Here's a project I just acquired..
Engine VIN: CA77E - 401284
Frame VIN: CA78 - 401283
I found the frame vin down near the kickstand. I'm not sure what year it is..
The odometer reads 77 miles... I'm dubious of course, but the previous owner said he was told from previous owner it's accurate. Indications of wear and maintenance seem to jive with it having less than 1,000 miles or so (most bolts and screws are untouched, rubber on foot pegs and other places show no wear, no indication of the chain being adjusted, etc... ) but there's no papers to prove anything and it's going to need to be torn down and seals replaced anyway.
The previous owner said it ran just two years ago, but I'm kind of dubious of that as well... but the motor does turn over. The keys came with it. It does have the emblems on the tank and they're in decent shape.
The bad news is one of the previous owners was not very mechanically inclined and apparently cleaned the aluminum parts with something acidic and didn't wash it all off... and spray painted it black with a rattle can... and took off a bunch of parts and lost them... and mucked with the kick starter.. and on and on... the rear wheel is rusted, the front fender has slight dents in it, there's minor rust just about everywhere, the side panels on the tank will need to be replaced, the tank has a small spot on the bottom where it had apparently rusted through and someone patched it with some new steel and welded it on.. the wiring looks original, but that also means the connectors and insulation look pretty bad... basically there's nothing on the bike that wouldn't need to be completely reworked to have it "show" quality.
I'm thinking it's really too far gone to do a full restoration on. It's possible, but would be throwing far too much money and time into a bike that there are far better examples out there to start with. I could see getting it back to "road worthy" or "10 foot" shape - restoring it just enough to have it look decent from 10 feet, but not try for a museum piece. I'd appreciate some input on this from those who have done some restorations.
My goal is to get it started, get it titled, and then this winter tear it down and get it looking decent.
CA78 DreamCA78 Dream
Very cool find. Doesn't seem to add up thought that the bike has only 77 miles and yet so many things have been messed with. If that truly is the case, I would imagine the original owner parked it outside for a number of years and there were several attempts at restoration along the way
It's a good starting point either way as a lot of the bikes people build up are in a lot worse condition.
Hi,
A simple way to verify the milage of the engine, check the clutch rod for wear, if there's wear, there is no way it has only 77 miles on it. Also a good look at the chain and sprockets will verify the actual mileage better then the speedometer. Did I mention that the bike looks good and complete ? Jensen assembly of Japanese motorcycles requires great peace of mind (Pirsig)
Congrats on the find. I got one nearly like it a month ago, so we're about in the same boat, other than mine has definitely got some miles on it, although I have nearly all the parts.
I'm in the same position as to the restore. I guess it really boils down to budget and what your end goal is- to ride it or show it, or something in between. From the VIN # yours should be a 64. I'm not sure about your state, but here in CA the bike has to be road worthy before they'll title it with no paperwork. The main thing is to make sure the serials don't have any problems attached (Stolen being the main one.) A check with your state police should clear that up. Enjoy the challenge. I appreciate the input on this, and I'm starting to lean more towards doing a decent restoration on it. Some parts of it are pretty rough and are going to take some real work to bring back to life (or just replaced..), but other parts are in decent shape. Take a look at the inside of the tank below. I also looked in the float bowl and there was no varnish at all. Amazing.
Oh, just for kicks I hooked a drill up to the speedo and it (including the odometer) worked. Maybe somebody replaced it.. or unhooked the speedo cable.. I'll check the clutch and the front brakes out and maybe get a better indication of how many miles it really has on it. In looking into the NC title application process it looks like I need to have it in "operating condition" before I get it bonded and apply for a title... just like OldStan said.
I started it for the first time today.
I spent a few hours last night looking at the wiring diagrams and trying to figure out where wires should go and temporarily hooking them up. Then I spent an hour or so pondering why the main ignition line had a splice in it (a 3" piece of wire that was just twisted onto the main wire near the headlight) and why the condenser wire had probably 2 feet of old (like rotten 1970's vintage) cloth electrical tape wrapped around one connector. The mysteries of old bikes are wonderful. I had taken the starter solenoid apart and cleaned/oiled it so it came back to life.. then took apart the throttle and cleaned everything involved and greased the cable. Once I had the wires connected to where they should go I got spark, so I figured getting it to run would be pretty easy. It was.. it started up the first try.. but I couldn't get it to idle. No weird clanking/ticking/knocking sounds, no smoke, nothing really surprising. So that was good. But the best I could do was keeping it running for a couple of minutes by blipping the throttle. It would only "idle" at probably 2,500 rpm and then after adjusting idle screw it took me blipping the throttle to keep it running. There was no in between. I took the carb apart tonight (squeeky clean) and noticed that if the cable wasn't routed just right then the throttle would hang open. I looked in the frame/tunnel and found that PO had wrapped the throttle cable around the wires in there so it was doing a loop. Straightening that out should (hopefully) get it idling... but that's not critical at this point anyway. I think I've got enough indication that it'll be worth the hassle of applying for a title, all the parts gathering, money, and time that is involved in restoring this thing. So I need to track down missing parts. .. (headlight, air filter, bolts for front suspension, adjuster nut and spring for front brake, etc) and start working on the title. As for the 77 miles on the odometer.. After seeing some parts that show wear or use (carb slide, throttle hinge, carb floats, starter button, etc) I'd guesstimate actual mileage at well under 2,000.. but probably more than 77. There's some wear on some parts (throttle hinge) but almost none on others. The mysteries...
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