WTB: Turd Polisher

[bayoubikebruiser]

This just fell into my lap on Friday:

1991 Honda Nighthawk 750. Comes with ugly fairing, backrest/rack and some soft bags. Gonna de-gunk it and be able to ride with my wife again!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img369.jpg

It should look like this:
http://www.cyclechaos.com/wiki/images/7/7f/1991-Honda-CB750-Nighthawk-Red1-0.jpg

One of the ugliest bikes I've ever seen, but it'll get the job done.

[Juice]

I had a 84 Night Hawk. Very cool little bike....

[Katy]

i think the tank is messed up? sweet. fixeruppers are fun.

[bayoubikebruiser]

The tank is just sitting there in that pic. Not installed. There's a layer of crap on the bottom that is what old fuel becomes over time.....4yrs in this case. I have to disassemble and clean all 4 carbs, reassemble and intall, replace all fuel and vaccuum lines (cv carbs) and replace the petcock. Then, I clean out and install the tank, buy and install a battery, add some gas, click my heels together 3 times and say, "I love the moto-gods" and it should run.

[CajunRider]

That's awesome... I'd love to come across a bike like that to customize (for the right price of course... ) Banana12

[SVTFreak]

Hell, if Wayne can get a 2 year sittin in katrina water kawi running, that honda should be a peice of cake!

[Ben]

I had an 85 Nighthawk 700, but worlds different from that style. What did they do to that poor thing!

[bayoubikebruiser]

Brought the bike into the shop:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img372.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img373.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img374.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img375.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img376.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img377.jpg

Here's the ugly part...gonna take some degunkin' hard core!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img378.jpg

Looks like a decent bike to get on and ride, though...

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img379.jpg

After a quick spritz of Simple Green and a runover with the same grungy rag everywhere...

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img380.jpg

[Juice]

Cool12

[bayoubikebruiser]

Carbs off for a shpritzin' in ze PB Blaster!
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img381.jpg

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img382.jpg

Woweee!!!! Virgin!!!!! Freakin' SWEEEEEEET!!!!!!!
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img383.jpg

Freed up the slides with very minor shpritzin'... Lookin'GOOD!
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img384.jpg

Blurry pic of beautiful plugs!
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img386.jpg

Free-wheelin' starter gears...VIRGIN!
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img387.jpg

Bobby's starting to suspect chicanery in the sale...
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img389.jpg

NAIL! No sale! (Just kidding. Tires are crap anyway)
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img390.jpg

How she sits until tomorrow. Tank doesn't seem all that crudded...just the petcock and tank outlet tube!
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img392.jpg

Zipper go POING!!!!

I got a smile this big:
http://www.timewarp.org.uk/reviews/rhvideolaunch/09.jpg

What a deal this bike is. I can't believe it.

[scooterhose]

Popcorn2

[bayoubikebruiser]

I've taken off the fairing to sell. I want to get $150 for it and mounting gear to go towards some new tires for the bike.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img393.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img394.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img395.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img396.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img397.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img398.jpg

Then, Bobby got the petcock apart and it looks pretty sweet! No bad news on this bike so far. It looks like everything was rebuilt and then the bike just sat with a cruddy tank. The tank is definitely cruddy and will get the pea-gravel heave-ho this weekend.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img402.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img403.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img404.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img405.jpg

Found out from a yahoo-based NightHawk group that the middle nipple is superfluous to non-Californians. That solved a little problem I was having with matching hose-ends to destinations.....
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img406.jpg

If I get the tank clean this weekend and scrounge up a battery, this bad mamma-jamma is running this Monday!

[bayoubikebruiser]

S'more pics with a different camera:

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/P1010018.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/P1010019.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/P1010020.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/P1010021.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/P1010022.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/P1010023.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/P1010024.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/P1010025.jpg

[scootertrash]

Looking good EJ, can't wait to hear it run!

[bayoubikebruiser]

Little plastic or ceramic pyramids my good buddy Gary Scurlock (was at the Crawfish Boil with me late) gave me let me slosh them around in some water and degook the tank. It was rust/flake city, man! Now it's peeing clear! WooHOO!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img422.jpg

These are the little pyramids...it didn't take alot of them, either! SWEET!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img423.jpg

Also bought a new battery at Walmart, added the acid and it's trickle-charging as we speak. That thing went to 11.9 volts before even hitting the charger once the acid was in there. Weird.

This bike may be running tomorrow!

[bayoubikebruiser]

Crappy fuzzy camera phone shot of the little screen Bobby made to replace the factory screen in the tank (helps to have an ol' flattracker handy for just such an occasion). It'll get fully seated by the petcock when it's installed:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img424.jpg

I've been wiping this bike down in the shop and it's starting to look more like a motorcycle and less like some spastic accumulation of grit held together by motorcycle parts:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img425.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img426.jpg

That bald/scalloped rear tire with the fresh plug in it is actually holding air! Good enough for test runs.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img427.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img429.jpg

Carbs should be on today and the battery is fully charged and waiting to crank this puppy!

[bayoubikebruiser]

deleted as duplicate post

[bayoubikebruiser]

Bike pissed all over itself, so off with the carbs, re-tighten everything and have another go at mounting the tank. Bobby's been all over this bike from the beginning (and if it doesn't run, it's all his fault) so everyone toast that dude with your next beer, wouldja?
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img434.jpg

It cranked and wanted to go, but before it got enough fuel in the ol' system, it drank the battery dry. Brand new batteries + trickle chargers = no balls.
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img437.jpg

Has a throatier sound than I had anticipated. Kinda nice. Now it has to sit on that same trickle charger until 5PM and then from 7AM until I can't stand it anymore and try it again. It can't sit overnight because it doesn't shut itself off.

Manana (say mahn-YAHN-ah) amigos....we riiiiiiiiiide!

[2Evil4U]

That's a heckuva job you're doing on that beastie. Should be a pretty cool little ride.

I can't believe that in 1991 honda was still making bikes with a drum rear brake, though.

[bayoubikebruiser]

Reading on the internet, I find that the production goal was to people-please. They used focus groups and all that crap. The people wanted upright, standard, basic motorcycling fun and a sub-$4K price.

Viola.

[scootertrash]

Reading on the internet, I find that the production goal was to people-please. They used focus groups and all that crap. The people wanted upright, standard, basic motorcycling fun and a sub-$4K price.

Viola.

Mama said not to beweave all dat crap you see on da infernet.... said it twas da debil!

[nickatnite]

Dood... sweet bike...

That is the all time selling bike Honda ever made. They started selling them in (I think) 1969 as just a CB 750. They didn't call it nighthawk until 82 or 83.
My first was the CB 450 nighthawk. The baddest one tho was the 700s. That motor is just bullet proof..

One of my close family friends (Shane Smith) up in McComb has one in this same year and color that prolly has 200k on the odometer. Rode it in his first Iron Butt Rally.

[Ozark12002]

Hey bro let me warn you on the gas tank from experience, before you put it on the bike fill her up with some gas and let her sit overnight with a white towel under her to see if it might have any leaks in the tank. I have a 1978 honda cx 500 custom with only 800 original miles on it the tank looked great but after doing a thougho degunking and cleaning and got her ready to run I filled her up and started her right up and that is when I noticed the fuel leak from pinholes in the gas tank luckily I cought it before she went up in flames LMAO. Now I have her in storage @ a buddy of mine in Texas till I save up some money to finish restoring her ( new gas tank, brakes, tiers, fork seals and she is ready to go)

[CajunRider]

Good point on the gas tank. Right now, my Valkyrie has a pin hole in the tank. The paint is holding it from leaking... but the bubble is getting larger. Sooner or later, I'm gonna have to bring it somewhere to get it repaired and re-painted.

I just can't seem to get off of it long enough to do any work to it!!

[Rocky]

Awesome project. Props to you my good man.

[Ozark12002]

Just can not wait till I save up enough to finish her ( I got to quit getting other toys and bbqing so much LMAO), But that wont happen so maybe with the Christmas bonus this year I might get the chance.qwer

[bayoubikebruiser]

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img438.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img439.jpg

IT'S Aliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiive! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHaHahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah ahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
hahahahahahahahahahaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa (oh, BTW, Bobby's now off the hook....)

[Juice]

Aren't you suppose to be working? Congrats dood. I cant wait to check it out.

[scootertrash]

Schweet!

[bayoubikebruiser]

Aren't you suppose to be working? Congrats dood. I cant wait to check it out.

Got stood up on a meeting and went out to the shop and.... one thing lead to another and..... the dog ran over my aliens and.....

Hey, Juice, SHUT UP, man! The bike runs! Danc.en

[Ozark12002]

Congrats dude, what you gonna call her Frankenstein? LOL

[bayoubikebruiser]

Heck, this bike is all original (20Kmi). No Frankenstein, here.

I was thinking "Turd Ferguson". ;)

[bayoubikebruiser]

What a short, strange trip it's been....

FROM THIS:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img369.jpg

TO THIS:
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img443.jpg

All I need to do is squirt a small sum to the PO, grab some insurance, do the paperwork, buy some tires.... and riiiiiiide.

It now starts on its own without needing the boost from the charger. :-D

[CajunRider]

That has to be the fastest "Project Bike" rebuild I've ever seen!!!!! Not.Worthy

Oh wait... all you did was clean her up and clean out the carbs... Slap12

Very cool man!!! Congrats!!

[Juice]

Looks awesome EJ.

[bayoubikebruiser]

Oh wait... all you did was clean her up and clean out the carbs... Slap12


Tank, carbs, troubleshoot and rewire the charging circuit. Around 2 hours/day over 9 days.

I just took the first ride!!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/Honda750/img445.jpg

Loves choke for the 1st 2 mins running then settles in fine. Won't idle, but that's just an adjustment. Pooped around parking lot in 1st and 2nd. Clutch freed up after plonking around for a few minutes, then I did some power runs on the road next to the parkinglot. Makes great power when it's spinning up. Impressive for its size. Brakes worked great front and rear. I need to put tires on it badly. It steers like a truck with scalloped tires fore and aft. The tire plug is holding nicely in the rear, but.... Maybe I notice the handling because I've been on a Motard as daily transportation for the last 2 years. Spoiled by limitless flickability and power.

Overall, I'm impressed with how smooooooth the bike is. Not quite the crotchrocket like you guys ride, but it'll get out of its own way and be a comfortable weekend plonker.

Shorts and sandals to the Starbucks!

[CajunRider]

With the extra 150 (give or take) pounds that it has over your motard... it won't be quite as flickable... But, it still should handle fairly well. Especially if you can tweak the suspension just right.

[Dusty]

Wow, what a rapid transformation. Looking good. Lets ride!

[Ozark12002]

Looks good great job now don't just stop there

[URLOOZN]

Well I must have missed it in there, but what did you give for Turd Ferguson? I've always loved those old Nitehawks. I learned to work a clutch on a 450!

Cool cleanup job!

[bayoubikebruiser]

Thanx for the happy-blab, folks. I think I've already swung a trade for a bike that'll be better to tool around with the wife on. This was fun, though!

Ummuhafta find me some mo' neglected sickles.

[bayoubikebruiser]

Traded the 'Hawk on this:

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/76Goldwing/img461.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/76Goldwing/img458.jpg

'76 Goldwing GL1000. Needs wiring work for lights and horn, but is a daily rider currently. Gonna be a sweet daytripper and weekender. Bulletproof motor making 80HP (back in '76).

ROADTRIP!

[CajunRider]

It's a Mini-Valkyrie!!!!! SWEET!!!

[bayoubikebruiser]

PO shows up to deliver bike and do the paperwork!
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/76Goldwing/img143.jpg

Next thing you know, I have it tucked in the facilities shop at work (it's good to be The King) and me and my friend Bobby have the fairing and different bags mocked up.

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/76Goldwing/img146.jpg
http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a89/bayoubikebruiser/76Goldwing/img144.jpg

Just need some additional hardware and I am good-to-go!

I have $260 cash out of pocket into everything so far with another $300 value in traded VW parts. $560 total. What a sled! Shuuuuh-WING!

Alright, I won't pollute the Dual Sport board with my grampa-bike shenanigans..... I'm just too stoked!

[Badger]

I like it.

[cajun66]

Tell Bobby that them sit-ups work better if he gets out of the chair.
Also, Steve has a Vetter Windjammer for 50 bucks. I think.

[bayoubikebruiser]

"As turnest thine bars, so shalt thine fairing turn". - Burning Bush (God) in The 11th Commandment