1979 Honda 175

[adambweird]

I got a new winter project today, a 1979 Honda 175. It belongs to my best friends dad and over the course of the winter im gonna get it running again and cleaned up nicely so he can ride with us this summer. Hes a lil guy (5'3" 150lbs wet with a belly fully of beer, lol) so it'll move ok with him on it, lol. Hes been a true inspiration over the years and a hell of a good guy. We cant think of a better way to say thank you than to get his machine rolling and looking decent again. It wont be a full on restoration, but itll look worlds better when im done with it!

 

[Fire-medic]

I like the tank. Get some Dupont Di-Noc stars made and throw 'em onto the blue field. Those bikes are almost unable to be killed. It may never have-had an engine oil change w/that mileage. Fresh fork oil may be in order too. Don't forget to lube the cables. SOme high heat paint on that exhaust should spiff it up. Give the guy some instruction on buffing, and let him get sweat equity cleaning off the oxidation and rust. Maybe after he gets some time under his seat, he'll want to trade-up to one of the new standards. $5K can get you a nice brand-new bike, suited to his size.

This past year I had found a Kawi 440 Sport w/8K mi on it, a nice bike but cosmetically 'knackered.' I got it running and sold it for a bit-more than I had into it. I was at my friend's H-D independent shop, and he told me the guy had run-into a little old lady on Miami Beach (it's not all supermodels!) who pulled-in-front of him and immediately came to a complete stop, and he hit her. The bike has the same as he does, road rash, nothing that couldn't be fixed, and now he wants to get it painted. It was a solid bike, CDI, disc brake, a long comfortable seat, 6 speeds, belt drive, it's NOT the LTD model.

 

[CaptainKyle]

Cool have fun with it.

 

[adambweird]

We wish he would get something bigger but it'd take YEARS of scrimpin and scrounging to do it. Dosent help he wanted someyhing small to keep himself outta trouble, lol.

 

[Fire-medic]

Well you can always keep an eye out for something needing work that isn't expensive. The Kawi LTD inline-4 bikes from the 1980's have low seats and are easy to work on and they should be cheap.