Honda CBR XX Forum banner

Project NewBird

146K views 1.2K replies 57 participants last post by  elvetost  
#1 ·
Hello everyone.
It seems the weather has been getting colder and I have too much time on hands lately, so....

I might as well do a nuts and bolts restoration to the bird!

I want to upgrade a few things on it, such as suspention, brakes and the motor a bit and more or less paint the whole bike...

Plan is to powder coat matt black the frame, swingarm, hangers, top yoke, bars and bar risers and forks along with the wheels...
Paint is still debatable, may go custom, may go factory blue (Phoenix Candy Blue) may even go mad, we shall see fairly soon..
I'll put new wavy disks front and back, along with nissin pads and prolly braided hoses, while retaining the fantastic CBS.
Suspension overhaul with Jaws' riser pre-load adjusters, new seals and oil up front with prolly a new spring for the back.
New fairing bolts all round with a few more bits from pro-bolt (such as reservoir caps etc). I am missing a lot of fairing bolts atm and the clutch reservoir cover is cracked etc etc etc...
I allready run an Akra 4-1 system which is in good condition, and have a K+N filter in the post. I am looking at fitting a Dynojet kit on it too. Oh yeah btw, its a propper one - a carbie...
I also got a new headlight for it, as the old one had a piece missing and some more bits n bobs...

Anyways that is the plan. I am held back a bit by a lack of unlimited funds on this project, but its should get done in time for spring and traveling! I already got a full Nonfango pannier set for it and touring is what it will be used mostly for, two up with the gf...

Started stripping the bike today. The plastics are in a sad state. The bike has had various slips and falls over the years before I got my hands on it.
There was like 10 layers of paint on them and a fair amount of cracks and repairs.. I got them to my mate who does plastic welding for a living, so they should be nice and solid when they are back. I allready peeled most of the paint of them, using a scrapper and 80grit sand paper. They will be sanded some more, filled, and primed, ready to be dropped of to another mate who is a painter for a living. As you can see there is a pattern forming here, where I blag mates for favours more or less and get it done cheap. I aint a rich bloke (yet...) so its the only way forward atm. Thank god I have a few mates happy to help, but I should be doing most of the work on it (80%+....)

Anyways, some eye candy for you lot. Just got the camera so please be patient with the quality. It will get better...:rotfl:
 
#4 ·
Good to see you still put safety first, even when riding in your study. Ambitious project.
 
#5 ·
I like it like that too!
Maybe I'll get another bird just to streetfighter it!
And this is not my study! That's me garage! There's a lovely sofa there to crash to along with the bookselves that had nowhere to go so made a perfect tool storage(n bits..)
Tomorrow i wanna get radiator and exhaust off and possibly carbs and wiring off too..
Wish me luck!
 
#6 ·
Good luck!
 
#7 ·
I hope you know what you're doing. lol She is a dirty Bitch. Now that she's apart you should do upside down forks, braid out your hoses, and redo the suspension. Install that Turbo kit you know you want and change the dash lighting. Have fun, I'm sure she'll look fine in the Spring when you start riding. If you go to www.pashnit.com you can get a pair of FP Tactical Levers for $165.00 US. Free engraving and free shipping. $10 rebate if you send back a pic of the finished install.
 
#8 ·
Good luck with your project. Hope you are perpared for the long hours in the workshop, the blood ,sweat and oh F**k I didn't want to do that.
My only advice to you is have a clear idea of what you want out of the project and be prepare for it to take twice are long as you thought and cost 4 times as much.
But most of all have fun doing it.
Keep us posted.
Cheers Graham
 
#10 ·
Looks like a good project and what a workshop, that has to be a first with a sofa! :clap:
I noticed you mentioned the possibility of a rear spring change, it will be best to check the damping first (if you haven't already), the rear tends to go saggy after 20K miles.
Projects like this are a great way to get to know your bike.

As a many who obviously enjoys his cuppas, have you installed a kettle in the workshop, IMHO an essential :D

But most of all have fun doing it.
:thumb:
 
#9 ·
Hi fellows!
Thanks very much for the words of encouragement!!
shewie cheers mate!
CB I have done this a fair few times before, I love working on my bikes. I wish I had unlimited resources to do more than that, like go for usd forks n such, but its more than I can affrod atm, plus I really like the way the bike works as mr honda designed it(well minus a few parts to fit my size).
Graham, I have been following your work closely mate. Good job! Wish I was still round the UK (lived in Oxford and Pompey for 11 yrs) so we had a chance to meet up and have a look at your lovely motor for inspiration! Keep it up mate!
Plan is for today to strip some more bits, soon as I havemy cuppa and a big slice of cake that is!
Cheers,
Chris
 
#13 ·
Hi Edde! Cheers mate!
Little update.
Drained the water circuit and took radiator and shroud out. Also the loom of the bike is more or less clipped in the frame right next to the head, the rest is out of the bike hanging about. started the main controls stripping but left it like that as I had to nip out.
Got the exhaust headers out when came back in and it started to look much more stripped now!
Plan is for tomorrow to support the engine underneath with blocks of wood and strip the forks out. Then I can get on the swing arm and finally hopefully the frame should come up over the engine, leaving it on the blocks of wood... Hopefully....
Then the fun begins!
Cheers chaps,
Chris
 
#14 ·
Hi Chaps!
Been doing some more work on the bike...
Exhaust was left overnight with wd40 to ease the disassembly and it worked wonders...Exhaust now down to components ready to be refinshed (sandpapered to 1000grid) and polished. I am considering of having it ceramic coated. I may do depending on the cost....
Loom is also off the bike completely and the motor is 100% free (well minus chain removal) to be taken off the bike. I just need to work out a way for the rear 2 special tool bolts on the motor....
Next is motor removal followed by the suspension and there you go! Bike dissasembled.:smilebig:
Also got a call from my mate that the plastics are now ready, all the abs that needed welding is now sorted and they came up pretty well! He had to put in a few hours on them and will have to charge me....20 quid...:rotfl:
Oh well.. There you go.
Need to start considering how best to strip off the paint off the frame for powder coating. I was thinking paint stripper but have some doubts on possible damage to the aluminium? Any suggestions please?

Cheers,
Chris
 
#16 ·
Cheers Rex!
Will do mate. Got to do some filling on the panels in the mean while. Looking better but will have to do more sanding before putting some primer on... I reckon I got another week of sanding down to get it where I want it...Oh well.
Going shopping tomorrow for some materials. Need primer, sandpapers, loctite and more bits. I made myself a nice list...
Cherrio!
Chris
 
#19 ·
Hi fellows!:welcome:
A bit more work now done to the bike. Well, a little bit of work on the bike itself, a hoooog amount of work on the plastics..

Fairings are back now from my mate that has done the plastic welding. I was not very impressed with his work, but it seems to hold fine eventhough he landed me with much more sanding to get right.
All plastics have had the horrible 5-6 top layers of coat now sanded down (well scraped with a blade, sanded with 80 and 180 gid papers..) and good decent key surface for the primer to stick. I now need to go over them with plastic filler and then prolly go over them with 320 dry paper. Then they are ready for a wash and plastic primer on all bare plastic surfaces, followed by a coat of primer on the whole panel to get the base coat(and colour) right. Then it will be more sanding down with a block and 600grit and up papers.:rolleyes:
I will probably also gonna be doing the whole paint on my own, as a friend offered his workshop for free (he is a carpenter with a fully equiped shop for laquering..) Need to decide on colour pretty soon now..:)

Further tearing down of the bike revealed a bent left clipon and few more bits needing attention...

On the upside, the postman deliver a few pressies for the project...
Full Nonfango pannier set now in house, in a decent nick, even though the tops of the cases will be painted to suit the bike's colour..
I also got a K+N air filter, a new wiring loom with a spyball alarm on it (in great nick!!!!), a double (main) stand as the bike did not have one, a fuel level sender(the low fuel light sensor on mine was broken), a tank petcock (the plastic bit was missing on mine) and the circuit board that fits on the clocks(as mine was damaged in 4 places and although repaired I wanted it done!)....

So things are moving along quite nicely. Next step is finally get the engine off the frame (everything is ready just need some wooden blocks now..) and get painting!!!!

Here's some piccies for you to ponder over! It does not look much of a bike anymore, does it? Oh well, its all for the best!:O
Cheerio,
Chris
 
#22 ·
Hey PoGo, cheers for that man! I try to keep my mind on the "Newbird" and the holidays planned for next summer! You do need some inspiration dont you?

Rex, that's quite true. Plastic welding does need sanding down as the bead sits a bit higher. But you can plastic weld with minimum work required after or, as my mate did, make a pig out of it and require a LOT of work to get smoooth again... Hours? I have put in days allready man, but that's down to the fact there was like 10 layers of paint on my panels- not good!

Carpenters are quite handy arent they? Especially if they are your best mates/brothers..

Cheers chaps,
Chris
 
#24 ·
Sure is mate! :rotfl:
I just get upset from the previous owners. Ok, fair enough you had an off with your bike. FIX IT PROPPER!!!
Anyways, I just got this picture in my head, me and the gf, on a shinny as new custom bird, cruising the streets of monte carlo in the summer..:O
keeps me happy...

Cheers,
Chris
 
#30 ·
Hi Chaps!
just a little update.
Have now finished scrapping and sanding down the top say 4-6 coats of paint off the plastics, and can say that most of the paint is now off and down to a workable level.
On the downside I mixed some plastic filler to fill the panels, however I did use the hardener very sparrinlgy, maybe a bit too sparingly... So the said filler does not seem to want to harden, therefore now needs to be removed before I can have another go at it... Oh well, more snading to do now...

Piccies show all the panels ready to be filled, in prepearation for the primer. I would ideally want to be in primer next week... Also shows the brand new headlight for me bird. The difference is amazing on the old broken unit and I am happy to have spent the 150quid on it!

I also have finished the list of necessary bits that I need order. It is a pretty long list. Was amazed to see how many bits were lost over the years such as collars, nut and bolts. I will try to be as much oem as possible on them, unless swapped for upgraded components...

So there you go. The labour of love is moving along nicely, soon I should be on to frame work and aluminium bits.:)
 
#146 ·
Nice Job dude,
keep it up!
Hi Chaps!
just a little update.
Have now finished scrapping and sanding down the top say 4-6 coats of paint off the plastics, and can say that most of the paint is now off and down to a workable level.
On the downside I mixed some plastic filler to fill the panels, however I did use the hardener very sparrinlgy, maybe a bit too sparingly... So the said filler does not seem to want to harden, therefore now needs to be removed before I can have another go at it... Oh well, more snading to do now...

Piccies show all the panels ready to be filled, in prepearation for the primer. I would ideally want to be in primer next week... Also shows the brand new headlight for me bird. The difference is amazing on the old broken unit and I am happy to have spent the 150quid on it!

I also have finished the list of necessary bits that I need order. It is a pretty long list. Was amazed to see how many bits were lost over the years such as collars, nut and bolts. I will try to be as much oem as possible on them, unless swapped for upgraded components...

So there you go. The labour of love is moving along nicely, soon I should be on to frame work and aluminium bits.:)
 
#32 ·
Great to see somebody to have the patience to do bodywork, probably the least enjoyable task in my book :clap:

I'm even more intrigued by your workshop now, first we had a fine sofa, now a set of large speakers ............... nothing like working in style :D
 
#33 ·
Hehehehe. That is the home cinema mate. Its right next to the garage, and serves as a clean room to store the newly washed fairings, in between different stages of paint. The funniest bit in there is the subwoofer. You can bearly see it on the left. And no, thats not a big coffee table, its the sub...:thumb:

Buffalo4, thanks mate! I will get there in the end!:welcome:

Now where's that map of Monte Carlo?:smilebig:
Cheers chaps,
Chris
 
#35 ·
Hi Rex!
I havent got all of them off yet. I will be doing so this weekend. I believe though, that if you undo the nut on the left hand side(gear lever side), then the axle slides off from the right hand side, leaving the special socket bit on the frame.
I have so far undone loose the one of the two engine frame bolts. It did require a fair bit of force to undo too.
Hope this helps,
Cheers,
Chris
 
#38 ·
Quick update as I am pretty happy!:D
Got a fair few bits I needed from a matey for 180 euros. Include side fairing, v piece, nuts bolts, pegs, clip ons and few more bits! Well happy, I can now scrap the left side fairing, that even repaired feels wrong to go back on "newbird"....Same as the bent v piece etc...:thumb:
Also managed to get the rest of the bits filled and sanded ready for primer which will follow shortly this week..
Started cleaning up the Akra too, the photos that follow show work up to 180 grit paper, will eventually go to 600 possibly 800. Then a coat of high temp clear laquer should see them nicely for a while. I need to remember to re-pack the end can too.. A bit more work, but I just love getting rid of the years of abuse on my bike. Feels good for sure!:smilebig:

Anyways, that's it for now! Will hopefully have the motor off the frame on sunday and figure the best way to get all the old paint off the frame. I'm leaning towards paint stripper, but if I can get someone to do a mild bead blast on it I may go for that instead.
Cheerio,
Chris
 
#40 ·
Hi Duck!
I have seen Grahams build a fair few times mate! I have also read yours a fair few too.. Needless to say that you guys are part of the reason my once complete bike, being on the garage floor in bits atm.. .LOL
I will ask Graham how he stripped :)eyebrows:) his bike, as it looks to have done (another) great job on his! Cheers for the heads-up!

I have spent the morning sorting out my tired C-90 (with a C-100 motor, plastics, forks, swingarm on...) to make it more roadworth. New chain, sprockets, spark plug, oil, rear tyre(used though...) and general greasing, tightening etc... Rides so much better now, and I can use it again! Hoorah!:rotfl:

Also went to pick up the sump from the welder's (right hand fairing mount was cracked so needed sorting out) but his welder had let go few days ago and only got it sorted today. He said he swears it'll be ready for monday and he's a matey so... Only drawback is I cant get the motor off till then...:(
So I'll better get them exhausts cleaned up and ready for shelving for assembly... Oh well...:thumb:
Cheers,
Chris