Worst troll ever.
No one can be this stupid
No one can be this stupid
New member is South Carolina
Hi all,
as my profile states I have almost no experience with motorcycles. I just found a 1981 Honda CB900C, which has been sitting since 1996. $250 bucks (what a steal) and I am going to get this thing running and then I am going to make it a café racer. Here is my initial thought process on the logical steps to take:
1. take it apart. I am almost done with this; I only have the swing arm to remove and then get the engine on the jack.
2. clean up the frame. Only question here is figuring out which tabs to remove and also buying a grinder.
3. clean up engine. I will need help figuring out what needs replacing, or what can just be cleaned. need to decide if I want to polish or paint the engine
4. repair the carbs. Based on the state of all the rubber parts these will need to be taken care of. I think I can figure this part out just fine.
5. try to start it. This I will need help with, specifically figuring out what I actually need to check and see if it runs. i.e. with a rotted out gas tank, can I just plug the fuel line into a plastic bottle, attach battery somewhere and fire her up?
6. if it starts, re-assemble and replace all the hoses.
7. figure out how I want the bike to look.
Step seven is where we start getting into the fuzzy area. I want to stay true to the café racer mentality of as little on the bike and re-using parts, but I want the battery box hidden on the swing arm, I want a straight-ish seat so I can have two people and I need to replace the tank so the lines don't look so funny and because it has rust holes in it. I would like to re-position the pegs and shifters too but I digress. I am not concerned with taking a running bike to a shop somewhere for the fabrication parts of everything since I am only into the bike for $500 bucks, including my new jack.
OK that is what I got to say. I have been absorbing any other threads I can find like a sponge. I am also going to complete this thread so future searchers can have a good step-by-step to follow.
as my profile states I have almost no experience with motorcycles. I just found a 1981 Honda CB900C, which has been sitting since 1996. $250 bucks (what a steal) and I am going to get this thing running and then I am going to make it a café racer. Here is my initial thought process on the logical steps to take:
1. take it apart. I am almost done with this; I only have the swing arm to remove and then get the engine on the jack.
2. clean up the frame. Only question here is figuring out which tabs to remove and also buying a grinder.
3. clean up engine. I will need help figuring out what needs replacing, or what can just be cleaned. need to decide if I want to polish or paint the engine
4. repair the carbs. Based on the state of all the rubber parts these will need to be taken care of. I think I can figure this part out just fine.
5. try to start it. This I will need help with, specifically figuring out what I actually need to check and see if it runs. i.e. with a rotted out gas tank, can I just plug the fuel line into a plastic bottle, attach battery somewhere and fire her up?
6. if it starts, re-assemble and replace all the hoses.
7. figure out how I want the bike to look.
Step seven is where we start getting into the fuzzy area. I want to stay true to the café racer mentality of as little on the bike and re-using parts, but I want the battery box hidden on the swing arm, I want a straight-ish seat so I can have two people and I need to replace the tank so the lines don't look so funny and because it has rust holes in it. I would like to re-position the pegs and shifters too but I digress. I am not concerned with taking a running bike to a shop somewhere for the fabrication parts of everything since I am only into the bike for $500 bucks, including my new jack.
OK that is what I got to say. I have been absorbing any other threads I can find like a sponge. I am also going to complete this thread so future searchers can have a good step-by-step to follow.
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
since you double posted I am going to double post:
this is what you should have done in this order:
1. try to start it. This I will need help with, specifically figuring out what I actually need to check and see if it runs. i.e. with a rotted out gas tank, can I just plug the fuel line into a plastic bottle, attach battery somewhere and fire her up?
2. repair the carbs. Based on the state of all the rubber parts these will need to be taken care of. I think I can figure this part out just fine.
3. if it starts, re-assemble and replace all the hoses.
4. clean up engine. I will need help figuring out what needs replacing, or what can just be cleaned. need to decide if I want to polish or paint the engine
5. clean up the frame. as in chemically clean it up. degrease it.
6. figure out how I want the bike to look.
7. take it apart.
In between steps 3 and 4 should be ride it for 1000 miles to make sure everything works as it should. in between steps 6 and 7 should be "perform fab work with the bike assembled".
At this point, based on all you have told us (and provided you are not a troll), I give you 6 months before this bike becomes "project for sale" craigslist ad.
Now before you get all but hurt and go run away calling us haters.....why not ask questions to try and get you on the right track?
this is what you should have done in this order:
1. try to start it. This I will need help with, specifically figuring out what I actually need to check and see if it runs. i.e. with a rotted out gas tank, can I just plug the fuel line into a plastic bottle, attach battery somewhere and fire her up?
2. repair the carbs. Based on the state of all the rubber parts these will need to be taken care of. I think I can figure this part out just fine.
3. if it starts, re-assemble and replace all the hoses.
4. clean up engine. I will need help figuring out what needs replacing, or what can just be cleaned. need to decide if I want to polish or paint the engine
5. clean up the frame. as in chemically clean it up. degrease it.
6. figure out how I want the bike to look.
7. take it apart.
In between steps 3 and 4 should be ride it for 1000 miles to make sure everything works as it should. in between steps 6 and 7 should be "perform fab work with the bike assembled".
what you will post would only be of value to future searchers as an example of literally every what not to do scenario starting with your choice of a cb900c as a project bike in the first place but also this list of steps. You literally got everything wrong. Maybe expirenced motorcycle mechanics with intimate knowledge of the cb900c could start where you are starting from and be successful, but you are not a motorcycle mechanic nor do you sound like you know the cb900c. The way you are going now you are only setting yourself up for failure.I am also going to complete this thread so future searchers can have a good step-by-step to follow.
At this point, based on all you have told us (and provided you are not a troll), I give you 6 months before this bike becomes "project for sale" craigslist ad.
Now before you get all but hurt and go run away calling us haters.....why not ask questions to try and get you on the right track?
You got taken. Seriously. I don't even think there is $250 of scrap value in a cb900c that has been sitting for almost 20 years.I just found a 1981 Honda CB900C, which has been sitting since 1996. $250 bucks (what a steal)
"Only question here is figuring out which tabs to remove and also buying a grinder"
Classic.
Classic.
We used to get guys come into the shop all the time with a bike they just bought for $300 wanting to get a quote for a Safety Certificate and when we'd hand them back a quote for $1500 (tyres, chain and sprockets, fork seals, repair oil leaks, fix electrics) they'd start calling us names and get all pissy that we were trying to rip them off. It was pretty funny actually.
It was a harsh lesson for those guys in finding out why cheap bikes were so cheap.
It was a harsh lesson for those guys in finding out why cheap bikes were so cheap.
1 - 6 of 6 Posts
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