Honda-SOHC

It wouldn't let me in this morning (Android phone and not using Tapatalk).
Normal service resumed three hours later 👍

Back in the day when I used to race a bit of speedway my least favourite job was cleaning and re-oiling the K&N filter after every meeting. Back in the 80’s the filter used to poke out in the open on the right hand side of the bike. The filter used to get filthy with dust and shale and especially after a tumble! Thankfully they are centrally located now and protected by the bike covers. If you ran the filter dry it was a very quick way to scrap a motor🫩
K&N filter oil was expensive back then and probably still is!

I assume the installer of the K&N filters used the filter oil and didn't install them dry?

If you fit a pattern seat from DSS make sure the hinge and seat lock brackets are in the correct place, mine were miles out to the extent the front of the seat was so far forward when I fitted the hinges it fouled on the back of the fuel tank with big rucks in the cover. I sent the first seat back and the replacement still needed the seat lock and the hinge plate modifying to elongate the mounting holes by 8mm to fit properly.
To be fair to DSS though he accepted the original seat back despite me adding the Honda logo on the back using a stencil so I can't complain and he was very fair about it.

It’s been a while since I updated this thread but that’s owing to having a slipped disc so work has been limited until I got some mobility back, my back is still really stiff but a lot better than it was 6 weeks ago!

Firstly thank you all for the kind comments of progress so far.

So on with the action. The bike is now slowly coming together. The frame is back together with the sub frame and swing arm fitted. The hard chrome plated forks arrived back from Philpot’s and the forks have been fitted with Rick Oliver’s uprated springs and rebuilt with new seals. I have had the fork bottoms painted silver as I want the bike to look like a MK1 (even though the forks have the full adjustment of the later models). I have installed the new YSS remote shock but it may have to come back out and turned 180 degrees as the hose is quite long and the remote reservoir sits back to front so some tweaking required there. All the brake callipers have been fitted with new seals and organic pads and the original pistons were all ok with no corrosion, I’ll be fitting new HEL brake lines courtesy of Rick Oliver.

The routing of the wiring loom has been a head scratcher, despite taking about 30 photos of the routing during the strip down it still proved to be challenging. I have been cleaning up all the connectors as I have gone along. I am installing new UK LED lamps all round after modifying the H4 bulb holders (thanks for the advice Rick).

I am now repairing the fairings having bought some ABS sheet to use as filler rod and to fill a hole in the lower left fairing panel. I am using the soldering iron method to open up the cracks on both sides and using the filler rod to fill the resultant gaps and it has come out pretty well after a rub down and light skim with body filler.

The fuel tank is to be frank an internal disaster area despite the tank looking pristine on the outside. The rust inside is thick and flaky. My go to DEOX-C wont shift this so I have sent the tank off to Motorcycle Dent Removal in Pickering who have developed a top secret method to de-rust the tank and then internally nickel plate it without damaging the paint. They give a lifetime guarantee for their work and the product. I’ll report back on how it goes. I did look on eBay etc for another tank but they are all the same, expensive, full of filler, repainted and internally rusty. A new one from CSMNL (not that they have any) is over £1200 with VAT and P&P!

Lastly Diego (Piki) is busy making me up a decal set ready for the respray after I sent him what turned out to be a really poor quality set bought on eBay to copy so he’s now starting from scratch 

65mph😲. Something very wrong somewhere! You do have to rev them and they do thrive on revs.
The 400/4 should just top the ton unless of course it's a yellow one that some people may say were good for 130mph+ even against a force 10 headwind although I couldn't possibly comment......

I have found the tank of the NC30 project to be thick rust inside with very large flakes present. The previous owner took it off the road because the rust kept getting through and into the carbs, stripping NC carbs isn't fun whatsoever.
My usual go-to would be Deox-C as it has been in the past but I know this tank is well beyond that and even if it does remove the rust (and it will take a few attempts) I know the rust will come straight back. I am loathe to use a liner having heard too many bad stories about flaking and being nigh on impossible to fully remove.
I have been in touch with a company I have used previously to remove a dent from the alloy tank of my Triton and who really are excellent called 'Motorcycle Dent Removal'. They have developed a process to remove the rust, prep the tank and to then nickel coat it. They give a lifetime guarantee for their work and the product.
The first question I was asked was is there a liner in the tank because if there was they wouldn't touch it.
I've sent the tank to them, they are located in Pickering, North Yorkshire.
I have asked them to let me know about the condition of the tank following the rust removal process and before they go any further.
I'll report back how it goes.

On a much brighter note, this short film is well worth a watch for anyone interested in the late 70’s early 80’s Box Hill biking scene. Some fantastic bikes used to attend from MV's, Laverda's Cossacks, Guzzi's and countless Japanese bikes.
A perfect film to watch on a sunny day like today and a great soundtrack by The Police. This was made as a B movie back in the day when cinema's would show a b movie prior to the main feature.

https://youtu.be/f6UdyTk28aI?si=UWbN32IVQ4qyMdxK