Time for another belated update. Spring seems to have finally come, at least for a little while, so I also felt like it was time for Spring Break! It was tough to focus on this project as I was also getting other bikes out of hibernation and giving them a well deserved exercise run.
This is the time when little visual progress takes place as there are so many small items and loose ends to attend to, as well as those times when you realize, "I should have put that on first, so now I got to take this or that off again and redo it".
The main noticeable item this week was finally getting the rear wheel in place.
Next it was time to get serious with the electrical system. Using a 1 amp charger and isolating the points, I went through all the functions in each key position, getting everything to light up (except just looking for voltage at the headlight) and sound off. Of course the horn sounds a little sick and the starter solenoid barely clicks with 1 amp. Also checked the ignition and had spark when kicking engine over. I like to verify that early as possible.
Then I installed the carburetor and air cleaner assembly, then checked electrical again, and found I lost the tail light function. I managed to pull a bullet connector apart when trying to squeeze in the air filter and was glad I rechecked.
Carburetor installed and filter cover/tool kit holder in place. Also the very important swing arm plastic caps!
Note the high tech points isolating cardboard. Gotta remember to remove it later.
Next I put on the chain and sprocket covers, after hooking up the clutch cable. Also the chain guard is now in place.
After putting the side cover grommets inside the left cover, it is installed along with the tank and seat bracket and front fuel tank mounts.
Had to do a little extra work on the throttle grip as it was catching on the handle bar. Took a little filing and sanding to get that out of it. That's why in this picture the right mirror is not in position.
Here's the right side with battery cover on.
One of the items missing when I purchased this bike, was the fly screen and all the brackets for it.
Here is the new fly screen (Honda's term for a wind shield that is only big enough to divert bugs.)
Also installed an NOS headlight bezel, as the old one had a few pits in the chrome.
In this picture, you can see how the brackets are used to hold the fly screen to the headlight bucket.
The little oddly angled pieces that attach to the bucket were located in Argentina, while the rest of the parts came from Australia. As mentioned before, this project involved 5 continents to pull it together.
...and to finally complete the front end, I needed to install a new front fender mud flap.
They come in quite a few different colors, but with the remnant that was still caught between the brackets, when I disassembled the bike, I decided to keep the original light blue that it came with.
....so that's it for now. The remaining pile of parts is slowly getting smaller. I hope to fire it up next week on a remote fuel source and dial it in, of course I gotta get some fresh oil in it first. Seems like there's always a lot of little details....later everyone.
