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 waysbetter 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
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.
