Total Motorcycle Community Forums

In case you think I;m a nutter, look at my intro on the intro page.

I have it in my head to retro fit a 1978 Honda CB400 T1 to look like a 50's vintage Triumph 500 or similar. It does not have to look exact. It only has to be mistaken for one at 50 feet or 50 mph (hence the title).

The T1 was fitted with steel rims and spoked wheels, drum brakes and is a vertical twin. It has a tail light assembly from ? which is very period looking, and started me on this project.

I have found, but not mounted: a tank rack (bag rack to others) a la triumph 650, aftermarket rubber tank knee pads ($25), cheapo block tread tires, low rise 2" slightly swept back bars, individual "clocks" from an 81 E model, old bike barn shrouded-top rear suspension units. I have painted the rear fender semigloss black to match the bike, and plan to do the same to the front fender when I have decided which to use- i have 2 styles that will fit. I've also ordered a Mac 2 into 2 system to replace the rotted and rusted out system in place, and to give it those 50's style stick out pipes- Honda looked too rounded and was 3 times the price.

I am not looking for a shiny old bike. I am looking to create something that looks like it was well cared for, but is, never the less, 50 year old.

I need your advice. I think I have made a very silly choice. I have sent the front rim to be rechromed, and relaced with new spokes to the hub which is about to be polished- I want the unit to last another 30 years.

BUT: Should I have asked the chrome guys to use a less than show chrome? I want well preserved, not new! Should I have had the rim stripped then painted, as bikes of the 30-50's were (depression, war, chrome expensive or not available, only for the rich, many utilitarin bikes had painted rims.

Get the rim back and paint? Chrome it and have a wheel assembly to last another 30 years (transfer it to the next cb400 i buy...)

Any other suggetions?

Justin

The rim, front fender, and front fork "jam pots" (UK) (headlight bucket "ears" Can) are being stripped. I collect the fender and ears tommorrow- hopefully. I will paint the ears and fender gloss black, then polish and wax to get a just off, but better than semi-gloss, gloss black.

I pulled the speedo- which was kaput, and found one that worked from my box of instruments- god bless cordless drills, spare speedo drives, and having wrecked about 20 of these bikes. I gloss blacked the instrument shroud. Therefore, the working speedo and shroud go back on first thing after work- and thankfully, the Honda sign is now hidden. I want to eradicate all the highly visible signs it's a Honda. I'll use body filler later to hide the indented Honda signs on the engine covers.

The fork legs have been lightly sanded, and now have 3 coats of gloss black tremclad. I can't reproduce the shrouded look of a Triumph completely, which hade shrouds top and bottom- and a shroud round the headlight and instruments- a "nacelle" to some. The fork components go up to Burnaby Kawasaki after work to be fitted with new seals and re-assembled.

I'll have to find other bits to do in the meantime till the rim is chromed- next week some time.

Still waiting on the tank knee pads
http://www.lickscycles.com/catalog/prod ... ts_id=1041

And hoping to find a correct tank rack (the previous find sucked) and pull back bars at the parts swap meet on Sunday.

If I knew how to post pics, I'd do so. If I can e-mail pics to someone, and they post, I could live with that.

Justin

First you need to upload the picture to a web hosting site like tinypic.com or Photobucket. When you upload the picture the site will give you a url that looks like http://i25.tinypic.com/23jk45i.jpg . Next you surround the url with the image tags so it looks like After you hit submit the picture will show up.

I have a photo site, redcoatphoto.com that gets updated about once a week.

Can I simply place a link in my post?

Or put the url with the [img] thing and get it to come up on TMW?

redcoat wrote:I have a photo site, redcoatphoto.com that gets updated about once a week.

Can I simply place a link in my post?

Or put the url with the

You mean like this from your site? Interest pic by the way.



Simple.

First click on the web based image you wish to post and select properties.
Second highlight and copy the URL in the properties from the pop up window
To post it here, simply click the IMG button, this will place the [IMG ] tag into your post, then paste the saved URL after the ], making sure not to leave a space, then click on the blue Close Tags command which will add the [ /IMG] tag. Then either finish your post or hit the Submit button and bingo......pictures in your post.

Yeah, I took my sabot sailing dingy with me to UVic. I had to tie my red life jacket to the end of the mast after the police stopped me near Tsawassen- but let me continue. I also moved the entire contents of a bach pad in one go. Pastor gave me a 12 foot church pew, which I bolted upside to the sidecar chasis, then lashed stuff to- small table, fold up sofa, bookcase, 2 steamer trunks, microwave, tool chest, vacuum. Wrapped in plastic sheating and bound with twine I was limited to 60 km/hr. Min speed on highways! The only trouble they gave me that time was for having a bald rear tyre. I suppose I've been lucky.

Picked up the tinware, rushed home, washed the preserving soap off, wiped dry and stuffed them in the oven to final dry and warm. After 1/2 hour, took em out and rubbed em down with scotch brites quikly. 2 coats of quick dry primer, and they got their first coat of gloss black tonight. There is something wonderful about the way a first coat goes on on top of light grey primer...as the spray hits the primer, there is that first mist, then ticker mist, then the full spray leaves a liquid gloss black coat. Thank God no runs! Then I noticed it...the paint was just a shade off...the deepest charcoal? A dab of green? ARRGGH!!!! At least they get 2 coats of gloss black from a can I know is gloss black later in the process.

The Mac 2 into 2 exhaust system arrived ($369), and the raer shocks ($120/pr). They even have gloss black shrouds at the top- perfect!

The front fork tubes came back assembled with new seals and dust seals.

Tommorrow, 2 coats of gloss black and fit the centre stand from a donor bike carcass, then fit the exhaust system.

This is gonna be the most expensive bike I've ever owned, and it won't be worth $500 on the open market. It survived 30 years- I hope I'm doing everything right so it lasts another 20.

Justin