1982 Nighthawk Restoration ( attempt )

[Krzychu]

Hi there, so after introducing myself I think it might be time to start a post in here to keep You all up to date on the progress ( if any ) on the restoration of my little " Hania "
I bought the bike back in July '15 from a Polish lad here in NI that wanted to send it to Poland and get it rebuild but the decided not to.
She was starting when I got it ( with a push ) but didn't work in idle. I had the top of the engine removed, checked the bores, pistons, rings and so on. Got it back together with new seals, new valve stem seals, o rings... Put in new spark plugs, new wires and caps. I had the carbs out and cleaned them, got them back in but with no new parts there. New battery and she starts and runs, still not what You would expect but. As the carb boots are old and cracked I think she might be catching some air on the side there, so have to get them ordered and replace as well.

Basically the plan is to get her rebuild to standard spec, but the work will be progressing slowly as there are time and funds limitations
I'm a hands on man, love bikes and into mechanics so as far as possible I get it all done myself with the exception of the obvious ie. powder coating and chromes.

All help and advice always welcome, also if You have any questions - shoot

[Krzychu]

Some pics of the bike

[Krzychu]

Old and new seat. Now as I understand some may say that it's a funny way to start with the seat let me explain. My dad back in Poland is working in a company that is rebuilding seat for lorries and they do new upholstery for cars and bikes, so it didn't cost me anything to get it done

[Krzychu]

Afternoon All, new carb boots and repair kit for the infamous starter clutch ordered. Can't wait for them to arrive.
In the meantime I got some work going on the seat brackets / mounts. They were all rusted so got them stripped to bare metal and covered with Zinc spray. Maybe tomorrow I will get my hands on some black paint and get them finished.

[royhall]

Hi and welcome to the forum. Interesting little project you have going there, we don't get many of those on here. Don't want to rain on your parade, but be careful what you paint your parts with as some paints do not adhere very well to zinc based products such as cold galvanise spray. An etching primer is usually required first. Good luck with the project, if you need advice just ask. Cheers.

[Krzychu]

Hi Royhall, etch primer - added to shoping list First that, then black finish. Thanks for the advice. All the major parts will be either painted o powder coated by profesionals. I'm just painting the tiny and not visible bits Still, want to get them right so thanks again 👍

[Krzychu]

Hi all, so I went on today to get my starter clutch fixed. After getting it out it turned out that the kit that I bought does not fit, the rollers and all are way bigger than does in the starter clutch
So now I have to return it to the seller ( didn't even have to take it out of the package ) and buy another one.
Question here, will one from a CB750 fit or will it not ? I have looked a David Silver and he only sells separate springs and caps but no rollers. The kit in question is this here :
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/181938550098?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2648&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Please help 

[Bryanj]

You need to check part numbers not just guess mate

[tom400f]

That model list looks like all DOHC to me.

Try this:
http://www.motogrid.com/oempartfinder.htm#/s/HOM//28120-426-000/1

I *think* that might be your part number and that site tells you where else it is used. Regretably it seems the CB650 is the only bike...

Again, if I've got the right bike then the parts assembly is here:
http://www.motogrid.com/OEMpartfinder.htm?aribrand=HOM#/Honda/CB650A_%2879%29_MOTORCYCLE,_JPN,_VIN%23_RC03-2002472/PRIMARY_SHAFT/CB650-79-JPN-A/2Y14426ZAE14426Z15A

Hopefully you can do some digging by part number

[Bryanj]

It is a single cam but I dont remember the nighthawk being a UK model, Still look at Motogrid but be sure which bike you have as they use different names/codes, anything up to 82 SHOULD be ok

[Krzychu]

Thanks for the replies, Tom I will have a look there in a second.
Bryan I have checked the parts numbers, I am trying to avoid getting them in US, UK or EU would be much faster. She is a US model, I think the same bike was offered here but under different name

[Krzychu]

New parts ordered from http://www.cmsnl.com/. 27 euro for springs,caps and rollers I think a very good price. 13 euro for postage for them little bits quite painful but at least it's coming from Netherlands and not the US so shouldn't be too long, I hope. On hold until then

[Krzychu]

Well, it has been a while... Loads of work at home ( painting & decorating ) and low on funds so work is progressing very slowly.
Starter clutch repair kit has arrived, and so did new carb boots. I had the clutch cover and the oil pan removed, took the starter clutch out and fixed it. There was a lot of little red silicon bits in the oil pan and effectively blocking the small mesh filter thing on the oil pump intake ( whatever the name for that is ) I guess whoever was doing some work on the engine before was using a lot of silicon wherever he could, instead of buying seals  Anyway, that's all cleaned, checked the oil filter, looks new ( the previous owner told me it was replaced, but judging on everything else that was done to the poor girl, wouldn't thrust him ). [ Guests cannot view attachments ]
I did fit the new carb boots, and having the carbs out again I have changed the pilot screws settings, as previously I had them at 1 and 1/8 turn out as per Haynes manual. Later I looked at the back pages where it gives specific settings for different years and UK and US models, just to find out the on my model it should be 2 and 1/4 turn out  So that's the way they are now. [ Guests cannot view attachments ]
I bought new 10w40 oil, some cheap brand as it is only there for the  trial and error work on the engine, and it will be most definitely drained again at some stage.
Took her out and started up, I think she isn't working to bad  ( It obviously had to start raining )
Any how, here is a very short video of getting her started ( she was already worm at this stage )
https://youtu.be/rczqXbRWqog

[MarkCR750]

Sounds as though it's going well, and there is no rush to restore a bike, working on them is almost as good as riding, keep up the good work.

[Krzychu]

Thanks for the good word Mark, I do enjoy working on the bike big time, I only wish I had a wee secret room with all the parts that I need 
As to working on them being almost as good as riding them, well, ALMOST makes a lot of difference