Alright, let me tell you about this 1983 Honda CB1000 I got my hands on recently. It wasn’t exactly pristine, mind you. Felt like it had been sleeping in a corner for a good few years.
First Steps
First thing I did was roll it into my workspace. Gave it a good look over. Dust everywhere, thick layer of it. Some pitting on the chrome bits, paint wasn’t perfect, but the frame looked solid. Tires were definitely shot, cracked sidewalls, no good. The odometer reading wasn’t crazy high, which was a good sign, I guess.
So, started with the basics. Grabbed the hose, bucket, soap, and a brush. Gave it a thorough cleaning. You gotta get that grime off to really see what you’re dealing with. Let it air dry for a bit.
Getting Into It
Next, I decided to check the vitals.
- Pulled the spark plugs. They looked alright, maybe a bit dark. Cleaned them up with a wire brush and checked the gap.
- Checked the oil level. Dipstick came out showing some pretty black, nasty stuff. Drained all that old gunk out. Put a new oil filter on and filled it up with fresh oil. Easy enough.
- Brake fluid looked like coffee. Definitely needed changing. Flushed the old fluid out from both the front and rear systems. Put in new DOT 4 fluid and bled the lines until the lever felt firm. Much better.
- The battery was completely dead. Like, stone cold dead. Took it out, tossed it. Went and bought a new one, fitted it in, connected the terminals.
The Fuel System Headache
Now, the part I always dread a bit on old bikes: the fuel system. Knew it wouldn’t be pretty.
Opened the gas cap. Yep, smelled like varnish. Drained the tank completely. Saw some rust flakes inside too. Not ideal. I used one of those tank cleaning kits. Poured it in, sloshed it around following the instructions, rinsed it out really well. Had to let it dry out for a whole day.
Then, the carburetors. Pulled the whole rack off the bike. Took them apart on the bench. Man, they were gummed up. Sprayed carb cleaner liberally. Used compressed air. Cleaned out the jets carefully, making sure they were clear. Put everything back together slowly, trying not to lose any tiny parts. Carb work always tests my patience.
Wheels and Other Bits
Those old tires had to go. Ordered a new pair online. Once they arrived, I took the wheels off the Honda. Hauled them down to a local tire shop, had them mount and balance the new rubber. Got the wheels back on the bike.
Checked the chain tension and gave it a good cleaning and lube. Sprockets looked worn but usable for now. Went through the electrics – headlights, tail light, turn signals, horn. Cleaned up some corroded connectors. Had to replace a couple of bulbs that were blown. Simple fixes, mostly.
The Moment of Truth
Okay, time to see if it would actually run. Put some fresh gasoline in the clean tank. Turned the petcock on. Turned the ignition key. Lights came on the dash – good sign. Took a deep breath, pulled the choke out a bit, and hit the starter button.
It turned over… and over… then sputtered. Gave it another try. More cranking, then… it fired up! Coughed and sputtered a bit, smoked like crazy for a minute (probably burning off junk), but it was running. Let it warm up, fiddled with the idle screw to smooth it out a little.
First Ride Impressions
Couldn’t resist. Put my helmet on and took it for a slow ride around the neighborhood. Felt heavy, like these old bikes do, but planted. The engine seemed to pull okay, though it definitely needs proper carb synchronization. Brakes felt alright, stopped me safely. Shifting through the gears was okay too.
It’s alive! That’s the main thing. Still plenty to do. Need to really polish up that chrome, maybe some paint touch-ups here and there. Fine-tune the carbs properly. But getting it running and riding, even just a little bit, felt like a solid day’s work. Happy with how it turned out so far. It’s a proper old beast, this CB1000.
