Late last August (2015), I picked up a running '64 Super Hawk in pretty good condition, but in need of minor repairs, replacements and upkeep. I have no intention to fully restore the bike at this time; perhaps after I complete my never ending '64 Dream project. The purpose of this thread to record and document changes, as well as my learning experience.
DONE:
New Heidenau tires (stock sizes) w/new tubes & bands
New rider & passenger peg rubbers
New sealed FGM battery & recharge connector
New OEM battery ground wire
New mirrors
New shift lever & toe rubber
New shift lever pivot bolt & grease fitting
New muffler baffles
New front & rear brake cables
New speedometer cable
New tachometer cable
New throttle cable
New clutch cable
De-rusted gas tank
Rebuilt petcock with new kit
Rebuilt carbs with new kits
New Honda gas line hose clamps
New engine side carb spacer o-rings
New air filters & rubber intake tubes
New side cover rubber bumpers
New points adjusting screw to replace missing one
Converted existing sealed beam headlight to accept H4 bulbs
LED bulbs for headlight, tail light, instrument lights, neutral light and winkers
New CB72/77 Japanese style winkers
New rear winker shock mounting brackets
New winker wiring harness with correct colored wires
Rewired winkers in headlight bucket with correct colored wires & blade style fuse
New lightbulb rubbers for speedometer
New LED winker flasher
New side stand rubber
New painted engine cover to replace non-stock chromed unit
New spare keys (2)
New seat bolts
New frame grab bar
New non-oem winker switch
New rubber boot for wiring harness
New rubber boot for brake switch
Replaced rectifier with new rectifier/voltage regulator. Fabricated bracket.
YET TO DO:
Recover seat
Replace or rebuild rear shocks
Replace dented and poorly welded right muffler
Replace old drive chain
Fix dents in front fender & repaint
Fix dents in left side cover
Paint engine side case
Electronic ignition
1964 Superhawk Project1964 Superhawk Project
Last edited by Seadog on Wed Apr 18, 2018 6:55 am, edited 6 times in total.
Yesterday, I started to replace my clutch cable, but, as with many such projects, the job suddenly snowballed. Previously, along with the crud of ages, I had noticed a bit of oil on the underside of the engine and suspected a leaky seal. I was prepared with a replacement seal kit before I started disassembly.
Removing the right engine side cover screws was typically challenging, but with an impact screwdriver, I managed to save all 8 of the original screws. Inside was a very dirty chain and the usual nastiness that goes with it. Also a bit of oil in the stator area. I removed the drive chain, the front sprocket, the stator and the rotor. I also had to remove the starter motor so as to remove the starter chain. I had to drill the heads off the upper and lower 6x20 pan head screws because the impact screwdriver just couldn't do the job. I found the back of the starter sprocket to be soaked with oil. The large seal looked fine, but will be changed with all of the others. Cleanup and reassembly ongoing.
Started work again this morning and found a very small amount of oil below the rotor. Off it came. I found no leaks. All that I can think of is that few drops were from oil remaining in the starter clutch area. I reinstalled everything, but had to change the starter clutch springs, caps and rollers because everything fell out in disassembly and one spring took a walk. Luckily, I had a new starter clutch kit on hand.
I have replaced the main bearing seal, the seal on the starter sprocket and the clutch push rod seal, but decided not to change the others right now. I reinstalled the cleaned drive sprocket and chain and sprayed the oily stator with cleaner. I must replace the brittle and broken wire cover before the stator can be reinstalled. While I'm waiting for that, I drained the oil and removed the oil pump. The oil pump came out with a little gentle persuasion, but the screen took a bit more work and, while removing it, a 6mm nut dropped out of the engine case. That cannot be good.... I've cleaned both the pump and screen and should be able to reinstall them tomorrow and add fresh oil.
Replaced the cleaned oil pump with new gaskets and crush washer. Cleaned and reinstalled the oil filter (with appropriate difficulty) and added new oil. I took some time to clean the bottom of the grimy engine. Lubed the drive chain.
Since all the wiring to the stator was off, I replaced wiring boot on the frame and to the brake switch. The stator was still greasy after spraying with electronics cleaner, so it got a second dose and some time in the sun. Afterward, I stripped the cracked and broken wire covering from the short harness and installed new. I had to unsolder the bullet connectors to do it. The wiring is done and the stator has been reinstalled. The new clutch cable has been routed and will be installed with the right side cover tomorrow.
Finished installing new clutch cable. In reinstalling the right crankcase cover, I discovered that a previous owner had installed everything wrong; the spring, both gears, the kick start lever and even the clutch adjuster. I had no trouble after making it all right. I did find it easier to pull out the clutch push rod a little and insert it into its counterpart, then put the cover in place. At least it gave me peace of mind that the rod was properly placed. I fabricated a tool out of flat bar stock for the clutch adjuster, made the fiddly cable adjustments, reinstalled the exhaust and took it out for a ride.
No oil leaks detected so far. Now I need to tear down the carbs again. I think the float levels are wrong. Afterward, I'll go through LM's tune-up instructions. The bike just isn't running as well as it should. Plenty of pep, but poor idle. Removed the carbs, stripped them and gave them a thorough soak in carb cleaner. Reset the floats, reassembled and reinstalled. I'm now slowly going through a tune-up. Removed the points, cleaned them and replaced the missing adjuster screw on the right set. Stopped work to make a auxiliary fuel container so that I can run the bike and make adjustments to the carbs without the tank. Had a heck of a time with static timing. Electronic ignition is looking better and better.
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