OK, let's get this straight right now: I'm a newbie. Big time. And
this bike is the first bike I have ever owned. The first time I ever
rode a motorcycle was on March 28th, 1997. So, even though I just
passed the MSF course (April 27th, 1997), it's obvious that I still have
a lot of learning to do.
But first, let me tell you a little about the bike itself.
It's a 1978 Honda CB750F3 SuperSport SOHC 750-Four. I paid $75.00 for
this rusting hulk back in August of '96, and I intended to bring it back
into its prime (with the help of my motorcycle-savvy friend, Noel
Leavitt). My goal was to be riding this beast come Spring of '97, and
I'm happy to say that I met that goal with a little less than 24 hours
to spare.
"But why?" you still may ask. It's a valid question, and here's an
answer for you. To quote Ken Frick from "The Weary Warrior" (Rider,
Aug. 1996, p.50):
"....at what point does [a] cycle become expendable? When is its time
past? When does it become part of our disposable society? It is not a
Harley that can live on in milk crates as spare parts for decades to
come. It's an old Honda, one of thousands upon thousands that have been
built and somehow disappeared to the great resting place for Japanese
Cycles.
It's not special to anyone but me."
He was referring to a 1976 Honda CB750, but it speaks for a wider variety of machines (be they motorcycles or not).
To keep you WWW surfers coming back, I'm keeping a log of what I've done and where I've gone. Since I'm new to this whole motorcycle thing, your comments are welcome. Go ahead and email me if you'd like to tell me something, offer advice, or simply chide me for wasting so much time and effort on this obviously futile project.
Late February, 1998
Well, Winter's crushing grasp seems to be loosening somewhat, allowing temperatures to reach the low 50's. So I took that as a sign to start working on Xeno again and get it ready for the upcoming riding season.
This time my focus has been drawn to those pesky brake lines. Specifically the three front brake lines, each dating from 1977. Last year I'd noticed that braking was somewhat spongy, and repeated attempts to bleed the brakes did not rectify the situation. The lines were simply too old and flaccid to work as I would like them to. So, after a visit to my ever-friendly local Honda dealership, I had a new set of lines to install.
Never being satisfied with tinkering with just one thing, I also decided to take this opportunity to work on another little annoyance: that little tube that connects the rear brake fluid reservoir to the rear master cylinder. The previous owner (may he forever live in shame for the torture he put Xeno through in the past) had tightened the clamps holding this little tube to the point of spitting the tube it into a dozen or so little strips. Needless to say, this caused a slight leak. Way to go, PO.
Now, it must be mentioned at this point that brake fluid has to be the most foul substance ever created by man. Oh, don't get me wrong, it doesn't smell bad, and it certainly does it's job of stopping my bike well, but the fluid gets over everything no matter how hard I try to corral it. And once it's on something, it refuses to come off without a fight and the sacrifice of several reams of paper towels.
So, with this information in mind, imagine me, a neophyte in the world of motorcycle brake maintenance, trying to replace all these drippy parts without making a mess. Not a pretty sight. Soon I had a garage floor covered with little slippery drips of DOT4 brake fluid, and a bike that was slowly seeping the same vile substance from at least 7 different openings. Paper towels were everywhere, and my patience was wearing thin.
Eventually, though, all the new hardware was in place, and the temporary paper towel plugs were safely quarantined in the trash. About a half and hour's worth of bleeding (and nearly a quart of DOT4) later, the front brakes were back to new. Rock hard, and ready to stop the behemoth that is Xeno.
Next project? A complete oil change, including something that I've never done before: dropping the oil pan and cleaning the oil pump screen. Stay tuned for details!
Ride safe.