Honda VRX400 1995 "barn find" restoration
Discussion
Cheers MTB 
Mr2Mike they are just polished at the moment. That IS something that's crossed my mind ... same with the other polished alloy bits (I'll show you how I'm getting on with those later today) ... how to protect them. Bearing in mind this will just be a toy going forward (i.e. not used through winters) will polish be enough for the alloy to retain a good level of shinyness / non-corrosion, or should I think about putting a layer of something on them. I'm erring towards just polish @ the mo.
Mr2Mike they are just polished at the moment. That IS something that's crossed my mind ... same with the other polished alloy bits (I'll show you how I'm getting on with those later today) ... how to protect them. Bearing in mind this will just be a toy going forward (i.e. not used through winters) will polish be enough for the alloy to retain a good level of shinyness / non-corrosion, or should I think about putting a layer of something on them. I'm erring towards just polish @ the mo.
Aye, I was talking to a company at the Motorcycle Show in November who are based not far from here in Coleshill who rebuild wheels for the National Motorcycle Museum, they can rebuild the wheels from the hubs up. Not going to be cheap though ! Leaving that for a bit ...
Alternator, clutch and sprocket covers suitably polished up, sat on the kitchen side.
Alternator reinstalled back into the cover. Having to start digging out all the photos I took on disassembly now, and this was one of them ... forgot how the cable brackets went ! Take photos kids. I took hundreds. I wish now I'd taken thousands.
And popped loosely in position. Had to go out, so didn't get chance to bolt it in.
Postscript : Okay so this is where I own up to cheating a bit ... after spending 3 hours doing one small bracket, I thought f
k this, and the three covers were polished by a local company for £25 each ! I'll still be doing the remaining odds and sods though. Apart from the complicated rocker covers ... sod that.
Alternator, clutch and sprocket covers suitably polished up, sat on the kitchen side.
Alternator reinstalled back into the cover. Having to start digging out all the photos I took on disassembly now, and this was one of them ... forgot how the cable brackets went ! Take photos kids. I took hundreds. I wish now I'd taken thousands.
And popped loosely in position. Had to go out, so didn't get chance to bolt it in.
Postscript : Okay so this is where I own up to cheating a bit ... after spending 3 hours doing one small bracket, I thought f
k this, and the three covers were polished by a local company for £25 each ! I'll still be doing the remaining odds and sods though. Apart from the complicated rocker covers ... sod that.Thanks ross-co, will try some of that.
VinceFox, yes they are the original wheels (sorry for the delay in replying)
Visible progress has really slowed as I'm fettling all the little bits and bobs, brackets etc ... rerusting, priming and painting takes a long time on small pieces, so you don't feel like you've done much. I really wanted to get the engine in the frame this weekend, but completely failed on that front.
For example, here's the front and rear engine mounts after several days in the rust dissolving tub ...
... and after.
Set the tappets. They were very close to being right. I'm still amazed at how good internally (so far !! have I just jinxed myself ?) this engine is. Clutch cover in the background.
Further progress on the swingarm; spacer tubes refurbished and fitted, rubber chain guide put back on (though I want to replace the two funny oval washers next order). Polished cylinder heads awaiting final titivation.
Started working on the rear brake master cylinder, which needs to go back into the frame before I put the swing arm back on (so there IS some logic there). Grubby and rusty, this is after the initial session in the parts washer.
This is my improvised paint booth, lol
A guitar stand makes a good drying stand ... at the rear you can see the clutch actuator arm, which is the last thing that I need to refurb before I can put the clutch cover back on.
Brake master came up nice.
And that's about it for this week. Two final observations :
1. Customs and Excise are gits. On a 16,050 yen order of parts, they misread (I think) the handwriting and charged me VAT and duty on 76,050 ... which came to (much) more than the value of the whole order ! I've had to fill a laborious form in, and send off umpteen items of proof, to try and get a refund (you have to pay, then claim back later). Bet I don't see my (approx. £100) any time soon ...
2. You can never have enough bench space. I don't have enough bench space.
VinceFox, yes they are the original wheels (sorry for the delay in replying)
Visible progress has really slowed as I'm fettling all the little bits and bobs, brackets etc ... rerusting, priming and painting takes a long time on small pieces, so you don't feel like you've done much. I really wanted to get the engine in the frame this weekend, but completely failed on that front.
For example, here's the front and rear engine mounts after several days in the rust dissolving tub ...
... and after.
Set the tappets. They were very close to being right. I'm still amazed at how good internally (so far !! have I just jinxed myself ?) this engine is. Clutch cover in the background.
Further progress on the swingarm; spacer tubes refurbished and fitted, rubber chain guide put back on (though I want to replace the two funny oval washers next order). Polished cylinder heads awaiting final titivation.
Started working on the rear brake master cylinder, which needs to go back into the frame before I put the swing arm back on (so there IS some logic there). Grubby and rusty, this is after the initial session in the parts washer.
This is my improvised paint booth, lol
A guitar stand makes a good drying stand
... at the rear you can see the clutch actuator arm, which is the last thing that I need to refurb before I can put the clutch cover back on.
Brake master came up nice.
And that's about it for this week. Two final observations :
1. Customs and Excise are gits. On a 16,050 yen order of parts, they misread (I think) the handwriting and charged me VAT and duty on 76,050 ... which came to (much) more than the value of the whole order ! I've had to fill a laborious form in, and send off umpteen items of proof, to try and get a refund (you have to pay, then claim back later). Bet I don't see my (approx. £100) any time soon ...
2. You can never have enough bench space. I don't have enough bench space.
Video of above progress : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kFw1MuAwB24
"And in this weeks episode of Project Binky ... fitting the wheels"
Finished off the polishing of the rocker covers. Not totally 100%, probably more like 90%, but they will do ... was starting to lose the will to live working on these, and they look good in all the places that will actually visible once the bike is back together (a lot of the covers are hidden by things like the carbs)
I could carry on working on the engine in isolation, there's loads still to do (e.g. starter motor, carbs) but I need a bit of a morale boost, so it's time to fit the engine into the frame !
First of all, lets protect that lovely frame with lots of cardboard. This engine was a pig to get out of the frame, so the last thing I want to do is chip something trying to waggle it back in.
Following the "assembly is reverse of removal" Haynes principle (i.e. this is how I got the engine out) I laid the engine down on lots of padding (rug, cloths etc) on its clutch side. Covered it with a cloth, then gently laid the frame loosely over the top of it.
Then it was just a case of wiggling it about till it lined up with the brackets (two front, one rear) ... this took a while, nearly an hour maybe. Had to check a couple of times on previously taken photos ("does the bracket go in front of or behind the frame" etc) and hand tightened the bolts. Then lifted her right way up.
Removed all the cardboard protection, tightened all the bolts up and ... voilà !
I appreciate that working on the engine within the frame might be slightly more difficult now, but I don't care ... I feel like a milestone's been passed.
Arse shot. The last mounting point is the bolt that goes through the rear of the engine, which also goes through the swingarm.
Kinda looks like a motorbike again ! ... kinda.
Had enough now, time for a bath ...
(*) If you've never seen Project Binky, you NEED to watch this ... https://www.youtube.com/user/badobsessionmsport/vi...
Finished off the polishing of the rocker covers. Not totally 100%, probably more like 90%, but they will do ... was starting to lose the will to live working on these, and they look good in all the places that will actually visible once the bike is back together (a lot of the covers are hidden by things like the carbs)
I could carry on working on the engine in isolation, there's loads still to do (e.g. starter motor, carbs) but I need a bit of a morale boost, so it's time to fit the engine into the frame !
First of all, lets protect that lovely frame with lots of cardboard. This engine was a pig to get out of the frame, so the last thing I want to do is chip something trying to waggle it back in.
Following the "assembly is reverse of removal" Haynes principle (i.e. this is how I got the engine out) I laid the engine down on lots of padding (rug, cloths etc) on its clutch side. Covered it with a cloth, then gently laid the frame loosely over the top of it.
Then it was just a case of wiggling it about till it lined up with the brackets (two front, one rear) ... this took a while, nearly an hour maybe. Had to check a couple of times on previously taken photos ("does the bracket go in front of or behind the frame" etc) and hand tightened the bolts. Then lifted her right way up.
Removed all the cardboard protection, tightened all the bolts up and ... voilà !
I appreciate that working on the engine within the frame might be slightly more difficult now, but I don't care ... I feel like a milestone's been passed.
Arse shot. The last mounting point is the bolt that goes through the rear of the engine, which also goes through the swingarm.
Kinda looks like a motorbike again ! ... kinda.
Had enough now, time for a bath ...
(*) If you've never seen Project Binky, you NEED to watch this ... https://www.youtube.com/user/badobsessionmsport/vi...
I wanted to clean up and paint the starter motor properly, so took it all apart.
Um. Lots of bits.
It's in pretty good condition inside, apart from this little piece which is the +ve power input ... as I took the motor apart, first one side of the copper strip then the other side just fell apart.
Ordered a new one. £23. TWENTY THREE POUNDS ?!? For this ...
Gave it all a good clean to remove all the black dust inside from the bushes, cleaned up the contacts, gave everything a paint on the exterior.
Putting it back together was a bit of an arse. The bushes are held in with springs, and just want to ping everywhere ... you need minimum 5 hands. In the end I zip tied the bushes in place ...
... so I was able to push the shaft back through.
And reassembled. Sorry for the dark picture.
Best of all, it still works ! Spins like a frantic thing.
TIP OF THE DAY : when painting the body of a starter motor, don't paint the mounting points ... it's through these that the -ve power runs. Almost fell into that trap.
Um. Lots of bits.
It's in pretty good condition inside, apart from this little piece which is the +ve power input ... as I took the motor apart, first one side of the copper strip then the other side just fell apart.
Ordered a new one. £23. TWENTY THREE POUNDS ?!? For this ...
Gave it all a good clean to remove all the black dust inside from the bushes, cleaned up the contacts, gave everything a paint on the exterior.
Putting it back together was a bit of an arse. The bushes are held in with springs, and just want to ping everywhere ... you need minimum 5 hands. In the end I zip tied the bushes in place ...
... so I was able to push the shaft back through.
And reassembled. Sorry for the dark picture.
Best of all, it still works ! Spins like a frantic thing.
TIP OF THE DAY : when painting the body of a starter motor, don't paint the mounting points ... it's through these that the -ve power runs. Almost fell into that trap.
Very little done to the bike recently, mainly due to
a) a heavy dose of man flu
b) Mrs Evil Len being bed ridden with sciatica, meaning I'm having to do everything (including looking after her horse 2x per day)
Derusted, cleaned and painted this bracket, which holds the sprocket cover. Above it, you can see the starter motor has been installed too.
Ditto to the four clips which hold the carb rubbers
Rear brake master installed
Turned my attention to the carbs. Carburettors scare me. This is the unit before stripping down.
Largely stripped back to the bare bodies.
This is my "workspace". Bits out of the left carb on the left and bits out of the right carb on the right.
This was about a week ago, I've had to pack all this away since (into food bags) as the man flu kicked in and I've not progressed any further ... and it was starting to stink the house out with petrol fumes !! (funny that). I have a very understanding wife ...
Not going to get chance to do much over the next week or so, "real life" getting in the way. Apparently I've some rechromed items @ my wife's work waiting for me (though as I say, she's off at the moment, so they'll have to wait)
a) a heavy dose of man flu
b) Mrs Evil Len being bed ridden with sciatica, meaning I'm having to do everything (including looking after her horse 2x per day)
Derusted, cleaned and painted this bracket, which holds the sprocket cover. Above it, you can see the starter motor has been installed too.
Ditto to the four clips which hold the carb rubbers
Rear brake master installed
Turned my attention to the carbs. Carburettors scare me. This is the unit before stripping down.
Largely stripped back to the bare bodies.
This is my "workspace". Bits out of the left carb on the left and bits out of the right carb on the right.
This was about a week ago, I've had to pack all this away since (into food bags) as the man flu kicked in and I've not progressed any further ... and it was starting to stink the house out with petrol fumes !! (funny that). I have a very understanding wife ...
Not going to get chance to do much over the next week or so, "real life" getting in the way. Apparently I've some rechromed items @ my wife's work waiting for me (though as I say, she's off at the moment, so they'll have to wait)
Half the chrome is back. Gorgeous ... VERY thick coating. The following cost £408. The photos don't do the items justice ... LUSH thick chrome, I've not seen chrome like this before, none of your manufacturer thin rubbish.
... and the bolts that mount the above
(the reflection on the next one is the ceiling wallpaper, lol)
I hate photobucket, it's so shyte. Why is this upside down escapes me ...
Just had to pop the pedal on for effect ...
... and the bolts that mount the above
(the reflection on the next one is the ceiling wallpaper, lol)
I hate photobucket, it's so shyte. Why is this upside down escapes me ...
Just had to pop the pedal on for effect ...
Had virtually no time on the bike (or anything else for that matter) over the last 2.5 weeks due to my wife being bedridden with sciatica / slipped disk, and me having to look after her, the house, and her horse. Got a couple of hours on the bike today though.
Left the bare carbs last week with someone who's going to aquablast and ultrasonic clean them.
Got the swingarm fitted. Check out my mega expensive new rear shocks !
There was a bit of play on the new needle bearing whilst off the bike, with everything torqued up to the right settings this disappeared nicely, and there's a lovely smooth movement up/down.
Cleaned and fitted the tank mounting rubbers which took, ooooh, all of 30 seconds.
And a couple of coolant chrome pipes, with new seals. Had to use a bit of silicon on the seals to get them to go in.
Started to look at the radiator, and take it all apart. Hmmm. This looks worse than I expected, once I had all the cowling off. Think I'm going to have to source a new radiator, or maybe recondition.
As I couldn't get on with the radiator I spent some time ruining my skin with white spirit and a cloth, cleaning up the wiring loom. Hung to dry.
Left the bare carbs last week with someone who's going to aquablast and ultrasonic clean them.
Got the swingarm fitted. Check out my mega expensive new rear shocks !
There was a bit of play on the new needle bearing whilst off the bike, with everything torqued up to the right settings this disappeared nicely, and there's a lovely smooth movement up/down.
Cleaned and fitted the tank mounting rubbers which took, ooooh, all of 30 seconds.
And a couple of coolant chrome pipes, with new seals. Had to use a bit of silicon on the seals to get them to go in.
Started to look at the radiator, and take it all apart. Hmmm. This looks worse than I expected, once I had all the cowling off. Think I'm going to have to source a new radiator, or maybe recondition.
As I couldn't get on with the radiator I spent some time ruining my skin with white spirit and a cloth, cleaning up the wiring loom. Hung to dry.
Radiators are not available in the UK, waiting to hear if I can get one from Japan. Have a feeling may be expensive ...
Had a good day on the bike yesterday
Got the wiring loom back in, after cleaning it up and doing a couple of spot repairs.
Got the chain slider cleaned up and installed.
Rear coil cleaned up and bolted into position.
Cleaning up the rusty bracket that holds the front coil and coolant expansion reservoir.
Various electrical components cleaned and repaired where needed.
This box is slowly getting emptier !
And I think I've found somewhere that can spray/recondition 'chromed' plastic parts.
Had a good day on the bike yesterday
Got the wiring loom back in, after cleaning it up and doing a couple of spot repairs.
Got the chain slider cleaned up and installed.
Rear coil cleaned up and bolted into position.
Cleaning up the rusty bracket that holds the front coil and coolant expansion reservoir.
Various electrical components cleaned and repaired where needed.
This box is slowly getting emptier !
And I think I've found somewhere that can spray/recondition 'chromed' plastic parts.
Main electrics approaching completion. Honda make it pretty easy to reconnect, as every connector is a different colour and/or size. Remembering the run of all the cables is a challenge though ("did that one go over or under that ?"). The big plastic battery box is now in position too, after being cleaned up and the brackets de-rusted and painted up.
A local garage pulled off and pressed on a new race and dust seal for me, for the princely sum of £20. I want to clean up the top end bearing (reusable, no wear), polish up the top tree, and get my first bit of chrome back on the bike !
A local garage pulled off and pressed on a new race and dust seal for me, for the princely sum of £20. I want to clean up the top end bearing (reusable, no wear), polish up the top tree, and get my first bit of chrome back on the bike !
Time to clean up the coolant header ... cap ... junction ... thingie.
Suffering the usual aluminium corrosion.
Disassembled, start to clean up the alu with a variety of wire brushes.
Hmm ... the inlet (or is it outlet) is badly corroded. Not all the way through mind.
... so lets fill it out with some chemical metal.
... which we then file then sand back.
Here's a little tip for you. Want to paint something, but don't want paint on a mating surface ? Cover the area with masking tape. Then use a small hammer and tap round (right on the edge of the flange ... heh ... snigger, I said flange ...)
Keep going round, gently (you don't want to be rough on your flange. snigger) and then you'll break through the tape, which can be pulled away.
Et voila. One mating surface, protected from paint. You can also use this method to create custom gaskets from gasket paper.
Reassembled and done. Not perfect, but some of the corrosion damaged will be hidden by the new hoses, and this is hidden in the guts of the engine anyway.
Suffering the usual aluminium corrosion.
Disassembled, start to clean up the alu with a variety of wire brushes.
Hmm ... the inlet (or is it outlet) is badly corroded. Not all the way through mind.
... so lets fill it out with some chemical metal.
... which we then file then sand back.
Here's a little tip for you. Want to paint something, but don't want paint on a mating surface ? Cover the area with masking tape. Then use a small hammer and tap round (right on the edge of the flange ... heh ... snigger, I said flange ...)
Keep going round, gently (you don't want to be rough on your flange. snigger) and then you'll break through the tape, which can be pulled away.
Et voila. One mating surface, protected from paint. You can also use this method to create custom gaskets from gasket paper.
Reassembled and done. Not perfect, but some of the corrosion damaged will be hidden by the new hoses, and this is hidden in the guts of the engine anyway.
Gassing Station | Biker Banter | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff