1962 Superhawk Restoration: Here I go

Spargett · Post by **Spargett** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 5:37 am

Ok, so allow me to introduce myself. My name is Scott Pargett. I'm 25 and just moved to Sacramento from San Francisco and picked up a CB77 in the area. Something I've wanted to do for ever and finally got one. I've poked around here quite a bit for miscellaneous things I've come across, but my neighbor has graciously granted me use of his garage during the winter since his truck doesn't fit (score). *Cue massive wave of motivation*

I've decided to do as much as I can to get this bike looking and running great. Considering that this is the first bike I've ever worked on, I'll do the best I can. With "being the change you wish to see", I've decided to chronicle my start (albeit a tad late) into the restoration process so that others starting where I'm can learn from what I encounter. I look forward to learning all from you and hopefully helping out some others on here through my personal experiences from here on out.

Feel free to AIM me (spargett) or email (info[at]spargett.com) anytime.

Let me give you a little info on the bike (as far as I know):

1962 Honda CB77 Superhawk
Odometer: 8,352
Frame Number: CB77-24039
Engine Number: CB77E-214023

Quirks: A few misc. parts from Dreams, etc. Shoddy workmanship, old parts.
Pros: Low miles, decent conditions, now in the hands of someone very detail orientated.

Here's a nice looking photo of how I got it. It looks alright from a distance, until you start to get close.

Outside of Charlie's Place after getting a tune-up and a few things fixed, mostly electrical.

Like I said, I've brought a few issues to the forums before, so I think I should link out to those so we get the full story on this bike.

Is this rust in my tank? (Carburation - Fuel)
Right carbs valve sticks on full throttle (Carburation - Fuel)
Should I replace my air filters (Honda Superhawk - CB72 | CB77 | CP77 | CBM72)
Engine dies as I soon as accelerate in 1st gear (Motors - 247cc & 305cc | 337cc & 350cc)

Well, with that all said, I'm going to work hard to keep this as updated as possible with high quality photos throughout. I'll be hosting my photos via Flickr. So there will always be a photostream to navigate and comment if anyone is interested: My Restoration Photostream via Flickr. And just so everyone knows, you can click on any of the photos I post on here. They'll link out to higher-res versions on Flickr.

Tonight sleep, tomorrow new posts.

jleewebb · Post by **jleewebb** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 11:18 am

Welcome. Good to see a young guy, lots of geezers here. I've got pix of early stages on my restoration on Flickr (jleewebb) but haven't been keeping up lately. Take lots of pix. Lee

Spargett · Post by **Spargett** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 5:57 am

In one of the previously linked out threads, I was dealing with some issues of the bike dying after accelerating in first gear, as well as having a hard time starting.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed rust in my fuel system. With that, I took off the tank, drained it, and placed an order for the heavy duty fuel tank repair kit from Classic Honda Restoration. Hopefully it comes tomorrow. Anyone have any tips for using the fuel repair kits? I've heard of people putting things like bolts and loose change to knock around inside and shake any addition rust loose. I think there might have been a kreem job before. I can see some grey, what almost looks like paint or some sort of epoxy running down the sides, in a dripping fashion.

Here's a shot of the tank and side covers polished.

The paint job on the tank looks pretty nice until you get close. You can see where the paint started to run, little bumps, and its cracked and peeling around the gas cap area. There's also wear in the front where the handlebars would touch if you turned them far left or right. Looks like I'll eventually have to repaint the tank, even though I've never done any sort of painting before. I ordered some Por-15 Rust Preventative Paint in gloss black. Hopefully this stuff work temporarily. I could really use it in little spots all over my frame and center stand as well.

Much more to post tomorrow : ) You can see what I've put on my Flickr Stream in the meantime.

LOUD MOUSE · Post by **LOUD MOUSE** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 9:04 am

Don't drill the gas cap. It is the new issue. .................lm

Spargett wrote:In one of the previously linked out threads, I was dealing with some issues of the bike dying after accelerating in first gear, as well as having a hard time starting.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed rust in my fuel system. With that, I took off the tank, drained it, and placed an order for the heavy duty fuel tank repair kit from Classic Honda Restoration. Hopefully it comes tomorrow. Anyone have any tips for using the fuel repair kits? I've heard of people putting things like bolts and loose change to knock around inside and shake any addition rust loose. I think there might have been a kreem job before. I can see some grey, what almost looks like paint or some sort of epoxy running down the sides, in a dripping fashion.

Here's a shot of the tank and side covers polished.

The paint job on the tank looks pretty nice until you get close. You can see where the paint started to run, little bumps, and its cracked and peeling around the gas cap area. There's also wear in the front where the handlebars would touch if you turned them far left or right. Looks like I'll eventually have to repaint the tank, even though I've never done any sort of painting before. I ordered some Por-15 Rust Preventative Paint in gloss black. Hopefully this stuff work temporarily. I could really use it in little spots all over my frame and center stand as well.

Much more to post tomorrow : ) You can see what I've put on my Flickr Stream in the meantime.

Gun · Post by **Gun** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 6:41 pm

glad that i'm not the only 25 year old anymore! Good to know that this bikes appeal is timeless!

Spargett · Post by **Spargett** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 6:45 pm

Hah, great. I drilled the extra hole last night. What do you mean by "it is the new issue?" Are you saying that its a redesigned gas cap design that didn't need the hole?

LOUD MOUSE wrote:Don't drill the gas cap. It is the new issue. .................lm

Gun · Post by **Gun** » Mon Dec 15, 2008 7:13 pm

I think he was saying that before you change anything on the bike, you should deal with the obvious issue of rust blocking fuel.

If only for the sake of learning it's best to test only one variable per experiment with the rest of the factors being controlled so that you can pin point the issue.