What a concept - A Girl Bringing Back Her 1966 Super Hawk

sarals · Post by **sarals** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 5:30 pm

G - LOL!!!

Thanks for the tip on the hardware. I'm going to label zip-lock bags and put it all in those. By the way, I replaced the case screws ages ago with allen head screws. They're old enough to where they now have the proper "patina"!

I haven't really picked a fight with the speedo, yet. Just some looking it over. The faceplate is rather banged up, it has lots of dents and dings. I might buy another, not so nice speedometer, to get the glass and the face plate and to get the practice taking it apart so I don't mess up the nice trim ring mine has when I dig into it. Then again, I could spend the money and send it to a professional. That takes the fun (and frustration) out of it, though! I'd much rather do it myself.

~~S

sarals · Post by **sarals** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 5:11 pm

I started down the road today of stripping the bike down in preparation for removing the engine. Oh, boy. Not as in "Oh boy!", but oh, boy, what a mess. I found mismatched hardware, rounded off bolts and nuts, buggered up screw heads, totally rotten wire bundle sheathing, bent footpeg mounts, worn out shift linkage, a big hole in the right side muffler, a bad oil seal on the crankshaft behind the alternator, deteriorated screw caps on the plug wires (where they attach to the coils), and just in general a lot more deterioration and mess than I had suspected. The good part? When I drained the oil from the engine it looked quite clean. That was a pleasant surprise. The engine still turns over, with no funny noises or rough spots in the crank rotation. The carb slides were clean and shiny, even though the venturis on the carbs look dirty.

I'm going to have to chase down a LOT of parts, little stuff. Some hardware, the wire bundle sheaths, most of the cables (clutch, rear brake, tach, speedo, throttle), the footpeg rubber, plug wires, and who knows what else. It's going to be a big job. But, I knew that. I was never any good at sewing, anyway (but I can bake!). Well, I'm committed now!

Pictures:

From what I've read, this means the bike was made in 1965. So, it's really a 1965 model.

Dirty carburetors.

Under the drive side case:

Dirt!

You know, I really thought I had taken better care of the old girl than I apparently really did. I found so much "what was I thinking" stuff on her that I had to stop and shake my head - more than once! It's a little discouraging, the condition she's in, but I suppose far worse has been brought back from the dead. She deserves it, and I promised her and myself I'd get her going again. More than that, I'm going to get her back to like new, and I'm going to ride her.

Aid3nn · Post by **Aid3nn** » Mon Jul 02, 2012 7:15 pm

thats the spirit! i look forward to watching this one. :)

G-Man · Post by **G-Man** » Tue Jul 03, 2012 1:57 am

Great pictures - thanks. The CB77 I am working on at the moment is a US import which is held together with woodscrews and other ill-fitting butchery so, at least, yours is 'all your own work'. The highlight of my strip down was finding perfect chrome tank panels under crappy paint....

On the speedo front - the CB160 speedo has the same size glass and bezel. In the UK, at least, they go for less money than CB77 ones so you have more choices when searching eBay.

G

sarals · Post by **sarals** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 7:37 pm

G-Man, I'd like to see what Edd and Mike could do with that bike! OMG....

I'm still trying to decide what route to go - rolling restoration (go through the engine and get it running, start riding and slowly bring the bike up to snuff) or total teardown and restoration. My sensibilities tell me it would take me a long time to do a total restoration as well as huge amounts of money. Is that worth it? A partial, get it running (safely and sensibly) would cost far less initially and would get me back on the bike sooner than later. Decisions.

For now I know I need a gas tank (I can't fix that dent in the top, and it needs to be pulled out so the cap seals properly), headlight bucket and trim ring, tires, exhaust system, battery, and get the speedo fixed. I haven't seen the inside of the engine yet. That will be more time and money.

<sigh>!

sarals · Post by **sarals** » Thu Jul 05, 2012 9:22 pm

I just got through pulling off the primary drive cover. I was relieved to see that things don't look at all bad inside that part of the engine. The clutch plates are clean and free, the clutch basket is clean, the primary chain and sprockets look great, the oil filter didn't have much gunk in it at all, and it's drive chain and sprockets also looked great. There was some oil residue on the cases inside there, but no sludge. It looked quite clean!

The starter won't turn over, at all. Also, I'm not sure what the starter clutch is supposed to look like, but it's pretty loose and there are registration marks on it, like it's been slapping around. I don't suppose that's good. Also, the engine was way too easy to turn over (with the spark plugs still in) just using the bolt on the alternator armature. There is not a lot of compression, I'm guessing. I'm going to have to figure out how to pull that armature off the crankshaft, too.

The carbs are now off, too. I'll take them to work tomorrow and remove the float bowls. I'll report back with what I find.

sarals · Post by **sarals** » Fri Jul 06, 2012 3:08 pm

I'm trying to figure this one out - are the CB77 and CL77 (and 72) headlight TRIM RINGS the same parts, are they interchangeable?