Getting back on the road, part 2

And it's roadworthy!

Installing the front brake turned out to be a lot more complicated than expected, since the new hose was a little too short, and then the bleed valve turned out to be clogged, but it eventually got done.  The only major issue is that one of the screws in the brake fluid reservoir broke off, which means I now need to remove the reservoir to remove the lower half of the screw.

In preparation for that, I've ordered a new "oil cup" (which is what Honda apparently decided to call the container that holds brake fluid), screws, and so on.  I've also ordered a new air filter, since I have no idea how old the one installed right now is.

Next up is an oil change, and of course dealing with the brake fluid issue.

That said, it passed inspection, and I was able to ride it to work yesterday, so I'm calling it a win!

It's aliiiive!

I'm actually fairly astonished.  I picked up a new battery for the 450 this evening, and couldn't resist checking to see if the bike would start.  So I hooked up the battery, opened the petcock to let three-year-old gas into the dry-for-three-years carbs, pulled the choke all the way out, and hit the starter.

It cranked about three seconds, then caught.  For the first 20 seconds or so it needed second-by-second adjustments to the throttle and choke.  After that, it settled in at around 1500RPM (choke still partway out), and responded normally to the throttle.

Honda made some pretty nice motors back in the 80s!

Getting back on the road, part 1.

I haven't written anything here since 2015, mostly because I haven't ridden since 2015.  Shortly after my last post (about managing to spray acid in my eye), the front brake on the 450 seized up completely, and I ran into problems with my back again.

This spring I started pulling things apart to work on the bike, in hopes of getting some riding in this year.  Here's where I am so far.

Sadly, the brake caliper hadn't magically fixed itself, so I ended up pulling it off and starting to break it down.  As it turned out, the pistons in the caliper were seriously frozen (although Pioneer Valley Motorsports in Northampton, MA was able to get them loose), and the spring assembly in the master cylinder had almost entirely rotted out... spilling brake fluid all over the brake lever.  Also, the banjo bolt is not in the best condition possible.

Fortunately, someone on the Honda Twins forum had a front end he was getting rid of, and he sold me a complete setup at a good price.  Of course, now it turns out that his handlebars were lower than mine, so I still need a new brake hose, but hey... at least it's a start!

I'm planning to pick up a new battery tonight, and I'm waiting on whether I can buy a replacement hose, or whether I'm going to end up cleaning and reusing the old one..