classic, vintage motorcycle, scooter restoration project (Honda, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Vespa, Condor): 1975 Honda CB 125 Frame section of restoration project

the story behind

Prologue
It all started from a curiosity,
Restoration (paint) is the same as painting on canvas for me, and as a painting object, the detail (neither the painting result, nor all the spare parts) should be taken into account accurately. That is what i called : an art
At the beginning, i did to my bike as an experimental material (1975 Honda CB 125, no guts no glory), furthermore are diverse (depending on what is being favored, as you may see in this blog). No time limit was given, merely for my own pleasure at leisure (surely, i am not a professional restorer).

note :
Personally, i prefer the worst/rough condition of the objects (rather than a good looking one). These will gives much inhale at the beginning (challenge, yet low cost) and ‘extra' exhale at the last.
Besides that, this is to prove the extent of our ability in terms of restoration.
What about you ?

i have no knowledge, i’ll keep on learning
i have no skills, i’ll keep on trying
at least i still have curiosity

The Story Behind
(mainly for my japanese bikes only)

when there is a will, there are ways

better late than never

i did proved to my self those phrases

it was started when my buddy told me “it was too late” to start the project ! (many of its parts are already becoming collector items or expensive/exclusive things)

i’ll proved to him the true meaning of spirit

and i did (LOL)

but, the story behind it wasn’t smooth as it should be

first thing first, i state the concept :

the bike should back to its hey day as fresh from the dealer

these consequences using NOS parts is a must !

no time limit was given to the project (more or less 2 years to complete the project, due to difficulty of NOS parts available nowadays)

the only parts remains in use are the frame & crank case (with identification numbers), fuel tank (unbelievable price !), the rest of it : throw it away ! (donated) (this bike formerly in a very bad shape, with mixed of parts from other bikes ! From fenders, fuel tank, saddle, etc.)

hunting/searching/finding/trading NOS parts are the challenging part of this project ! (to get the lowest prices as possible !)

from authorized dealers to neglected small garage stations

from shinning parts to rubber parts

from the big parts to tiny parts

all are NOS ! yes New Old Stock ! or Nasty Old Shit ?

as you can see in this blog

while the hunting sessions begins, the body works was established

paint stripping was the first jobs, and this is one of the most pain staking job of all after that sanding, spraying and so on

detailing the fuel tank is tempting and challenging me

‘cause no pattern as guidance for me, just pic from the web

hence, i have to make sure (trial and error) the pattern is correct

and the result is : an exhale

this is the first time i did a painting on a bike/automotive

how to mixed the paint, sanding, spraying technique, etc just based on site experience

all the materials are common use for DIY

neither expensive/hi-tech paint materials nor complicated procedures to follow with

just basic painting procedures and common materials you’ll find within your area

except for the candy paint (uncommon color nowadays)

patience makes perfect & pay (more) attentions to the details

as you see in this blog, my finished/restored bike will not as ‘bright’ as you see if it not followed by detailing every single part (from obvious to hidden part) of the bike

by this blog, i would like to share my experience of how to restore a vintage/classic motorcycle (such as : painting, rendering a decal or maybe some useful tips from doing the job) which i’ll described it as simple as i can

last, i am just sharing (my experience), if it not works on you, i do (really) apologize, or at least you may learn from my mistake

thank you for visiting to my blog, and have a nice life

(so sorry for my bad english)

being underestimate is a good start to proved that we’re able to reverses the opinion

Epilogue

Other than the bike mentioned above, are awaiting 1973 Honda CB 100, 1976 Kawasaki G 7, 1977 Yamaha L 2 DX, 1967 Vespa VBC, 1977 Vespa small frame 90cc (to be restored), that can be seen on my flickr account at

http://www.flickr.com/photos/saka_matra

For the non japanese bike (vespa, condor, etc.), restoration manly on the painting and repairing the parts, due to the difficulty/lack/price of its parts. The procedures are remain the same.

1975 Honda CB 125 Frame section of restoration project

property of & restored by saka matra

this position is just for taking picture only !

spraying the frame is a bit tricky

i am using mini spray gun (R3) with adjustable air pressure (at the bottom of the handle) and adjustable outlet of the spray (round/wide spray). not all the R3 spray gun has this features in one package.

i need those (indeed) in the middle of spraying process, especially for the frame.

adjusting pressure or changing spray shape (while in the middle of spraying) is required.

the average air pressure i use is between 0 − 50 (in scale of 0 −100) depending on the difficulty of spraying positions, distance to the surface and amount of mixing the paint

first layer (epoxy filler + hardener : non polyurethane thinner/non PU)/1 : 0.4 to 0.6) as base paint

patching (after applying base paint) all the dents, scratches with putty is crucial.

here, try not avoid to small dents, etc. (detailing) for better result.

mixing epoxy filler with non PU thinner is merely to speed up the drying process for the next steps

second layer (black : PU thinner/1 : 0.4 to 0.7) as base color

some times we deal with difficult positions to reach/spray (such as the corners/junctions),

to those positions, spray all of it at the first time, than sanding (paper no 600 - 1000) the 'melting looks’ as the paint dried.

even though the (black) paint isn’t PU, choosing PU thinner is recommended for better mixture between the paint to the base paint/epoxy filler (due to it’s characterized of slow dry, hard as result)

third layer (black : PU thinner/1 : 0.5 to 0.8) as finished paint glossy looks with rubbing method

or base for applying lacquer (clear coat)

to get a better result, we have to sanding all the surfaces (paper no 1000) until the surfaces clear from defects (such as : scratches, debris, chipping, etc)

fourth layer option A (black + hardener : PU thinner/1 : 0.6 to 0.9) as finished paint glossy looks without clear coat or rubbing method

fourth layer option B (lacquer + hardener : PU thinner/1 : 0.7 to 1.0) as finished paint glossy looks with clear coat

all above are based on my experienced, and may or may not correct !

and the mixing ratio are not fixed, better to try it by your self !

so be wise if you want to use it as a guidance