesday already and I have the seat, tank, carbs, etc already torn off and can't wait to get more done.
The bike was running when it was parked 17 years ago in a shed. As you can see, it has seen better days. It looks mostly complete but obviously that exhaust isn't stock. I haven't tried to turn the motor over yet, as it is missing the kick start shaft and the chain is not installed. I have looked over the site for about a week now and haven't even scratched the surface of the wealth of knowledge contained in these pages. I know that this site and it's members will be an invaluable resource. I ordered the parts manual and the Bill Silver books to get me started. So until next time, take a look at the pics and I will welcome any information, tips, tricks, hints, comments, or shortcuts that anyone would like to offer.

(Notice the 30 day tag still on the bike from when it was parked years ago)

You're gonna have some fun! If you'll provide frame and engine numbers, somebody here will be happy to tell you what you got. First impression is early frame (steel front fork bottoms) but later seat and maybe handlebars (flat bars standard on '62), who knows what else. Good luck, keep going, and please keep us posted.

I was there about one year ago. There is a lot of good reading here. If it wasn't for this site and all the helpful people, the outcome would have been much different. Keep us posted on your progress. Maybe next year someone can learn from your experiences :)

Gunner

Here is the project after one good evenings work. I must say that I feel I did pretty good getting torn down this far in just a couple of hours. Having a good work area with a tool box right next to me that is well organized helped out quite a bit. That and a freakin' big ol' hammer.

Numbers on the bike are: CB77E-1015211 AND CB77-1015153

Any help with the numbers would be welcome info.

Would anyone like to make suggestions about how I should approach a rebuild of the motor? I know others have stated on the forum to leave a motor be if it ain't broke, but I just get the feeling that if I do the whole resto and don't touch the internals that I will be asking for trouble later. Can anyone suggest someone who may rebuild my motor? I am not sure that I want to tackle that one myself.

I would go for you rebuilding the motor. You are going to get the books by Bill silver anyways so jump right in and enjoy yourself. I had no one to turn to for help with my rebuild, so I had to do it myself. bill's books are good reference,and you will get a lot of help from the forum guys, I did. You will learn allot about how the motor works and will have a greater feeling about yourself when the motor fires for the first time.

good luck with your rebuild and welcome to the forum

chico
66Cb77

Here's another vote for rebuilding the engine yourself. If you've got some mechanical aptitude and attention for detail, it's not hard to do. You'll want to take a close look at each part and ask yourself, "Is this worn out? Was it installed correctly? Is it still doing the job it was designed to do?" Answering these will help you decide whether something is incorrect or worn beyond limits. The original Honda "250, 300 Shop Manual" has wear limits for most parts, so if you have a decent set of calipers and a micrometer, you'll know whether Honda thinks you should replace a part or not. The Bill Silver books will give you good step-by-step procedures and tips that aren't in the badly-translated service manual.

For the restoration in general, make sure you're taking lots of pictures and making notes! You may think, "I'll remember how that goes together, it's obvious." But believe me, after taking the whole bike apart you're going to forget a lot of the details. So do your future self a favor, and give yourself something to refer to when it comes time to put it all back together.

Honda started using 7-digit frame #'s in 1965. Since your seat has the hump in the front, I'm going to guess your bike is either a '66 or '67. I'm no expert, though. I do know that it's definitely not a '62, with those numbers.

Have fun and ask a lot of questions; there is a wealth of knowledge here.